recs: eighth doctor adventures (EDAs)
Okay, so mswyrr amongst others, has asked me to whittle down the impressive list of 74 EDAs to something more manageable. I've read them all, own them all, and largely loved them all - but they're not inexpensive or easy to find these days.
Given that I'm a very character-driven reader and writer, I tend to prefer books that tell us more about Eight or his companions, but I'm also a sucker for a really good premise or plot twist. These are my personal favourite EDAs - ones that I would recommend to anyone interested in getting to know Eight or who's already an Eight fan.
So much ground was paved in the DW novels, regardless of the era, but I really think that Eight was vastly underrated after the TVM flopped. He's a great Doctor, worthy of your attention and really angst-ridden, touching and humorous to read when written by the right people.
I've included the entire list in order of publication date (which is the order I read them and it didn't kill me). Don't bother with strike-throughs, bolds have blurbs justifying the rec and are must reads. I'm not saying the books I don't like are rubbish, so please don't hurt me ...
EDA rec list:
The Eight Doctors
Vampire Science - although Sam was introduced in the prior novel, there are enough references to how that happened for you not to worry. This is classic Orman/Blum Eight!ove and you simply should start here. Very, very hard to find these days but I can help you source a copy if you run into trouble. You can just feel the authors' love for this character, how they want him to develop and feel the frisson of excitement that should come with our first real taste of a new Doctor in print. I'd have to rank this as one of my top 5 DW novels from any era.
The Bodysnatchers
Genocide - this is the first novel where we really get a look at who Sam and the Doctor really are. I'm a self-confessed Sam fan and I know that goes against the grain for some readers, but Genocide should be read before passing judgement on her. Sam is an idealist, a true one, and yeah that means she doesn't always blindly follow the Doctor's lead and sometimes the reader might even think she should ... but have you had a look at the Eighth Doctor? Because he's not the smiling innocent you thought he was and this book proves it. Subject matter is sensitively handled and interesting.
War of the Daleks
Alien Bodies - Features the start of a really important story arc for Eight and is a solid, imaginative story in its own right. The concepts are amazing and the original characters fascinating. This is also a fantastic story for Eight, where we are introduced to a Doctor who is impressively brilliant but also wildly unpredictable.
Kursaal
Option Lock
Longest Day
Legacy of the Daleks
Dreamstone Moon - Okay, so this wasn't exactly outstanding, but it's far superior to the four EDAs that preceded it, which is probably why it seemed so good! Add to that, the fact that it helps to read it before heading on to the next few reads (that I adore), and that I really like Sam in this ... well. Just read it.
Seeing I - I cannot rave about this book enough! When I turned the final page I have a vivid memory of clutching it to my chest and thinking yes ... this is what a Doctor Who adventure should be! This story almost consists of two separate ones, but they are joined by the kind of honest characterisation that made us all sob at our tv screens during Doomsday (and no, that isn't a spoiler!). I adore Sam in this - it was the point when I realised that despite her sometimes holier-than-thou attitude, I just loved her willful naivety and passion. Eight is strong and broken and clever and frankly bloody smashing in this.
Placebo Effect
Vanderdeken's Children
The Scarlett Empress - This is just a great fantasy novel in its own right, with the added bonus of having the newer, more dynamic post-Seeing I Eight/Sam on the case. You'll also see the Doctor express a wide variety of emotions he's been largely hiding away ... I won't tell you who causes it, but I do think you'll enjoy it!
The Janus Conjunction - I liked this book, damn the critics. Yes, perhaps some of the science is flawed and it takes a little while to get over some of the simplicity, but omg, when other readers did, I can't fathom why they weren't turning the pages so fast they became riddled with paper cuts. Eight is brilliant, funny and punished for his cheeriness - you feel for him and laugh with him, and at one point, get really angry on his behalf. Sam proves herself to be hardier than the average and I really felt for her in this story.
Beltempest
The Face Eater
The Taint - I edited this entry to include this novel because everyone (quite rightly) pointed out that it really wasn't that bad and it's very important for backstory on Fitz, whom I love to itty bitty pieces. I'm not going to rave about it, though, because for a horror story it just wasn't scary enough, imho. Perhaps, if you're unsure about this one, read on and come back to it to fill in the blanks about Fitz when you have the time/money/Fitz!ove.
