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rangersylAgainst all odds, my Doctor Who obsession began with the written word. Seriously. The show had been cancelled for several years, I'd never seen it (though I'd heard rumour of it now and then), and it all started with rjanderson's spectacular fanfic and the New and Missing Adventures.
As someone who had blown a lot of money on crappy tie-in novels, the NA's (and later the MA's) were a feast! Sure, there were clunkers, but there was also a lot of inventive writing and some solid old-fashioned storytelling in there. The NAs were the crucible in which New Who was forged. Story arcs, deeper character development, nuanced and sophisticated concepts were everywhere. Each book felt like an experiment in how to best tell a Doctor Who story.
IO9 did a summary of tie-in-novels, including some interesting points about the NA's.
While devouring the books, I wrote a number of reviews. I had almost forgotten about them, and when I remembered them I figured they were long lost on some dead hard drive or another. But I did an archaeological expedition with a stack of ZIP discs and found my opus! Now that we have Goodreads, and now that it seems some of these books are being re-released as ebooks, I thought I may as well post my reviews.
Ben Aaronovitch wrote my two absolute favorite Seventh Doctor stories: Battlefield and Remembrance of the Daleks. He also was one of the strongest NA writers. I remember the Also People as a blow-your-mind scifi extravaganza wrapped up in a fluffy blanket of ... fluff.
Also, My reviews don't usually contain plot points, since I figured anyone who wants the plot can just read the back cover blurb.
Doctor Who: The Also People by Ben Aaronovitch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Also People (TAP) by Ben Aaronovich is a sort of rebuttal against the angst 'n' gloom trap that many NA's tend to fall into (especially the two preceding books). It is an easygoing, fun story told with great sensitivity and humor, made even more enjoyable by Aaronovich's effortlessly beautiful prose and one of the most classic settings of all time.
As much fun as it is to read, however, a raging thriller TAP is not. The story itself is more about exploring relationships, large and small, and defining values than it is about running down corridors and saving the universe. There is a plot -- there are several, in fact -- developed just enough to make the book juicy, but keep the character moments possible.
The characters, both regulars and guests, are spot-on. Roz Forrester is, for the first time, a central figure in the story, and even allowed to interact with the Doctor. It's about time, too, because Roz is an interesting person in her own right. However, Aaronovich's real triumph is his handling of the Seventh Doctor. In TAP, the Doctor is not too harsh, not too gushy, but done just right. The Doctor's likability and accessibility are restored, as is his fundamental goodness -- reminding both the Doctor and the reader what he's all about.
There are many more wonderful things about this book: Aaronovich's visual style and ability to create scenes that simply beg to be filmed; his crafting of words, too, supplies no small number of passages that are meant to be savoured. There is also here a sense of family among the TARDIS crew that has been missing for some time: like any family they have their rows, but they also laugh together and appreciate one another. TAP is devilishly funny -- the kind of humor that stems from genuine situations and real people rather than parody or forced silliness. The People and the Also People are some of the best science-fiction ideas to come out of the New Adventures.
Basically, Aaronovich has provided an all-around laugh-and-cry feel-good read.
As befitting the quasi-vacation our heroes find themselves in, TAP is a time to relax, to catch your breath amidst death-defying adventures; although the job of saving the universe can never completely be put on the back burner.
SUMMARY
The Good: A book to which you can go back and re-read your favorite parts.
The Bad: Gratuitous Companion Romance -- how original. Unpredictable, even.
The Ugly: The implications of the Epilogue.
View all my reviews
rjanderson's spectacular fanfic and the New and Missing Adventures. As someone who had blown a lot of money on crappy tie-in novels, the NA's (and later the MA's) were a feast! Sure, there were clunkers, but there was also a lot of inventive writing and some solid old-fashioned storytelling in there. The NAs were the crucible in which New Who was forged. Story arcs, deeper character development, nuanced and sophisticated concepts were everywhere. Each book felt like an experiment in how to best tell a Doctor Who story.
IO9 did a summary of tie-in-novels, including some interesting points about the NA's.
While devouring the books, I wrote a number of reviews. I had almost forgotten about them, and when I remembered them I figured they were long lost on some dead hard drive or another. But I did an archaeological expedition with a stack of ZIP discs and found my opus! Now that we have Goodreads, and now that it seems some of these books are being re-released as ebooks, I thought I may as well post my reviews.
Ben Aaronovitch wrote my two absolute favorite Seventh Doctor stories: Battlefield and Remembrance of the Daleks. He also was one of the strongest NA writers. I remember the Also People as a blow-your-mind scifi extravaganza wrapped up in a fluffy blanket of ... fluff.
Also, My reviews don't usually contain plot points, since I figured anyone who wants the plot can just read the back cover blurb.
Doctor Who: The Also People by Ben AaronovitchMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Also People (TAP) by Ben Aaronovich is a sort of rebuttal against the angst 'n' gloom trap that many NA's tend to fall into (especially the two preceding books). It is an easygoing, fun story told with great sensitivity and humor, made even more enjoyable by Aaronovich's effortlessly beautiful prose and one of the most classic settings of all time.
As much fun as it is to read, however, a raging thriller TAP is not. The story itself is more about exploring relationships, large and small, and defining values than it is about running down corridors and saving the universe. There is a plot -- there are several, in fact -- developed just enough to make the book juicy, but keep the character moments possible.
The characters, both regulars and guests, are spot-on. Roz Forrester is, for the first time, a central figure in the story, and even allowed to interact with the Doctor. It's about time, too, because Roz is an interesting person in her own right. However, Aaronovich's real triumph is his handling of the Seventh Doctor. In TAP, the Doctor is not too harsh, not too gushy, but done just right. The Doctor's likability and accessibility are restored, as is his fundamental goodness -- reminding both the Doctor and the reader what he's all about.
There are many more wonderful things about this book: Aaronovich's visual style and ability to create scenes that simply beg to be filmed; his crafting of words, too, supplies no small number of passages that are meant to be savoured. There is also here a sense of family among the TARDIS crew that has been missing for some time: like any family they have their rows, but they also laugh together and appreciate one another. TAP is devilishly funny -- the kind of humor that stems from genuine situations and real people rather than parody or forced silliness. The People and the Also People are some of the best science-fiction ideas to come out of the New Adventures.
Basically, Aaronovich has provided an all-around laugh-and-cry feel-good read.
As befitting the quasi-vacation our heroes find themselves in, TAP is a time to relax, to catch your breath amidst death-defying adventures; although the job of saving the universe can never completely be put on the back burner.
SUMMARY
The Good: A book to which you can go back and re-read your favorite parts.
The Bad: Gratuitous Companion Romance -- how original. Unpredictable, even.
The Ugly: The implications of the Epilogue.
View all my reviews
