Paradox Lost - NSA Review

Paradox Lost is a great novel. It is a novel that gets the ‘voices’ and the personalities of the characters completely right and the original characters are completely fascinating. It is a book that gives us some truly frightening monsters. It is a novel that gives audiences a rollickingly fun adventure, which makes the story a sheer joy to read.

The voice of the Doctor is one of those most acurate and interesting of the novel.  The vast majority of his action in the novel is witnessed by Angelchrist, who lives in London during the 1910s. The Doctor and the character have a wonderful comraderie which gives way to some fun scenes, such as when the Time Lord makes the most of the oppurtunity to drive Angelchrist’s vintage roadster. However, it is perhaps the Doctor’s interactions with the Squall that define him within the novel. The alien menace is the main threat and are discussed further later in the review, but what is key is how the Doctor treats them. He gives them a chance to leave, to stop. As they refuse like they always do, he is ready to sacrifice himself to stop them, and that is completely in keeping with the essence of the character. In fact, the spot-on ‘essence’ of the characters is key to the novel’s brillaince. As this reviewer read the novel, it is very easy to imagine Matt Smith reading the dialogue. As such, it makes it much easier to visualise this story, and it is perhaps one of the easiest novels to read if you want a story that could and should appear on television.

As mentioned above, the character of Angelchrist is simply fantastic, being one of the novel’s greatest successes. The character has apparently served a long life fighting monsters and aliens and as such accepts the Doctor without question. This is one of the more interesting aspects of the character, however it is only mentioned in passing. Whereas in other novels, this may feel like a cheat, here it feels like just another aspect of this man’s life, that helps shape his actions. Angelchrist is the voice of reason throughout the novel, acting as a clear audience viewpoint. What is interesting is the character is quite a bit like the Brigadier and this feels like a wonderful tribute to a wonderful character. However, perhaps Angelchrist’s greatest attribute is his ability to take everything in his stride. Through the course of the novel, Angelchrist sees some fairly shocking sights such as the throngs of the Squall and the far future with it’s odd architecture, and yet he seems far from worried. He just points out the things that the Doctor may not have noticed and has great fun along the way. The conclusion of the novel features a beautiful moment where Angelchrist sees space and it’s wonders. It’s a strangely moving moment as he at once realizes how insignificant he is and yet, that he has also made an impact. Beautiful and some fantastic characterization.

The Squall are the main foe of the novel and are effectively creepy. Their entire purpose seems to be to really freak the reader out, which it suceeds in doing. From the way they talk (each Squall taking their turn to hiss a word) to the way in which they kill you (they make you bleed out through your eyes. Nasty), they are a rather succesful alien race. Perhaps the greatest problem with the race of beings is that they are never given any motivation. They seem to just want to feast on people’s minds, because it’s fun (which is quite a nasty idea in itself). Throughout the first half of the novel we aren’t really given any indication as to the strength and power of the race, which leads you thinking “Well, there’s only a few of them. They aren’t really that dangerous.” That all changes in the second half as the characters see hoardes of them. In fact, there are so many of them you can barely see the sky, at one point. Unfortunately, this lead this reviewer to be reminded of the Winged Monkeys from The Wizard of Oz. So, basically the enemies of this book are Winged Monkeys (that resemble bats) that kill people by making them bleed out their eyes? Brillaint.

The Doctor’s companions, Amy and Rory, continue the novel’s outstanding and astonishingly accurate characterisation. They are left behind by the Doctor to investigate some strange goings on in Earth’s far future. To cut a long (but, to be fair, fascinating) story short, the couple end up with a robot named Arven in the 1910s, where the Doctor is. But they get there a few days before. What is interesting is how they live their lives in an alien environment with aliens hunting them. It shows a nice new side to the duo. They are incredibly adaptable and able to survive in an unfamiliar time. Plus, they get to have fun at the same time. It’s interesting how all of the characters in this novel are actually enjoying themselves. Despite some rather nasty incidents, they somehow manage to have a great amount of fun. This is again in keeping with the parent show, and oddly in contrast with the previous round of New Series Adventures. Thus, this novel actually becomes more engaging as we are encouraged by the infectious attitude, and are encouraged to feel the character’s fun.

Arven the robot is again rather nicely characterized with some small touches which give a deeper insight. As an artificial intelligence, he is emotionless but the novel gives clues that Arven has a personality. For instance, when Angelchrist looks over to the robot and sees him standing away from the group, deep in thought, feeling out of place. It’s a nice little moment that gives audiences the chance to learn about the character.

Rather aptly for a novel entitled Paradox Lost, there are a number of timey-wimey moments. In the past, I have made no secret of my love for this sort of idea, especially when it is well executed. And in this novel, it is very well executed. Readers are given the chance to spot the timey-wimeyness before it happens, for those keen on putting the clues together. What is perhaps more interesting is the Doctor’s discussion of time and how some points can’t be changed and some points are fixed. It’s like the author is giving the audience a hint for The Wedding of River Song. It’s a small reference but it gives the impression that this could easily be a television story, with references to future stories and all.

This novel is really not going to win any awards for the best Doctor Who book ever written. But for pure escapism and a light read, this novel is perfect for the moment. The characters are excellent and the essence of the characters is spot on. Rather aptly the ending of the novel is a joyously happy ending that leaves you feeling in a good mood. The novel is creepy but overall this is overshadowed by a sense of fun, which is oddly rare in Doctor Who novels. And what do they say? Change is as good as a holiday…

VERDICT: 8/10

The Doctor's Wife

The Doctor’s Wife is one of the most anticipated Doctor Who episodes ever. Written by author Neil Gaiman (famous for among others, Coraline), the episode is quite simply wonderful.

