So, if you've listened to Episode 32, in which Sean and I discuss Trevor Baxendale's Fear of the Dark, you may have heard me say that, as this story is set immediately following "Arc of Infinity," that it would be followed by "Mawdryn Undead." Of course, that was wrong--the next story would be "Snakedance." Now, the reason I really shouldn't have gotten this wrong, aside from the fact that I love "Snakedance," is that, in some ways, Fear of the Dark is a sort of inversion of "Snakedance." In each, one of the Doctor's companions is, via her dreams, contacted and eventually possessed by an ancient evil which seeks to re-establish a physical presence in this world. Except the one ends with death everywhere and the other ends with absolutely no death. There are even references to Tegan's snake dreams in the novel, further drawing attention to the connection between the two stories.
And that's where, as you'll also have heard if you listened to the episode, my biggest issue with the novel lies: it didn't feel very fresh. It felt like a story we'd read or seen before, either with The Pit or "Image of the Fendahl," or "Curse of Fenric," or "Snakedance"--it just felt predictable. Of course, Sean disagreed with me--as did several listeners who've kindly let me know how wrong I am. So, take everything I've written above with a grain of salt.
Anyway, I also forgot to include links about Downtime in the post announcing it, so here they are. Remember, as always--SPOILERS AHEAD!
Downtime at the Doctor Who Reference Guide
Buy it at Amazon.com!
Reviews at the Doctor Who Ratings Guide
Showing posts with label Doctor Who. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Doctor Who. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Erik Cheats and Picks Downtime
As the headline makes clear, I (Erik here) have made a slight cheat in my selection for September. Oh, but before we get too far into that, here's where you can download our August episode on Trevor Baxendale's Fear of the Dark. Also, here's a complete list of all the novels being reprinted as part of the 50th Anniversary Collection. Who knows? If they sell well enough, maybe more of these books will be brought back into print. Stranger things have happened, like that time I was in a completely black room and I thought I saw...
Where was I? Oh, yes--the cheat! Well, it's not really a cheat, I suppose, but we do tend to try to rotate through the various Doctors when we select our books for both the PDA and the VMA ranges. While we've done an equal number of books starring all of the previous classic Doctors (1-6), and I was technically free to pick a book featuring any of them, it's been a year since we've done a book featuring the Second Doctor, and I was leaning in that direction, until I got a mischievous twinkle in my eye and decided, instead, to pick Downtime. And I'm sure the silver control ball I found the other day in no way influenced my decision.
If you're unfamiliar with its history, Downtime was a direct-to-video, independently produced, Doctor Who spin-off made by some long-time fans that featured both actors from the series--Elizabeth Sladen, Nicholas Courtney, and Deborah Watling, among others--and behind-the-scenes people with experience of working on Who: director Christopher Barry and writer Marc Platt, plus Ian Levine, about whom, the less said, perhaps the better. It was not officially licensed by the BBC, however, and therefore couldn't feature the character of the Doctor or the TARDIS, which Platt worked around by focusing the story on other characters to which they could secure the rights. When the time came to novelize his script for the Virgin Missing Adventure range, Platt seemingly saw no reason to insert the Doctor, and so it is the only book in that range not to focus around any incarnation of the Doctor, though several apparently make cameo appearances.
From the back cover:
Across the room, in a high-backed leather chair, Victoria saw the old man from the reading room. His face was curiously young for someone so long dead.
In 1966 the Doctor defeated the Great Intelligence, but he knew it wasn’t a final victory. And his companion Victoria, whose mind had once hosted the evil entity, might still fall prey to its power.
Now it seems that his fears are justified. In a Tibetan monastery, the monks display unearthly powers - UNIT are investigating. A new university has opened in London with a secret agenda that may threaten the whole country. Victoria, abandoned in an age very different from her own, and haunted by visions of a father she refuses to believe is dead, is slipping into despair and madness. But are the visions which plague her really hallucinations? Or has the Great Intelligence once again made Earth its target for invasion?
So, join is for that discussion in September! Happy reading!
In the meantime, you can email us at dwbcpodcast@gmail.com & follow us on Twitter: the podcast--@DWBCpodcast, Erik--@sjcAustenite, and Sean--@tardistavern.
