Monday, March 25, 2019
Doctor Who and the Carnival of Monsters
by Terrance Dicks
Now this, this is perfect waiting room material. I've been having to bide the time while donating platelets. Bringing a book along is a classic way to spend an hour or two, but I can't bring one that's too interesting, because I also have to pay attention to the machinery that is alternately sucking and returning my blood. I also don't want to bring one that's too challenging, because the aforementioned machinery would also distract me from giving attention to what I'm reading. This book, however, is neither. Doctor Who and the Carnival of Monsters is a novelisation of a 1973 serial of the BBC series. The characters are two dimensional and the story is short and light, as one might expect from a TV episode. I found it entertaining enough, as I could easily visualize--remember, actually-- the actors and their performances. It was also interesting to read through the story and recognize story devices that were required by a low budget show that had to be filmed in the confines of the studio. All in all it suited my needs perfectly. Maybe I should start amassing a collection of the rest of the series.
LibraryThing link
Now this, this is perfect waiting room material. I've been having to bide the time while donating platelets. Bringing a book along is a classic way to spend an hour or two, but I can't bring one that's too interesting, because I also have to pay attention to the machinery that is alternately sucking and returning my blood. I also don't want to bring one that's too challenging, because the aforementioned machinery would also distract me from giving attention to what I'm reading. This book, however, is neither. Doctor Who and the Carnival of Monsters is a novelisation of a 1973 serial of the BBC series. The characters are two dimensional and the story is short and light, as one might expect from a TV episode. I found it entertaining enough, as I could easily visualize--remember, actually-- the actors and their performances. It was also interesting to read through the story and recognize story devices that were required by a low budget show that had to be filmed in the confines of the studio. All in all it suited my needs perfectly. Maybe I should start amassing a collection of the rest of the series.
LibraryThing link
Labels: DoctorWho, WaitingRoomMaterial
Saturday, April 07, 2012
The Highlanders
by Gerry Davis
A novelisation of the Doctor Who episode of the same name. A fun, easy read.
Waiting room material
LibraryThing link
A novelisation of the Doctor Who episode of the same name. A fun, easy read.
Waiting room material
LibraryThing link
Labels: DoctorWho, WaitingRoomMaterial
Sunday, October 01, 2000
Doctor Who and the Masque of Mandragora
by Philip Hinchcliffe
Dr. Who was a children's television series on the BBC from the early 60's to the late 80's. Many of the episodes were novelised for the reading public. Around 1979, the mid-70's episodes started appearing on PBS here in the U.S. and quickly found a following. (Of course, I remember reading that the average age of the viewers here was 35, compared to 10 in the U.K.) Ten of the novelisations were republished by Pinnacle Books for the new Dr. Who fans. The Masque of Mandragora was among the former and I was among the latter, so I bought it. Now I'm getting rid of it. Don't get me wrong, I think Dr. Who is great. The series is quite entertaining and some stories are quite imaginative. But Masque no longer makes the cut for me. The tale is about The Doctor and his companion, Sarah Jane Smith, (wipe that smirk off your face. This is children's literature) as they battle the malevolent energy of the Mandragora Helix in 15th Century Italy. (The Doctor, in case you are wondering, travels through time and space.) There are plenty of plot twists, political intrigue and even a slight bit of romance, but in this particular tale, the Doctor is never sufficiently challenged by the bad guys. He's almost too much in control. But since it's Dr. Who, and has a few good lines, I'll rate it as good waiting room material.
LibraryThing link
Dr. Who was a children's television series on the BBC from the early 60's to the late 80's. Many of the episodes were novelised for the reading public. Around 1979, the mid-70's episodes started appearing on PBS here in the U.S. and quickly found a following. (Of course, I remember reading that the average age of the viewers here was 35, compared to 10 in the U.K.) Ten of the novelisations were republished by Pinnacle Books for the new Dr. Who fans. The Masque of Mandragora was among the former and I was among the latter, so I bought it. Now I'm getting rid of it. Don't get me wrong, I think Dr. Who is great. The series is quite entertaining and some stories are quite imaginative. But Masque no longer makes the cut for me. The tale is about The Doctor and his companion, Sarah Jane Smith, (wipe that smirk off your face. This is children's literature) as they battle the malevolent energy of the Mandragora Helix in 15th Century Italy. (The Doctor, in case you are wondering, travels through time and space.) There are plenty of plot twists, political intrigue and even a slight bit of romance, but in this particular tale, the Doctor is never sufficiently challenged by the bad guys. He's almost too much in control. But since it's Dr. Who, and has a few good lines, I'll rate it as good waiting room material.
LibraryThing link
Labels: DoctorWho, WaitingRoomMaterial
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