MY DOCTOR WHO

   Well, my Doctor Who Week didn't exactly go to plan. I had not counted on lurgy and computer problems. I have however reviewed the Doctor Who stories I was planning to, and you can find them either in the April 2014 blog archive in the sidebar, or in the Tie-In/Shared World Index ( ,tab at top of page). I will read and review more Doctor Who books in the future. I have another review of a Time Trips story coming up tomorrow, and the picture at the top is of the Doctor Who books in my TBR* pile.

   What I also wanted to do is post that I planned to end my Doctor Who Week with:

MY DOCTOR WHO

©2014 BBC, Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/gallery/fourthdoctor/13.shtml - See more at: http://s884.photobucket.com/user/Weirdmage/media/Misc%20Images/TomBakerwithSword_zps425350e5.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0#sthash.QURwN5EL.dpuf

©2014 BBC, Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/gallery/fourthdoctor/13.shtml - See more at: http://s884.photobucket.com/user/Weirdmage/media/Misc%20Images/TomBakerwithSword_zps425350e5.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0#sthash.QURwN5EL.dpuf

© BBC Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/gallery/fourthdoctor/13.shtml

   My first experience with Doctor Who was on Super Channel. Considering how few channels we had back then in Norway (, I think it was five,) I probably watched it when it was first shown, which according to BroaDWcast on the Gallifrey Base website would make it late March 1987. I distinctly remember watching the regeneration at the start of Robot. I am also pretty sure I watched the death of the Fourth Doctor, but if this is correct, I couldn't have. I think it is correct, looking at this list, and thinking back, it looks correct from what I remember, but it was a while ago... What I am certain of is that I watched Doctor Who on Super Channel every time I could. I rewatched it when I could too.

Anyway, this lead to me buying an issue of Doctor Who Magazine when I was in London in 1988. I think I still have that among my stuff in storage in Norway (, waiting to be brought over to the UK at a later date).

   So, Tom Baker, the Fourth Doctor, is my Doctor Who in the sense that most people count those things. And he does have a special place for me because he was the first one I saw as The Doctor.

   It would take about ten years until my next encounter with Doctor Who, that was on BBC Prime and also on Norwegian cable. At the time they were showing episodes of the Fifth Doctor. This time I was taping the episodes on my VCR. They only showed one or two at a time, and for some reason that is lost in the mists of time I never really managed to get a whole story on tape. There was one exception to that, but I can't for the life of me remember which one it was.
   I can still remember how annoying it was not getting all the episodes in a series on tape, and to this day I have still to watch more than that one full story of Peter Davidson's Doctor.

   And then we are up to 2006 or 2007. NRK, the Norwegian BBC, started sending episodes of the Ninth Doctor on their NRK 3 channel. (Coincidentally, this channel is a children's channel during the day whose name is NRK Super.) The first one I caught was The Empty Child.

   I was of course hooked at once. And although NRK was erratic with sending Doctor Who, and I think they stopped after season three, I later got some BBC channels that have allowed me to catch up with all of new Who.

   Earlier this year I moved to the UK to live with Jo, and I am eagerly awaiting the opportunity to watch Doctor Who on BBC with the rest of the UK.

*TBR - To Be Read

©2014 BBC, Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/gallery/fourthdoctor/13.shtml - See more at: http://s884.photobucket.com/user/Weirdmage/media/Misc%20Images/TomBakerwithSword_zps425350e5.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0#sthash.QURwN5EL.dpuf

REVIEW: CATCHING FIRE

Cover image adapted by Scholastic UK from an original by Tim O'Brien

CATCHING FIRE

THE HUNGER GAMES BOOK TWO

BY

SUZANNE COLLINS

ISBN: 978-1-407-13209-9

Pages: 439

Publisher: Scholastic UK

First published: 1 September 2009

This edition published: 1 December 2011

On the cover:

(From the publisher's website.)

Katniss survived the Hunger Games. Now the Capitol wants revenge. It’s payback time, and her chance of survival is even slimmer than ever…

After winning the brutal Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta have returned to District 12, hoping for a peaceful future. But their victory has caused rebellion to break out – and the Capitol has decided that someone must pay. As Katniss and Peeta are forced to visit the other districts on the Capitol’s Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. Unless they can convince the world that they are still lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying. Then comes the cruellest twist: the contestants for the next Hunger Games are announced, and Katniss and Peeta are forced into the arena once more…

   This picks up where book one ended. Some time has passed, but nothing mayor has happened. Well, not that the main character, Katniss, knows of anyway.
   Collins doesn't waste any time at all, and more or less throws the reader in at the deep end at the beginning. It does calm down pretty quickly though, and we get a look at the aftermath of the previous novel. This is very much a middle novel in a trilogy, it doesn't have a real beginning and its end is just the lead up to the concluding volume. That's not a bad thing, but it makes it impossible to read this story on its own.

