Scan barcode
dantastic's review
3.0
The Doctor and Clara land on a planet that's not on any maps and neither the Doctor or The TARDIS have any knowledge of it. After a series of harrowing experiences, a walking skeleton beckons them to follow. Will they survive their meeting with the King of Bones? Of course they will. He's The Doctor!
I got this from Netgalley. Thanks, Netgalley!
Into the Nowhere is a short adventure featuring The Eleventh Doctor and Clara. Unlike some Doctor Who fiction I've read, The Doctor and his companion, Clara in this case, are very well written and consistent with their personalities from the show. The Doctor had some good jokes and even a couple tender moments.
The story is a little hokey but still fun. There's quicksand, walking skeletons, giant snakes, and a demented mastermind in the center of it all. It could have easily been a series seven episode.
This was a short story so there's not a lot more of the plot I can divulge without giving everything away. Even though it wasn't the best Doctor Who story I've ever read, the depiction of the Doctor and Clara turned what might have been a two star read into something I enjoyed. Three out of five stars.
I got this from Netgalley. Thanks, Netgalley!
Into the Nowhere is a short adventure featuring The Eleventh Doctor and Clara. Unlike some Doctor Who fiction I've read, The Doctor and his companion, Clara in this case, are very well written and consistent with their personalities from the show. The Doctor had some good jokes and even a couple tender moments.
The story is a little hokey but still fun. There's quicksand, walking skeletons, giant snakes, and a demented mastermind in the center of it all. It could have easily been a series seven episode.
This was a short story so there's not a lot more of the plot I can divulge without giving everything away. Even though it wasn't the best Doctor Who story I've ever read, the depiction of the Doctor and Clara turned what might have been a two star read into something I enjoyed. Three out of five stars.
felinity's review
4.0
One thing fans always want to know about novelizations and extra adventures: are they true to the characters? No fears here - I could picture the Doctor and Clara in my head. He can't resist meddling, and she can't leave him to it, and here they make an excellent pair as they investigate the secret of this mysterious, missing planet. The story seems a little rushed, but there's a limit on what can be done in 49 pages.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
readalert's review
2.0
Could have been in interesting story if it had been fleshed out more, but it felt half baked and really choppy. It's also extremely and unnecessarily fatphobic. Manages two stars instead of one because I liked the exploration of Clara's bitterness towards the Doctor and all she and the other companions have been through for him and a taste of her ambition and single mindedness. Unfortunately, that doesn't make up for all the issues
nwhyte's review
4.0
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2260159.html[return][return]A short Who ebook, based around a two arresting concept: a world of living skeletons, and the bloke in the control room behind it all, with the Eleventh Doctor and Clara arriving unexpectedly and trying to sort things out. Rather beautifully written. It's sad that there won't be a lot of Eleven/Clara books - the only other one so far is Shroud of Sorrow, by Tommy Donbavand.
beckylej's review
4.0
The wait is almost over! That's right, Whovians, the Doctor is set to return in August. Until then, BBC Books has a great new series of e shorts to tide us over!
The second installment in the series is from Jenny T. Colgan, who also recently penned the Doctor Eleven adventure Dark Horizons. In "Into the Nowhere" Doctor Eleven and Clara land on an unmapped and unnamed planet that immediately seems intent on killing them! They can leave if they can only get back to the TARDIS, but nothing intrigues the Doctor quite like the unknown...
These shorts are perfect little tastes to tide over any Doctor Who fan. Each one is a new little adventure from a great author, and each featuring a different doctor (no particular order to read them in either) - other installments include Nick Harkaway's "Keeping Up With the Joneses" and Cecelia Ahern's "The Bog Warrior" amongst others.
The second installment in the series is from Jenny T. Colgan, who also recently penned the Doctor Eleven adventure Dark Horizons. In "Into the Nowhere" Doctor Eleven and Clara land on an unmapped and unnamed planet that immediately seems intent on killing them! They can leave if they can only get back to the TARDIS, but nothing intrigues the Doctor quite like the unknown...
