Book Review: Doctor Who: Heart Of Stone

Author: Trevor Baxendale
Title: Heart Of Stone
Publisher: Random House UK
Publish Date: Nov 19, 2015
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley
Book Blurb: 

The Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory are surprised to discover lumps of moon rock scattered around a farm. But things get even stranger when they find out where the moon rock is coming from - a Rock Man is turning everything he touches to stone! Can the Doctor and his friends find out what the creature wants before it's too late?

Review: This was quite possibly one of the best Doctor Who books that I've read. Trevor Baxendale really brought 11, Amy and Rory to life again. Doctor Who books should always leave you wishing that it was an actual episode. This is definitely one of those books.

The Doctor and the Ponds land in a pigsty on a farm where a rock monster is wrecking havoc. I loved the Conway family, especially the loyalty between daughter and father. Then there's Jess' boyfriend Chris. He works for a research facility and it takes awhile to figure out if he's a good guy or a villain.

The story's monster is The Rock Man, who is made from something in moon rock, and everything he touches turns to stone, including a few of the stories characters. The Doctor has to make sure that the Earth doesn't turn into a big old moon rock.

I have a soft spot for the Eleventh Doctor and an even softer spot the Ponds. I totally loved it. It is a breezy read. One that you can get through in about the same time it takes to watch the 50th Anniversary Special.

If you are a fan of Matt Smith's Doctor, this is definitely one of the stories you must read!!!

Rating: 5 flowers

Book Review: Doctor Who; System Wipe

Author: Oli Smith
Title: Doctor Who: System Wipe
Publisher: Random House UK
Publish Date: Nov 19, 2015
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley
Book Blurb: 

The Doctor finds himself trapped in the virtual world of Parallife. As he tries to save the inhabitants from being destroyed by a deadly virus, Amy and Rory must fight to keep the Doctor's body in the real world safe from the mysterious entity known as Legacy . . .

Review: System Wipe is a unique Doctor Who short story. I usually prefer the full length novels, but this one was fast paced and unique, so that the shorter format seemed to work.

If they could have done this story as an episode it really would have been one to watch. Amy and Rory and the Doctor land on Earth in the future, and the earth is being reconstructed and while that's happening the online world of Parallife is also being destroyed.

The Doctor ends up in the game with the help of Blondie (I found myself wondering if she might be Rose) while Amy and Rory were on the outside world/real world with the robot Daryl, who is more than what he seems.

I liked the idea of the virtual world that came to life even though the players were gone and how the characters really grew, especially the Chief Architect.

Rating: 4 flowers

Book Review: The Nightingale Girls

Author: Donna Douglas
Title: The Nightingale Girls
Publisher: Random House UK
Publish Date: Aug 16, 2012
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley
Book Blurb: 

Three very different girls sign up as student nurses in 1936, while England is still mourning the death of George V. Dora is a tough East Ender, driven by ambition, but also desperate to escape her squalid, overcrowded home and her abusive stepfather. Helen is the quiet one, a mystery to her fellow nurses, avoiding fun, gossip and the limelight. In fact she is in the formidable shadow of her overbearing mother, who dominates every aspect of her life. Can a nursing career free Helen at last? The third of our heroines is naughty, rebellious Millie an aristocrat on the run from her conventional upper class life. She is doomed to clash over and over again with terrifying Sister Hyde and to get into scrape after scrape especially where men are concerned.

This utterly delightful novel brings a London pre-war hospital vividly to life.

Review: If you are a fan of Call The Midwife, then you will love The Nightingale Girls series. This is book one. In this book, you meet, Dora, Millie and Helen and a few others.

Each girl is very different but over the course of the novel, they all become friends. In this book, you will find yourself really liking all the girls.

Dora is the east end girl, who wouldn't usually have made it to The Nightingale, but Matron saw something special in her.

Millie is an aristocrat that wants to be more than just someone's wife, but she has a bad habit of screwing up or getting mixed up with the wrong men

Helen is a goody two shoes, who is living in fear of her mother, who is on the board of trustees for the hospital.

Their different personalities are what make the story so entertaining, and each girl has a lot of things going on besides the day to day duties and classes at the hospital.

Helen is the only one that doesn't have anything horrible happen to her. Her mother may  be controlling but that doesn't come near having a sexually abusive step father, like Dora, or the near fatal accident that Millie's dad suffers during this book.