Where was I? Oh, yes--the cheat! Well, it's not really a cheat, I suppose, but we do tend to try to rotate through the various Doctors when we select our books for both the PDA and the VMA ranges. While we've done an equal number of books starring all of the previous classic Doctors (1-6), and I was technically free to pick a book featuring any of them, it's been a year since we've done a book featuring the Second Doctor, and I was leaning in that direction, until I got a mischievous twinkle in my eye and decided, instead, to pick Downtime. And I'm sure the silver control ball I found the other day in no way influenced my decision.If you're unfamiliar with its history, Downtime was a direct-to-video, independently produced, Doctor Who spin-off made by some long-time fans that featured both actors from the series--Elizabeth Sladen, Nicholas Courtney, and Deborah Watling, among others--and behind-the-scenes people with experience of working on Who: director Christopher Barry and writer Marc Platt, plus Ian Levine, about whom, the less said, perhaps the better. It was not officially licensed by the BBC, however, and therefore couldn't feature the character of the Doctor or the TARDIS, which Platt worked around by focusing the story on other characters to which they could secure the rights. When the time came to novelize his script for the Virgin Missing Adventure range, Platt seemingly saw no reason to insert the Doctor, and so it is the only book in that range not to focus around any incarnation of the Doctor, though several apparently make cameo appearances.
From the back cover:
Across the room, in a high-backed leather chair, Victoria saw the old man from the reading room. His face was curiously young for someone so long dead.
In 1966 the Doctor defeated the Great Intelligence, but he knew it wasn’t a final victory. And his companion Victoria, whose mind had once hosted the evil entity, might still fall prey to its power.
Now it seems that his fears are justified. In a Tibetan monastery, the monks display unearthly powers - UNIT are investigating. A new university has opened in London with a secret agenda that may threaten the whole country. Victoria, abandoned in an age very different from her own, and haunted by visions of a father she refuses to believe is dead, is slipping into despair and madness. But are the visions which plague her really hallucinations? Or has the Great Intelligence once again made Earth its target for invasion?
So, join is for that discussion in September! Happy reading!
In the meantime, you can email us at dwbcpodcast@gmail.com & follow us on Twitter: the podcast--@DWBCpodcast, Erik--@sjcAustenite, and Sean--@tardistavern.
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Are You Afraid of the Dark?
*ahem*
Actually, Sean's just gotten too busy so I'm stepping back into the breach. Before I blurb August's book, some housekeeping. Due to the aforementioned business, we're behind on posting episodes! Oh no!
- Download our April episode on Peter Darvill-Evans' Independence Day.
- Or our May (read: early June) episode on State of Change by Christopher Bulis.
- Or maybe our June discussion of the infamous Lungbarrow by Marc Platt.
- Or our most recent episode, on Jonathan Morris' The Tomorrow Windows.
And now, for August, we present Trevor Baxendale's Fear of the Dark--from the back cover of the original edition:
On the very edge of the galaxy lies Akoshemon: a putrefied world of legendary evil.
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In the year 2382 archaeologists land on Akoshemon’s only moon, searching for evidence of the planet’s infamous past. But when the Doctor, Tegan and Nyssa are drawn into the lunar caverns they find more than a team of academics -- and help uncover much more than ancient history.
Something is lying in wait, deep inside the labyrinth of caves: something that remembers the spiral of war, pestilence and deprivation that ruined Akoshemon. Something that rejoiced in every kind of horror and destruction.
An age-old terror is about to be reborn. But what is the hideous secret of the Bloodhunter? And why does Nyssa feel that her thoughts are no longer her own? Forced to confront his own worst fears, even the Doctor will be pushed to breaking point -- and beyond.
Oooh...sounds spooky kids! Baxendale has written several other books set in the Whoniverse (I hate that term, but it is convenient), both during the Wilderness Years and since the show returned in 2005. As a change of pace, Fear of the Dark is available for sale, right now, in a brand new edition as part of the 50th anniversary novel reissues--you can even get it for your Kindle or Nook! So you have no excuse not to grab a copy and read along with us...
Links below may contain spoilers:
Email us and tell us how much you love Erik's laugh at dwbcpodcast@gmail.com, look for us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter via @dwbcpodcast. You can also follow Erik via @sjcaustenite and Sean via @tardistavern.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Episode 6, Back to the Land of Fiction!
