How Buzzy (mis)Spent Her Teens -- Doctor Who Fangirling
I was happily wading through my f-list when I walked in one cesperanza and therienne getting down with the Eighth Doctor. Notably whether the Webiscode suddenly made Doctor 8 canonical or whether he was canonical already.
Doctor 8 / McGann had effectively one episode, a tv-movie that was made in America (because that is where the money was) which sank beneath its own weight of Time-Lord-Babble. It is a matter of debate (ever since) as to whether that counts as a Regeneration of the Doctor or not (some of the hard-old-school were not impressed).
Anywhichways, the Webisode (the Night of the Doctor) is absolutely amazing and if you haven't watched it it is cool and amazing and I love it very much) where he gets to dress Indiana Jones style (if Indy ever owned a beat-up frock coat) and be principled and badass. It also has the Sisterhood of Kahn (completely unrelated there is a real-world gay fan-group of the same name) who get to be creepy and rather evil.
The whole fan-girl conversation of extreme SQUEE about the now definite is her at Cesperanza's
and it is really funny and invokes Queer as Folk.
QaF was written by Russell T Davies (aka Rusty) just so you know.
Then somebody (I'm looking at you Therienne) invoked the Novels:
Therienne: there are like 100 friggin Doctor Who novels out there in the New Adventures series using Paul McGann's face
This is right but also very wrong and needs clarifiction.
As I sprung this on one unfortunate commenter (have I ever said that Explaining Everything is my kink?) so I decided to spring it on you (since you demanded deserve it)
To be a shameless who nerd (who has a nearly full run of new adventures).
Beyond TL;DR
The original books (known as Target books - the publisher) were tie-in novelizations. They were great (even when the greatest thing was the cover art) and I read every one in the children's library. They were nearly always written by Terrence Dicks (script editor in the Pertwee years) and his distinctive style is a source of continued amusement ("a young-old face") and there used to be little notes on the first page titled "the changing face of the Doctor. I like target books there are probably about 30 of them stashed somewhere.
The tie-in novels of the 90s (known as Virgin books - the publisher) were in two separate sections -- the New Adventures (featuring an increasingly manipulative 7 and some extra companions -- my favourite is Chris) and the Missing Adventures (all the other Doctors in adventures between the episodes) and YMV. I have a nearly complete run of the NAs which were basically legal fan fiction (and a lot of familiar names crop up - Steven Moffat, Rusty*, Mark Gatiss*).
The MA were (mostly) garanteed fun with your favourite Doctors (and more familiar names turn up) and the best is almost certain the "British Way of Death" by Gareth Roberts -- his signature-aliens the Chelonioans get name-dropped into the Pandorica Opens. He also wrote "The Lodger" aka the one where the Doctor gets a flatmate.
After the tv-movie the BBC took the novels back "in house" and started publishing their own (less edgy that the extremes of the NA -- nobody killed Ace fye) featuring 8 and his companion Sam (sort of generic I'm afraid) and (perpetually dodgy) Fitz. This is about where I jumped off as things were getting a little too confusing the plot-arch-y for me (especially since I was buying them in Smiths and the supply was random) and (it is said) quite good.
They have a number of "house writers" some of whom are seriously amazing and have written Proper Books.
Otherwise 8 lives in the tie-in audios (known as Big Finishes - publisher - who said anything with Who fans being creative) along with every other Doctor and Companion that Big Finish can get their hands on -- my brother's a big fan and really rates them, he recommends "Spare Parts" starring the Cybermen. They are currently converting the "English Way of Death" into audio format (we are talking plays here not readings) which makes me a very happy fangirl.
*As in QAF
There are/were a huge number of awesome writers some of whom have written Proper Books.
Ben Aaronovitch -- the Rivers of London guy (my favourite ever tie-in was The Also People otherwise known as like the Culture but where you'd actually like to live in -- serious understatement)
Paul "it's pronounced Mores" Magrs -- written of a lot of real books and the guy who first turned me on (literally) to slash with the disembodied hand hand job.