These shorts are perfect little tastes to tide over any Doctor Who fan. Each one is a new little adventure from a great author, and each featuring a different doctor (no particular order to read them in either) - other installments include Nick Harkaway's "Keeping Up With the Joneses" and Cecelia Ahern's "The Bog Warrior" amongst others.
meganmargoking's review
4.0
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.
This Doctor Who short story had a very strong beginning but quickly fell apart once Clara and the Doctor went planet side.
The characterization of the 11th Doctor and Clara was phenomenal. One of the best I have read. I could clearly see and hear the Doctor and Clara having their unique, quick and witty back and forth dialogue. I could see the Doctor caress the TARDIS, hear the sound his hand made against the machine, and Clara in the background snickering.
In general, it was so wonderful to see Clara in a book. As far as I know, she's only been in SHROUD OF SORROW (if I am wrong, please correct me. With these new 'time trips' I really might be wrong). I love to unique chemistry the Doctor and Clara have on screen translate so well on to page.
There's also an old Who shout-out to K9 through-out the story which made the four year old in made so happy.
And yeah, don't think I missed the Hitchhiker's reference either, even if it was unintentional. There's also Harry Potter, Paddington (although that might have been an editing error), (and more Old Who *oh God, Tegan*) references in this story too. If you spot a fandom I didn't notice let me know.
Like I said, when they landed on the planet, the story just fell apart. The Doctor and the monster-of-the-week kept saying that the Doctor had been there before but never expanded on it. There was a very confusing, ever-changing and thrown together explanation as to why the planet didn't show up on any charts (the Shadow Proclamation hired a guy for security or something, the guy was fired or ran away but they are still paying him? He keeps claiming that it is his 'job' to rule over this world). Either way it was bogus and didn't sit well with me. It needed more working out.
A few times the author head hopped which was very startling while reading. Clara would be unconscious, so the POV can't be from her anymore so she switched to the Doctor's. But in the very next sentence. There wasn't any sort of break. Just Clara's POV. Now it's the Doctor's POV.
I thought this was interesting. While writing up the quotes I noticed, gee 'said' is used a lot. I did a quick search for the word said on my Kindle. The word 'said' was used 189 times in this short story. Wow. I have to say that while reading, astonishingly, I didn't notice this. But still. Wow.
A minor note, this story takes place after the 50th anniversary special. There aren't any huge spoilers for the special but you might be boggled at a line or two if you haven't seen the episode.
This Doctor Who short story had a very strong beginning but quickly fell apart once Clara and the Doctor went planet side.
The characterization of the 11th Doctor and Clara was phenomenal. One of the best I have read. I could clearly see and hear the Doctor and Clara having their unique, quick and witty back and forth dialogue. I could see the Doctor caress the TARDIS, hear the sound his hand made against the machine, and Clara in the background snickering.
"Politeness," muttered Clara to herself. "Always important to politely introduce yourself to a hideous death skeleton."
"Who are you? I'm the Doctor, this is--"
"Don't tell him my name!" said Clara. "What if it's Death, come to claim us? I don't want him to find me."
"Nah," said the Doctor. "Death rides a skeletal horse, too. I'm kidding, I'm kidding."
In general, it was so wonderful to see Clara in a book. As far as I know, she's only been in SHROUD OF SORROW (if I am wrong, please correct me. With these new 'time trips' I really might be wrong). I love to unique chemistry the Doctor and Clara have on screen translate so well on to page.
There's also an old Who shout-out to K9 through-out the story which made the four year old in made so happy.
"Where are we? she asked again.
At this the Doctor let out a sigh.
"What is wrong with you?" said Clara. "Are you missing that dog thing again? You about that dog thing a lot."
"Yes," said the Doctor finally. "But that's not it. He stabbed a long finger at the planet on the screen. "I don't like it," he said crossly.
"It looks harmless," said Clara.
And yeah, don't think I missed the Hitchhiker's reference either, even if it was unintentional. There's also Harry Potter, Paddington (although that might have been an editing error), (and more Old Who *oh God, Tegan*) references in this story too. If you spot a fandom I didn't notice let me know.
