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kathydavie's review
4.0
A short story in the Time Trips / Dr. Who science fiction series.
This ARC was provided by NetGalley and Ebury Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
My Take
Harris definitely catches the flavor of Dr. Who, although I suspect I'm too caught up in the television series and it's having an effect on my perspective!
There's a feel of Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty with Alice in Wonderland and, of course, Dr. Who along with the isolation of The Prisoner with a touch of Hitchcock and a bit of Oz in this fantastical tale.
It's starts so sweetly — I love Harris' description of the village. Sounds like one of those from the Cotswolds. But Harris quickly shoves us over the cliff, and she continues to keep us off balance as she provides the setting for the ideal village with the ideal medicines — rose hip syrup for cough medicine. Yeah!
Only this Queen is not the one about to yell "off with his head"! We'll leave that to the Gyre, the one who doesn't like doctors and would really hate a Villager who called himself, the Doctor.
It's a horror-filled village, and I loved the concept of it. I do wish that I hadn't had to think so much about how it all works. Yeah, it's sad enough when we finally penetrate in and learn the reason for this stage setting, but after all the dwelling on the awfulness of the place, I wish Harris had dwelt a little more on the psyche behind it all.
It's also possible that some of my annoyance stems from how short this was. I wanted more!
The Story
It's the Parade that starts up the fun in the Village, and all too quickly we discover the horror of it when the Milkman makes a break for it. He doesn't fit the Wellness Code and woe betide anyone who breaks it.
Only, the Gyre hasn't take into account the non-Policeman who steps out of the policeman's box…
The Characters
The Doctor, a Time Lord, is dying. Always too cocky for words, he took that one step too far. The TARDIS is his blue police box.
Alice, the Queen, is leery of wishes and fun, and terrified of dreams and tears. Polly is her daughter.
The Village…
…with its Baker, Postman, Milkman (yeahhh, yeahh, Patrick was his name), the Grocer in his striped apron, the Butcher, the officious Village Policeman, the Farmer, the Farmer's Wife, a Flower Girl, a Grandmother, a Delivery Man, annnddd the Princess.
Taking part in the Wellness Parade are clockwork Dragoons, pastel Ponies, a Bear, a Clockwork Clown, a Doll, a sad Pierrot, dancing Dwarves, drunken Pirates, and a Mouse.
The Gyre keeps the, um, pieces, wait, I mean peace.
The Cover and Title
The cover is weird. You'd never believe it went with the story inside, although it does convey a very lonely feeling with its multiple black gears attached to that shapeful yellow background, half-buried in a silvery grass (it could be a spiky sort of sand??) The background is more of the same rising up to form the sides of mountains under a purple and black sky.
The title is too true, and the Doctor feels all "The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Time Traveller", as he counts off the minutes until he dies.
This ARC was provided by NetGalley and Ebury Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
My Take
Harris definitely catches the flavor of Dr. Who, although I suspect I'm too caught up in the television series and it's having an effect on my perspective!
There's a feel of Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty with Alice in Wonderland and, of course, Dr. Who along with the isolation of The Prisoner with a touch of Hitchcock and a bit of Oz in this fantastical tale.
It's starts so sweetly — I love Harris' description of the village. Sounds like one of those from the Cotswolds. But Harris quickly shoves us over the cliff, and she continues to keep us off balance as she provides the setting for the ideal village with the ideal medicines — rose hip syrup for cough medicine. Yeah!
Only this Queen is not the one about to yell "off with his head"! We'll leave that to the Gyre, the one who doesn't like doctors and would really hate a Villager who called himself, the Doctor.
It's a horror-filled village, and I loved the concept of it. I do wish that I hadn't had to think so much about how it all works. Yeah, it's sad enough when we finally penetrate in and learn the reason for this stage setting, but after all the dwelling on the awfulness of the place, I wish Harris had dwelt a little more on the psyche behind it all.
It's also possible that some of my annoyance stems from how short this was. I wanted more!
The Story
It's the Parade that starts up the fun in the Village, and all too quickly we discover the horror of it when the Milkman makes a break for it. He doesn't fit the Wellness Code and woe betide anyone who breaks it.
