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futurama1979's review against another edition
3.0
Victoria... I love her so much and she's so sweet in this. I'd read literally anything for Victoria content but this was like a fun re-telling of the serial. It actually cut out/changed kind of a lot, which is partly why I didn't rate it higher :( it cut out some of the parts in the original serial that I really liked. The writing style also didn't really jive with me, but I got more Victoria content and that's all that mattered.
andrew_j_r's review against another edition
4.0
I absolutely loved this book as a kid. As home videos did not exist until I was a bit older, this range of novels were my only way of experiencing previous Doctors and monsters.
The Ice Warriors are amongst my favourites. Only used four times in the original run of the series (and then, uniquely, not always as bad guys) they have since been leaped upon by novel and radio play writers as noble warriors rather than the ruthless ones presented here.
There is an awful lot going on in this book - six television episodes condensed into 160 pages, so by necessity the story is very plot rather than character driven. This would normally annoy me, but there are depths to the characters hinted at (especially Clent and Penley) that means it just about gets away with it.
I would love the book to have been twice as long, but it was published in 1976 as part of a range of Doctor Who books aimed at kids, and in fact 160 pages was quite long for some of them; many came in at 120 or so.
But it was a pleasure to revisit. And as it was the reprint from this year, it had a marvelous introduction by Mark Gatiss (his love of the show evident in every sentence) and a nice few pages at the end showing where the broadcast version differed from the book.
Let's hope they do plenty more of these reprints, as far there are only twelve and I personally would love to see the whole range redone.
A classic.
The Ice Warriors are amongst my favourites. Only used four times in the original run of the series (and then, uniquely, not always as bad guys) they have since been leaped upon by novel and radio play writers as noble warriors rather than the ruthless ones presented here.
There is an awful lot going on in this book - six television episodes condensed into 160 pages, so by necessity the story is very plot rather than character driven. This would normally annoy me, but there are depths to the characters hinted at (especially Clent and Penley) that means it just about gets away with it.
I would love the book to have been twice as long, but it was published in 1976 as part of a range of Doctor Who books aimed at kids, and in fact 160 pages was quite long for some of them; many came in at 120 or so.
But it was a pleasure to revisit. And as it was the reprint from this year, it had a marvelous introduction by Mark Gatiss (his love of the show evident in every sentence) and a nice few pages at the end showing where the broadcast version differed from the book.
Let's hope they do plenty more of these reprints, as far there are only twelve and I personally would love to see the whole range redone.
A classic.
alexandriapaige's review against another edition
4.0
This book was really good. I felt like I was completely immersed in an episode of Doctor Who while I was reading. Definitely worth the read. :D
henriettta's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Yeah.
connorwhittl3's review against another edition
3.0
For Doctor Who: 6/10
Definitely a story best read by an avid fan of 60s Who. Classic Base Under Seige, with little room for character interactions.
As a SF novel: 2/10
Does not develop it themes well enough to work as a stand alone or introductionary story.
Adaption quality: 10/10
This is the best way to enjoy the story, as most of the episodes are missing and the animated recreations, which are good, feel slower than the books.
Definitely a story best read by an avid fan of 60s Who. Classic Base Under Seige, with little room for character interactions.
As a SF novel: 2/10
Does not develop it themes well enough to work as a stand alone or introductionary story.
Adaption quality: 10/10
This is the best way to enjoy the story, as most of the episodes are missing and the animated recreations, which are good, feel slower than the books.
alysmw's review against another edition
3.0
Very good, I loved how scientific it was with strong characters and the dilemma was introduced immediately. Plot was a little repetitive, people kept being captured and hiding and arguing some of which seemed a little pointless.
infinitespace's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
3.5
It's hard to call a target novel slow-paced considering how short they are, but this one is paced very strangely, drawing out certain sections and skipping right over others, and I think that made it harder to accept some of the extra complications the plot gets at the end, even though I knew they were coming. Still, I've got a soft spot for the Ice Warriors & the premise of this whole story.