Like I said, when they landed on the planet, the story just fell apart. The Doctor and the monster-of-the-week kept saying that the Doctor had been there before but never expanded on it. There was a very confusing, ever-changing and thrown together explanation as to why the planet didn't show up on any charts (the Shadow Proclamation hired a guy for security or something, the guy was fired or ran away but they are still paying him? He keeps claiming that it is his 'job' to rule over this world). Either way it was bogus and didn't sit well with me. It needed more working out.
A few times the author head hopped which was very startling while reading. Clara would be unconscious, so the POV can't be from her anymore so she switched to the Doctor's. But in the very next sentence. There wasn't any sort of break. Just Clara's POV. Now it's the Doctor's POV.
I thought this was interesting. While writing up the quotes I noticed, gee 'said' is used a lot. I did a quick search for the word said on my Kindle. The word 'said' was used 189 times in this short story. Wow. I have to say that while reading, astonishingly, I didn't notice this. But still. Wow.
A minor note, this story takes place after the 50th anniversary special. There aren't any huge spoilers for the special but you might be boggled at a line or two if you haven't seen the episode.
karlou's review
4.0
As a long time fan of Doctor Who I am ashamed to admit I've read very few DW books (although I did enjoy Patrick Ness' Fifth Doctor story, Tip of the Tongue recently). If they're all as good as Into the Nowhere (part of the Time Trips series) then I've been foolishly denying myself and have some serious catching up to do.
This is a beautifully described story which manages to be chilling at one moment then touching the next. The Eleventh Doctor and Clara come across a mysterious planet without a name and with no information about it. At first The Doctor is reluctant to land but of course his curiosity is piqued and soon they discover a desolate land populated by skeletons and littered with death traps. Having skeletons as the planet's inhabitants was, I thought, a masterstroke and very Who. I often think that Who monsters are scariest when they're ordinary and recognisable. Skeletons are naturally frightening but walking skeletons who live on a planet where there is danger everywhere and who have a particularly gruesome way of communicating are even more bone-chilling (do you see what I did there?!) As for our heroes, I could hear the voices of the Doctor and Clara while I was reading, the Doctor was typically mad man with a box enthusiastic yet had that darker and less forgiving side and if anything I preferred book Clara and would like to see more of her in the show.
I just wish it had been a bit longer, if I have any criticism it would be it felt a little uneven, the last part felt perhaps a little too rushed and whilst the villain was suitably evil I would have liked his character to have been explored further. This is mostly me being spoilt though, I want more!
This is a beautifully described story which manages to be chilling at one moment then touching the next. The Eleventh Doctor and Clara come across a mysterious planet without a name and with no information about it. At first The Doctor is reluctant to land but of course his curiosity is piqued and soon they discover a desolate land populated by skeletons and littered with death traps. Having skeletons as the planet's inhabitants was, I thought, a masterstroke and very Who. I often think that Who monsters are scariest when they're ordinary and recognisable. Skeletons are naturally frightening but walking skeletons who live on a planet where there is danger everywhere and who have a particularly gruesome way of communicating are even more bone-chilling (do you see what I did there?!) As for our heroes, I could hear the voices of the Doctor and Clara while I was reading, the Doctor was typically mad man with a box enthusiastic yet had that darker and less forgiving side and if anything I preferred book Clara and would like to see more of her in the show.
I just wish it had been a bit longer, if I have any criticism it would be it felt a little uneven, the last part felt perhaps a little too rushed and whilst the villain was suitably evil I would have liked his character to have been explored further. This is mostly me being spoilt though, I want more!
tamaraepps's review
4.0
When the Doctor and Clara land on a planet neither the Doctor nor the Tardis recognize, it doesn’t take long for the Doctor to want to start exploring. But the more of the planet they see, the further into danger they seem to be. As they try to navigate traps that seem to be alive, they start finding messages, and Clara’s fear grows. Can the Doctor help her through her fears, and does he know more than he is letting on?
I would classify myself as a fan of Doctor Who, but I have never read any Doctor Who books before. I didn’t really know what to expect when I started reading Into the Nowhere but finished knowing I will definitely be seeking out more Doctor Who books to read.