Donna Douglas knows how to tug at your heartstrings too. When Blanche passes away during surgery, I admit, I crying like a baby. And when Helen found love with one of her former patients, I couldn't help but cheer for her.

This was a fantastic book and a great beginning to the series.

Rating: 5 flowers

Book Review: Doctor Who: The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Time Traveller

Author: Joanne Harris
Title: Doctor Who: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Time Traveller
Publisher: Random House UK
Publish Date: August 29, 2014
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley
Book Blurb: 

Struggling to get back to UNIT HQ, his body being destroyed by radiation, the Third Doctor arrives in the most perfect English village, where everyone is happy. But is he really on Earth, or somewhere far more strange? As his body weakens, the Doctor and the Queen of the village begin to unravel the truth.

Review: OMG OMG OMG! I've never been more moved by a Doctor Who short story than this Time Trip offering by Joanne Harris.

The story takes place just before The Third Doctor Regenerates. I'm a huge fan of Jon Pertwee's Doctor, and I have to say Joanne got him, spot on. I could see him in this strange English village, with the Queen, and the Wellness Parade.  Kudos to Joanne for going along with Who canon better than the showrunner.

The story isn't so much scary as it is sweet and very sad as the Doctor has to find out why it is always April 8th, while his body is dying of radiation poison. Not to mention that he wants to get back to Sarah Jane. (sniffle sniffle).

I loved how Joanne really brought The Third Doctor back to life here. His personality was really shining through and I particularly loved his interactions with Princess. Once you know what is going on, break out the tissues, because this story is a tear jerker.

This is actually one of the longer Time Trip installments, and it is also one of the best. If you are a Whovian, you simply must read this story.

Rating: 5 flowers

Book Review: Doctor Who: Engines Of War

Author: George Mann
Title: Doctor Who: Engines Of War
Publisher: Random House UK
Publish Date: July 31,2014
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley
Book Blurb: 

The Great Time War has raged for centuries, ravaging the universe. Scores of human colony planets are now overrun by Dalek occupation forces. A weary, angry Doctor leads a flotilla of Battle TARDISes against the Dalek stronghold but in the midst of the carnage, the Doctor’s TARDIS crashes to a planet below: Moldox.

As the Doctor is trapped in an apocalyptic landscape, Dalek patrols roam amongst the wreckage, rounding up the remaining civilians. But why haven’t the Daleks simply killed the humans?

Searching for answers the Doctor meets 'Cinder', a young Dalek hunter. Their struggles to discover the Dalek plan take them from the ruins of Moldox to the halls of Gallifrey, and set in motion a chain of events that will change everything. And everyone. An epic novel of the Great Time War featuring the War Doctor as played by John Hurt.

Review: I don't know that I've ever been blown away by a Doctor Who novel, but this one came very close to doing just that.

I fell in love with The War Doctor during the 50th Anniversary Special and George Mann gave us an adventure worthy of him. Engines Of War also sets the cannon that The War Doctor deserves to be called The Doctor just like all the rest of his selves.

What really surprised me about this book, was how well I liked Cinder. She was a tough as nails type. A Dalek hunter. She's what you want all Doctor Who companions to be like. She's going to kick some butt too.

I don't usually like stories that involve companions we've not seen on the show, but Cinder was downright perfect, especially for The War Doctor. She kept him grounded and she seemed to bring out "The Doctor" in him, even when he was going by John Smith.

What really hit home in this story was how much alike The Daleks and The Time Lords have become. You want the Time Lords to be the victors because that's The Doctor's race, but as you see their behavior, especially Rassilon's, you find yourself disliking them too.

I like how they work bits in from Classic Who as well as New Who. Part of this story continues on from The Five Doctors special. Engines of War is a great prequel to The Day Of The Doctor. You can definitely see his weariness of The Time War and with the way both sides were acting it would be easy to press the button on that big box he dragged into the desert.

I totally loved this story, even though the ending had me tearing up a little.

Rating: 5 flowers

Book Review: Doctor Who: Salt Of The Earth

Author: Trudi Canavan
Title: Salt Of The Earth
Publisher: Random House UK
Publish Date: March 6, 2014
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley
Book Blurb: 

The Third Doctor and Jo Grant arrive for a well-deserved holiday of sun and ‘blokarting’ on a salt lake in Australia in 2028. Weird sculptures adorn the landscape – statues carved from the salt. People have been leaving them in the salt lakes for years – but these look different. Grotesque, distorted figures twisted in pain. They don’t last long in the rain and the wind, but they’re just made of salt... Aren’t they?