Demontage
Revolution Man - This is the book where I forgave every misstep Sam has ever made (don't worry, I crossed out most of said stories for you!). Adding Fitz a few stories ago seems to have made a huge difference to the dynamic in the TARDIS and it shows in this novel. Everyone gets to be the versions of themselves you always find yourself wishing for when reading other EDAs, and it's a tribute to Paul Leonard that he manages to bundle it all up into a story that is gripping, dark and utterly realistic whilst totally fantastic at the same time. Eight is made of win in this story - this is my Eight - the version who realises that sometimes you just have to break your own rules and live with the consequences. Here we see how the pretty face could become the Destroyer of Worlds ...
Dominion
Unnatural History - This book by Orman/Blum is one that wasn't as well received in some circles and I can see why. These two are obviously fans of the series, perhaps more so than some other authors and their love for the characters and the sandbox they're playing in shines through more clearly in this book than others ... but you know what? It was clever, unexpected and just fun. It's like fanfic colliding with some of the better continuity-related DW ideas you'll find anywhere and I had a bloody good time reading it. I'm putting it in my rec list with no apologies. It copped a hiding, but I enjoyed this final look at pre-Interference Eight.
Autumn Mist
Interference (books 1 and 2) - Read.These.Books. Preferably over a weekend. With blankets and hot chocolate for comfort. I still think this double whammy could have ended a whole lot more powerfully, but it does absolute wonders for Fitz and is an important book for Sam and the Doctor. It's like a movie you know is going to be flawed, but you're so in love with the 'verse that you'll get sucked in anyway ... deep, deep in.
The Blue Angel
The Taking of Planet 5 - Ohmyfreakinggod! What just happened?!? This is brilliant and manic and downright funny in places - just like the Doctor. Anyone mention a Time War ...?
Frontier Worlds - This is the Fitz novel that had to happen. Perhaps a little short on the laughs, but wonderfully deep in characterisation, Frontier Worlds gives us the Doctor we want and the Fitz we'd hoped for.
Parallel 59
The Shadows of Avalon - The return of an old pre-TVM character brings a lot of joy in this book, to both the reader and Eight ... but it's short lived. You see, this isn't the Eighth Doctor we're used to reading. Finally, he's on his own - desperate, conflicted and utterly vital. He's capable of a whole lot more than we realised.
The Fall of Yquatine
Coldheart
The Space Age
The Banquo Legacy
The Ancestor Cell - This book takes a little effort, but it's well worth it. This is where it all comes together. This is where all those hints and subtleties come crashing down around the Doctor's ears and he has to deal with the unthinkable. The plot twists are varied, unexpected and utterly satisfying. This book is the reason I never want the TV series to do a Time War episode - I want this to remain my canon.
The Burning - This is a refreshing yet utterly sad start to the latter part of the Eighth Doctor's story. It's not a brain teaser, but it won't let you down. If a man is the sum of his memories, how much more so a Time Lord?
Casualties of War
The Turing Test - Long before Captain Jack forced Whofandom to accept the brave new world of bisexuality, Alan Turing fell in love with the Eighth Doctor in the war torn 1940's. Although many DW novels base themselves in historical fact, this one has it nailed, right down to the buttons. By turns dispassionate and completely folorn, the Doctor finally starts to realise what it means to be out in the cold.
Endgame
Father Time - It's difficult to recommend this highly enough without giving away more than the blurb on the back cover already does (for god's sake just open the book with your eyes closed and start reading from page one!). I want to say so many things about this story, but because it comprises such an important part of my own personal DW canon, I'm just going to recommend it in the strongest possible terms. Oh, okay, so I'm going to say one more thing - remember how you felt watching Nine at the end of Dalek, Ten telling Martha about Rose in New New York, or holding Jenny as she 'died'? Yeah, well, similar love/angst here.
