April 28

Lethbridge-Stewart: Mutually Assured Domination

Hey Guys,

I finally came round to read the fourth adventure of Lethbridge-Stewart ‘Mutually Assured Domination’. Yeah I know I get really confused with the order of the books. This book takes places after ‘Beast of Fang Rock‘ and before ‘Moon Blink‘. This time Lethbridge-Stewart is facing the Dominators which we know from Doctor Who ‘The Dominators’ with the Second Doctor, Jamie and Zoe.

Old acquaintance

In this adventure our Brig works with an old acquaintance that we also know from Doctor Who ‘The Web of Fear’. The Brig doesn’t have a good opinion about the journalist Harlod Chorley. But Chorley stumbles over a few coincidences that all seems to conact to Dominex.
I really like the dynamic between Chorley and Lethbridge-Stewart. The gone both through the same together and handle it really differently. I kinda hope to find them working together more often. Sadly Bill Bishop at in this adventure a really small role.

Dominex

Dominex Industries is a nuclear waste firm that promise cheap energy. People in high places are blended by this promise and make it really hard for the Brig to act against them. The story itself is not one of my favorites. But I love the characters and how the interact with each other. I love to see the Brigs calling friends that are ready to fight with him without much question asked. They are great characters and I love how the old chaps are ready to follow our young Lethbridge-Stewart.

A win

Finally we are at the point were Lethbridge-Stewart is official starting to built UNIT. He is choosing his team and I am real love to meet all this characters again. I already love his team so much. So yeah I will start read the next book as soon as possible. Hopefully I will read the right one next.

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April 14

DW: Sting of the Zygons

Hey Guys,

welcome the 13th adventure of the New Adventure Book Series ‘Sting of the Zygons’ with the tenth Doctor and Martha Jones. The enemies in this book is obviously the Zygons. I got as part of the Monster Collection. The TARDIS lands on the 16th September 1909. They stay at least for three days. For Martha it is some point after Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks.

Zygons

I never was a big fan of these particular monsters. This book doesn’t change it. The thought that they can take any form might be a little unsettling. They are planner and strategic what makes them more dangerous than a lot of other enemies of the Doctor. In ‘Sting of the Zygons’ how ever we see a little different side of the Zygons than before. We learn how desperation looks on them.

Zygons and the hunters

The monster of the Zygons the Skarasen goes lose and kill a lot of humans and a second one is found dead. The Doctor and Martha arrive shortly after these events. They found also a dead Zygon. Maybe an alien hunter is out their hunting the Zygons down. But what ever it is the Doctor has to find out.

The little Ian

Like always the Doctor and Martha make a lot of friends really fast and get thrown out be as much people too. I loved the most Martha’s little friend Ian. Martha has to fight in this time to be taken seriously and all man want to put her on the side lines. But we all know Martha and she never just sits on the sideline. Ian is a young boy who don’t care for this world views. He likes Martha and the get on really well and fast.
Ian is putting himself in danger all the time. I am not even sure that he gets the danger he is in most of the time. But he trusts Martha is always there to help her out. It is really sweet how this two always save each other.

Reading or not

The book is not bad but it is not good either. I don’t like the story very much and the monster are not my thing. The characters except for Ian are not so sympatric. There are a few fun scenes but it is just my book.

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June 15

Lethbridge-Stewart: Moon Blink

Hey Guys,

welcome to the 5th adventure of the Lethbridge-Stewart Series ‘Moon Blink’. Again I got confused with what I book I have to read next. Normally you would read ‘Mutually Assured Domination’ before ‘Moon Blink’. Like the other adventures this is about Lethbridge-Stewart with Anne and Bill Bishop. For a Lethbridge-Stewart Series it has way to little of our future Brig in it. It is an adventure of Anne and Bill.

Good and Bad Aliens

This story is about the space race. Just that the space race that we could witness isn’t the real one going on. Americans and Russian has already a base on moon and found there an alien life form. As we all can imagine it doesn’t go very well. It gets really fast clear that the bad guys in this novel are not the aliens. It is the human race. So Anne and the Brig has to deal with good aliens and bad humans.

Baby Alarm

An old friend of Anne is coming to town and asked her for help. She ran from scientist with an alien baby. At Anne’s she involves a lot of people. Like she called Bill – why ever she would call Bill when she just knew him from the tellings of Anne. Also she brings Sally in what actually doesn’t really make much sense – even less when she as no role in this adventure.
I am a little let down be this book. It seems rather easy to care for an alien baby which don’t get anything to eat and nobody wonders that he didn’t need any thing to eat? There is so much in that goes unattended. Which is really sad.
But apart from that the story is rather nice. I really like Bill and we see more of the developing relationship between Anne and Bill.