Review: Salt Of The Earth is a Time Trip short story with the Third Doctor and Jo. It is really one of the most intriguing stories from this series.

The Doctor and Jo arrive in Australia in 2028 and they discover strange salt statues. So much for the vacation that Jo was promised. They now have discover what is turning people and animals into pillars of salt.

I absolutely love the Third Doctor and I could easily picture him and Jo blokarting across the sad. These two are one of my favorite Doctor/Companion combos...right after Four and Sarah Jane. (Actually any Doctor with Sarah Jane gives me the happies)

I really could feel this story being an episode, especially back in the 70s during Pertwee's tenure on the show. It suited his portrayal of our favorite Time Lord.

I also loved how the dog played a huge part in the story. (I was so glad nothing happened to him, when his owner turned to salt!)

I wish this one were a bit longer than its 30ish pages, because the ending felt more than a bit hurried. It is still an overall good read for Whovians.

Rating: 4 flowers

Book Review: Doctor Who: Keeping Up With The Joneses

Author: Nick Harkaway
Title: Doctor Who: Keeping Up With The Jonese
Publisher: Random House UK
Publish Date: Feb 6, 2014
Buy: Amazon
Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley
Book Blurb: 
Deep in the gap between the stars, the TARDIS is damaged by a temporal mine. It's not life-threatening, but the Tenth Doctor will need a while to repair the damage. But he's not alone. The strangely familiar-looking Christina thinks the Doctor has arrived in her bed and breakfast, somewhere in Wales. In fact, the TARDIS seems to have enveloped Christina's entire town - and something else is trapped inside with it. A violent, unnatural storm threatens them all and - unless it's stopped - the entire universe.

Review:  Keeping Up With The Joneses is a Tenth Doctor Time Trip. It would be almost perfect if not for one thing. Nick Harkaway had to keep the whole "Pining for Rose" theme going at the beginning. Sure I liked that he allowed Ten the opportunity to miss all his companions, but gah, that was one of the things I hated the most about Ten. (And I really loved him)

What was cook about this story was how Nick brought back Christina from "Planet Of The Dead" in a round about way. It was her, but not quite. And since she was a past companion, it made the story a bit easier to enjoy. I've never been a fan of stories without a companion from the show.

The TARDIS gets damaged by a temporal mine, quite a bit of damage when a whole town seems to be part of the TARDIS.

I loved Christina, possibly more in this story than in Planet Of The Dead. (I did love the reference to the red bus from that episode). Her character felt a little more true to form than Ten. (Aside from the Rose pining)

I really enjoyed discovering how they saved Jonestown and the TARDIS, it wasn't quite what I was expecting, but when is it, when The Doctor is involved.

Quite a fun read and a little longer than the average Time Trip!

Rating: 4 flowers

Book Review: Doctor Who: A Handful Of Stardust

Author: Jake Arnott
Title: Doctor Who: A Handful Of Stardust
Publisher: Random House UK
Publish Date: April 3, 2014
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley
Book Blurb: 

The TARDIS is diverted to England in 1572, and the Sixth Doctor and Peri meet John Dee - 'mathematician, astrologer, alchemist, magician, and the greatest mind of our time'. ('Only of your time?', the Doctor asks, unimpressed.) But what brought them here? When the Doctor discovers that Dee and his assistant have come across a 'great disturbance in the cosmos, in the constellation of Cassiopeia,' he realizes that they are all in terrible danger.

Review:  A Handful of Stardust  is a fantastic Time Trip story. It is short, but it really packs a punch. This story features the Sixth Doctor and Peri. Its the first story I've read with this particular incarnation of the Doctor, and from what I could tell, Jake got his personality down just right.

I love stories that involve history and this one featured John Dee and Thomas Digges both great minds from the 1500s. Then there's an incubus and even better, the story's villain is none other than The Master. It really can't get any better than that.

I love the tension between Thomas and Peri, because he's smitten with her. It is fantastic to see the companion having someone get all lovey dovey over them rather than the Doctor. I think by the time The Doctor has saved everyone that she might have felt a little something for him too. I love how the title fits in with the story and Peri in particular

This is one of the shorter Time Trip stories, but it definitely is worth the read, because the Sixth Doctor deserves some more love!