   Like in the first book, I have some problems relating to Katniss. She is becoming more of a complete person, but I still think she lacks personality. It doesn't help that despite everything she is still extremely naive, I'd have liked her to show a little bit more cynicism after what she went through in the previous book. Peeta, on the other hand, is blindingly clever for the son of a baker who lives in a place with very limited opportunity to learn about the rest of the world.
   To me the characters feel a bit to shallow, more defined by their place in the plot than by any real personality. But despite that Katniss is quite fascinating. The situation she is in does give her some good moments to shine, and Collins write her in such a way that you have to empathise with her.

   The plot is mostly fast paced, more happens at times than in your average Science Fiction novel. There are passages that are more quiet though, and these are used to great effect to give the readers at least some insight into people, places, and events.
   It is without doubt the action, and the suspense that comes with it, that is the main driving force of this novel. Collins writes really good action, and you are compelled to read on every time she ends the chapter on a cliffhanger.

   The plot isn't anywhere near groundbraking, there is so much here that is pretty common in Dystopic Science Fiction, Collins does manage to leave her own distinct mark of it though. Where the originality falls through most is in the way this book follows in the footsteps of the previous volume. There is a lot here that feels like repetition, with just some details changed, and in some ways that is exactly what this is. Much is familiar here, but the stakes are turned up a notch from what we saw the last time.
   Where this novel deviates from its predecessor, it does so in very predictable ways. The extra stakes are there from the beginning, and for me it was just a matter of waiting for it to bear fruit. Unfortunately I never got the feeling of how it turned out the way it did. The worldbuilding is too slight for me to get a grip on how things took the turn they do here. And what details I do know doesn't really seem to hang quite together. The setting/worldbuilding is definitely this series's weakest point.

   I've been mostly critical above, highlighting the flaws of this novel. But even with its flaws this is a very entertaining read. It's light reading, in most ways but especially in the worldbuilding, but the plot itself is a very engaging one.
   I said of the first novel that it was a good introduction to this subgenre of Science Fiction, and that still holds true. The lack of depth is more pronounced here than in the predecessor, but the basic story is an engaging one and Collins writes it well.
   Even for someone as well-read in SFF as me this holds up as light entertainment. Your enjoyment of it will most probably depend of how much you care about the lack of details and depth, and how much you just let go and come along for a quite entertaining ride. Despite being flawed, I can absolutely recommend this for those that are after an uncomplicated and enjoyable read.

REVIEW: The Hunger Games

LINKS: Suzanne Collins   Scholastic UK

REVIEW: A DANCE WITH DRAGONS

A DANCE WITH DRAGONS

BOOK FIVE OF A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE

BY

GEORGE R.R. MARTIN

ISBN: 978-0-006-48611-4

Pages: 1117 (+appendix)

Publisher: Harper Voyager (UK)

First published: 12 July 2011

This edition published: 15 March 2012

On the cover:

(From the publisher's website.)

WARNING: THIS COVER COPY CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM PREVIOUS BOOKS.

The review is however spoiler-free. (Apart from naming characters who have survived.)

The future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance.

In the east, Daenerys, last scion of House Targaryen, her dragons grown to terrifying maturity, rules as queen of a city built on dust and death, beset by enemies.

Now that her whereabouts are known many are seeking Daenerys and her dragons. Among them the dwarf, Tyrion Lannister, who has escaped King’s Landing with a price on his head, wrongfully condemned to death for the murder of his nephew, King Joffrey. But not before killing his hated father, Lord Tywin.

To the north lies the great Wall of ice and stone – a structure only as strong as those guarding it. Eddard Stark’s bastard son Jon Snow has been elected the 998th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, but he has enemies both in the Watch and beyond the Wall, where the wildling armies are massing for an assault.

On all sides bitter conflicts are reigniting, played out by a grand cast of outlaws and priests, soldiers and skinchangers, nobles and slaves. The tides of destiny will inevitably lead to the greatest dance of all…

   It is becoming more and more clear with each of these books that the point of view (PoV) characters have little or no agency of their own. They are not the ones instigating what is happening, they just react to events set in motion by others. Or to put it bluntly, there is no real protagonists here, only antagonists who we do not get to see the motives of.

   This makes for rather dull reading, passive characters aren't really much fun to follow. It also makes for some really lazy plotting. By depriving us of PoVs from people who have plans, and are getting things to happen, Martin can pull revelations out of the blue whenever he feels like it. This comes off as desperate rather than clever to me. They crop up whenever the story has gotten stuck in a rut, and seem to take the place of planning ahead of time where the story is going. Additionally, they reveal how much of a mess the story has become at this stage.

   There are some really good chapters in this novel. Mostly they are lead-up chapters, and foreshadow coming events, but there is a lack of follow up to them. Instead of refreshing a stale narrative, they quickly stall and their storyline gets stuck in the same rut as the other threads of the tale.