Also, a lot of production team/ television writers/ special effects guy/ cyberman.
Doctor 8 / McGann had effectively one episode, a tv-movie that was made in America (because that is where the money was) which sank beneath its own weight of Time-Lord-Babble. It is a matter of debate (ever since) as to whether that counts as a Regeneration of the Doctor or not (some of the hard-old-school were not impressed).
Anywhichways, the Webisode (the Night of the Doctor) is absolutely amazing and if you haven't watched it it is cool and amazing and I love it very much) where he gets to dress Indiana Jones style (if Indy ever owned a beat-up frock coat) and be principled and badass. It also has the Sisterhood of Kahn (completely unrelated there is a real-world gay fan-group of the same name) who get to be creepy and rather evil.
The whole fan-girl conversation of extreme SQUEE about the now definite is her at Cesperanza's
and it is really funny and invokes Queer as Folk.
QaF was written by Russell T Davies (aka Rusty) just so you know.
Then somebody (I'm looking at you Therienne) invoked the Novels:
Therienne: there are like 100 friggin Doctor Who novels out there in the New Adventures series using Paul McGann's face
This is right but also very wrong and needs clarifiction.
As I sprung this on one unfortunate commenter (have I ever said that Explaining Everything is my kink?) so I decided to spring it on you (since you demanded deserve it)
To be a shameless who nerd (who has a nearly full run of new adventures).
Beyond TL;DR
The original books (known as Target books - the publisher) were tie-in novelizations. They were great (even when the greatest thing was the cover art) and I read every one in the children's library. They were nearly always written by Terrence Dicks (script editor in the Pertwee years) and his distinctive style is a source of continued amusement ("a young-old face") and there used to be little notes on the first page titled "the changing face of the Doctor. I like target books there are probably about 30 of them stashed somewhere.
The tie-in novels of the 90s (known as Virgin books - the publisher) were in two separate sections -- the New Adventures (featuring an increasingly manipulative 7 and some extra companions -- my favourite is Chris) and the Missing Adventures (all the other Doctors in adventures between the episodes) and YMV. I have a nearly complete run of the NAs which were basically legal fan fiction (and a lot of familiar names crop up - Steven Moffat, Rusty*, Mark Gatiss*).
The MA were (mostly) garanteed fun with your favourite Doctors (and more familiar names turn up) and the best is almost certain the "British Way of Death" by Gareth Roberts -- his signature-aliens the Chelonioans get name-dropped into the Pandorica Opens. He also wrote "The Lodger" aka the one where the Doctor gets a flatmate.
After the tv-movie the BBC took the novels back "in house" and started publishing their own (less edgy that the extremes of the NA -- nobody killed Ace fye) featuring 8 and his companion Sam (sort of generic I'm afraid) and (perpetually dodgy) Fitz. This is about where I jumped off as things were getting a little too confusing the plot-arch-y for me (especially since I was buying them in Smiths and the supply was random) and (it is said) quite good.
They have a number of "house writers" some of whom are seriously amazing and have written Proper Books.
Otherwise 8 lives in the tie-in audios (known as Big Finishes - publisher - who said anything with Who fans being creative) along with every other Doctor and Companion that Big Finish can get their hands on -- my brother's a big fan and really rates them, he recommends "Spare Parts" starring the Cybermen. They are currently converting the "English Way of Death" into audio format (we are talking plays here not readings) which makes me a very happy fangirl.
*As in QAF
There are/were a huge number of awesome writers some of whom have written Proper Books.
Ben Aaronovitch -- the Rivers of London guy (my favourite ever tie-in was The Also People otherwise known as like the Culture but where you'd actually like to live in -- serious understatement)
Paul "it's pronounced Mores" Magrs -- written of a lot of real books and the guy who first turned me on (literally) to slash with the disembodied hand hand job.
Also, a lot of production team/ television writers/ special effects guy/ cyberman.