Only, the Gyre hasn't take into account the non-Policeman who steps out of the policeman's box…
The Characters
The Doctor, a Time Lord, is dying. Always too cocky for words, he took that one step too far. The TARDIS is his blue police box.
Alice, the Queen, is leery of wishes and fun, and terrified of dreams and tears. Polly is her daughter.
The Village…
…with its Baker, Postman, Milkman (yeahhh, yeahh, Patrick was his name), the Grocer in his striped apron, the Butcher, the officious Village Policeman, the Farmer, the Farmer's Wife, a Flower Girl, a Grandmother, a Delivery Man, annnddd the Princess.
Taking part in the Wellness Parade are clockwork Dragoons, pastel Ponies, a Bear, a Clockwork Clown, a Doll, a sad Pierrot, dancing Dwarves, drunken Pirates, and a Mouse.
The Gyre keeps the, um, pieces, wait, I mean peace.
The Cover and Title
The cover is weird. You'd never believe it went with the story inside, although it does convey a very lonely feeling with its multiple black gears attached to that shapeful yellow background, half-buried in a silvery grass (it could be a spiky sort of sand??) The background is more of the same rising up to form the sides of mountains under a purple and black sky.
The title is too true, and the Doctor feels all "The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Time Traveller", as he counts off the minutes until he dies.
geekwayne's review
4.0
'Doctor Who: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Time Traveller' by Joanne Harris is one of the Time Trips series and features the third doctor. It's one of the better ones of this series that I've read.
The story stars the third doctor at a point where he has been poisoned by radiation and is trying to get back to UNIT HQ. The Tardis lands him in a quaint village where all is not as it seems. The villagers all have roles to play based on professions, and there can only be one of each, but no doctors are allowed. Also, everyone in the village must attend the daily Wellness Parade. The Doctor looks for answers with the help of one of the people in the village and finds an answer stranger than he could have imagined.
I'm not as familiar with the third doctor, so I don't know how close the author got it, but I really liked the story. It reminded me of the Twilight Zone episode 'It's A Good Life,' or 'The Town Where No One Got Off' by Ray Bradbury, which is to say, it's got a classic feel that I really liked.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Random House UK, Ebury Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
The story stars the third doctor at a point where he has been poisoned by radiation and is trying to get back to UNIT HQ. The Tardis lands him in a quaint village where all is not as it seems. The villagers all have roles to play based on professions, and there can only be one of each, but no doctors are allowed. Also, everyone in the village must attend the daily Wellness Parade. The Doctor looks for answers with the help of one of the people in the village and finds an answer stranger than he could have imagined.
I'm not as familiar with the third doctor, so I don't know how close the author got it, but I really liked the story. It reminded me of the Twilight Zone episode 'It's A Good Life,' or 'The Town Where No One Got Off' by Ray Bradbury, which is to say, it's got a classic feel that I really liked.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Random House UK, Ebury Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
pewterwolf's review
4.0
Review Taken From The Pewter Wolf
So much for my "NetGalley Ban".
In this short novella, written by Chocolat's Joanne Harris (as part of the Doctor Who: Time Trips series), the Doctor is dying. His body slowly being destroyed by radiation, all he wants is to return to UNIT and to arah Jane Smith before his body regenerates.
But he finds himself in the Village, the most perfect English village he has ever seen. Where everyone is happy - as long as you don't ask questions, make wishes or say the "D" word... whatever that is...
Now, I'm not much of a past Doctor Who fan but, from a quick Google, I know this story sets place just before the Third Doctor's regenerates (near the end of the Planet of the Spiders story arc, I believe) so it was interesting to read a "past" Doctor and see how different he was to the Doctors I know.
And as someone who only knows the basic of the Whonverise, I got a bit excited when I saw the famous words "reverse the polarity".
Ok, the story. I must stress this is a novella so the story isn't as "meaty" as I expect everyone, but it was fun and fast. I know someone who read it within an hour (I took longer as real life is a pain in the neck!) so it's fast. You'll gallop through it.
And the story was fun. It might not be as dark as some Steven Moffat scripts, but I sense that this story would fit perfectly with the Third Doctor and the way his stories were told. And with Joanne Harris writing it (a new author [well, to me] to research), I sense fans of her and Doctor Who will come and read this.