Escape Velocity
Earthworld - Yes, yes, I'm sorry I crossed out the novel where Anji joins us, but really, had you read it you would have thanked me. This is a great place to get to know her and whilst a little bit one-dimensional at times, quite a fun story.
Vanishing Point
Eater of Wasps - Because everyone wants Kala to be a companion. Come on, you know you do. Actually, whilst this book fits into one of the several trademark who genres, the overall quality of the story telling and characterisation makes lifts it above a lot of the others that could be similarly pigeon-holed.
The Year of Intelligent Tigers - This is an exquisite character piece for the Eighth Doctor, woven sensuously into a clever, haunting plot as only Kate Orman can. He is exposed in all his indecision and self-perceived faults. Even his gifts are a curse at times, but he manages to transcend the incarnations of his past and become so much more than we ever imagined. How could anyone stop this Doctor? How could anyone stand in his way after this? And yet, how can we fail to pity him ... just a little? This book is music and curiosity and tragic love.
The Slow Empire
Dark Progeny
The City of the Dead - I could only really rec a Lloyd Rose story after such a brilliant offering from Kate Orman. I think Rose is the only other Who author that compares to Orman for beauty of writing style. This story is rich in imagery, angst and suspense. Plus, unlike many other EDAs the focus is consistently on the Doctor as he struggles to come to terms with his history and the many shadows he can feel lurking in his future. This book is strangely like climbing into bed with the Eighth Doctor and having him tell you a ghost story - delicious and yet you're left wondering just how much was fiction.
Grimm Reality
The Adventures of Henrietta Street - I think it's the ambitious writing style of this book that so completely sold me. Unlike so many other EDAs, Lawrence Miles does not assume that you, the reader, are limited to fourth grade literary comprehension. Rather, he sets out to tell a vivid, violent story packed with references to the mores of the time and backed by the feeling that the Doctor is desperately searching for something, anything that will give him a place to belong. Quite simply, this story could not have been told before Ancestor Cell, and that's part of its appeal.
Mad Dogs and Englishmen - This is DW on crack and if you're in the right frame of mind, you'll laugh so hard you hurt yourself. Think Austin Powers meets EDAs and you won't be far off!
Hope - Fast paced and pulling no punches, this is a great novel for Anji and the beginning of a new vulnerability for the Doctor. It's about the ideas that make us who we are, and the lengths we're willing to go to for just a glimpse of the things we yearn for.
Anachrophobia - The Doctor goes through the ringer in this story. You can feel his sense of his own mortality in every plot twist. He's warm and protective then implacable and utterly alien when you least expect it. We explore some of the best-realised temporal anomaly concepts in DW canon and enjoy the company of this magnificent but utterly fallible Doctor at the same time.
Trading Futures - This is like watching Eight in a James Bond movie. It's intensely visual, highly absorbing and provides a solid, reliable read.
The Book of the Still - Can you possibly imagine a better opening action sequence for any DW book or episode than this one? Shippers will love this story but OTPers might find it hard to swallow - and that's all I'm saying about that. Lebenswelt is graphically described and holds its own as far as alien worlds go. Anji is priceless in this. It's about time someone wrote her this well.
The Crooked World
History 101
Camera Obscura - This is a hugely important book for continuity's sake, so luckily it's another cracking offer by Lloyd Rose and doesn't fail to impress in other departments. Her dialogue is sparkling and the companions are so much more than simply along for the ride. But over and above all this - the Doctor is amazing! Rose lets you inside his head in a totally believable way. This is an adventure almost told from within his skin and I adored it.
Time Zero - Rumours abounded about who was going to live through this book when it was first released. I'm not going to spoil you, but I will say that even the survivors go through hell.
The Infinity Race
The Domino Effect
Reckless Engineering
The Last Resort
Timeless
Emotional Chemistry
Sometime Never - This ties together so many loose ends I'm not going to bother counting them. It's also a visual feast and I defy you not to read this and imagine it on telly ... or even a movie screen. Some of the 'world in peril' themes are a little done to death, but most of us would forgive Richards simply because the high points of this story far outweigh the lows. Oh, and for those of you aching for Fitz - Halflife is coming ...
