50th Anniversary eBooks

[Allyn Gibson]

It's been rumored, but now it's been confirmed -- for the 50th anniversary, Penguin is doing a monthly series of eBook shorts. Authors haven't been revealed yet, but the Radio Times article suggests J.K. Rowling is a possibility and says that each will be written by an "acclaimed children's author." Perhaps we'll see eBooks by Philip Pullman, Charlie Higson, etc.

 

[diankra]

Of course, the definition of 'acclaimed children's author' could be rather flexible. For instance, 'Who usual suspects' like Stephen Cole and Andy Lane already have their own successful non-Who children's series (Astrosaurs and Young Sherlock Holmes respectively). I'd expect to see a few of them filling out between any really big names.

 

[Relayer1]

Anyone mention Gaiman ?

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Sounds awesome...except the eBook part. I can only hope a paper edition(s) would show up later on.

 

[VDCNI]

They are supposed to be releasing a paperback with all 11 stories included in November.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Then I'm sold!

I can only hope Neil Gaiman, as already suggested, will be involved.

 

[StCoop]

Here's the first one:

"London, 1900. The First Doctor is missing both his hand and his granddaughter, Susan. Faced with the search for Susan, a strange beam of soporific light, and a host of marauding soul pirates intent on harvesting human limbs, the Doctor is promised a dangerous journey into a land he may never forget..."

 

[JoeZhang]

What a bland cover - looks like the sort of thing a self-published book would have - I guess the BBC only wants to pay one for the collected paper edition.

 

[ATimson]

What a bland cover - looks like the sort of thing a self-published book would have - I guess the BBC only wants to pay one for the collected paper edition.

Which would be ironic, since buying the individual ebooks will cost almost three times the price of the collected edition...

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Eoin Colfer?!?! That'll be one story I won't be reading.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Eoin Colfer?!?! That'll be one story I won't be reading.

Because of Artemis Fowl? Or because of And Another Thing?

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Eoin Colfer?!?! That'll be one story I won't be reading.

Because of Artemis Fowl? Or because of And Another Thing?

Mostly because of Artemis Fowl. I couldn't even finish the first book because I got so disgusted with the prose and the character Artemis. Very rarely do I not finish a book but this one of the exceptions.

As a result, I was very disappointed that Colfer was selected to write And Another Thing. I read a few pages here and there in the book store and I didn't like what I read so I haven't bothered with it.

 

[Pindar]

And Another Thing was truly fucking awfull. I hate that book with a passion

 

[OmahaStar]

And what a surprise. It's available on the Apple store. It's available for the Kindle. But the Nook? Nope.

Also, current price is $2.68 ... for a short story. Seems excessively pricey.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Bleeding Cool has suggested/theorized that Neil Gaiman could be announced as the writer of the Second Doctor story next month. Nothing confirmed, just pure speculation on their part I think.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Derek Landy or Jonathan Stroud would be my picks

 

[Cutter John]

And the first book goes to, Eoin Colfer with a First Doctor and Susan story.

2-page excerpt at:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens.../07/doctor-who-a-big-hand-eoin-colfer-extract

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I realize it's just a page-and-a-half -- and thus, not enough to really judge -- but that's very not good.

 

[Brendan Moody]

Having looked at the Artemis Fowl books in the past I wasn't expecting much as far as prose skill, but I did have a faint hope that Colfer could do decent characterization. Alas, no.

 

[Nagisa Furukawa]

As an alternative:

If you guys want an excellent First Doctor/Susan novella written by a respected author, I recommend tracking down Kim Newman's "Time and Relative," told as the diary of Susan in the months leading up to An Unearthly Child. Excellent work.