I think this would fit perfectly for those who are exploring the world of Doctor Who and his previous lives. I might have to get my hands on another Time Trip eNovellas or maybe some Joanne Harris novels *begins to eye up Chocolat, Jigs & Reels and/or A Cat, A Hat & A Piece of String).
I shall leave you with this wonderful quote that was in this story that I just love! "But stories are worlds. New worlds for us to visit. In stories, we live forever."
So much for my "NetGalley Ban".
In this short novella, written by Chocolat's Joanne Harris (as part of the Doctor Who: Time Trips series), the Doctor is dying. His body slowly being destroyed by radiation, all he wants is to return to UNIT and to arah Jane Smith before his body regenerates.
But he finds himself in the Village, the most perfect English village he has ever seen. Where everyone is happy - as long as you don't ask questions, make wishes or say the "D" word... whatever that is...
Now, I'm not much of a past Doctor Who fan but, from a quick Google, I know this story sets place just before the Third Doctor's regenerates (near the end of the Planet of the Spiders story arc, I believe) so it was interesting to read a "past" Doctor and see how different he was to the Doctors I know.
And as someone who only knows the basic of the Whonverise, I got a bit excited when I saw the famous words "reverse the polarity".
Ok, the story. I must stress this is a novella so the story isn't as "meaty" as I expect everyone, but it was fun and fast. I know someone who read it within an hour (I took longer as real life is a pain in the neck!) so it's fast. You'll gallop through it.
And the story was fun. It might not be as dark as some Steven Moffat scripts, but I sense that this story would fit perfectly with the Third Doctor and the way his stories were told. And with Joanne Harris writing it (a new author [well, to me] to research), I sense fans of her and Doctor Who will come and read this.
I think this would fit perfectly for those who are exploring the world of Doctor Who and his previous lives. I might have to get my hands on another Time Trip eNovellas or maybe some Joanne Harris novels *begins to eye up Chocolat, Jigs & Reels and/or A Cat, A Hat & A Piece of String).
I shall leave you with this wonderful quote that was in this story that I just love! "But stories are worlds. New worlds for us to visit. In stories, we live forever."
dantastic's review
3.0
While dying of radiation poisoning, the Doctor finds himself at The Village, a strange place where every day is April 8th and everyone must pretend to be happy or the Princess will strike them down...
I got this from Netgalley.
The latest Doctor Who Time Trip sees the Third Doctor find himself in The Village, a small town that resembles Oxfordshire that no one can leave. Doc Pertwee is portrayed true to form, complete with bow tie and frilly velvet coat. It's actually surprisingly deep for a Doctor Who short story.
The tone is somber, not surprising since the Doctor is heading back to earth to die and regenerate into Tom Baker.
Since it's a short story, that's all I'm prepared to reveal at this time. Unlike a lot of the Time Trips, this one feels authentic and is a very worthwhile addition to Who-lore. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
I got this from Netgalley.
The latest Doctor Who Time Trip sees the Third Doctor find himself in The Village, a small town that resembles Oxfordshire that no one can leave. Doc Pertwee is portrayed true to form, complete with bow tie and frilly velvet coat. It's actually surprisingly deep for a Doctor Who short story.
The tone is somber, not surprising since the Doctor is heading back to earth to die and regenerate into Tom Baker.
Since it's a short story, that's all I'm prepared to reveal at this time. Unlike a lot of the Time Trips, this one feels authentic and is a very worthwhile addition to Who-lore. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
felinity's review
4.0
Stepping back in the Doctor's timeline, Jon Pertwee's Third Doctor is dying. In an attempt to get back to Sarah Jane, his journey is diverted to a perfect English village. Fans of the Doctor won't be surprised to hear that appearances are deceiving, and that somehow the TARDIS has picked up a desperate need for help, the sort of help which only The Doctor can provide.
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.
urlphantomhive's review
4.0
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
Last year I started reading some of the Doctor Who books and so far, I've to admit, it's been a very nice surprise. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Time Traveller was a nice, but short story featuring the Third Doctor (I've never seen anything for the original series, so I didn't know this particular Doctor).