Halflife - The Doctor and his posse out in the universe exploring strange happenings on strange worlds. Basically this is what DW should be and so often isn't. It's not overly complex. You could read it with the book in one hand and a scone in the other with a cup and saucer balancing on your knee, but you'd turn the final page pleased with most everything.
The Tomorrow Windows
The Sleep of Reason - This is utterly character driven, tense and emotional. Yes, you have to wait a while for the Doctor, but when he finally arrives you know why DW in general and this Doctor in particular are worth waiting for.
The Deadstone Memorial - Is a dark, fantastical romp that manages to be surprisingly terrifying at times. This is an Eighth Doctor that values life, and not just the grand, sweeping concept, but the humble individual. This is a Doctor that does domestic and truly, deeply cares what happens to people he's only just met. It makes the upcoming contrast with Nine even more frightening. Just what happened to Eight that he lost this touching sensitivity?
To The Slaughter
Gallifrey Chronicles - I'm reccing this despite my better judgement, but the series needs an end of sorts, and this is it. I'm still pissy at the way it seemed to belittle how much I cared about this little EDA universe, but the last few pages redeemed a lot. All in all, it's not a bad state of mind in which to leave the Doctor.
Fear Itself - I'm reccing this despite the fact that I was torn after I read it. I was probably one of the few who didn't realise that this was techincally a PDA rather than an EDA. Set after Earthworld (I think) it takes us back in time when really, I was looking for something to wipe away all the sins of Gallifrey Chronicles. Despite the fact that my enjoyment of this novel was tainted by my dissatisfaction about the way they'd left Eight's universe in limbo, it really is a bloody good read. In fact, of all the recs I've made in this list, this one reads more like a novel that could stand alone as a work of fiction outside the DW universe. It's complex, but don't let that put you off.
So there you have it. I know that some of my strike-throughs will result in some plot twists and developments seeming a bit vague, but unless you're going to wade through the entire series as I did, I'd recommend just reading the synopses at Wikipedia (OG reviews have too many spoilers!).
If you strongly (dis)agree with anything I've said - I may even cut and paste your opinion in as an alternate or supporting point of view, you never know :)
Last edited 24th Aug 2008 - to include The Taint.
Given that I'm a very character-driven reader and writer, I tend to prefer books that tell us more about Eight or his companions, but I'm also a sucker for a really good premise or plot twist. These are my personal favourite EDAs - ones that I would recommend to anyone interested in getting to know Eight or who's already an Eight fan.
So much ground was paved in the DW novels, regardless of the era, but I really think that Eight was vastly underrated after the TVM flopped. He's a great Doctor, worthy of your attention and really angst-ridden, touching and humorous to read when written by the right people.
I've included the entire list in order of publication date (which is the order I read them and it didn't kill me). Don't bother with strike-throughs, bolds have blurbs justifying the rec and are must reads. I'm not saying the books I don't like are rubbish, so please don't hurt me ...
EDA rec list:
The Eight Doctors
Vampire Science - although Sam was introduced in the prior novel, there are enough references to how that happened for you not to worry. This is classic Orman/Blum Eight!ove and you simply should start here. Very, very hard to find these days but I can help you source a copy if you run into trouble. You can just feel the authors' love for this character, how they want him to develop and feel the frisson of excitement that should come with our first real taste of a new Doctor in print. I'd have to rank this as one of my top 5 DW novels from any era.
The Bodysnatchers
Genocide - this is the first novel where we really get a look at who Sam and the Doctor really are. I'm a self-confessed Sam fan and I know that goes against the grain for some readers, but Genocide should be read before passing judgement on her. Sam is an idealist, a true one, and yeah that means she doesn't always blindly follow the Doctor's lead and sometimes the reader might even think she should ... but have you had a look at the Eighth Doctor? Because he's not the smiling innocent you thought he was and this book proves it. Subject matter is sensitively handled and interesting.
War of the Daleks
Alien Bodies - Features the start of a really important story arc for Eight and is a solid, imaginative story in its own right. The concepts are amazing and the original characters fascinating. This is also a fantastic story for Eight, where we are introduced to a Doctor who is impressively brilliant but also wildly unpredictable.