Military

In the last part of the book when Anne and Lethbridge-Stewart finally work together, Anne gets on my nerves. She worked a lot with the Brig at this point she should know him a little. But she is judging him so much from thoughts she had herself in the very same book. Also the way she handled herself when they followed the bad guy to the show down. I am not a big fan of military either. But she is acting so headless and makes the situation never better. They are three people against a freaking group! They have to think things through. The way she is angry at him for not reacting… stop it. He is just trying to get everyone out alive. That she doesn’t seems to get that is so annoying. Most of all because before she always wanted him at his side and always that he could help them and then he does but it is not good enough for her.

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May 15

DW: Shadows of Avalon

Hey Guys,

welcome to ‘The Shadows of Avalon’ Volume 31 of the book series ‘Eighth Doctor Adventures‘. Quite obviously it has the eighth Doctor in it and his to Companions Compassion and Fitz. The reason I bought this book is that they meet in the adventure the Brigadier. You all know I love the Brig. I doesn’t know much about Compassion which would maybe helped with understanding this book. For people how doesn’t know what is going on I don’t want to spoil it but the story also a story about Compassion. So it is helpful to actually know her.

Compassion – short look at her

Compassion was first seen in the book ‘Interference – Book One’, which is the 25 volume of the ‘Eighth Doctor Adventures‘. All the information given know are just what I read about her. So it could be that there are mistakes in here. She was at some point Laura Tobin. She was one of the survivors of her home planet that was destroyed. Faction Paradox transported her to earth. But the ship need a few years more than human lifespan has. So the passengers were remembered by using biomass in remembrance tanks. It seems that Compassion is the result. Earth signals changed her so much that she started traveling with the Doctor.
When we met Compassion in this book, she waits for the Doctor to arrive. The Doctor send her to live on earth to become more human. So this is where the story starts.

Gateway

Avalon is a dream world dreamt from King Constantine. But something bad is going on in this world. A gateway opens between this world and earth. The military stumbled upon it and the Brig is investigating. The Brig is in a very bad place in this adventure. He lost his life Doris and is searching for death. As much as I hate seen the Brig in such a state, the travel he goes through in this book is kinda amazing. I am just not happy with the end of the book about this problem.
So back to the problem at hand. The humans and Fair Folk are at war and two mysterious people are meddling with the two folks.

A construct of Magic, War and Politics

This whole book is just a big conspiracy. You try to find out what these two ‘people’ are up too. The Doctor is trying to find out what is going on and leaves the Brig. The Brig totally lost in his grief is bringing the military to help the Humans and send all of them into war – into death. I don’t like the whole parts of the war. I am not a fan of war stories. Compassion and Fitz are away from the Doctor and also think that he is dead. So they got involved with the Fair Folk and send on a mission to close the gateway. A big part of the story are politics and religion stuff. And around that construct of War, Politics, Religion they spun a magical world with Dragons and other magic.

Live in the Dark

The book is rather dark. It is war and the Brig is grieving. Compassion and Fitz are grieving the Doctor and feel not secure. So there is really nothing positive going on in this story. There is little hope in the people. The whole story is set in dark palace. There is no laughter or happy moments. When we get a really small moment of happiness than the grief of the Brig is making this moment painful again. So it is light lecture.

The longest I read on a book

I think I read this whole book over a whole year… a year! For my liking it was too much war and politics and the whole atmosphere to depressing. Since I didn’t know much about Compassion and Fitz is also kinda difficult to relate to, when you know so little about him. In the epilogue I actually really gets him. Maybe a little late. The only thing I really found interesting was the journey of my Brig.
So if you like politics and war and Avalon. If you like to read books with a depressing atmosphere than you are here right. Maybe when you know the characters better the story would be better. I don’t know.

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January 16

DW: The Resurrection Casket

Hey Guys,

welcome to the 9th book of the New Adventure Serie The Resurrection Casket. I am happy and sad that there are only three books of Rose and the 10th Doctor left. I love these two together. But i also love to have Martha back. She is one of my favorite companions of the Doctor. But back to the theme at hand. This book is like already said with Rose and the 10th Doctor. The guys of AHistory place it around the year 3906 in the time of the Galatic Federation and would take place between the events of The Infinite Quest (an animated Doctor Who story) and The Pirate Loop (NSA#20). In this story are no idication when in the time line of the Doctor this take place. So i thing it plays after the book The Feast of the Drowned and obviously before the events of the TV-Episodes Army of Ghosts (Final of season two).

