I'm not sure if I saw Pyramids of Mars when it was first broadcast in 1975; I know I did catch the edited rebroadcast in November 1976, which got a larger TV audience than any previous episode of Doctor Who, and I also remember devouring the novelisation by Terrance Dicks at a young age. Once New Who had rekindled my fervour, it was one of the ( Read more... )

Second paragraph of third story ("Fast Contact", by Matthew Griffith): ‘Hello, my name’s Bernice.’ His skin is not nearly so rough as I was expecting. He bows his head and, anticipating his kiss, I slip my hand away and smile firmly.
Six short stories set in a slightly different universe to Benny's original environment. I liked the first two most ( Read more... )

Second paragraph of third story ("Six Impossible Things", by Simon Guerrier):He lay on the cool, hard floor, waiting for someone to make the obvious gag that their luck would have to change sometime. But no-one spoke and he couldn't hear them breathing. Just across from where he lay, something stank of burning flesh and plastic.
A collection of ( Read more... )

Second paragraph of third section of “All Mimsy Were the Borogoves”, by Kate Orman: I pulled myself off her torso, which made her flinch, and took the form of a madder-lily once more - a harmless ornament on the phone room's table.
Second paragraph of third section of “The Loyal Left Hand”, by Jonathan Blum: And that was just the capper to the ( Read more... )

Second paragraph of third story ("The Light that Never Dies" by Eddie Robson):Unfortunately, a couple of days later, he died again. And again. And again. Eventually, he lost count of how many times it had happened. The period of consciousness that he was afforded each time - perhaps only a minute, perhaps only thirty seconds - didn't allow for a ( Read more... )

Second paragraph of third story ("Reversal of Fortune", by Graeme Burk): Mikhail laughed so hard he began to cough. For an instant his vital signs became bee-bop-syncopation and arrhythmia.
The theme of this book is explorations of closed environments, and how the Doctor's arrival might change them (or not). I couldn't help but think that the steel ( Read more... )

This was the very first Bernice Summerfield novel I read, long long ago, and then a few years back I then really enjoyed the Big Finish audio adaptation guest-starring Elisabeth Sladen as a Babylonian priestess. I realise now that it's also partly a homage to Iain M. Banks: the story is about a far-future civilisation, the People (a pretty direct ( Read more... )

The New Adventures coming to an end - only two more to go, only one of those with the Seventh Doctor - and here we have lots of closure for the Doctor and particularly for poor Chris, suffering guilt over the demise of Roz two books ago, not to mention what's happened since. The plot involves Japan during the Shogunate and aliens which resemble ( Read more... )

So, poor old Roz, eh? Having done due service to the Seventh Doctor for 18 books, she dies in battle defending her high-powered family, one of whom is an even closer relative than she first seems, against a peculiar shape-shifting alien threat. I'm afraid the plot rambled a bit too much for me, but I did like the lifting of the veil to Roz's ( Read more... )

I've finished 16 books since 1 April, and so far only got around to blogging two of them, plus there are a whole bunch of Big Finish audios old and new that I want to write up. Next Thursday is a day off work, so maybe that will help. But I suspect I'll still be writing up my April reading in mid-May.

Anyway. My last two write-ups were somewhat ( Read more... )