Kursaal
Option Lock
Longest Day
Legacy of the Daleks
Dreamstone Moon - Okay, so this wasn't exactly outstanding, but it's far superior to the four EDAs that preceded it, which is probably why it seemed so good! Add to that, the fact that it helps to read it before heading on to the next few reads (that I adore), and that I really like Sam in this ... well. Just read it.
Seeing I - I cannot rave about this book enough! When I turned the final page I have a vivid memory of clutching it to my chest and thinking yes ... this is what a Doctor Who adventure should be! This story almost consists of two separate ones, but they are joined by the kind of honest characterisation that made us all sob at our tv screens during Doomsday (and no, that isn't a spoiler!). I adore Sam in this - it was the point when I realised that despite her sometimes holier-than-thou attitude, I just loved her willful naivety and passion. Eight is strong and broken and clever and frankly bloody smashing in this.
Placebo Effect
Vanderdeken's Children
The Scarlett Empress - This is just a great fantasy novel in its own right, with the added bonus of having the newer, more dynamic post-Seeing I Eight/Sam on the case. You'll also see the Doctor express a wide variety of emotions he's been largely hiding away ... I won't tell you who causes it, but I do think you'll enjoy it!
The Janus Conjunction - I liked this book, damn the critics. Yes, perhaps some of the science is flawed and it takes a little while to get over some of the simplicity, but omg, when other readers did, I can't fathom why they weren't turning the pages so fast they became riddled with paper cuts. Eight is brilliant, funny and punished for his cheeriness - you feel for him and laugh with him, and at one point, get really angry on his behalf. Sam proves herself to be hardier than the average and I really felt for her in this story.
Beltempest
The Face Eater
The Taint - I edited this entry to include this novel because everyone (quite rightly) pointed out that it really wasn't that bad and it's very important for backstory on Fitz, whom I love to itty bitty pieces. I'm not going to rave about it, though, because for a horror story it just wasn't scary enough, imho. Perhaps, if you're unsure about this one, read on and come back to it to fill in the blanks about Fitz when you have the time/money/Fitz!ove.
Demontage
Revolution Man - This is the book where I forgave every misstep Sam has ever made (don't worry, I crossed out most of said stories for you!). Adding Fitz a few stories ago seems to have made a huge difference to the dynamic in the TARDIS and it shows in this novel. Everyone gets to be the versions of themselves you always find yourself wishing for when reading other EDAs, and it's a tribute to Paul Leonard that he manages to bundle it all up into a story that is gripping, dark and utterly realistic whilst totally fantastic at the same time. Eight is made of win in this story - this is my Eight - the version who realises that sometimes you just have to break your own rules and live with the consequences. Here we see how the pretty face could become the Destroyer of Worlds ...
Dominion
Unnatural History - This book by Orman/Blum is one that wasn't as well received in some circles and I can see why. These two are obviously fans of the series, perhaps more so than some other authors and their love for the characters and the sandbox they're playing in shines through more clearly in this book than others ... but you know what? It was clever, unexpected and just fun. It's like fanfic colliding with some of the better continuity-related DW ideas you'll find anywhere and I had a bloody good time reading it. I'm putting it in my rec list with no apologies. It copped a hiding, but I enjoyed this final look at pre-Interference Eight.
Autumn Mist
Interference (books 1 and 2) - Read.These.Books. Preferably over a weekend. With blankets and hot chocolate for comfort. I still think this double whammy could have ended a whole lot more powerfully, but it does absolute wonders for Fitz and is an important book for Sam and the Doctor. It's like a movie you know is going to be flawed, but you're so in love with the 'verse that you'll get sucked in anyway ... deep, deep in.
The Blue Angel
The Taking of Planet 5 - Ohmyfreakinggod! What just happened?!? This is brilliant and manic and downright funny in places - just like the Doctor. Anyone mention a Time War ...?
Frontier Worlds - This is the Fitz novel that had to happen. Perhaps a little short on the laughs, but wonderfully deep in characterisation, Frontier Worlds gives us the Doctor we want and the Fitz we'd hoped for.
