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charlieswrittenadventures's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
ansatecross's review against another edition
2.0
It's not Doctor Who, it's Moorcock's mythos. I haven't read any of the Jerry Cornelius books so I don't know if it's more that than Who, but it's not much Who; nor do I feel Moorcock had watched a lot of it before writing this. Certainly no more than Matt Smith's first few stories.
dantastic's review against another edition
2.0
In the far future, The Doctor and Amy fall in with a group of historical reenacters, the Terraphiles, and join them in their competition to win the Arrow of Law, an artifact that may be the key to saving the multiverse. But what does the Arrow of Law have to do with the notorious space pirate Captain Cornelius or the theft of Mrs. Banning-Cannon's hideous new gargantuan hat?
On the surface, this looks like slam dunk for me. [a:Michael Moorcock|16939|Michael Moorcock|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1222901251p2/16939.jpg], author of [b:The Dancers at the End of Time|60147|The Dancers at the End of Time|Michael Moorcock|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1348244886s/60147.jpg|927025] - Good. Doctor Who - Good. A strong [a:P.G. Wodehouse|7963|P.G. Wodehouse|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1198684105p2/7963.jpg] feel remniscent of [b:The Code of the Woosters|105986|The Code of the Woosters (Jeeves, #7)|P.G. Wodehouse|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1299729089s/105986.jpg|1121253] - Good. Too bad it wasn't.
The ingredients are all there. At the core, this feels like a P.G. Wodehouse book set in space. Bingo Lockesley is a lot like Bertie Wooster and Mr. Banning Cannon could easily be someone that puts Bertie up to a hare-brained scheme. Moorcock even writes this more like a Wodehouse book than his normal style. It's very remniscent of Dancers at the End of Time in that respect.
The Arrow of Law is a lot like the maguffin in many of Moorcock's Eternal Champion books and the Cosmic Balance winds up playing a big part. Captain Cornelius is likely an aspect of the Eternal Champion and one of the more interesting characters in the book. I like what Moorcock's done with the 500th century and its denizens. However...
My main reason for 2-ing the hell out of this is the lack of The Doctor and Amy Pond. The Doctor and Amy are barely in it and don't do a whole lot. It reads like Moorcock had a Wodehousian novel set in the future already written and just crossed out two of the character's names and changed them to The Doctor and Amy Pond. As a Michael Moorcock book, I'd give this a high three. As Doctor Who book, it's barely a two. When I read a Doctor Who book, I want to see the TARDIS in action and the Doctor using his sonic screwdriver in every chapter, not playing some nutcracker game and looking for a missing hat. The humorous parts were suitably humorous but not Who-ish.
To sum up, it's a case of the ingredients not coming together properly, like stirring the missing eggs and vanilla into the rest of the cake batter after it's already baked for ten minutes. I will think hard before I pick up another Doctor Who tie-in. Unless Neil Gaiman or John Scalzi should happen to write one.
On the surface, this looks like slam dunk for me. [a:Michael Moorcock|16939|Michael Moorcock|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1222901251p2/16939.jpg], author of [b:The Dancers at the End of Time|60147|The Dancers at the End of Time|Michael Moorcock|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1348244886s/60147.jpg|927025] - Good. Doctor Who - Good. A strong [a:P.G. Wodehouse|7963|P.G. Wodehouse|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1198684105p2/7963.jpg] feel remniscent of [b:The Code of the Woosters|105986|The Code of the Woosters (Jeeves, #7)|P.G. Wodehouse|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1299729089s/105986.jpg|1121253] - Good. Too bad it wasn't.
The ingredients are all there. At the core, this feels like a P.G. Wodehouse book set in space. Bingo Lockesley is a lot like Bertie Wooster and Mr. Banning Cannon could easily be someone that puts Bertie up to a hare-brained scheme. Moorcock even writes this more like a Wodehouse book than his normal style. It's very remniscent of Dancers at the End of Time in that respect.
The Arrow of Law is a lot like the maguffin in many of Moorcock's Eternal Champion books and the Cosmic Balance winds up playing a big part. Captain Cornelius is likely an aspect of the Eternal Champion and one of the more interesting characters in the book. I like what Moorcock's done with the 500th century and its denizens. However...
My main reason for 2-ing the hell out of this is the lack of The Doctor and Amy Pond. The Doctor and Amy are barely in it and don't do a whole lot. It reads like Moorcock had a Wodehousian novel set in the future already written and just crossed out two of the character's names and changed them to The Doctor and Amy Pond. As a Michael Moorcock book, I'd give this a high three. As Doctor Who book, it's barely a two. When I read a Doctor Who book, I want to see the TARDIS in action and the Doctor using his sonic screwdriver in every chapter, not playing some nutcracker game and looking for a missing hat. The humorous parts were suitably humorous but not Who-ish.