Rating: 5 flowers

Book Review: Doctor Who: Touched By An Angel

Author: Jonathan Morris
Title: Doctor Who: Touched By An Angel
Publisher: Random House UK
Publish Date: March 11, 2014
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley
Book Blurb: 

The past is like a foreign country. Nice to visit, but you really wouldn't want to live there.' In 2003, Rebecca Whitaker died in a road accident. Her husband Mark is still grieving. He receives a battered envelope, posted eight years earlier, containing a set of instructions with a simple message: 'You can save her.' As Mark is given the chance to save Rebecca, it's up to the Doctor, Amy and Rory to save the whole world. Because this time the Weeping Angels are using history itself as a weapon.

Review: Jonathan Morris really captures The Eleventh Doctor perfectly in Touched By An Angel. I have to say, I'm a little tired of the Weeping Angels, but this story is perfect. The whole time I was reading it, I wanted to hand it to Steven Moffat and say, "You should have made an episode from this one!"

That's why this Doctor Who novel gets extra props. Most of these tie in books read like not always so good fanfiction, but this one is head, shoulders and two hearts above all the rest.

1. You really identify with Mark Whitaker and his back story with his wife Rebecca. You love him, you hurt for him and occasionally you want to give him a good shake. Who is its best when it tugs at your heart strings, and this book does just that.

2. Amy and Rory are the best. Eleven didn't get a lot of companions, but no matter, no one can top The Ponds. I love the banter between the three of them, especially when The Doctor tries to recruit Rory as his secretary. There's some references to all the "waiting" Rory did in the show as well.

3. The fez and coolness. It wouldn't be an Eleventh Doctor adventure with a hat and him trying to convince us all that he's cool.

The only downside to this story is that the monster/aliens are those Weeping Angels. They just aren't terrifying anymore, like they were when they first appeared in the episode "Blink." However, Jonathan Morris did give them a better story than what they got in their appearances on the show, plus he leaves you wondering, if we could really bring Amy and Rory back...after their "Angels In Manhattan" episode.

A great read for Who fans!

Rating: 5 flowers

Book Review: Into The Nowhere

Author: Jenny T. Colgan
Title: Into The Nowhere
Publisher: Random House UK
Publish Date: Jan 16 2014
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley
Book Blurb: 

Time Trips – groundbreaking Doctor Who adventures by some of the most respected writers in the Universe. Short stories that are bigger on the inside…

The Eleventh Doctor and Clara land on an unknown alien planet. To the Doctor’s delight and Clara’s astonishment, it really is unknown. It’s a planet the Doctor has never seen. It’s not on any maps, it’s not referenced on any star charts or in the TARDIS data banks. It doesn’t even have a name. What could be so terrible that its existence has been erased?

Review: Jenny Colgan definitely has The Eleventh Doctor down. I was glad that this time, she wrote a story with current companion, Clara. I liked that it was obvious that this story took place after The Day Of The Doctor. There were a lot of references to things in the past, particularly K-9 at the very beginning of the story.

I also liked how when they landed on the "Nowhere" planet...aka "Anthony" she referenced Gallifrey too. Jenny kept with canon quite a bit. Even the fez attempts to make an appearance. It wouldn't be 11 without the fez!

I was intrigued by the planet and the strange skeleton inhabitants. I will say, these Time Trips are entirely too short to get a really good story on, especially in the sci-fi genre. So the story does feel a bit rushed, but thankfully it does feel like a Doctor Who episode, which is what most people are looking for when there are several months to go before we get a new season. (Plus it is nice to have 11 even if it is only in short story form).

One of the nice things about Jenny's story is how well she brings Clara to life. Clara is one of the most undeveloped companions in New Who, and though this was just a short story, I felt like I knew her better.

Jenny also makes this story touching, as the Doctor saves the planet in a round about way, and though you never know what the planet really is, you have an idea by the time you get to the end. (What with all the apples, snakes and knowledge references) Definitely one of the best time trip stories!