   It really is starting to get disheartening. Every time a new PoV is introduced it feels fresh, and it gives the impression that it will help the story move forward. But after a few initial chapters, where we usually gets a new perspective and even some movement in the story, things stop moving. We get page after page after page, etc, of intrigue. In itself there is absolutely nothing wrong with intrigue, it gets us closer to the characters and adds depth to a story. However, when it gets to be like it is here, where the intrigue seems to be the story, it makes for a story that is just running on empty.

    Not only that, but here there is an abundance of settings that should, and sometimes do, bring variation to the narrative. Instead we get the same type of intrigue in a different location. What should be diverse storylines giving us a different flavour of this world becomes a parade of slight variations on the same theme. Court intrigue is pretty much the same wherever it happens. The end result of this is that the different storylines becomes so similar that they melt together in the readers mind.

   I mentioned new PoV characters, and there are some in here. They are however not as important as characters that are introduced in the story but don't have a PoV. Revealing who the newcomers are would be rather massive spoilers, so I will constrain myself to saying that it makes it feel a bit like we are following the wrong characters at times. Almost everyone we follows react, instead of act.

   For the most part though there is nothing wrong with the characters in themselves. They are interesting people, but they can be very annoying. This has mostly to do with their lack of agency, it gets frustrating reading about someone who does little or nothing without being forced to do so by events set in motion by someone else.

   There are one, or possibly three, characters that stand out from this though. Arya has a journey all of her own, one that hardly seems connected to the rest of the story. It is always refreshing when one of her chapters come up. The lack of connection to other events makes it feel out of place, although I'm sure she'll get drawn back in the main story at some later point.

   Daenerys's storyline has been bogged down for a while, but events here suggests that may be changing. I really liked the direction her journey seemingly is taking her at the end of this novel, and I hope she'll continue on that path.

   The last story thread that takes off in a new direction is one that is introduced here. I don't want to ruin it for anyone, but I will say that although it felt a bit like cheating to introduce it at this late point it still gives some hope that this long slog will come to an end that will at least make it feel worth it.

   I feel that this review is a bit unfocused. Unfortunately that is unavoidable when the novel it is reviewing mostly seems to lack any focus at all. There are too many storylines, and they are too similar. Added to that there is the sense that we still haven't gotten any idea of where this is heading. Yes, the ultimate prize is the throne of Westeros, but there is so much else going on that it doesn't seem to matter much.

   Way too many pages are devoted to chapters that don't move the storyline forward. I can still see a good story inside this, but it is a series that is becoming so bloated that it gets harder and harder to see. I am invested by now, so I will follow this to the end. But with each volume Martin makes it harder for me to believe that end will be a good one.

REVIEWS:  A Game of Thrones   A Clash of Kings   A Storm of Swords   A Feast for Crows

LINKS: George R.R. Martin   Harper Voyager

COVER REVEAL ROUND-UP (XXIV)

   The Inheritance Trilogy from N.K. Jemisin gets an omnibus edition from Orbit. It will be out 9 December 2014. You can get more information, including the author talking about the included new novella here. I really liked the original covers for the three books (, and the books). But I really like this one too. It's more pared down than the originals, but it still evokes the feeling of the novels. Looking forward to seeing this in real life.

   From Delacorte Press comes the cover for the second book in The Reckoners, it has a publishing date of 6 January 2015. (This is the US edition.) I have not read the first book, Steelheart, so I can't speak to how the cover represents the book. But it looks kind of strange for an SFF book to me, more like a typical Action Thriller. It is eyecatching, and that is what a cover is supposed to do.

   Another sequel, this is the follow up to Robocalypse. This one will be out 10 June 2014 from Doubleday. I think this is a great cover. I've had it on my computer for a while, and it always draws the eye when I look at the folder of book covers. It's not just the green eyes, but they do accentuate the a face that is just a little bit too smooth.

   Following up, Ancillary Justice, and being the second book in the Imperial Radch, this book is out from Orbit 7 October 2014. The art is by John Harris, with design by Kirk Benshoff. As with the previous book, this is traditional Space Opera art. You can find examples of books all the way from the middle of the last century that have similar looking covers. I think that is its strength. I like those types of covers, so I think this is a very good cover.

   Art by Steven Meyer-Rassow is on this follow up to Skulk from Strange Chemistry. It will be released 2 September 2014 in North America and as an e-book, and 4 September 2014 in the UK. As with the first book's cover, I really like the symbol on this one. And I find the building very intriguing. This is absolutely a very good cover.

   This, the fifth Laundry Files novel, will be out from Orbit 3 July 2014. The design is by Crush Creative. This book at first looks cluttered, but a closer look reveals some heavy symbolism in the "blob". I've said before that I like symbols, and this is not an exception. Interesting and intriguing.

