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nwhyte's review
3.0
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2020218.html[return][return]Terrible Lizards, by Jonathan Green[return][return]An attempt at homage to Conan Doyle's Lost World - the Doctor, Amy and Rory find themselves on a ship carrying explorers to seek the Fountain of Youth in Florida in 1880 and get stuck in a time rift with dinosaurs. It doesn't work terribly well, the plot being reminiscent of one of the more nonsensical TV episodes, Amy screams and bursts into tears at any minor setback, and the one black character is the first to be eaten by the Tyrannosaurus Rex.[return][return]Horror of the Space Snakes, by Gary Russell[return][return]This is much more like it. The Doctor, travelling alone, arrives on a Moonbase (explicitly the same one visited by his second incarnation) which is suffering unexplained pressure drops and disappearances. There's also a crowd of teenage visitors who have won a ticket to the Moon from their favourite TV show. There are, of course, space snakes, and lots of continuity references (and slight reimaginings) to satisfy long-term fans, and a fairly inventive ending which will satisfy most readers.
jenny_librarian's review
3.0
3 ⭐️
The adventures in themselves were good and sticking to the show, but the difference in the writing style is what took a few stars away for me.
The first story, written by Jonathan Green, is a lot more action-packed. You follow Eleventh, Amy and Rory to a mix of the Florida Everglades and Jurassic Park. Everything happens quickly, and the read is a fast one too. There is little time for character development. It reads a little like a television script, only in prose format.
The second story, written by Gary Russell, couldn't be more different. This time, you find Eleventh alone, visiting the moon on two occasions. Both occasions tie to the Space Snakes. This read is a slow one, centered more on the feelings and interactions of the characters than the action. In fact, there is very little action happening in it. There is almost no danger, and the characters that could be described the closest to actual "villains" are the World State employees - and even then.
Both stories were quite enjoyable. Both authors know the universe well and - despite my tendency to hear the Doctor's dialogues in Capaldi's voice in my head - the tics known to Eleventh fit perfectly. There was even a few throws of "Geronimo!" in the first story! It's the fact that they were so dissimilar that put me off. If you want to make a 2-in-1 book, you should make sure that the writing of both stories fits well together.
The adventures in themselves were good and sticking to the show, but the difference in the writing style is what took a few stars away for me.
The first story, written by Jonathan Green, is a lot more action-packed. You follow Eleventh, Amy and Rory to a mix of the Florida Everglades and Jurassic Park. Everything happens quickly, and the read is a fast one too. There is little time for character development. It reads a little like a television script, only in prose format.
The second story, written by Gary Russell, couldn't be more different. This time, you find Eleventh alone, visiting the moon on two occasions. Both occasions tie to the Space Snakes. This read is a slow one, centered more on the feelings and interactions of the characters than the action. In fact, there is very little action happening in it. There is almost no danger, and the characters that could be described the closest to actual "villains" are the World State employees - and even then.
Both stories were quite enjoyable. Both authors know the universe well and - despite my tendency to hear the Doctor's dialogues in Capaldi's voice in my head - the tics known to Eleventh fit perfectly. There was even a few throws of "Geronimo!" in the first story! It's the fact that they were so dissimilar that put me off. If you want to make a 2-in-1 book, you should make sure that the writing of both stories fits well together.
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