Sean here, posting for the first time ever, so watch out for those grammatical errors! Episode 6, in which we discuss Conundrum by Steve Lyons is now available here. This is the second Virgin New Adventures novel we've read (after Damaged Goods) and we're learning that this series is pretty deep. But listen as we discuss this mind-bending sequel (of sorts) to "The Mind Robber" and as Erik waxes eloquent on tropes and what not. And I think I say some stuff, too. (He is so going to hate me for saying that.) Also, a special thank you to Lillibet of Professor Dave's Ark in Space for lending us her dulcet tones by reading a passage from the book for us.
What steamy summer read do we have set for July? We're due for an BBC Eighth Doctor novel, and it's going to be Legacy of the Daleks by John Peel (ISBN: 0-563-40574-0), entry #10 in the Eighth Doctor series. It features the return of Susan, the Daleks (duh!), and a certain other character from the television series who I shan't mention (spoilers!). From the back cover:
England in the late 22nd century is slowly recovering from the devastation that followed the Daleks' invasion. The Doctor's very first traveling companion -- his granddaughter, Susan -- is where he left her, helping to rebuild Earth for the survivors. But danger still remains all around...
While searching for his lost companion, Sam, the Doctor finds himself in Domain London. But it seems that Susan is now missing too, and his efforts to find her lead to confrontation with the ambitious Lord Haldoran, who is poised to take control of southern England through all-out war. With the help of a sinister adviser, Haldoran's plans are already well advanced. Power cables have been fed down a mineshaft, reactivating a mysterious old device of hideous power. But has the Dalek presence on Earth really been wiped out? Or are there still traps set for the unwary?
The Doctor learns to his cost once again that when dealing with the evil of the Daleks, nothing can be taken at face value...
Have you ever noticed that there are very few Dalek novels in the entire range of Doctor Who novels, from the Missing Adventures on? As they are trademarks of the BBC, authors writing about them were legally obligated to pay a large portion of the book's proceeds to the BBC, so practically no one chose to write them. John Peel, as a close friend to Terry Nation, elected to pick up the gauntlet and wrote both Legacy of the Daleks and War of the Daleks. He also penned a number of Target novelizations of Dalek stories. I also can't help but feel tickled that he wrote novels for the Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? series. (Now good luck getting the theme song from the TV show out of your head.)
Thank you for all of your lovely comments on Twitter and iTunes, and feel free to email us at dwbcpodcast@gmail.com. You can also follow us on Twitter via @dwbcpodcast. Also, follow Erik via @sjcaustenite and Sean via @tardistavern.
Other fun stuff:
The Doctor Who Reprint Society
Wikipedia BEWARE: SPOILERS!
The Doctor Who Reference Guide BEWARE: EVEN MORE SPOILERS!
The TARDIS Library
What steamy summer read do we have set for July? We're due for an BBC Eighth Doctor novel, and it's going to be Legacy of the Daleks by John Peel (ISBN: 0-563-40574-0), entry #10 in the Eighth Doctor series. It features the return of Susan, the Daleks (duh!), and a certain other character from the television series who I shan't mention (spoilers!). From the back cover:
England in the late 22nd century is slowly recovering from the devastation that followed the Daleks' invasion. The Doctor's very first traveling companion -- his granddaughter, Susan -- is where he left her, helping to rebuild Earth for the survivors. But danger still remains all around...
While searching for his lost companion, Sam, the Doctor finds himself in Domain London. But it seems that Susan is now missing too, and his efforts to find her lead to confrontation with the ambitious Lord Haldoran, who is poised to take control of southern England through all-out war. With the help of a sinister adviser, Haldoran's plans are already well advanced. Power cables have been fed down a mineshaft, reactivating a mysterious old device of hideous power. But has the Dalek presence on Earth really been wiped out? Or are there still traps set for the unwary?
The Doctor learns to his cost once again that when dealing with the evil of the Daleks, nothing can be taken at face value...