   Then we move on to a trilogy of new Star Wars covers on books coming from Del Rey Books.

   The top one is pretty awesome for Original Trilogy fans like me, in that it has Darth Vader and the Emperor on it. You can read more about that one on the author's website.

   The second on is a pretty generic Luke Skywalker in Hero Pose image that anyone who read the comics in the 1980s will be familiar with.

   At the bottom we also have a pretty standard Star Wars image. The interesting thing is of course that it has two new characters on it.

   I am a fan of Star Wars, and I really like all three of these covers. 

   Coming 7 August 2014, with covers by Joe McLaren, the release of these two will complete Gollancz's Collector's Library editions of Discworld books. When I wrote about these releases initially, I said I liked them, and that still holds true. I just need to get hold of £199.80 to get these books.

DOCTOR WHO: TALES OF TRENZALORE

DOCTOR WHO:

TALES OF TRENZALORE

THE ELEVENTH DOCTOR'S LAST STAND

BY

JUSTIN RICHARDS

GEORGE MANN

PAUL FINCH

MARK MORRIS

ISBN: 978-1-44814-260-6

Pages: 123

Publisher: BBC Books/Ebury Publishing

Published: 27 February 2014

Paperback edition published: 3 July 2014

On the cover:

(From the publisher's website.)

As it had been foretold, the armies of the Universe gathered at Trenzalore. Only one thing stood between the planet and destruction – the Doctor. For nine hundred years, he defended the planet, and the tiny town of Christmas, against the forces that would destroy it.

He never knew how long he could keep the peace. He never knew what creatures would emerge from the snowy night to threaten him next. He knew only that at the end he would die on Trenzalore.

Some of what happened during those terrible years is well documented. But most of it remains shrouded in mystery and darkness.

Until now.

This is a glimpse of just some of the terrors the people faced, the monstrous threats the Doctor defeated. These are the tales of the monsters who found themselves afraid - and of the one man who was not.

   This is an anthology of four stories by four different authors. I will give a review of each individual story before giving my overall impression.

LET IT SNOW by Justin Richards

   In this story we meet some of the Doctor's most prominent enemies. And they make for very interesting antagonists in this setting. I must say I quite liked how Richards did not try to make a mystery out of who they are. That choice worked out very well, and being the first to know works to heighten the tension in the rest of the tale.
   This isn't a long story and it doesn't try to go for something grand either, it embraces the short length and instead goes for something a little bit different. The difference being that it is The Doctor's enemy that is the focus here. We get up-close to them, and even inside their heads. I found that to be both effectful and really interesting. Richards shows that there is still ways to do a story of the Doctor that feels fresh and original.

   Because of the short length there isn't a very complicated resolution to the peril that the story introduces. But to me that wasn't a problem at all. The aforementioned insight into the antagonists is the important bit here, and that is something that was pulled off very well, and something that makes this an interesting Science Fiction story in its own right.
   This is an excellent Doctor Who story, and a very nice Science Fiction story belonging to the Base Under Siege tradition.

AN APPLE A DAY... by George Mann

   This story is more of a Horror story, than a Base Under Siege one, and since it is a Doctor Who story that means it is a monster story. In this instance there is not really much humanisation of the monster, it is an entity that has one target that it goes for relentlessly. Of course it is up to The Doctor to make sure that the monster does not succeed, and he's got help her from a boy named Theol.

   Theol is a new acquaintance it is quite a pleasure to meet. He has more going for him than many of The Doctor's one episode characters. Even though this is only a short story, Mann manages to give him both a personality that is realistic, and as a bonus he comes with some "baggage" that relates to The Doctor's previous experience on Trenzalore. but perhaps the best thing about Theol is what he does at the very end of the story.

   I really liked the monster here, and I felt that there was real peril. The story is very well written, and Mann is great at giving Theol a real presence despite not having much space to do so in. This is a great Doctor Who story, and for anyone who has an affinity for Matt Smith's Doctor, this is an absolute must.

STRANGERS IN THE OUTLAND by Paul Finch

   I try to avoid comparing stories/novels I review with others, but I feel my hand is in many ways forced here. This story has some of the same feel, and is set in a comparable place to, At the Mountains of Madness. Granted, it is the Polar milieu that evokes that comparison, but it was hard to escape it. A comparison like that won't help anyone that has not read At the Mountains of Madness, so an alternative comparison would be to any (hi)story of the polar expeditions of the early 20th century.
   Finch manages to get across very well the feeling of the cold wastes of winter. I say that as someone who lived the first four decades of his life in Norway, and has plenty of experience with temperatures below -30C.

   So, the setting is excellently done, but that doesn't make a story on its own. Fortunately the author has more for the reader than that. There is a really tense narrative set in the frozen landscape of this story, which is what reminded me of At the Mountains of Madness to begin with. Apart from the beginning, this is centered almost exclusively on The Doctor, everyone else are really only bit-players. But that helps enhance the tension, and it is palpable throughout. Even as the story ends you get the feeling that there is still some travails to come.

