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Title: Earthworld (Doctor Who) by Jacqueline Rayner ISBN: 0-563-53827-9 Publisher: Doctor Who Books Pub. Date: 01 April, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.75 (4 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Great, fun break from the other novels!
Comment: The Doctor, Fitz and new companion, Anji Kapoor arrive on a world that honours the planet Earth by showcasing time periods in a fun park manner. Whilst getting lost on the world all three must deal with dangerous dinosaurs, Killer robots, homicidal triplets, talking Sphinx and Elvis impersonators before they can work out what exactly is going on.
Jacqueline Rayner's first foray in to the BBC Doctor Who novels is brilliant. What better way to have Anji's first real adventure than to throw her into a really bizarre situation to flesh out what her character will be like..
Alongside Anji trying to come to terms with the loss of her boyfriend, Dave (Escape Velocity), and trying to deal with this bizarre new life she has with the Doctor, Fitz also must come to terms with the knowledge that he is not the original Fitz Kreiner, only a 'remembered' copy. Plus the Doctor is once again showing that he is not the man he was by acting in a more violent manner.
Overall, a great break in the serious books preceding it, very funny moments with great character development. RECOMMENDED!
Rating: 4
Summary: It's crazy, it's loopy, it's altogether kooky
Comment: EARTHWORLD is quite an oddity. Not only does it do strange and unpredictable things, but one can't even anticipate when it will be bizarre and when it will become sober. The goofiness peaks earlier than one might expect, leaving the rest of the story to take a surprisingly serious turn (though it's still not all that serious). EARTHWORLD is one of those wacky stories that defy categorization. This is sort of a mixture of Douglas Adams, Terrance Dicks, and Isaac Asimov, with a dash of Red Dwarf and a measure of Blackadder. That doesn't really sum it up, of course, but it does give you the basic idea of what's going on.
The story begins in full romp-mode. Some of the early jokes don't work as well as they might, and right away one wonders if this is going to be a long, dull collection of jokes that are supposed to be funny, but just aren't (the only thing worse than a joke that falls completely flat is a book full of jokes that fall completely flat). Fortunately, the book steadies itself quickly enough and becomes much more assured and enjoyable.
All of the regulars shine with Anji in particular given some very good character development in her first story away from Earth. Placing her in the middle of an action romp while she's still grieving over the events from the previous story might seem like a terrible idea, but its one that ends up being played extremely well. I was worried at first, as all that Anji seemed to be doing was to deliberately distract herself from the issues, and I was afraid that the whole book would be spent avoiding the subject. To my surprise and great enjoyment, the matter was not only brought up, but handled extremely well. The smooth way in which this is handled is fairly indicative of the book as a whole; it starts off light and frothy, but when you aren't looking it becomes something much more subtle and strong.
Any way you look at it, EARTHWORLD was an enjoyable read. It entertains, it amuses and it is very well written for a first novel. There are some companion issues dealt with here that have needed to be addressed for quite some time, and it's nice to see the book not dance around the problems. The opening sections do have an overly light feel to them, and the way that a few jokes fail may give the reader a little pause to wonder if he/she really wants to finish the rest. Fortunately, EARTHWORLD is one of the few Doctor Who books that starts mediocre and rises to the occasion. The final seven pages are pure, understated wonderfulness.
Rating: 3
Summary: "Earth"-shock
Comment: Many TV tie-in action/adventure novels have a similar feel to them. A book begins with 150 pages of token plot exposition and character development, and then the final 150 pages essentially ignore the build-up in favor of running around and blowing things up. Major characters die, to lend the book an "adult" feel, and maybe there's a token unconvincing romance.
Not Jac Rayner's "Earthworld" -- Jac (the first woman to solo-write a DW novel in five years) neatly flips the formula on its head. Here the silly running around is confined to the beginning. Earthworld is a wacky historical theme park, built on "New Jupiter" (ha ha) thousands of years in the future. The android park attractions run amok and kill a lot of people offscreen. An Elvis impersonator strips down to (glittery sequined) boxer shorts for an impromptu game of Celebrity Deathmatch. The name of the President of Earthworld begins "John F. ...". See where this is going?
Happily, Jac puts back all the stops and submits a final 100 pages that are more serious and thoughtful than anyone had a right to expect, based on the beginning and middle. Characters suddenly interact in touching ways. There's a thoughtful, happy ending for (most of) the Earthworld characters. The TARDIS crew, fractured for so long, are handled with something akin to tenderness: Fitz gains new resolve, the Doctor begins to function even without his memory, and Anji...
...Anji, in only her second book as companion, is rewarded with a stunning 7-page finale that works through the trauma that befell her in "Escape Velocity", her debut. Especially coming as they do so soon after the silly opening, these final pages left me quite satisfied with "Earthworld" indeed.
Even if broad, miss-the-mark satire isn't your game, you'll still enjoy "Earthworld", a deeper book than usual.
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Title: Doctor Who Emotional Chemistry (Doctor Who (BBC Paperback)) by Simon A. Forward ISBN: 0563486082 Publisher: BBC Worldwide Publishing Pub. Date: 01 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.95 |
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Title: Wolfsbane (Doctor Who) by Jacqueline Rayner ISBN: 0563486090 Publisher: BBC Worldwide Pub. Date: 01 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.95 |
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Title: Sometime Never... (Doctor Who) by Justin Richards ISBN: 0563486112 Publisher: BBC Worldwide Pub. Date: 01 January, 2004 List Price(USD): $6.95 |
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Title: Doctor Who Timeless (Doctor Who) by Stephen Cole ISBN: 0563486074 Publisher: BBC Worldwide Publishing Pub. Date: 01 April, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.95 |
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Title: Doctor Who: Deadly Reunion (Doctor Who) by Terrance Dicks, Barry Letts ISBN: 0563486104 Publisher: BBC Worldwide Publishing Pub. Date: 01 November, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.95 |
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