Have you ever noticed that there are very few Dalek novels in the entire range of Doctor Who novels, from the Missing Adventures on? As they are trademarks of the BBC, authors writing about them were legally obligated to pay a large portion of the book's proceeds to the BBC, so practically no one chose to write them. John Peel, as a close friend to Terry Nation, elected to pick up the gauntlet and wrote both Legacy of the Daleks and War of the Daleks. He also penned a number of Target novelizations of Dalek stories. I also can't help but feel tickled that he wrote novels for the Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? series. (Now good luck getting the theme song from the TV show out of your head.)
Thank you for all of your lovely comments on Twitter and iTunes, and feel free to email us at dwbcpodcast@gmail.com. You can also follow us on Twitter via @dwbcpodcast. Also, follow Erik via @sjcaustenite and Sean via @tardistavern.
Other fun stuff:
The Doctor Who Reprint Society
Wikipedia BEWARE: SPOILERS!
The Doctor Who Reference Guide BEWARE: EVEN MORE SPOILERS!
The TARDIS Library
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Episode 5...Guest Starring the Silurians! Plus, What's in Store for June
Welcome back, Book Clubbers! Summer is pretty much upon us here in DC (Erik here), and nothing says summer like listening to Sean and me waffle on about about Gary Russell's Virgin Missing Adventure The Scales of Injustice. Well, you're in luck--episode 5 is here for your listening delectation. The novel features UNIT, the Third Doctor, Liz Shaw and the Silurians, and our episode is graced by another stellar reading from a guest podcaster: this time Leeson Fischer* of the most excellent Radio Rassilon podcast provides the novel with a voice. This podcast is one giant spoiler for the contents of the novel, so be forewarned.
And now, to end your suspense, I can announce that our June selection is Conundrum (ISBN: 0-426-20408-5), entry #22 from January 1994. This is a Virgin New Adventure by Steve Lyons featuring Ace and Bernice "Benny" Summerfield and a second encounter with the Land of Fiction, last seen in "The Mind Robber."* If you go here, you can read a prelude to the novel written by Lyons originally published in Doctor Who Magazine. From the back cover:
‘Doctor, we’re talking about an old man who used to dress up in a skintight white jump suit and fly around New York catching super-villains. Don’t you think there’s something just a bit unusual about that?'
A killer is stalking the streets of the village of Arandale. The victims are found one each day, drained of blood. And if that seems strange, it’s nothing compared to the town’s inhabitants.
The Doctor, Ace and Bernice think they’re investigating a murder mystery. But it’s all much more bizarre than that. And much more dangerous.
Someone has interfered with the Doctor’s past again, and he’s landed in a place he knows he once destroyed. This time there can be no escape.
I love "The Mind Robber," so I am totally, totally psyched to see what can be done with the concept of the Land of Fiction in the expanded parameters of a full-length novel. So, find a copy and read along, won't you?
*It's also the fourth book in the "Alternate Universe cycle," a continuing series of the New Adventures, but I don't think that will interfere with our enjoyment of it.
Thanks to everyone who's listening, and let us know what you think! You can send all feedback to dwbcpodcast@gmail.com, leave us a comment here, or catch us on Twitter: @dwbcpodcast, @tardistavern (Sean), or @sjcaustenite (Erik).
Direct download: Episode 5
For more info:
Our comrades at Reprint the Doctor
Wikipedia
Doctor Who Reference Guide
*This post originally credited the wrong member of the Radio Rassilon duo for the reading. DWBC regrets the error.
And now, to end your suspense, I can announce that our June selection is Conundrum (ISBN: 0-426-20408-5), entry #22 from January 1994. This is a Virgin New Adventure by Steve Lyons featuring Ace and Bernice "Benny" Summerfield and a second encounter with the Land of Fiction, last seen in "The Mind Robber."* If you go here, you can read a prelude to the novel written by Lyons originally published in Doctor Who Magazine. From the back cover:
‘Doctor, we’re talking about an old man who used to dress up in a skintight white jump suit and fly around New York catching super-villains. Don’t you think there’s something just a bit unusual about that?'
A killer is stalking the streets of the village of Arandale. The victims are found one each day, drained of blood. And if that seems strange, it’s nothing compared to the town’s inhabitants.
The Doctor, Ace and Bernice think they’re investigating a murder mystery. But it’s all much more bizarre than that. And much more dangerous.
Someone has interfered with the Doctor’s past again, and he’s landed in a place he knows he once destroyed. This time there can be no escape.
