Reviews

Doctor Who: Goth Opera by Paul Cornell, Peter Darvill-Evans

faiazalam's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

 A cracking tale, perfectly capturing the time of when it is to be set. Beginning with the first Missing Adventures novel in the range, I have decided to read and review one Dr Who novel a week for the rest of the year (let's see how long this will last!)

This story is very well structered and paced, taking us from rural Tasmania to urban England, and splitting up the characters in a manner that allows us to follow distinct paths and movements within the story in a way that is not overwhelming but equally avoids the story from being stuck in a rut (although The Fifth Doctor and Tegan sagged a little in the middle when it comes to things to do). Great structure, following a really strong back and forth between numerous characters, and an equally enthralling interlude in the middle of the story. Fantastically paced.

The characters are captured wonderfully, and it's not hard to see that Paul Cornell knew The Fifth Doctor, Nyssa and Tegan inside and out. The supporting characters are brilliantly developed too (even if the main villain is a little too hammy at times) and you find yourself feeling strong emotions for all of the players involved in this tale.

The story is a timeless one, vampires wanting to take over the world, but with the added intrigue of Gallifreyan history and politics, this story stands out as building to an extant lore, but not in a way that feels too messy or contrived. It's filled with wonderful references that any good Dr Who fan would love, but doesn't strain your brain too much to make everything work perfectly.

The scope of the story is grand, and it's wonderful to imagine how the television show might have tackled such a tale. With modern effects, it would have been simply cinematic and I respect the idea of reaching where 80s TV would have struggled to give us the tales that we never might have seen produced due to its complexity 

alicechris's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

4.0

This is one of the first Doctor Who books I've read and it's a really good example of how the medium can be used for Doctor Who stories - this is much more complicated and gory than the TV show would really be able to do (especially in the eighties). That being said, I'd love an audio adaptation of this.

I'm a big fan of the fifth doctor but there aren't that many episodes of his I find myself coming back to. This book characterises him well and expands on his relationships with Tegan and Nyssa (it's set just after Snakedance).

The plot of this is generally good and there are some excellent bits of dialogue, but the writing sometimes feels stilted and the writer occasionally forgets Nyssa isn't human despite making a point of this in other places. There are a few too many loose ends that get individually tied up at the end, which drags a little.

If you're out to try a Doctor Who novel, I'd recommend this one!

philosopher_kj's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0


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saoki's review

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4.0

Goth Opera is an urban fantasy vampire novel as seen through a Doctor Who lens. It's got an interesting plot, some nice creepy moments, great dialogue and the characterization is very much on point. I specially liked that the author knew how to write Tegan (too many writers make her a useless complaining machine) and cared to show her relationship to Nyssa. The writing is tight and compelling, while still being emotional, fun and thrilling. I was not surprised to learn that the author is indeed the same Paul Cornell of The Witches of Lychford fame.

I picked up this book after reading some recent Doctor Who novels, expecting it to be like those: an entertaining adventure that felt like an episode of the show but did things with setting and imagery that would have been too hard to accomplish in a tv show. And it is that, but it's also a great adventure and far more daring in prose and plot than those modern Who novels. Absolutely recommended.

gingerreader99's review

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3.0

Unfortunately as far as conclusions to trilogies go this can be filed in the "not as good as the second volume" with Alien 3, Terminator 3 and Return of the Jedi. Which isn't to say it wasn't good because it most certainly was and quite enjoyable. I just vastly preferred Blood Harvest over Goth Opera. Though the ending did leave some more questions that would be interesting to explore if continuations past this have been published.

wheelinspace's review

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4.5

peak tyssa content

khourianya's review

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3.0

Ok people - some women read Harlequin romances as a guilty pleasure. Not me. I'm afraid you are about to be inundated with Doctor Who novels since geeky sci-fi/fantasy is MY guilty pleasure. The best part about Doctor Who adventures is that they don't necessarily need to be read in any particular order because the adventures could happen anywhere by any doctor at any time. Because I am a bit OCD, though, I will probably read them all in order - series by series. Don't judge.


Goth Opera is one of the thirty-three Doctor Who Missing Adventures books, published by Virgin Books, between 1994-97. This particular book features the 5th Doctor and his companions Tegan and Nyssa.

From GoodReads:

‘The time of humanity on this world has come to an end. The long night is starting. The age of the undead is upon us.’

Manchester, 1993. The vampires of Great Britain have received a message: the long-awaited arrival of their evil messiah is imminent. It’s time for a recruitment drive.

On holiday in Tasmania with Tegan and the Doctor, Nyssa is attacked by a demonic child. She escapes unharmed - except for two small wounds in her neck.

Why are the descendants of the Great Vampire so desperate to obtain the blood of a Time Lord? And what is their connection to a forbidden ancient Gallifreyan cult

***
My desire to read vampire fiction comes and goes in waves. I wasn't feeling it when I started this one, but I quickly got into it. And it made me want to track down some 5th Doctor episodes.

Overall, as my first Doctor Who book ever - I really enjoyed it. I thought it felt like how Doctor Who should feel, though perhaps slightly slower moving. Given that it was written to fill the void between filming and was in the lead up to the 1996 movie that I have yet to see - I felt it captured it. The writing wasn't stellar, but it was good enough. I wanted a guilty pleasure read and that was exactly what I got. And it was such a quick read that I was on to the next book before I knew it. :) The length of these books makes them perfect to plow through on a vacation!

One book down - four hundred or so to go...(Not even kidding a bit)

andystehr's review

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3.0

I liked Goth Opera more than I expected to. The Fifth Doctor's voice was well captured. I'm still not sure about vampires in Doctor Who. Especial how prominent a role they appear to have in the history of Gallifrey. Though it only comes up when vampire are the villain. Maybe they think they're an important part of time lord history but no one else really does.

jaimesando96's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This missing adventure gives Nyssa some great depth and comparable experience to Tegan’s possession by the Mara. Nyssa’s point of view elevates this novel beyond just another doctor who novel. 

scampr's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Goth Opera sees the return of the Great Vampires, first seen in 4th Doctor story State of Decay and since then, an ever growing part of Gallifreyan mythos/history. I'm a big fan of their original appearance, so I was excited to see how the 5th Doctor era would approach them, along with what connections there were to the previous story I read.
This story forms a paradoxical sequel/prequel connection with the 7th Doctor novel Blood Harvest. The events of Blood Harvest in regards to the vampires and some other details are what cause the plot of this book, but the Doctor encounters them in the opposite order. Chronologically there are more references to be found in reading Goth Opera second, but you do not necessarily need to read one to understand the other, and they can be done in either order and still be just as rewarding. 

Paul Cornell is a writer I continue to praise each time I encounter his work, and you can tell here that he really understands the 5th Doctor, Tegan and Nyssa. The characterisation is great, with some particularly good development & emotional insight for the companions.  
Compared to Blood Harvest's stronger connections to State of Decay, this story has a much more distinct personality and original ideas at play. When Nyssa is secretly turned into a vampire, the Doctor and friends soon uncover a group of fanatical vampires in 1990s Manchester with nefarious plans at work. There's some good sci-fi ideas, and really interesting inclusions and lore developed in regards to Vampire and Gallifreyan history/society. Plenty of great references and some fun surprises in there too. 
This novel has a neat balance between the gothic atmosphere and fantastical, evocative writing style of Cornell with his effortless dialogue and wittiness. It's a perfect mix of gory horror mystery, character drama, fun romp and high concept, epic world ending scenario.