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Post by The Doctor on Sept 23, 2015 7:49:06 GMT
Quite pissed off. Got the new Past Doctor book out the library (The Drosten's Curse) having enjoyed A.L.Kennedy's story in Time Trips. Imagine my surprise to find it is exactly the same plot, story, characters. Heck it's the same prose with extra sentences.
Sure it's not unusual for a shorter story to be expanded to novel length but not to have any mention of this in the dust jacket, in the indicia or the author's blurb is...unhelpful. Poor show, BBC Books, poor show. An unusual mis-step.
-Ralph
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Sept 23, 2015 11:33:15 GMT
That is a poor show indeed
Andy
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Post by Pinwig on Sept 23, 2015 20:31:49 GMT
That is an odd thing. I only twigged on that because of the reviews in SFX and DWM. I think it should be at least mentioned on the cover.
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Post by legios on Sept 23, 2015 21:25:50 GMT
Yeah, It does feel - probably unintentionally - deceptive in this context to not mention anywhere that it is an expanded version of another piece. Especially as retitling it makes the connection less immediately obvious. That sort of thing does happen - "Ender's Game" expanding from short story to novel for example - but the connection isn't usually so obscured, especially when we are talking reuse of actual prose rather than simply another consideration of an idea.
Karl
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Post by The Doctor on Dec 10, 2015 15:59:05 GMT
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Post by Pinwig on Dec 21, 2015 18:19:36 GMT
Polished off last night. In the grand tradition of Target books of old it's much better than the tv serial. Characters are fleshed out more, non-sequitors and plot holes are neatly tied up, the humour is more balanced and the internal logic is tighter. What was a crap cliffhanger to part 3 on telly is a highlight of dull horror. I've never been a big fan of the TV serial (irritating music, Lord Tom mugging far too much and very languid direction) but I did quite enjoy the book version. Now I can see why folk who love the tv story really love it. -Ralph Just finished this myself. I'd agree with everything you've said there. I felt initially that Goss was trying too hard to be Douglas Adams with the number of guide style asides he was throwing in, but on the whole as a novel it really does knock all the kinks out of the TV story and make sense of the loose threads and plot holes, such as why Scaroth would just whip his mask off in time for a cliffhanger and why the artist draws Romana with a clock face. Worth reading. Not quite as good as Gareth Roberts' bash at Shada, but definitely a worthy novelisation. |
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Post by legios on Dec 21, 2015 22:44:49 GMT
Yes, I don't think I'll be bothering with that one. Karl |
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Post by blueshift on Jan 31, 2016 15:32:37 GMT
I do not own many novelisations, but in the half dozen or so I do have, apparently I number this one amongst them:  |
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Post by The Doctor on Jan 31, 2016 16:33:52 GMT
You're dangling on the edge of oblivion!
-Ralph
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Post by blueshift on Jan 31, 2016 16:35:14 GMT
If you haven't read the Timelash book, the writer actually attempts to insert more stuff so that the ending actually makes sense (it doesnt)
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Post by Philip Ayres on Feb 3, 2016 23:55:40 GMT
More Target reprints from BBC books on the way including new Archilos covers for Visitation, Vengeance on Varos and Battlefield. The other titles are Zarbi, Web of Fear, Dinosaur Invasion and Genesis of the Daleks.
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Post by The Doctor on Feb 4, 2016 8:05:55 GMT
A good line-up!
-Ralph
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 10, 2016 7:37:26 GMT
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Post by Pinwig on Mar 12, 2016 13:05:47 GMT
Is he losing his touch? This Colin looks like Albert Steptoe to me. Mr Baker must have softened in his old age about his image appearing on books. I recall the fuss when his first Target novels came about about likeness accuracy.  Joking aside though, it's great to see Target books with covers in this style again. |
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Post by The Doctor on Mar 12, 2016 21:15:42 GMT
Colin has been on DW book covers since the Virgin MA's! Which was, er, my goodness... long time ago now.
-Ralph
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Post by Pinwig on Mar 12, 2016 23:14:05 GMT
Oh yes, I know, but I thought he was very picky about his likeness and this, well, it doesn't look anything like him.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 22, 2016 20:21:51 GMT
Today we passed through Barnes Common on a 493. I had to resist the urge to get off and reinacted the opening chapters of Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with The Daleks!
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 27, 2016 22:12:43 GMT
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Apr 25, 2016 10:20:39 GMT
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 25, 2016 12:02:44 GMT
Nick won a copy of Timelash at the weekend. Lucky guy.
-Ralph
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Apr 25, 2016 21:59:11 GMT
He did indeed.
We also spotted the Lethbridge Stewart books in Newcastle's FP store.
Andy
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 26, 2016 11:03:04 GMT
The new Target reprints found in Waterstones. Also a 'choose your adventure' type book for the 12th Doctor.
-Ralph
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Post by Philip Ayres on Apr 30, 2016 12:53:44 GMT
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Post by The Doctor on May 11, 2016 18:24:37 GMT
The article on Target covers has led me to me taking some of the reprints out of the library, resulting in a double nostalgia rush as young Ralph bled both the local general library and the school library dry of them back in the day. It must be, argh, about 25 years since I last took a DW Target novel out of a library.
*warm rush*
-Ralph
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Post by The Doctor on May 11, 2016 20:37:55 GMT
Reading DOCTOR WHO AND THE DAY OF THE DALEKS, a childhood favourite and still fabulous. Coming straight after polishing off Brian Hayles' DOCTOR WHO AND THE ICE WARRIORS it reminds me just how good Uncle Tewwance's prose is!
-Ralph
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Post by Pinwig on May 11, 2016 20:41:43 GMT
Great book. I remember the map in the front!
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Post by The Doctor on May 14, 2016 20:52:10 GMT
THE THREE DOCTORS was also as fun as I remember it. Just got AND THE ARK IN SPACE plus AND THE LOCH NESS MONSTER to polish off from the library haul. I recall enjoying both as a nipper.
-Ralph
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Post by Pinwig on May 14, 2016 21:06:49 GMT
Blimey, your library opens late!
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Post by The Doctor on May 14, 2016 21:10:44 GMT
Er, the library allows one to take books out...
-Ralph
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Post by Pinwig on May 14, 2016 21:19:23 GMT
This is something else I still have a box load of. Reckon I must have at least 95% of the target books from the first time round. Not sure now which ones I eventually didn't get. I must check. In the ongoing 'sort out the stuff in my parents' loft mission' I haven't reached them yet.
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