To sum up, it's a case of the ingredients not coming together properly, like stirring the missing eggs and vanilla into the rest of the cake batter after it's already baked for ten minutes. I will think hard before I pick up another Doctor Who tie-in. Unless Neil Gaiman or John Scalzi should happen to write one.
mxsallybend's review against another edition
2.0
How could something that (in concept) seemed so perfect fail so miserably in its execution?
On the one hand you've got Michael Moorcock, one of the greatest living British fantasists, and undisputed master of the multiverse. On the other hand you've got Doctor Who, one of the greatest British fantasies, and undisputed master of the timestreams. Really, when you think about it, the only surprising thing about this crossover is that it's taken 48 years (both debuted in 1963) for the Eternal Champion and the Time Lord to meet.
They should have saved themselves the effort.
Coming of the Terraphiles is a nearly incomprehensible and entirely nonsensical bit of narrative fluff that does nothing to advance either storyline. Much of it is a Victorian farce surrounding the pursuit of a hat so enormous that wearing it would require the assistance of an anti-gravity device. What may have worked as a short-story length novelty is stretched, twisted, and drawn into into a novel that exceeds the novelty factor about 20 pages in.
The prologue is the best part of the book, packing more drama, suspense, and excitement into the first 6 pages than can be found throughout the remaining 330 pages combined. Even though Captain Cornelius is one of my least favourite incarnations of the Eternal Champion (give me Elric, Hawkmoon, Corum, or Erekosë any day), his story is infinitely more exciting than that of the Doctor. As much as I'd like to blame that on Matt Smith being my least favourite Doctor, and Amy being my least favourite companion, the fact that both are largely relegated to supporting characters (disappearing for multiple chapters at a time) makes that a stretch even for such a nonsense book.
Not nearly as witty as it wishes to be, or as clever as it pretends to be, this is the kind of fanboy dream crossover that makes you rethink being a fanboy of either franchise.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
On the one hand you've got Michael Moorcock, one of the greatest living British fantasists, and undisputed master of the multiverse. On the other hand you've got Doctor Who, one of the greatest British fantasies, and undisputed master of the timestreams. Really, when you think about it, the only surprising thing about this crossover is that it's taken 48 years (both debuted in 1963) for the Eternal Champion and the Time Lord to meet.
They should have saved themselves the effort.
Coming of the Terraphiles is a nearly incomprehensible and entirely nonsensical bit of narrative fluff that does nothing to advance either storyline. Much of it is a Victorian farce surrounding the pursuit of a hat so enormous that wearing it would require the assistance of an anti-gravity device. What may have worked as a short-story length novelty is stretched, twisted, and drawn into into a novel that exceeds the novelty factor about 20 pages in.
The prologue is the best part of the book, packing more drama, suspense, and excitement into the first 6 pages than can be found throughout the remaining 330 pages combined. Even though Captain Cornelius is one of my least favourite incarnations of the Eternal Champion (give me Elric, Hawkmoon, Corum, or Erekosë any day), his story is infinitely more exciting than that of the Doctor. As much as I'd like to blame that on Matt Smith being my least favourite Doctor, and Amy being my least favourite companion, the fact that both are largely relegated to supporting characters (disappearing for multiple chapters at a time) makes that a stretch even for such a nonsense book.
Not nearly as witty as it wishes to be, or as clever as it pretends to be, this is the kind of fanboy dream crossover that makes you rethink being a fanboy of either franchise.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
antoniawg's review against another edition
I thought this was extremely boring. One of the worst Doctor who books I've read.
beth_books_123's review against another edition
3.0
I am a Whovian as many fans of Doctor Who are aware and so I enjoy every book that captures the d
Doctor's adventures.
I think this was one of the largest Doctor Who books and so it was highly descriptive which I enjoyed.
With many of the Doctor Who books, I enjoy reading from the other perspectives about a mad man in a box; this was sown throughout the book and I found it highly enjoyable.
Doctor's adventures.
I think this was one of the largest Doctor Who books and so it was highly descriptive which I enjoyed.
With many of the Doctor Who books, I enjoy reading from the other perspectives about a mad man in a box; this was sown throughout the book and I found it highly enjoyable.
bbabyok's review against another edition
2.0
This is a tough one to review. I wanted to read a Doctor Who novel and thought I love Michael Moorcock so this should be great. What I got was a Moorcock novel that he changed a couple of the characters to the Doctor and Amy. I can't recommend this as a Doctor Who novel.
mermahoney's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
1.5
Well, there was a bare thread of a story in there that could have been interesting if not for all the other stuff that was stuffed into this book in just a confusing mixture of elements and a giant cast that was impossible to keep track of.
bl0ndekitten's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0