50th Anniversary eBooks

[Andrew_Kearley]

Well, I've read it. It's brilliant. It's like a story from the 1977 Dr Who Annual, written by someone with seemingly no knowledge of the series at all. It's the sort of the bonkers stuff that modern brand-managed Who fiction hasn't given us for years. As to whether it's any good...

[diankra]

Andrew_Kearley wrote:

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Well, I've read it. It's brilliant. It's like a story from the 1977 Dr Who Annual, written by someone with seemingly no knowledge of the series at all. It's the sort of the bonkers stuff that modern brand-managed Who fiction hasn't given us for years. As to whether it's any good...

I think you just answered that: "It's like a story from the 1977 Dr Who Annual, written by someone with seemingly no knowledge of the series at all." Please tell me that X-Rani turns out to be the villain, and the ugly mutants put in an appearance?

[Andrew_Kearley]

Don't be silly, that was the 1980 Annual.

I'm not saying this like it's a bad thing. I think what Colfer's done is rewrite the first Doctor as if he was being made for today's tv audience, which as the stories are being aimed at the kids who watch the show today, strikes me as a sensible thing to do. There's a place for every interpretation in Doctor Who fiction, not just stories that slavishly copy the style of the tv series in any particular era. Those tales that really push the envelope can be some of the most exciting.

[JoeZhang]

I think there is some middle ground between 'Slavishly copy' and 'is written by someone who read about Doctor Who once in the Radio times'. I'm torn on it, there are a couple of neat ideas in there but as part of the celebration I would have liked to have seen a story that was actually about the Doctor as he was not as he could be remade. Otherwise what's the point of having a 50 year celebration?

I guess the real question is who this is actually intended for? Doctor Who fans or Colfer fans?

[JoeZhang]

I've started a proper review thread.

[Allyn Gibson]

Michael Scott is writing the second Doctor book.

No, not Michael Scott of Dunder Mifflin, though that's who I immediately thought of. This Michael Scott is an Irish author who wrote a series about Nicholas Flamel, the alchemist associated with the Philosopher's Stone.

[JoeZhang]

Sample here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-...-michael-scott

[Mark_Nguyen]

Nice. Somehow expecting a chainsaw, but nice.

Mark