'I take it this means she doesn't stay out of trouble when she's told to either?''No one ever does.'
I'm trying out Dreamwidth as my primary platform for a while. We'll see how it goes! I will continue manually crossposting to LJ at least for a bit, although tbh I will continue posting exactly as often as I have been, which, let's be honest, is not a lot.
Anyway, I've completed two more PDAs!
Three, Jo, and Liz in St. Petersberg, 1916.
It's always fun to get a pure historical, and the teamup of the Third Doctor, Jo, and Liz is an absolute delight. Liz finally gets to travel in the TARDIS! Her planned trip to Tunguska to see the blast of 1908 firsthand goes awry and the trio instead get mixed up in the intrigue of Russian society -- and the murder of Rasputin. One of the best things about the novel is the way that all three characters have wildly different perspectives on Rasputin based on their interactions with him as well as the preconceptions they bring to the situation. The other best thing about the novel is Liz's evolving opinion about Jo.
The two worst things, regrettably, are 1) Rasputin being sexually inappropriate with Jo (although when she rejects him he stops short of assaulting her), continuing the PDAs' trend of companions being sexually menaced by men, and 2) the Doctor being an active participant in Rasputin's death, which seems rather out of character regardless of the Web Of Time.
Otherwise, though, it's quite an enjoyable romp through history, with our trio splitting up, gaining their own companions (Kit is a DELIGHT), meeting back up, and splitting back up; the quest to regain the TARDIS works quite well as a motivator throughout.
And honestly I just really love seeing Liz getting her first trip through space and time:
'I mean that we're thousands of miles and eight years away from where we were supposed to be going.' Liz wasn't a historian, and hadn’t thought about whether she would have accepted an offer to see a past city. But the chance to see the immediate aftermath of the great Tunguska blast of 1908 was too good for a physicist specialising in meteorites to turn down.
'Well, the TARDIS has been trapped in the one point in space and time for a while, you know. She has to get back into the habit.' Liz noted that he didn't say whether its navigation had been particularly accurate before his exile, and she was developing suspicions that it hadn't.
And then we have Five, Tegan, and Turlough meeting Three-era UNIT in the English seaside post-The Green Death, dealing with an alien invasion.
I'm not gonna hedge, I didn't love it. The characterization never quite landed -- aside from Yates, who is afforded the most page time. Tegan and Turlough come off worst of all, Tegan mostly being reduced to "annoyed" and Turlough mostly being reduced to "cowardly". It's not great.
The plot is engaging for most of the book -- the alien threat is actually quite creepy, several of the supporting characters are well-done, and the stakes keep ramping up convincingly -- until the denouement, which undercuts the whole thing. It would not actually be overstating things to say the Doctor saves the day by walking into the Big Bad's lair and going "I win because I'm clever!" It's less than a thrilling conclusion.
The total fan-appeal moment in which the Doctor and the Brig swap places in the car (exactly mimicking the Doctor and Ace in Remembrance of the Daleks) did make me smile. I'M A SIMPLE GIRL.
And because I like ending on moments I like:
Unseen by Tegan, Turlough had sidled up behind her.
'What is this place, Doctor?' he shouted, making Tegan jump.
'Tayborough Sands pleasure beach,' the Doctor replied. 'As I recall, there's a particularly fine toffee-apple stall beside the Waltzer.'
'Pleasure beach?' echoed Turlough incredulously. 'You mean people come here to have fun?'
'Of course they do!' exclaimed Tegan. 'And that's exactly what we're going to do. Right, Doctor?'
The Doctor grinned in reply.
'But it's so vulgar...' complained Turlough.
'Just go with it,' replied Tegan and grabbed his arm. 'Come on, I've got some money. I'll stand you a ride on the roller coaster.'
'Roller coaster?' said Turlough doubtfully. 'What's that?'
'You mean you don't know?' She glanced at the Doctor, a wicked glint in her eye, 'Boy, are you in for a treat. Come on.'
Sometimes companions are just cute.
Anyway, I've completed two more PDAs!
Three, Jo, and Liz in St. Petersberg, 1916.
It's always fun to get a pure historical, and the teamup of the Third Doctor, Jo, and Liz is an absolute delight. Liz finally gets to travel in the TARDIS! Her planned trip to Tunguska to see the blast of 1908 firsthand goes awry and the trio instead get mixed up in the intrigue of Russian society -- and the murder of Rasputin. One of the best things about the novel is the way that all three characters have wildly different perspectives on Rasputin based on their interactions with him as well as the preconceptions they bring to the situation. The other best thing about the novel is Liz's evolving opinion about Jo.
The two worst things, regrettably, are 1) Rasputin being sexually inappropriate with Jo (although when she rejects him he stops short of assaulting her), continuing the PDAs' trend of companions being sexually menaced by men, and 2) the Doctor being an active participant in Rasputin's death, which seems rather out of character regardless of the Web Of Time.
Otherwise, though, it's quite an enjoyable romp through history, with our trio splitting up, gaining their own companions (Kit is a DELIGHT), meeting back up, and splitting back up; the quest to regain the TARDIS works quite well as a motivator throughout.
And honestly I just really love seeing Liz getting her first trip through space and time:
'I mean that we're thousands of miles and eight years away from where we were supposed to be going.' Liz wasn't a historian, and hadn’t thought about whether she would have accepted an offer to see a past city. But the chance to see the immediate aftermath of the great Tunguska blast of 1908 was too good for a physicist specialising in meteorites to turn down.
'Well, the TARDIS has been trapped in the one point in space and time for a while, you know. She has to get back into the habit.' Liz noted that he didn't say whether its navigation had been particularly accurate before his exile, and she was developing suspicions that it hadn't.
And then we have Five, Tegan, and Turlough meeting Three-era UNIT in the English seaside post-The Green Death, dealing with an alien invasion.
I'm not gonna hedge, I didn't love it. The characterization never quite landed -- aside from Yates, who is afforded the most page time. Tegan and Turlough come off worst of all, Tegan mostly being reduced to "annoyed" and Turlough mostly being reduced to "cowardly". It's not great.
The plot is engaging for most of the book -- the alien threat is actually quite creepy, several of the supporting characters are well-done, and the stakes keep ramping up convincingly -- until the denouement, which undercuts the whole thing. It would not actually be overstating things to say the Doctor saves the day by walking into the Big Bad's lair and going "I win because I'm clever!" It's less than a thrilling conclusion.
The total fan-appeal moment in which the Doctor and the Brig swap places in the car (exactly mimicking the Doctor and Ace in Remembrance of the Daleks) did make me smile. I'M A SIMPLE GIRL.
And because I like ending on moments I like:
Unseen by Tegan, Turlough had sidled up behind her.
'What is this place, Doctor?' he shouted, making Tegan jump.
'Tayborough Sands pleasure beach,' the Doctor replied. 'As I recall, there's a particularly fine toffee-apple stall beside the Waltzer.'
'Pleasure beach?' echoed Turlough incredulously. 'You mean people come here to have fun?'
'Of course they do!' exclaimed Tegan. 'And that's exactly what we're going to do. Right, Doctor?'
The Doctor grinned in reply.
'But it's so vulgar...' complained Turlough.
'Just go with it,' replied Tegan and grabbed his arm. 'Come on, I've got some money. I'll stand you a ride on the roller coaster.'
'Roller coaster?' said Turlough doubtfully. 'What's that?'
'You mean you don't know?' She glanced at the Doctor, a wicked glint in her eye, 'Boy, are you in for a treat. Come on.'
Sometimes companions are just cute.