   Finch's story is an excellent one. The Doctor gets to shine, as he should in a story with his name on, and we get another visit from a past enemy. Who the enemy is is not really important, the essence of this is a well written Psychological Thriller story that in itself is satisfying enough, and that makes for an excellent Doctor Who story.

THE DREAMING by Mark Morris

   This is another very interesting story, and this time we also go into Horror territory. The type of Horror story used will be familiar to most people, it is not an uncommon one. The story is however not suffering from the familiarity, and it won't matter if it is a new type of story to the reader, it is simply too good a story for that.

   Although this is a story firmly rooted in the Horror tradition, it is also the most light-hearted of the stories in this anthology. It is not a comedy piece though, it is just that there is some glimpses of humour here that got a couple of laughs out of me.
   Morris does not follow Horror conventions slavishly, but lets the story go in the directions it needs to do. There is no mistaking that this is a Doctor Who story, and the Horror element even comes from one of The Doctor's old enemies. The Doctor does what he does best here, and Morris has really gotten the Eleventh Doctor to come alive on the page. It's easier to hear the voice of Matt Smith than it is to avoid doing so.

   I found this to be a great Doctor who story, and a very good Horror story. It is a nice glimpse into an older Doctor, and it is almost bittersweet to see him like he is in this story. I do think that fans of the Eleventh Doctor will like to see this side of him. An excellent end to the anthology.

OVERALL IMPRESSION

   There is no doubt that the TV series did a rather short version of The Doctor's centuries long stay on Trenzalore, so it is a part of The Doctor's history that is obviously a rich vein to mine for those that write prose about him. One of the obvious dangers of mining quiet periods in any fictional story is that it feels like the expansion is shoehorned in to a period where nothing did really happen. Having presented that possibility, I want to immediately make it clear that it is absolutely not the case here. What we get here are some very interesting glimpses into what is actually a huge part of The Doctor's life.

   Despite being constrained by the setting, and the aforementioned Base Under Siege element that has to be there to keep this canon, these stories are very different. Sure, there are similarities related to the setting and type of threat available, but the four writers are represented by four stories that does not flow into each other in your memory. It is clear that there is an editor that has done a very good job of giving the reader four different slices of The Doctor's time on Trenzalore at work here.
   The nature of these tales means that they do veer into Horror or monsters as it is usually called in Doctor Who. They are not overly scary though, so even those that cannot normally stomach Horror stories should be fine with these.

   This is a great anthology, and a very good addition to the lore of the Eleventh Doctor. Everyone who loves  Matt Smith's Doctor would do themselves a great disservice if they don't get their hands on this. If you haven't tried written Doctor Who yourself this would be a very good starting point.

   Simply put, this is an excellent little book of Doctor Who stories that is well worth getting your hands on.

NOTE: I got an e-ARC of this from the publisher/NetGalley.

REVIEWS: Click here for a full list of Doctor Who reviews.

LINKS: Justin Richards   George Mann   Paul Finch   Mark Morris   Ebury Publishing

COVER REVEAL ROUND-UP (XXIII)

   The art is by Erik Mohr on this novel from Angry Robot. It will be out 30 September 2014 in North America and E-book, and 2 October 2014 in the UK. More info about this one can be found here. I really like Ashby's writing, and I would be looking forward to this book no matter what the cover was. That being said, this is an awesome cover. And it fits what the book is described as perfectly

   This is an anthology coming from Robinson 16 October 2014. The art is by Joe Roberts. Judging by the names of the authors included in this (, there's a few more here,) this will be an absolute must-buy. It does of course not hurt this book that it has gotten a great Science Fiction cover. ETA: While writing this blogpost, this came to my attention. It gives the whole table of contents, and a US release date of 2 December from Running Press. With the whole TOC, this is definitely an anthology that can't be missed.

   Hang on, didn't I do this already? ...Nope that was the first Shadow Watch novel. (Doing these posts and getting ARCs really make you confused about release dates. Sometimes I ask people that doesn't blog, or work in publishing, if they've read a book that isn't out yet.) This one also has a cover by Amazing 15, and it will be out from Angry Robot. The release date is 28 October in E-book/North America and 6 November in the UK. Like the first novel, I am really intrigued by this cover, and I think it is a great one.

   OK...deja vu... The cover for this books predecessor is here. Also from Angry Robot, this cover is by John Coulthart. It will be out 27 January 2015 in North America/E-book, and UK 5 February 2015. I am actually going to be incredibly lazy, and copy/paste what I wrote on the previous cover: "There is really a lot of detail in this, and the art makes for a quite intriguing visual. Not only is the art itself something I wouldn't mind having on my wall, but as a cover it makes me want to check out the book." -Both of the covers are great, and together they are absolutely excellent. They would make for great posters side by side on a wall.