I love "The Mind Robber," so I am totally, totally psyched to see what can be done with the concept of the Land of Fiction in the expanded parameters of a full-length novel. So, find a copy and read along, won't you?
*It's also the fourth book in the "Alternate Universe cycle," a continuing series of the New Adventures, but I don't think that will interfere with our enjoyment of it.
Thanks to everyone who's listening, and let us know what you think! You can send all feedback to dwbcpodcast@gmail.com, leave us a comment here, or catch us on Twitter: @dwbcpodcast, @tardistavern (Sean), or @sjcaustenite (Erik).
Direct download: Episode 5
For more info:
Our comrades at Reprint the Doctor
Wikipedia
Doctor Who Reference Guide
*This post originally credited the wrong member of the Radio Rassilon duo for the reading. DWBC regrets the error.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Our Third Episode...and the Grand Reveal of our April Selection!
Roll up, roll up, roll up! Our third episode is now available for your listening delectation and delight! Listen to the boys discuss Terrance Dicks' novel The Eight Doctors, the first in the range of the BBC's Eighth Doctor Adventures. Hear Sean say things that Erik disagrees with! Listen as Chris Sigma from The Oodcast makes the novel come alive! As always, we spoil this thing something fierce, so be forewarned. Plus, once you've listed to our take on this selection, you should check out Matthew Kresal's over at the House of Lungbarrow at the Doctor Who Reprint Society.
For our April selection, our exacting scientific model has chosen Empire of Death by David Bishop! This novel is part of the BBC Past Doctor Adventure range and features the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, and a very special appearance by the ghost of Adric! Empire of Death (ISBN: 0-563-48615-5) was published in 2004 and is set between the televised stories "Timeflight" and "Arc of Infinity." From the cover:
In 1856, a boy discovers he can speak with the voices of the dead. He grows up to become one of England's most celebrated spiritualists.
In 1863 the British Empire is effectively without a leader. Queen Victoria is inconsolable with grief following the death of her beloved husband, Prince Albert. The monarch's last hope is a secret seance.
The Doctor and Nyssa are also coming to terms with loss following the death of Adric and Tegan's sudden departure. Trying to visit the Great Exhibition of 1851, the time travelers are shocked when a ghost appears in the TARDIS, beckoning them to the other side.
What is hidden in a drowned valley guarded by the British Army? Is there life after death and can it be reached by those still alive? And why is the Doctor so terrified of facing his own ghosts?
Well, if that doesn't make you want to read along with us, I don't know what can. So, find a copy, and get started! We'll release episode four in April.
That to everyone who's listening, and let us know what you think! You can send all feedback to dwbcpodcast@gmail.com, leave us a comment here, or catch us on Twitter: @dwbcpodcast, @tardistavern (Sean), or @sjcaustenite (Erik).
For more info:
Our good friends at Reprint the Doctor
Wikipedia
The Doctor Who Reference Guide
The TARDIS Library
For our April selection, our exacting scientific model has chosen Empire of Death by David Bishop! This novel is part of the BBC Past Doctor Adventure range and features the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, and a very special appearance by the ghost of Adric! Empire of Death (ISBN: 0-563-48615-5) was published in 2004 and is set between the televised stories "Timeflight" and "Arc of Infinity." From the cover:
In 1856, a boy discovers he can speak with the voices of the dead. He grows up to become one of England's most celebrated spiritualists.
In 1863 the British Empire is effectively without a leader. Queen Victoria is inconsolable with grief following the death of her beloved husband, Prince Albert. The monarch's last hope is a secret seance.
The Doctor and Nyssa are also coming to terms with loss following the death of Adric and Tegan's sudden departure. Trying to visit the Great Exhibition of 1851, the time travelers are shocked when a ghost appears in the TARDIS, beckoning them to the other side.
What is hidden in a drowned valley guarded by the British Army? Is there life after death and can it be reached by those still alive? And why is the Doctor so terrified of facing his own ghosts?
Well, if that doesn't make you want to read along with us, I don't know what can. So, find a copy, and get started! We'll release episode four in April.