nwhyte's review against another edition
http://nhw.livejournal.com/1028958.html?#cutid4[return][return]Hayles wrote up his own story here, and did a good job. It may be yet another base under siege, but the people on and off the base all have understandable motivations and reasons for doing what they do. In particular, one feels much more sympathetic to the novel's version of the aggressive Leader Clent than to the original broadcast character. The Ice Warriors are suitably villainous, the Doctor's techno-babble entirely convincing, and the computer itself ends up an interesting character.
haunted_air's review against another edition
5.0
I'm giving this 5 stars, as I enjoyed it a lot. Novelizations are at their best when they add something to the original story, while retelling them in a accurate and interesting way at the same time. In my opinion, Doctor Who and the Ice Warriors did both. I was more invested in the story this time, compared to watching it (well, most of it, with episodes 2 and 3 falling prey to the junking policy of the BBC). I always thought this was a good serial and it worked well as a book. The format of a novel allows for more information and it made a big difference with the side characters, who are actually quite central to the plot and had more complex characterization compared to the TV version.
The relationship of this Tardis Team was nicely portrayed, with some lovely moments at the beginning of the adventure.
I really liked how Victoria and Jamie weren't patronized for not being able to keep up with the all science discussed by the Doctor and the staff of the base. Obviously, as companions from past centuries, they would have no way of knowing any of it, but that doesn't make them useless or stupid. They both try to be helpful and ask good questions and make important observations. I liked how they distrusted and questioned the practice of a computer telling people what to do. This is a more Victoria heavy story and she comes off quite well. Yes, she is afraid, as anyone should be when facing the formidable and ruthless Ice Warriors but she tries to overcome it and holds her own. She is definitely one of the companions who is often dismissed by fans as damsel in distress which simply isn't true. Victoria is intelligent, observant, curious and kind, she can think quickly on her feet if she needs to and does it while being frightened and out of her depth. I think that is quite admirable, and she deserves more than being written of as a useless screamer.
The introduction was a good start to the reading experience, which surprised me because most of the time introductions either bore me or annoy me, especially in biographical works (letter collections etc) and classics, when the person writing the introduction tries to push their interpretation of the text onto the readers. The republished Doctor Who Target novels have more personal introductions, describing the importance and the influence of these books on the author and their appreciation of the story, and Doctor Who in general. This one, written by Mark Gatiss, is really nice.
The relationship of this Tardis Team was nicely portrayed, with some lovely moments at the beginning of the adventure.
I really liked how Victoria and Jamie weren't patronized for not being able to keep up with the all science discussed by the Doctor and the staff of the base. Obviously, as companions from past centuries, they would have no way of knowing any of it, but that doesn't make them useless or stupid. They both try to be helpful and ask good questions and make important observations. I liked how they distrusted and questioned the practice of a computer telling people what to do. This is a more Victoria heavy story and she comes off quite well. Yes, she is afraid, as anyone should be when facing the formidable and ruthless Ice Warriors but she tries to overcome it and holds her own. She is definitely one of the companions who is often dismissed by fans as damsel in distress which simply isn't true. Victoria is intelligent, observant, curious and kind, she can think quickly on her feet if she needs to and does it while being frightened and out of her depth. I think that is quite admirable, and she deserves more than being written of as a useless screamer.
The introduction was a good start to the reading experience, which surprised me because most of the time introductions either bore me or annoy me, especially in biographical works (letter collections etc) and classics, when the person writing the introduction tries to push their interpretation of the text onto the readers. The republished Doctor Who Target novels have more personal introductions, describing the importance and the influence of these books on the author and their appreciation of the story, and Doctor Who in general. This one, written by Mark Gatiss, is really nice.
brian's review
4.0
The second Doctor lands in an ice encrusted England, to discover it's a new ice age.
Scientists are trying to prevent the ice spreading, tied into a worldwide computer network making all the decisions.
An expedition to the ice face discovers a mysterious figure buried in the ice.
The Doctor, his companions and the supporting cast are well characterised in this novel based on the TV episodes, and it contains the type of cliffhanger chapter endings you'd come to expect.
Scientists are trying to prevent the ice spreading, tied into a worldwide computer network making all the decisions.
An expedition to the ice face discovers a mysterious figure buried in the ice.
The Doctor, his companions and the supporting cast are well characterised in this novel based on the TV episodes, and it contains the type of cliffhanger chapter endings you'd come to expect.
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