   This is the first book in a new series called Magisterium. Book design by Whitney Lyle. Out 9 September 2014 from Scholastic US. The target audience is 8-12 year-olds (, or Middle Grade). You can get an excerpt of the book here. The comic book/cartoon look of this cover more or less screams "for kids", which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I think it is a very good cover, and I would take another look at this book because of it. (I already did. I found this cover on a Google image search.)

  This is a re-issue, coming 7 August 2014 from Corsair (Constable & Robinson). It is the authorised sequel to John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids. It was originally published back in 2002, and it won the British Fantasy Award for best novel. This cover is pretty pared down, almost symbolic. Since I have read Wyndham's original, I will say that this cover fits very well. I certainly like it a lot, and I will try to get my hands on the book.

   This is the first book in The Nightbirds trilogy, coming 1 July 2014 from Tor. It's kind of a strange cover. It looks more like something one would expect from a Romance cover, until you notice the moths...and the death-like pose of the woman. It's those details that drew my eye to this cover, it's a bit intriguing.

   This is the first in a new series, coming November 2014 from Harlequin Teen. It's about dragons in the contemporary world. According to the write up I saw, the film rights have already been sold. It was the dragonscale effect that drew me to this cover, I really like how that is done. Very nice and uncluttered.

   This one is coming 1 July 2014 in North America/E-book, 3 July UK, from Strange Chemistry. This is one of the most pared down SFF covers I have seen for a book that is not by a big name. It's an eye...it's looking at you...you kind of have to look back don't you? And maybe turn it around and see what the book is all about...

   This is coming 18 September 2014 from Robinson. I'll be honest and say that I find the cover a bit boring, and bland. This could very well have been a Historical Romance cover, it lacks that little bit that identifies it as SFF. Not that the cover really matters, it's what is inside anthologies like this that matter. And apart from what you can see on the cover, the publisher's website gives us the names Jay Lake, Carrie Vaughn, and K.J. Parker. I look forward to seeing the whole TOC.

REVIEW: DOCTOR WHO: A HANDFUL OF STARDUST

DOCTOR WHO:

A HANDFUL OF STARDUST

TIME TRIPS BOOK 5

BY

JAKE ARNOTT

ISBN: 978-1-44814-185-2

Pages: 34

Publisher: BBC Books/Ebury Publishing

Published: 3 April 2014

On the cover:

(From the publisher's website.)

The TARDIS is diverted to England in 1572, and the Sixth Doctor and Peri meet John Dee – ‘mathematician, astrologer, alchemist, magician, and the greatest mind of our time’. (‘Only of your time?’, the Doctor asks, unimpressed.) But what brought them here? When the Doctor discovers that Dee and his assistant have come across a ‘great disturbance in the cosmos, in the constellation of Cassiopeia,’ he realizes that they are all in terrible danger.

    From the cover copy above it is easy to draw the conclusion that this will be a pretty much straight forward Doctor Who adventure where the Doctor encounters  something wrong in the past that needs fixing. It is however a little bit misleading, and I don't mean that in any bad way. There is just that there is quite a bit more to it than that, and that bit gives this story a little extra. I don't want to give anyone any spoilers, but I think many will get a kick out of discovering who turns up here.

   I immediately took interest in this novella from the moment I saw John Dee's name attached to it. Dee's appearance is much more than just a gimmick, the story actually centres around the alchemist, and his assistant. Interestingly, there is a feeling that this time what the Doctor does actually has a real impact in our history. I found that a nice touch. (No, not saying any more: Spoilers!)

   However the above mentioned isn't the main part of the story, that is left for another character. And it is nice to see that character again, even if it is just briefly. This briefness is something that should be mentioned. The story is very short, and that makes it feel a bit rushed. It isn't really though, there is nothing missing from the narrative as such, and I can't say that I felt that more was needed to make the story complete. It was more of a feeling that this was over too quickly, compliment to the authors skill actually.

   Arnott is without doubt a skilled writer. He manages to create a lot of suspense and adventure in few pages here. There is plenty happening in a short space here, without, as previously mentioned, the story feeling rushed. For someone who has limited knowledge of the classic incarnations of the Doctor, (that's me - more about that at a later date,) this worked very well. The Sixth Doctor doesn't get that much description, but I still felt that I got a sense of how he is.
   There is more that could be said about this story, but I want to stick with having spoiler free reviews on the blog, so there isn't really anything left that I feel needs commenting on. 

   Overall this is a very good, and quite short story. It is a full Doctor Who adventure though, there is nothing missing from it. The things I haven't mentioned in my review, because of the "no spoilers" policy, is something I think will be very welcome to both new and old Doctor Who fans. Anyone with interest in John Dee and his doings should also find this interesting. Even with its short length I have no doubts about recommending anyone who likes Doctor Who getting this story. And those that enjoy short Science Fiction should also find this satisfying.