That to everyone who's listening, and let us know what you think! You can send all feedback to dwbcpodcast@gmail.com, leave us a comment here, or catch us on Twitter: @dwbcpodcast, @tardistavern (Sean), or @sjcaustenite (Erik).
For more info:
Our good friends at Reprint the Doctor
Wikipedia
The Doctor Who Reference Guide
The TARDIS Library
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Episode Two & Details of Our Third Selection
Huzzah! We're back with our second episode in as many months--thanks to everyone who downloaded and listened to our first outing. Now you can download our second episode wherein we discuss Russell T Davies' sole Doctor Who novel, Damaged Goods. Be warned, spoilers lie ahead, as well as some pretty graphic details--not necessarily for the faint of heart.
Our third selection marks our first venture into the BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures and it is....*cue fanfare* The Eight Doctors!!! Aren't you just thrilled?
The Eight Doctors (ISBN 0-563-40563-5) was written by one of Doctor Who's most important figures, Terrence Dicks, and was published in June 1997. The first original Eighth Doctor novel, it tells of the Eighth Doctor's first adventure after the events seen in the TV Movie. From the cover:
'Trust the TARDIS...'
Recuperating after the trauma of his recent regeneration, the Doctor falls foul of a final booby-trap set by his arch-enemy, the Master.
When he recovers, the disorientated Doctor looks in a mirror and sees the face of a stranger. He knows only that he is called "the Doctor" — nothing more. But something deep inside tells him to trust the TARDIS, and his hands move over the controls of their own accord.
The TARDIS takes him to a strangely familiar junkyard in late-nineties London, where he is flung into a confrontation between local drug-dealers and Samantha Jones, a rebellious teenager from Coal Hill School.
But the Doctor soon finds the TARDIS transporting him to various other places in order in order to recover all his memories — and that involves seeing seven strangely-familiar faces...
After the heaviness of our previous selection, it seemed like a good idea to pick something lighter, and what could be lighter than the (we believe) last official multi-Doctor story to feature appearances by *all* of the Doctors?! So, find a copy and get reading. Episode three will be released sometime in mid-March.
You can send all feedback to dwbcpodcast@gmail.com, leave us a comment here, or catch us on Twitter: @dwbcpodcast, @tardistavern (Sean), or @sjcaustenite (Erik).
P.S.--Both Sean and Erik will be attending Gallifrey One in Los Angeles from February 18-20, and we'd love to meet any "book club members" in attendance!
For more info:
Wikipedia
The Doctor Who Reference Guide
The Doctor Who Ratings Guide
Our friends at Reprint the Doctor
Our third selection marks our first venture into the BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures and it is....*cue fanfare* The Eight Doctors!!! Aren't you just thrilled?
The Eight Doctors (ISBN 0-563-40563-5) was written by one of Doctor Who's most important figures, Terrence Dicks, and was published in June 1997. The first original Eighth Doctor novel, it tells of the Eighth Doctor's first adventure after the events seen in the TV Movie. From the cover:
'Trust the TARDIS...'
Recuperating after the trauma of his recent regeneration, the Doctor falls foul of a final booby-trap set by his arch-enemy, the Master.
When he recovers, the disorientated Doctor looks in a mirror and sees the face of a stranger. He knows only that he is called "the Doctor" — nothing more. But something deep inside tells him to trust the TARDIS, and his hands move over the controls of their own accord.
The TARDIS takes him to a strangely familiar junkyard in late-nineties London, where he is flung into a confrontation between local drug-dealers and Samantha Jones, a rebellious teenager from Coal Hill School.
But the Doctor soon finds the TARDIS transporting him to various other places in order in order to recover all his memories — and that involves seeing seven strangely-familiar faces...
After the heaviness of our previous selection, it seemed like a good idea to pick something lighter, and what could be lighter than the (we believe) last official multi-Doctor story to feature appearances by *all* of the Doctors?! So, find a copy and get reading. Episode three will be released sometime in mid-March.
You can send all feedback to dwbcpodcast@gmail.com, leave us a comment here, or catch us on Twitter: @dwbcpodcast, @tardistavern (Sean), or @sjcaustenite (Erik).
P.S.--Both Sean and Erik will be attending Gallifrey One in Los Angeles from February 18-20, and we'd love to meet any "book club members" in attendance!
