New Who: WIPs, part one
Here are reviews of the first seven stories nominated in the New Who WIP category. Comments are based on the first three parts of each fic.
Held in Trust by the_tenzo
This well-written Handy/Rose story is a sequel to a fic I haven't read. Handy uncovers a mystery in Somerset and wants to investigate with Rose, as well as Alt!Donna (they met her in the prequel). In the early parts, it's a fun story that looks like it will become a good adventure fic. Handy/Rose fans probably will like it a lot.
Heritage by np_complete
This WIP concerns the Doctor and Rose's son, John Tyler. It's told from the viewpoint of Penny, a new employee at the Tyler Institute. There's not a lot of development of Penny as a character (she basically just seems like a nice person) but the material with John is somewhat more interesting. I tend to have little interest in OCs; readers who are more open to them should give this story a try.
In Human Hands by Rallalon
In this story, the Ninth Doctor is a human named John Smith who works in Barcelona as an auto mechanic. A tourist named Rose Tyler starts to hang around him, and he gradually lets down his guard with her. The pace is deliberate, and the mystery behind the Doctor's current life unfolds in an intriguing manner. One quibble: The story is marred by phonetic dialogue for Rose (including “He works with ‘em,” she says, “an’ ‘m not allowed t’ go with him where he’s gone this time, so ‘m waiting here.”), with only very occasional phonetic dialogue for the Doctor.
Help! by Malice Haughton
After the events of Midnight, the Doctor is traumatized. Donna thinks he should see a psychologist. I was particularly interested in seeing how his first session would go, but I skimmed ahead and it turns out that meeting doesn't occur until chapter 15. As for drawbacks, the writing is awkward in spots, with some overlong, tangled sentences. Also, the Jack characterization felt a bit off in the early going.
Our Velocity by zauberer_sirin
Sequel to "Now We Have a Map of the Stars" (previously reviewed here, though not by me). This story has Martha, the Master, and the Doctor travelling together. The Master wants to date Martha; she claims she isn't interested (read between the lines, though). The cracky tone is fun, and I enjoyed the first three chapters. But why are the paragraphs so short? Far too many of them consist of only one or two sentences, making the story read choppily.
Ever/Was by ljg_fanfic, onlylyin, treblebeth
A virtual season. It kicks off before Turn Left, with Rose trying to find the Doctor. Then the story moves on to cover the events of Journey's End (and in some places becomes a bit too much telling with not enough showing). Apparently, the chapters after the first three will deal with life in the Alt!World. The writing is good, but only the first chapter put much of a new spin on things.
Belonging by never_more_cat
Previously reviewed here, in the Torchwood WIP section. As said there, the Tenth Doctor visits Jack after Exit Wounds and Journey's End. The writing style is reasonably good, the author knows how to punctuate, and the first three chapters are decent.
Overall: Keep in mind that if any of these stories significantly improved or deteriorated after the first three chapters, I don't know about it. My impressions are based on the early going only. I would have kept reading Held in Trust and In Human Hands to see what happened. For the crack factor alone, I would have read more of Our Velocity.
Held in Trust by the_tenzo
This well-written Handy/Rose story is a sequel to a fic I haven't read. Handy uncovers a mystery in Somerset and wants to investigate with Rose, as well as Alt!Donna (they met her in the prequel). In the early parts, it's a fun story that looks like it will become a good adventure fic. Handy/Rose fans probably will like it a lot.
Heritage by np_complete
This WIP concerns the Doctor and Rose's son, John Tyler. It's told from the viewpoint of Penny, a new employee at the Tyler Institute. There's not a lot of development of Penny as a character (she basically just seems like a nice person) but the material with John is somewhat more interesting. I tend to have little interest in OCs; readers who are more open to them should give this story a try.
In Human Hands by Rallalon
In this story, the Ninth Doctor is a human named John Smith who works in Barcelona as an auto mechanic. A tourist named Rose Tyler starts to hang around him, and he gradually lets down his guard with her. The pace is deliberate, and the mystery behind the Doctor's current life unfolds in an intriguing manner. One quibble: The story is marred by phonetic dialogue for Rose (including “He works with ‘em,” she says, “an’ ‘m not allowed t’ go with him where he’s gone this time, so ‘m waiting here.”), with only very occasional phonetic dialogue for the Doctor.
Help! by Malice Haughton
After the events of Midnight, the Doctor is traumatized. Donna thinks he should see a psychologist. I was particularly interested in seeing how his first session would go, but I skimmed ahead and it turns out that meeting doesn't occur until chapter 15. As for drawbacks, the writing is awkward in spots, with some overlong, tangled sentences. Also, the Jack characterization felt a bit off in the early going.
Our Velocity by zauberer_sirin
Sequel to "Now We Have a Map of the Stars" (previously reviewed here, though not by me). This story has Martha, the Master, and the Doctor travelling together. The Master wants to date Martha; she claims she isn't interested (read between the lines, though). The cracky tone is fun, and I enjoyed the first three chapters. But why are the paragraphs so short? Far too many of them consist of only one or two sentences, making the story read choppily.
Ever/Was by ljg_fanfic, onlylyin, treblebeth
A virtual season. It kicks off before Turn Left, with Rose trying to find the Doctor. Then the story moves on to cover the events of Journey's End (and in some places becomes a bit too much telling with not enough showing). Apparently, the chapters after the first three will deal with life in the Alt!World. The writing is good, but only the first chapter put much of a new spin on things.
Belonging by never_more_cat
Previously reviewed here, in the Torchwood WIP section. As said there, the Tenth Doctor visits Jack after Exit Wounds and Journey's End. The writing style is reasonably good, the author knows how to punctuate, and the first three chapters are decent.
Overall: Keep in mind that if any of these stories significantly improved or deteriorated after the first three chapters, I don't know about it. My impressions are based on the early going only. I would have kept reading Held in Trust and In Human Hands to see what happened. For the crack factor alone, I would have read more of Our Velocity.