NOTE: I got an e-ARC of this from the publisher/NetGalley.

REVIEWS: Click here for a full list of Doctor Who reviews.

LINKS: Jake Arnott   Ebury Publishing

COVER REVEAL ROUND-UP (XXII)

   This cover is by Todd Lockwood, and it will grace this follow up to A Natural History of Dragons when it comes out from Tor in March 2015. You can read a bit more about it here. I think this is a really great cover, but this doesn't really do the art full justice, so here you have the full cover:

(Clicking on this should give you a better look at it.)

   Coming from Angry Robot 29 July this year, with art by John Coulthart, we have this interesting cover. There is really a lot of detail in this, and the art makes for a quite intriguing visual. Not only is the art itself something I wouldn't mind having on my wall, but as a cover it makes me want to check out the book.

   This cover is for the concluding volume in the Hellhole Trilogy. It will be out 12 August 2014 from Tor, and the art is by Stephen Youll. I really like this art. It's pretty surreal as an image, and that appeals to me. I'm interested in what is behind this, and I now have plans to check out the Hellhole books at some point.

   This one is from Tor Books, and is for the semi-sequel (author's words) to Mainline. When it comes to the release date...that is a little unclear. When I first saw the cover late last year (, apparently long after it was first revealed,) it had a 12 August 2014 release date attached. When putting this post together I have seen two different dates, 1 April 2015 and 1 August 2015. It doesn't really matter for the cover though; I like it a lot. It's a really striking piece of art, and I will be on the lookout for this whenever it is out.

   Joey Hi-Fi art is what we have gotten on the sequel to Blue Blazes, coming from Angry Robot 30 December 2014. There is a lot of details here, and a lot going on in those details. But even so, the black & white and red cover gives a bit of a subdued feeling. I like this one, and by the look of it I should try to get the first book read before this one's out.

   From Strange Chemistry, we have this Dominic Harman cover. It is for the follow up to Cracked, and this will be out in August 2014. I think I have mentioned earlier in one of these posts that I like the image of a skull, and as images of skulls go this is a really good one. I actually think this would work very well as a full sized poster.

   This anthology will be out 18 September 2014 from Robinson. You can see more of the authors involved at the publisher's page for it. The art is serviceable, in fact it is a pretty good Steampunk cover. But what excites me about this anthology is the authors involved. I think I need to get my hands on this.

   Also from Robinson, this one coming 16 October 2014. As it says on the cover, this is the 25th anniversary for these, and you can see traces of the earlier books in this cover. It's a good cover for a Horror Anthology, and it is one I like.

   From Tor/Seven Seas, we have this graphic novel of the famous novel. It will be out 8 July 2014. I have read the novel, and I liked that quite a lot. This cover is fitting for the story I know, so that makes me like this. But of course the interior art will be pretty crucial, and I am curious to see that.

   A double bill to end this post. The top cover is the US one, coming 7 October 2014 from Del Rey. The bottom one is the UK one from Gollancz, coming 20 November 2014. I think both of these are good covers, and I like them both. They are different though, so which one you like will probably depend of personal cover art preference. The UK cover is more to my taste, but I have absolutely nothing against the US cover.

REVIEW: DOCTOR WHO: SALT OF THE EARTH

DOCTOR WHO:

SALT OF THE EARTH

TIME TRIPS BOOK 4

BY

TRUDI CANAVAN

ISBN: 978-144814-188-3

Pages: 39

Publisher: BBC Books/Ebury Publishing

Published: 6 March 2014

On the cover:

(From the publisher's website.)

The Third Doctor and Jo Grant arrive for a well-deserved holiday of sun and ‘blokarting’ on a salt lake in Australia in 2028. Weird sculptures adorn the landscape – statues carved from the salt. People have been leaving them in the salt lakes for years – but these look different. Grotesque, distorted figures twisted in pain. They don’t last long in the rain and the wind, but they’re just made of salt... Aren’t they?

   Canavan does not waste her time, you are given a very powerful opening. It's chilling, and it gets to you. It also introduces us to a non-human supporting character that is perhaps the best thing about this story. It's definitely a bit of a strange story, it has both a very limited cast, and a very limited setting. I am not really familiar with the Third Doctor, but have gathered that this is somewhat of a signature for this regeneration. Or at least that the limitation to an Earth setting is. 

   As an introduction to an incarnation I have only read about, this worked very well though. Canavan fleshes out what I have previously just read about, and makes it come to life. It is also interesting to see how the companion, Jo, definitely belongs to the time she originally comes from. Sure, there are updates to the technology based on what has come since then and it is set in our future, but this still feels like somewhat of a period piece. It gives off the vibe of the period when he third Doctor was on the TV screens.