For more info:
Wikipedia
The Doctor Who Reference Guide
The Doctor Who Ratings Guide
Our friends at Reprint the Doctor
Monday, January 17, 2011
A Worthy Cause!
Attention all Doctor Who Book Club followers! Having trouble getting your hands on bound and printed copies of our selections? Don't want to spend $60 when we (eventually) get around to reading Lungbarrow? Well, there's a group that's out to change that: The Doctor Who Reprint Society is on a mission to get these classic novels reprinted at reasonable prices, so they can be enjoyed by a whole new generation of fans. We think that would be pretty awesome. Check them out, won't you?
http://reprintthedoctor.weebly.com/
http://reprintthedoctor.weebly.com/
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Link to Our First Episode & Our Next Selection
It's here! Our first episode--our discussion on The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Click here to download. We hope you enjoy it--seriously, we do. Otherwise, there would be no point in our doing it.
And for our next selection...
Damaged Goods from 1996! (ISBN: 0-426-20483-2) Part of the Virgin New Adventures, this is part of the series of books written chronicling the Seventh Doctor's exploits after the end of the classic series. This novel takes place after Ace has stopped being the Doctor's companion and he is instead traveling with Chris and Roz--about whom I know very little, I admit.
So, why this one? Well, it was written by none other than...wait for it...Russell T Davies!!! Yes, this is your (only) chance to see how the man responsible for resurrecting Doctor Who wrote about a "classic" Doctor.
From the back cover:
Wherever this cocaine has travelled, it hasn't gone alone. Death has been its attendant. Death in a remarkably violent and inelegant form.
The Doctor, Chris and Roz arrive at the Quadrant, a troubled council Block in Thatcher's Britain. There's a new drug on the streets, a drug that's killing to a plan. Somehow, the very ordinary people of the Quadrant are involved. And so, amidst the growing chaos, a bizarre trio moves into number 43.
The year is 1987: a drug dealer has risen from the grave, and an ancient weapon is concealed beneath human tragedy. But the Doctor soon discovers that the things people do for their children can be every bit as deadly as any alien menace -- as he uncovers the link between a special child, an obsessive woman, and a desperate bargain made one dark Christmas Eve.
Doesn't that sound light-hearted and fun, children? Fair warning, I think this one may be a bit more on the "mature" end of things. We do hope you'll be able to procure a copy and read along with us.
You can send all feedback to dwbcpodcast@gmail.com, leave us a comment here, or catch us on Twitter: @dwbcpodcast, @tardistavern (Sean), or @sjcaustenite (Erik).
For more info:
Wikipedia
Doctor Who Reference Guide
The Doctor Who Ratings Guide
And for our next selection...
Damaged Goods from 1996! (ISBN: 0-426-20483-2) Part of the Virgin New Adventures, this is part of the series of books written chronicling the Seventh Doctor's exploits after the end of the classic series. This novel takes place after Ace has stopped being the Doctor's companion and he is instead traveling with Chris and Roz--about whom I know very little, I admit.
So, why this one? Well, it was written by none other than...wait for it...Russell T Davies!!! Yes, this is your (only) chance to see how the man responsible for resurrecting Doctor Who wrote about a "classic" Doctor.
From the back cover:
Wherever this cocaine has travelled, it hasn't gone alone. Death has been its attendant. Death in a remarkably violent and inelegant form.
The Doctor, Chris and Roz arrive at the Quadrant, a troubled council Block in Thatcher's Britain. There's a new drug on the streets, a drug that's killing to a plan. Somehow, the very ordinary people of the Quadrant are involved. And so, amidst the growing chaos, a bizarre trio moves into number 43.
The year is 1987: a drug dealer has risen from the grave, and an ancient weapon is concealed beneath human tragedy. But the Doctor soon discovers that the things people do for their children can be every bit as deadly as any alien menace -- as he uncovers the link between a special child, an obsessive woman, and a desperate bargain made one dark Christmas Eve.
Doesn't that sound light-hearted and fun, children? Fair warning, I think this one may be a bit more on the "mature" end of things. We do hope you'll be able to procure a copy and read along with us.
You can send all feedback to dwbcpodcast@gmail.com, leave us a comment here, or catch us on Twitter: @dwbcpodcast, @tardistavern (Sean), or @sjcaustenite (Erik).