When the Doctor is dying from radiation poisoning the TARDIS takes him somewhere strange. Seemingly a perfect British village, it's not long before the Doctor notices there's more to it.
I really enjoyed it. The writing was very nice and I liked the story as well. I can't comment on how well the Third Doctor was captured in this story, but at least it felt like reading Doctor Who. Before I'd only read Blueeyedboy by Joanne Harris, which disappointed me at the time. However, after reading The Loneliness of the Long Distance Time Traveller (love that title), I might just pick up another one of her books!
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Other Doctor Who novels I've read and reviewed:
* 12th Doctor:
Silhouette (Killer Origami), The Blood Cell (Prison) The Crawling Terror (Giant Insects)
* 11th Doctor:
Touched by an Angel (Weeping Angels)
* War Doctor:
The Engines of War ("Ex-ter-mi-nate!")
Last year I started reading some of the Doctor Who books and so far, I've to admit, it's been a very nice surprise. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Time Traveller was a nice, but short story featuring the Third Doctor (I've never seen anything for the original series, so I didn't know this particular Doctor).
When the Doctor is dying from radiation poisoning the TARDIS takes him somewhere strange. Seemingly a perfect British village, it's not long before the Doctor notices there's more to it.
I really enjoyed it. The writing was very nice and I liked the story as well. I can't comment on how well the Third Doctor was captured in this story, but at least it felt like reading Doctor Who. Before I'd only read Blueeyedboy by Joanne Harris, which disappointed me at the time. However, after reading The Loneliness of the Long Distance Time Traveller (love that title), I might just pick up another one of her books!
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Other Doctor Who novels I've read and reviewed:
* 12th Doctor:
Silhouette (Killer Origami), The Blood Cell (Prison) The Crawling Terror (Giant Insects)
* 11th Doctor:
Touched by an Angel (Weeping Angels)
* War Doctor:
The Engines of War ("Ex-ter-mi-nate!")
iphigenie72's review
5.0
A story that start semi-light... A village were everybody needs to show their happiness and a Third Doctor dying from his experiences on Metebelis III. Even with the knowledge that his time grows short, the Doctor wants to help the villagers in this impossible situation.
My favorite Doctor from the Classic series, I always want to read the books and short-stories starring him; sometimes I'm disappointed, but once in a while there's a masterpiece to be discovered... that's what this story was. I thought the tone of the Doctor was right, I think the knowledge that he has nothing to loose makes him very daring, but he was always that with his boat chase, sport car, his noble fights and his incredible flare... This was the Third Doctor in his glory, knowing the end his near, but still needed to do what needs to be done: saving the universe even if the universe can't save him. Sometimes the universe is not as big as we think: a little village, a queen, a princess and scared villagers.
I thought the author did a great job; she had me on an emotional level that I do not expect from a DW short, this was a three hanky story with no "everybody lives" ending... after all the Fourth Doctor is coming, as much as leaving the Third again breaks my heart, there's all those adventures to come and jelly babies too!
My favorite Doctor from the Classic series, I always want to read the books and short-stories starring him; sometimes I'm disappointed, but once in a while there's a masterpiece to be discovered... that's what this story was. I thought the tone of the Doctor was right, I think the knowledge that he has nothing to loose makes him very daring, but he was always that with his boat chase, sport car, his noble fights and his incredible flare... This was the Third Doctor in his glory, knowing the end his near, but still needed to do what needs to be done: saving the universe even if the universe can't save him. Sometimes the universe is not as big as we think: a little village, a queen, a princess and scared villagers.
I thought the author did a great job; she had me on an emotional level that I do not expect from a DW short, this was a three hanky story with no "everybody lives" ending... after all the Fourth Doctor is coming, as much as leaving the Third again breaks my heart, there's all those adventures to come and jelly babies too!
nwhyte's review
4.0
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2355771.html[return][return]This is certainly a hit. Harris was born in 1964, so Jon Pertwee was very much her Doctor, and here she gives the Third Doctor a final adventure as he flees, poisoned, from Metebelis Three on his last journey to UNIT headquarters, sidetracked on the way to help out a threatened planet and a dying girl. It packs an unexpected punch and I was very moved by the end. The Time Trips series goes out with a bang.