   I said it was a bit of a strange story, and it is. It's actually quite hard to place this story in any conventional storytype, but it will be somewhat familiar to Doctor Who fans. This isn't one of the action filled Doctor stories, but we do get a bit of running. The lack of action doesn't hamper the story though, and it would feel wrong if some was shoehorned in.

    There is some tension as the story progresses, and a feeling of real peril. It does move fast though, everything happens within the same day. The limited time does somewhat detract from any great suspense to what is happening. When the length of the story is this short, both in pages and narrative time, it doesn't provide much space for a slow build, and I felt it could have needed more of that.

   It is not that this is a bad story in any way, but it is a bit unfulfilling. Even though it is well told it does feel a bit too pared down to the bones, and I would have liked a bit more meat on it. That said, this is a very typical Doctor Who story in the sense that it feels a little bit rushed, and that things are resolved perhaps a little bit too quickly towards the end.

   Overall this is a good story. It excels in creating a feeling of being at the setting, and time period of Jo/the Third Doctor. and for me it is an interesting look at an unfamiliar incarnation of the Doctor. As mentioned above, the end left a little bit to be desired. But that is pretty much usual when it comes to a lot of Doctor Who (, for me at least).

   If you want a short and straightforward Doctor story, this is a very good choice. And for those that miss the Third Doctor and Jo Grant this will be welcome. As a quick introduction to the Third Doctor, I found this very interesting and it makes me want to experience more of his adventures.

NOTE: I got an e-ARC of this from the publisher/NetGalley.

REVIEWS: The Death Pit (Time Trips 1)  Into the Nowhere (Time Trips 2)  Keeping Up with the Joneses (Time Trips 3)

LINKS: Trudi Canavan   Ebury Publishing

REVIEW: DOCTOR WHO: KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES

Cover by Two Associates/Woodlands books

DOCTOR WHO:

KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES

TIME TRIPS BOOK 3

BY

NICK HARKAWAY

ISBN: 978-1-44814-187-6

Pages: 49

Publisher: BBC Books/Ebury Publishing

Published: 6 February 2014

On the cover:

 (From the publisher's website.)

Deep in the gap between the stars, the TARDIS is damaged by a temporal mine. It’s not life-threatening, but the Tenth Doctor will need a while to repair the damage. But he’s not alone. The strangely familiar-looking Christina thinks the Doctor has arrived in her bed and breakfast, somewhere in Wales. In fact, the TARDIS seems to have enveloped Christina’s entire town – and something else is trapped inside with it. A violent, unnatural storm threatens them all and – unless it’s stopped – the entire universe.

   This is a story from the end of the Tenth Doctor's time. And it is unmistakenly the tenth Doctor too, you can clearly hear Tennant speak his lines in your head while you read this. Harkaway has managed to capture the personality of the tenth incarnation perfectly. The author has also found room for some signposts as to when this is happening, I'll refrain from divulging the biggest one, since I thought it was a very pleasant surprise myself. There's also a tie to a story of the Doctor's future, a nice Easter egg for those that remember that particular incident. 

   So the story is placed into the canon of the television show, but it is certainly not constrained by it in any way. This story stands very well on its own, and it is a very good one too.

   The narrative starts quite literally with a bang, as mentioned in the cover copy above the TARDIS hits a temporal mine, and from there the story takes some very interesting turns. Harkaway is good at hiding where his plot is taking us, it takes quite a long time before we get any certainty to what is happening. This certainly heightens the suspense, but it also allows the Doctor to shine. The author really shows off the curiosity and inquisitiveness the Doctor has, something that has made him such a lovable hero to so many people.

   There is a sense of fun and wonder throughout the story, even though it is quite far from a humourous story. What we do get is a story that is pervaded with a sense of tension. We know all the time that something serious is happening, and the author manages to really make the reader feel it. 

   It's not unusual for the TARDIS to be an important location in a Doctor Who story, but the way it is done here feels fresh. There's another location here that is totally new, and that has a very interesting history behind it. One that isn't immediately clear.

   Harkaway has managed to make the locations very much part of the story, as well as something that adds to the mystery and suspense. The ambiguity when it comes to where we are is very well done, and the reveal of the reality behind it was a satisfying one.

   All in all this is a very enjoyable Doctor Who story. It has some very interesting ideas behind it, and they are very well executed. For me this was an excellent addition to the Doctor's world, and I think it will be of interest to Science Fiction fans who are unfamiliar with his written adventures.

   For those Doctor Who fans that miss the Tenth Doctor this is an absolute must. If you haven't got this yet you really should point your browser at your preferred e-book retailer, you won't regret it.

NOTE: I got an e-ARC of this from the publisher/NetGalley.

REVIEWS: The Death Pit (Time Trips 1)  Into the Nowhere (Time Trips 2)

LINKS: Nick Harkaway   Ebury Publishing