Parallel 59
The Shadows of Avalon - The return of an old pre-TVM character brings a lot of joy in this book, to both the reader and Eight ... but it's short lived. You see, this isn't the Eighth Doctor we're used to reading. Finally, he's on his own - desperate, conflicted and utterly vital. He's capable of a whole lot more than we realised.
The Fall of Yquatine
Coldheart
The Space Age
The Banquo Legacy
The Ancestor Cell - This book takes a little effort, but it's well worth it. This is where it all comes together. This is where all those hints and subtleties come crashing down around the Doctor's ears and he has to deal with the unthinkable. The plot twists are varied, unexpected and utterly satisfying. This book is the reason I never want the TV series to do a Time War episode - I want this to remain my canon.
The Burning - This is a refreshing yet utterly sad start to the latter part of the Eighth Doctor's story. It's not a brain teaser, but it won't let you down. If a man is the sum of his memories, how much more so a Time Lord?
Casualties of War
The Turing Test - Long before Captain Jack forced Whofandom to accept the brave new world of bisexuality, Alan Turing fell in love with the Eighth Doctor in the war torn 1940's. Although many DW novels base themselves in historical fact, this one has it nailed, right down to the buttons. By turns dispassionate and completely folorn, the Doctor finally starts to realise what it means to be out in the cold.
Endgame
Father Time - It's difficult to recommend this highly enough without giving away more than the blurb on the back cover already does (for god's sake just open the book with your eyes closed and start reading from page one!). I want to say so many things about this story, but because it comprises such an important part of my own personal DW canon, I'm just going to recommend it in the strongest possible terms. Oh, okay, so I'm going to say one more thing - remember how you felt watching Nine at the end of Dalek, Ten telling Martha about Rose in New New York, or holding Jenny as she 'died'? Yeah, well, similar love/angst here.
Escape Velocity
Earthworld - Yes, yes, I'm sorry I crossed out the novel where Anji joins us, but really, had you read it you would have thanked me. This is a great place to get to know her and whilst a little bit one-dimensional at times, quite a fun story.
Vanishing Point
Eater of Wasps - Because everyone wants Kala to be a companion. Come on, you know you do. Actually, whilst this book fits into one of the several trademark who genres, the overall quality of the story telling and characterisation makes lifts it above a lot of the others that could be similarly pigeon-holed.
The Year of Intelligent Tigers - This is an exquisite character piece for the Eighth Doctor, woven sensuously into a clever, haunting plot as only Kate Orman can. He is exposed in all his indecision and self-perceived faults. Even his gifts are a curse at times, but he manages to transcend the incarnations of his past and become so much more than we ever imagined. How could anyone stop this Doctor? How could anyone stand in his way after this? And yet, how can we fail to pity him ... just a little? This book is music and curiosity and tragic love.
The Slow Empire
Dark Progeny
The City of the Dead - I could only really rec a Lloyd Rose story after such a brilliant offering from Kate Orman. I think Rose is the only other Who author that compares to Orman for beauty of writing style. This story is rich in imagery, angst and suspense. Plus, unlike many other EDAs the focus is consistently on the Doctor as he struggles to come to terms with his history and the many shadows he can feel lurking in his future. This book is strangely like climbing into bed with the Eighth Doctor and having him tell you a ghost story - delicious and yet you're left wondering just how much was fiction.
Grimm Reality
The Adventures of Henrietta Street - I think it's the ambitious writing style of this book that so completely sold me. Unlike so many other EDAs, Lawrence Miles does not assume that you, the reader, are limited to fourth grade literary comprehension. Rather, he sets out to tell a vivid, violent story packed with references to the mores of the time and backed by the feeling that the Doctor is desperately searching for something, anything that will give him a place to belong. Quite simply, this story could not have been told before Ancestor Cell, and that's part of its appeal.
Mad Dogs and Englishmen - This is DW on crack and if you're in the right frame of mind, you'll laugh so hard you hurt yourself. Think Austin Powers meets EDAs and you won't be far off!