The big time of the pirates

Isn’t it one of the biggest dreams to be a space pirate. What kid didn’t wanted to be a pirate (i didn’t)? But many people in stories dream about it. About the freedom and the adventure that it will bring. In this story we will met such a boy. A boy who dreams of big adventures and treasures. But we all know that a life of pirate is more than adventures and treasure. A life of a pirate is about blood, death and fights. Every freedom comes with a price. Of course there is a legend of a big pirate and his treasure that got lost in the Zeg. The zeg is a zone in space where all that technic schnick schnack doesn’t work. Steam is the only mechanic that works there. We all know that behind story there is always a truth. So it seems that the legend of the dark shadow is true. If someone put the dark shadow on you, he will kill you.
In all that legend and stories the Doctor and Rose stranded. Because the zeg is also shuting down the TARDIS.

Reading or not

The story has is ups and downs. The first part is kinda boring. I mean Jimm the boy is sweet but he is so blind for the dark sides of the world that it is hard to don’t want to struggle him. At first i thought that the story is very obvious but in the end the twist make it worth it. It is just not like it seems. Even when i am pretty sure most of you can work it out before the Doctor explains it. But the second part of the book is fun. The travel group brings me joy and tears. Just a hint the story is about something i really love. The question what makes us evil and what makes us good. Are we born the way we turn out or can we change. So yes definitly go and read that book. I love it.

The next book on my list is ‘The Shadow of Avalon‘ because the next books of the New Adventure Serie are not bought yet. But yeah i am sure that it doesn’t take long to get them.

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December 16

DW: The Feast of the Drowned

Hey Guys,

i actually get to read the 8th adventure of the New adventure serie – The Feast of the Drowned – with the tenth Doctor and Rose. It place in the present (2007) when Rose is visiting her mum again. For Mickey and Jacky this is taking place after The Stone Rose (NAS#7) which also after the christmas special- The Christmas Invasion and place before School reunion.

There is always another explaination

Is there something like ghost? The brother of on old friend of Rose died. He was working on a ship that sunk and he and all the other crew members drowned with it. After three month the parts of the ship got transfered to London and this is when the ghosts start apearing. But even when they found the ship, they didn’t found anything of the crew. Of course the Doctor and Rose with the help of Mickey start investigating.

The little things

What i really like about this story are the little things. Like the mentioned the time Rose was away. Her friends that believed the first and how everyone gave Mickey the fault for her absence. I think that Rose never really thought about what her friends or Mickey had been through. She just always forget about this time, because it is just the best thing in her life. She lost kinda contact to her life when she starts traveling with the Doctor.

Reading or nor

The story is solid but not superb. I read better and way worth. What makes the story so good is Rose life. This story shows us what Rose did to the people around her and how she forget about it. We see a Rose that we would say should grow up but on the other hand we see a grown up Rose. A Rose that would sacrifice herself to save people. A Rose that will never give up. We see what the travels did to the persons near to her but we also see what the travels did to her and that is why the story is a yes to reading this book.

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November 16

Lethbridge-Stewart: The Shizoid Earth

Hey Guys,

after my little confusion i read now the second book of the serie Lethbridge-Stewart – The Schizoid Earth. Unlike the other two books it is not referring to classic Doctor Who story. It stands alone and plays without much surprise after the second book.

Confussion

The story is really confussing and i can’t tell what it is about. We have three main strands of plot. We have the Brig. Theoretically he finds a bomb that doesn’t detonated with a passenger – a dead professor Trevors. Now comes part that confuses me. Because the second strand is with Anne Trevors and Professor Trevor finding somewhere else a simular ‘bomb’ but before they can make tests they got called back to search for Lethbridge-Stewart.
The third strands is a reporter that also got asighned to find the Brig.

Problems over problems

This mystery ‘bombs’ are not the only thing that is going on. Soldiers from the past appier the present. These soldiers are not aware of that. They still things they are in war. All three groups met some of these soldiers. But there is still more. The Brig is having problems remembering things. Also there seems to be problems with the year they are in. Everything is really mysterious. You really don’t know what is going on. So the story is working good. But the biggest problem is that the parts with the Brig are the shortest until the middle of the book. After that we got alot more Lethbridge-Stewart and the book good alot more interessting from that point on.

Reading or not

If go through the first half of the book, the good really interessting, emontional, still confusing but the question gets answered and i really fall in love with the story. So yes totally worth reading.

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October 16

Lethbridge-Stewart: Beast of Fang Rock

Hey Guys,

the Lethbridge-Stewart serie has confused me a little with the order of the books. I thought the whole time that the book ‘The Beast Of Fang Rock’ is the second volume but i wasn’t quite right. It is in truth the third book. So i didn’t get a lot of hints of the past of the Brig. But it is not really nessasary to understand this story.

This book is not as strong as the first book. It is has a nice flow but the story is not getting to me. I have to say that i wasn’t a big fan of the story ‘The Horror Of Fang Rock’ and also don’t remember much of it. What makes it a little harder to follow the events of the book and the persons.