Rating: 4 flowers

Book Review: The Bog Warrior

Author: Cecelia Ahern
Title: The Bog Warrior
Publisher: Random House UK
Publish Date: May 8, 2014
Buy: Amazon

Review Copy Provided By: Net Galley
Book Blurb: 

Arriving on the planet Cashel, the Tenth Doctor witnesses a strange masked ball. To guarantee peace, Prince Zircon has to choose a bride from the Bog People – dead men and women who have been resurrected as slaves. Or as warriors. But Zircon is in love with the enslaved Princess Ash, whose parents were deposed and executed by the current Queen. As usual, the Doctor has walked right into trouble, and it's up to him to sort it out.

Review: When there's still several months before we get any new Who, I try to devour Doctor Who stories. I've read a lot of Cecelia Ahern's novels and I was really interested in seeing how she'd do with a Doctor Who short story.

I wish I could say she did well, but the story really lacked something.

Maybe it was the Doctor. He didn't feel like he was there, and this is a story that featured The Tenth Doctor. Maybe it was because he was traveling alone, but I never felt like this was a Doctor adventure I could really get into, and it was only about 30 pages long!

I liked the Cinderella-esque nature of the story, that keeps with the Chick-lit genre that Ahern usually writes in, but the way all the events unfolded and the way 10 acted, I had to wonder if she had ever watched one of his episodes.

Then there were the characters, Princess Ash, Prince Zircon, Root. In the short duration of the story, I couldn't connect with them at all.

Not one of the better short stories I've read.

Rating: 2 flowers

Book Review: I Am A Dalek

Author:Gareth Roberts
Title: I Am A Dalek
Publisher:  Random House UK
Publish Date: August 2006
Rating: 5 Stars
Book Blurb: Equipped with space suits, golf clubs and a flag, the Doctor and Rose are planning to live it up, Apollo mission-style, on the Moon. But the TARDIS has other plans, landing them instead in a village on the south coast of England; a picture-postcard sort of place where nothing much happens. Until now... An archaeological dig has turned up a Roman mosaic, circa 70 A.D., depicting mythical scenes, grapes - and a Dalek. A few days later a young woman, rushing for work, is knocked over and killed by a bus, then comes back to life. It's not long before all hell breaks loose, and the Doctor and Rose must use all their courage and cunning against an alien enemy - and a not-quite-alien accomplice - who are intent on destroying humanity.
Review: This was a Doctor Who Quick Book with only 104 pages but it really packs a punch in those pages. The more Who books I read, the more I wish they had been made into episodes, as I found a lot of the episodes in 10's era to be pretty lame, even though Tennant was a fantastic doctor.

This story features one Dalek and how it tries to return to life after being sent to earth during the Time War. There's also a little issue of The Dalek Factor which has corrupted some human, DNA turning one call center employee into a wannabe exterminator!

I really liked Rose in this story, and Rose is one of my least favorite of the companions. Her interactions with Kate the human Dalek were really amusing, especially when Kate went from being a ginger to a blonde. Kate commented that she was naturally blonde. I LOL'd at that.

This was a really a fun read, but how could it not be, it is the Doctor!!

Book Review: The Stone Rose

Author: Jacqueline Rayner
Title: The Stone Rose
Publisher: Random House UK and BBC Audio Books
Publish Date: December 1996
Rating: 5 Stars
Read By: David Tennant
Book Blurb: Mickey is startled to find a statue of Rose in a museum - a statue that is 2,000 years old. The Doctor realizes that this means the TARDIS will shortly take them to Ancient Rome, but when it does, he and Rose soon have more on their minds than sculpture. While the Doctor searches for a missing boy, Rose befriends a girl who claims to know the future. But then the Doctor stumbles on the hideous truth behind the statue of Rose - and Rose herself learns that you have to be very careful what you wish for...

Review: This is the kind of audio book that makes Doctor Who fangirls go Squee!! It is read by the tenth doctor and the story is one that you can really visualize while David is reading it.

The Doctor and Rose go back in time to ancient Rome to discover the reasoning for a statue that bares a striking resemblance to Rose Tyler. Once there they encounter a man who is searching for his missing son. They also find a young girl who can tell a bit of the future and it only gets weirder from there.

Crazed artists without talent and a dragon-like genie give this story character, especially as the genie's granted wishes aren't always what is being wished for. It really would have made a great episode in the series. It had just enough scary bits for the older viewers and funny bits for the younger ones that need to get to bed.

David Tennant did a wonderful job reading this one, so much so I want to actually read the book, in case I missed anything going all fangirly while listening.