As it is a narrative, there is more explanation of thoughts and feelings than in a television episode, yet the action keeps the story fast-paced and exciting. It didn’t feel all that different from watching an episode, which gave me my Doctor Who adrenaline fix that honestly I wasn’t expecting a book to be able to offer. My main issue was that, while obviously a reading speed is slower than watching, this particular book felt a little short; it was as if the author had rushed through it and missed a lot of potential in the process. As I said, this was the first Doctor Who book I’ve read, but I’m hoping that they don’t all leave me with this feeling of being cheated of a full story.
Most of the book seemed to be in Clara’s point of view, and it gave me a completely different view of the character. In Into the Nowhere, Clara’s fear is stated many times, and a large part of me felt this wasn’t the Clara I knew. I also wish that the author had focused on creating the feeling of fear, rather than telling the reader about it, as being told pulled me out of the world, meaning I wasn’t completely invested in it.
Overall, the book excited me to the possibilities of Doctor Who stories. The fact that, even though it is a different media, it can still create a world of intrigue and raised emotions is something I always look with Doctor Who, and for the most part the book delivered on this. However, I do hope this isn’t the best of what is available, as it seemed to be slightly off in the deliverance, meaning that I, as a reader, had to work harder to stay in the world, when that is something that I feel reader’s should feel without noticing until they finish a book.
This book wasn’t all bad, as I stated earlier, a pleasant surprise was that it gave me the Doctor Who fix I wasn’t expecting. Of course it may be my unfamiliarity with Doctor Who books that makes me unsure of this story in particular, but I will definitely be reading more, and hope they are all able to include the excitement and intrigue that Into the Nowhere did.
*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I would classify myself as a fan of Doctor Who, but I have never read any Doctor Who books before. I didn’t really know what to expect when I started reading Into the Nowhere but finished knowing I will definitely be seeking out more Doctor Who books to read.
As it is a narrative, there is more explanation of thoughts and feelings than in a television episode, yet the action keeps the story fast-paced and exciting. It didn’t feel all that different from watching an episode, which gave me my Doctor Who adrenaline fix that honestly I wasn’t expecting a book to be able to offer. My main issue was that, while obviously a reading speed is slower than watching, this particular book felt a little short; it was as if the author had rushed through it and missed a lot of potential in the process. As I said, this was the first Doctor Who book I’ve read, but I’m hoping that they don’t all leave me with this feeling of being cheated of a full story.
Most of the book seemed to be in Clara’s point of view, and it gave me a completely different view of the character. In Into the Nowhere, Clara’s fear is stated many times, and a large part of me felt this wasn’t the Clara I knew. I also wish that the author had focused on creating the feeling of fear, rather than telling the reader about it, as being told pulled me out of the world, meaning I wasn’t completely invested in it.
Overall, the book excited me to the possibilities of Doctor Who stories. The fact that, even though it is a different media, it can still create a world of intrigue and raised emotions is something I always look with Doctor Who, and for the most part the book delivered on this. However, I do hope this isn’t the best of what is available, as it seemed to be slightly off in the deliverance, meaning that I, as a reader, had to work harder to stay in the world, when that is something that I feel reader’s should feel without noticing until they finish a book.
This book wasn’t all bad, as I stated earlier, a pleasant surprise was that it gave me the Doctor Who fix I wasn’t expecting. Of course it may be my unfamiliarity with Doctor Who books that makes me unsure of this story in particular, but I will definitely be reading more, and hope they are all able to include the excitement and intrigue that Into the Nowhere did.
*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
baticeer's review
4.0
I really liked the characterization of the Doctor and Clara, the vivid imagery, and the Biblical references. I was particularly fascinated by how it explored Clara's opinion of the Doctor in a way that's never really gone into depth about on the tv show.
Not so hot on the fatphobia represented by the villain character (seriously, be more imaginative than making a character who is fat because he's lazy and evil). Also, there needed to be more justification for why the skeleton robots retained the personality of their former lives.
Not so hot on the fatphobia represented by the villain character (seriously, be more imaginative than making a character who is fat because he's lazy and evil). Also, there needed to be more justification for why the skeleton robots retained the personality of their former lives.
hdungey's review
2.0
Short, jumpy and not entirely in character, but built around an interesting premise.