They way to tell the story

The story has three different time zones. The first one is the present were the Brig and his team is working again together with Anne and also with Owaine Brigs Nephew. I like these two to interact and i hope the books will explore the relationship between them more.
The second zone is 1902. That are the events that take places when the Doctor is visiting Fang Rock. So there is not much story just hints for the Doctor and the episode.
The third zone is 1923. It explains who the story is connected. Also a lot of action is taking place there.
I can’t tell how well the book works around the story of the episode because i don’t remember much of it. But when i start my rewatch of Doctor Who i will try to look into it.

What it is about

There isn’t much to say about the story. If you know the episode you can think how the book is working. But for the others: Fang Rock seems to becursed. Ghosts are showing up and really suspicious lights were seen there in all three time zones. The Brig is still searching for evidence that there are alien threats out their and finds out that maybe other people know more than him.

Just another step closer to the Brig. It is feeling wrong to write about him as something else than the Brigadier. So i hope you don’t mind that i write about him as the Brig. Of course in the story he is not a Brigadier yet. In the story he is still a colonel.

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September 16

DW: Lethbridge-Stewart – the forgotten son

Hey Guys,

here it comes the first book of the new serie Lethbridge-Stewart or the Havoc Files. Like the name says it is about Lethbridge-Stewart so what can go wrong?

What is it about

For everyone who didn’t heart about it yet. The serie plays after the events of ‘The Web of fear’. This is his way to becoming the Brigadier and building UNIT. Which is a lovely idea. The Brigadier is an amazing character and one of the most important character in the arc of the third Doctor. So war he is also with Sarah Jane Smith the one that has seen the most reincarnations of the Doctor. I don’t know rigth now if the sixth Doctor met the Brig but one to five and the seventh of met the Brig – and that is just the tv serie. To make a serie about the person who not just become a close friend to the Doctor but also his boss, is an amazing idea – yes i know i said that before and it will be not the last time. Because the Brig is one of my all time favorites.
So the first book took place right after ‘The Web of fear’. When the Doctor left the town was still a mass. They people left behind had to clean up after the incident. The Brig is the one that is responisble for the repopulation of London.

Old enemies

The first case has to do with the Great Intellegent and the past of the Brig (in this story he is just an colonell but he just call him always Brig or the Brigadier). Best thing about the book is not the story itself, which is be no means bad, but the best thing is that we got to know more about the Brig, about his past, his daily life and his fiancee.
The most negative about the book is the way it is written. This story as way to many perspectives. We have the Brig, a dead soldier, the Brigs mom, an old friend of the Brigadier and twins and you look through everyones eyes. Which is making us understand the person itself better but it is just to much for me.

But you got a good feeling for all the characters. You like or dislike them. But there isn’t a character that seems flat. And a few of the characters will cross the Brigs way many times.

Close to the serie?

What is good and on the same time not, is that they actually are very close to the New Who serie. So it is mentioned that the Great Intelligence is followed everywhere by procelin girl – Clara Oswald. But that also means that they took also his last salute to the doctor. Which I really hate because I want to forget that it ever happens. This is destroying cybermen and the Brigadier.

But everyone who love the Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart should read that book.

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January 11

DW: Illegal Alien

Hey Guys,
i finished all New Serie Adventure books that i have right now, so it is time to went on the Past Doctor Adventures and start with the fifth book of the serie – Illegal Alien. It good reprinted in the Monster Collection and features the Seventh Doctor and Ace. The Adventure took place november 1940 in London and Jersey. It seems that for the Doctors timeline it is set somewhere after the 26 season.

Ace and Cody

Beneath the Doctor this are two of the characters that have a bigger role in the story. Ace of course because she is the Doctors companion. I am not a big fan of her, but she is an interessting and unique character. For me she is a little too much into explosives. Yeah, this is special were i often love characters, who love gun (i myself hate guns – don’t ask why…). But maybe it is because she is doesn’t seem to know what she can destroy with it. Also somewhere in the book she said that she like the The Blitz time. What takes her into a position i don’t understand and don’t want to understand. But her journay on the book is a good one. She is confronted with reality and death.
Cody is a private detective and not really sympatic. He is not friendly and has a death wish. I get me totally on the wrong food and i don’t even thing he is a good detective. It is sad that they gave him such a big role. When characters like Mama doesn’t get enough line but still are in our heart.

Rogue Time

The Story is about cybermen. One of the most used monster. Yeah i like them and here we have a rogue cybermen. It seems like this cybermen is search for blood and kills like everyone is remembered of the Jack the ripper cases. It seems like the humans always wants to become cybermen for winning a war. It is always the same. The worst in this story are not the cybermen it is the humans that betray each other, kill each other and toture each other.

The book is not my favorite. It is not my companion, not my story. It was for me just boring.

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