For more info:
Wikipedia
Doctor Who Reference Guide
The Doctor Who Ratings Guide
Monday, December 20, 2010
An Intro & Our First Assignment
Hello! We're Erik and Sean, and we've decided to start yet another Doctor Who podcast. Given that there are already more DW podcasts than there are companions, you may well wonder what the hell we're thinking.
Well, we're doing something a little different. We're not going to discuss the new episodes, or review classic stories, or do funny commentaries, or discuss Big Finish audios, and we're not even going to try to pretend to keep you informed on the news. Simply put, we want to look at the (non-canonical?) Doctor Who universe that's been created in books over the past 20 or so years by a vast array of talented writers and try to bring these books to a wider audience. A journey through space and time with no budgets to constrain and no unions to call a strike--sounds pretty awesome, doesn't it?
Never read a DW novel before? Neither has Erik. Long-time and devoted reader of the various series? So is Sean. Either way, you should read along with us for our first assignment and whenever you can thereafter. Speaking of which...
For our first selection, we've chosen The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Christopher Bulis (ISBN: 0426204476), a 1st Doctor story that was released in June 1995 as part of the Virgin Missing Adventures line, which featured stories about former Doctors that took place in the gaps between the continuity of the classic series. This story features the very first TARDIS crew (Ian, Barbara and Susan) and is set between the sadly lost "Marco Polo" and the very much still with us "Keys of Marinus."
Cover blurb:
‘There’s no such thing as magic,’ the Doctor said.
But the land of Elbyon might just prove him to be wrong. It is a place, populated by creatures of fantasy, where myth and legend rule. Elves and dwarves live in harmony with mankind, wizards wield arcane powers and armoured knights battle monstrous dragons.
Yet is seems that Elbyon has secrets to hide. The TARDIS crew find a relic from the thirtieth century hidden in the woods. Whose sinister manipulations are threatening the stability of a once peaceful lane? And what part does the planet play in a conflict that may save an Empire, yet doom a galaxy?
To solve these puzzles, and save his companions, the Doctor must learn to use the sorcery whose very existence he doubts.
Sounds fun, doesn't it? So, find a copy and read along.
For more information:
The Doctor Who Reference Guide The Cloister Library
Doctor Who Ratings Guide
Well, we're doing something a little different. We're not going to discuss the new episodes, or review classic stories, or do funny commentaries, or discuss Big Finish audios, and we're not even going to try to pretend to keep you informed on the news. Simply put, we want to look at the (non-canonical?) Doctor Who universe that's been created in books over the past 20 or so years by a vast array of talented writers and try to bring these books to a wider audience. A journey through space and time with no budgets to constrain and no unions to call a strike--sounds pretty awesome, doesn't it?
Never read a DW novel before? Neither has Erik. Long-time and devoted reader of the various series? So is Sean. Either way, you should read along with us for our first assignment and whenever you can thereafter. Speaking of which...
For our first selection, we've chosen The Sorcerer's Apprentice by Christopher Bulis (ISBN: 0426204476), a 1st Doctor story that was released in June 1995 as part of the Virgin Missing Adventures line, which featured stories about former Doctors that took place in the gaps between the continuity of the classic series. This story features the very first TARDIS crew (Ian, Barbara and Susan) and is set between the sadly lost "Marco Polo" and the very much still with us "Keys of Marinus."
Cover blurb:
‘There’s no such thing as magic,’ the Doctor said.
But the land of Elbyon might just prove him to be wrong. It is a place, populated by creatures of fantasy, where myth and legend rule. Elves and dwarves live in harmony with mankind, wizards wield arcane powers and armoured knights battle monstrous dragons.
Yet is seems that Elbyon has secrets to hide. The TARDIS crew find a relic from the thirtieth century hidden in the woods. Whose sinister manipulations are threatening the stability of a once peaceful lane? And what part does the planet play in a conflict that may save an Empire, yet doom a galaxy?
To solve these puzzles, and save his companions, the Doctor must learn to use the sorcery whose very existence he doubts.
Sounds fun, doesn't it? So, find a copy and read along.
For more information:
The Doctor Who Reference Guide The Cloister Library
Doctor Who Ratings Guide
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