Hope - Fast paced and pulling no punches, this is a great novel for Anji and the beginning of a new vulnerability for the Doctor. It's about the ideas that make us who we are, and the lengths we're willing to go to for just a glimpse of the things we yearn for.
Anachrophobia - The Doctor goes through the ringer in this story. You can feel his sense of his own mortality in every plot twist. He's warm and protective then implacable and utterly alien when you least expect it. We explore some of the best-realised temporal anomaly concepts in DW canon and enjoy the company of this magnificent but utterly fallible Doctor at the same time.
Trading Futures - This is like watching Eight in a James Bond movie. It's intensely visual, highly absorbing and provides a solid, reliable read.
The Book of the Still - Can you possibly imagine a better opening action sequence for any DW book or episode than this one? Shippers will love this story but OTPers might find it hard to swallow - and that's all I'm saying about that. Lebenswelt is graphically described and holds its own as far as alien worlds go. Anji is priceless in this. It's about time someone wrote her this well.
The Crooked World
History 101
Camera Obscura - This is a hugely important book for continuity's sake, so luckily it's another cracking offer by Lloyd Rose and doesn't fail to impress in other departments. Her dialogue is sparkling and the companions are so much more than simply along for the ride. But over and above all this - the Doctor is amazing! Rose lets you inside his head in a totally believable way. This is an adventure almost told from within his skin and I adored it.
Time Zero - Rumours abounded about who was going to live through this book when it was first released. I'm not going to spoil you, but I will say that even the survivors go through hell.
The Infinity Race
The Domino Effect
Reckless Engineering
The Last Resort
Timeless
Emotional Chemistry
Sometime Never - This ties together so many loose ends I'm not going to bother counting them. It's also a visual feast and I defy you not to read this and imagine it on telly ... or even a movie screen. Some of the 'world in peril' themes are a little done to death, but most of us would forgive Richards simply because the high points of this story far outweigh the lows. Oh, and for those of you aching for Fitz - Halflife is coming ...
Halflife - The Doctor and his posse out in the universe exploring strange happenings on strange worlds. Basically this is what DW should be and so often isn't. It's not overly complex. You could read it with the book in one hand and a scone in the other with a cup and saucer balancing on your knee, but you'd turn the final page pleased with most everything.
The Tomorrow Windows
The Sleep of Reason - This is utterly character driven, tense and emotional. Yes, you have to wait a while for the Doctor, but when he finally arrives you know why DW in general and this Doctor in particular are worth waiting for.
The Deadstone Memorial - Is a dark, fantastical romp that manages to be surprisingly terrifying at times. This is an Eighth Doctor that values life, and not just the grand, sweeping concept, but the humble individual. This is a Doctor that does domestic and truly, deeply cares what happens to people he's only just met. It makes the upcoming contrast with Nine even more frightening. Just what happened to Eight that he lost this touching sensitivity?
To The Slaughter
Gallifrey Chronicles - I'm reccing this despite my better judgement, but the series needs an end of sorts, and this is it. I'm still pissy at the way it seemed to belittle how much I cared about this little EDA universe, but the last few pages redeemed a lot. All in all, it's not a bad state of mind in which to leave the Doctor.
Fear Itself - I'm reccing this despite the fact that I was torn after I read it. I was probably one of the few who didn't realise that this was techincally a PDA rather than an EDA. Set after Earthworld (I think) it takes us back in time when really, I was looking for something to wipe away all the sins of Gallifrey Chronicles. Despite the fact that my enjoyment of this novel was tainted by my dissatisfaction about the way they'd left Eight's universe in limbo, it really is a bloody good read. In fact, of all the recs I've made in this list, this one reads more like a novel that could stand alone as a work of fiction outside the DW universe. It's complex, but don't let that put you off.
So there you have it. I know that some of my strike-throughs will result in some plot twists and developments seeming a bit vague, but unless you're going to wade through the entire series as I did, I'd recommend just reading the synopses at Wikipedia (OG reviews have too many spoilers!).
If you strongly (dis)agree with anything I've said - I may even cut and paste your opinion in as an alternate or supporting point of view, you never know :)
Last edited 24th Aug 2008 - to include The Taint.