The appeal of the episode can’t really be categorised into just one area with all of them on seemingly top form. Characterisation, excellent and moving. Story, strong and disturbing. Acting, pitch perfect. Production, gorgeous. With so much excellence it is not hard to see why it succeeded.

Suranne Jones as the TARDIS was doomed before she started. How could one person possibly convey the intense emotion that is the Doctor’s time ship? How do you play that? Fortunately, the actress takes the role and makes it her own in a way that no other person on the planet could. Idris is the episodes’ biggest surprise. The character is quite brilliant, one of the greatest characters ever to appear in the series. At times the character is moving and hilarious, joyful and terrified. At all times the character lights up the screen with her unique appeal. One scene sells Idris as the TARDIS more than any other. It is the scene where the Doctor and the TARDIS finally talked. The Doctor’s annoyance at the TARDIS is very amusing, but what makes the scene brilliant is Idris’ reaction. The Doctor is annoyed at her for not taking him where he wanted to go. She says I always took you where you needed to go. The statement packs such a punch as this statement fits in so well with the series and yet it has never been said before. It is a beautiful idea and really confirms the fact that this woman is the TARDIS. In fact, a significant part of the episode’s appeal is the way that Suranne Jones plays the character. It is an incredibly Helena Bonham-Carter-esque, and yet it is quite unique. The performance is full of odd juxtapositions, much like the TARDIS herself.

Despite the sheer intensity of Surrane Jones’ performance, the episode does not just belong to her. No, this episode is shared between both her and Matt Smith. The young actor is simply incredible throughout the story displaying a wonderful range of emotions, from rage to weakness, surprise to shock, and from joy to sadness. The episode is great for the Doctor because it would be a massive occurrence in his life. Meeting the ship you travel in, what an odd, joyous day. The actor seems to realise this and really gets into the role, making it his own in a way that has strangely remained unseen. While in other episodes, it seemed as though old Smithy was settling into his role, but here he seems completely at home. As such, we finally get to see the Eleventh Doctor’s emotions. The sheer amount of character development afforded to the Doctor within this episode has not been seen since the 60s (The War Games) and the 70s (The Deadly Assassin). It’s astonishing that Neil Gaiman can write one 45 minute episode and develop the character in a new and interesting way. “Hello, Doctor” indeed…

Minor characters also play a significant role within the story. The characters of Auntie and Uncle are great fun, yet also slightly sinister. The idea of replaced body parts and the casual way in which they speak about it is deeply chilling. A slight problem with those two is that they are not really developed, but we are given character insight through the way in which dialogue is written and then the way in which it is spoken. The duo add some detail to the story, and what is interesting is when they are killed off. After the Doctor has met Idris and she has revealed who she is, Auntie and Uncle walk in and promptly die. It’s as if the writer knew that as soon as Idris’ identity is solved, people would be rightly too distracted by that bombshell to pay any attention to the minor characters. So he kills them. Clever, Neil Gaiman, clever.

The subplot with Amy and Rory exploring the TARDIS is wonderful. No, wonderful’s not the right word, awesome. That’s much better. There are more reasons than I have room to discuss in detail, but there are a couple I’ll chat about. The first is we finally get to see more of the TARDIS. In the classic series, we often had the privellige of seeing inside the time ship, past the console room, quite regularly. But, since the new series began we have seen very little of TARDIS corridors. The Doctor’s Wife does much to rectify this grave error. That leads to my second reason as to the greatness of the subplot. Many of the scenes are scary as hell. Particularly, when House tricks Amy into thinking that every time she is locked away from Rory, time progresses faster until finally her husband is a dead husk. That scene with the shocking close-ups of Rory’s scrawled words such as “Kill, Hate, Die Amy” is quite possibly the most disturbing scene in Doctor Who ever. It’s a true “Oh my God” moment (it’s also another “They Keep Killing Rory” Moment) that’s terribly unnerving and freaky. Thanks for scaring the pants out of me. There are several other surreal moments inside that subplot making even filler fascinating to watch.

What is odd about the story is the use of continuity. Kisses to the past are readily apparent within the episode. These include the use of the ‘little boxes’ (previously seen in The War Games), an Ood and the old console room. These kisses are great fun for the Doctor Who fan as we fans happen to love continuity references (unless the production is overflowed with them, like what happened in the 80s). What is great about this episode’s use of references is that they don’t limit the casual viewer. The audience is not limited to any one group, ensuring that the episode can be enjoyed by every viewer.

The production of the story is excellent, making the story a visual feast. The production team somehow managed to turn a quarry (another kiss) into a spectacular alien planet, that actually looks very convincing. This planet is supposed to look like a bit of a junkheap and does in the broadcast program. Nice, original setting. But the production’s most visually exciting sequence is the final defeat against House and the goodbye. The whole scene is gorgeous with time energy spilling from Idris’ mouth filling the console room with a lovely glow. Then, after House is defeated, the room goes dark, and suddenly a light illuminates one corner. It is Idris, who wishes to say her final goodbye to the Doctor. The scene is incredibly touching with some of the most moving lines in the episode, causing this reviewer to find something in his eye… The beautiful production certainly attributes to the greatness that is The Doctor’s Wife.

The episode is certainly the high-point of the Matt Smith era, and possibly the entire new series. Continuity is used liberally, but not overused, the story is completely absorbing. The actors and actresses involved are all on top form, and the whole production  team seems to have given this episode that little extra something. All of these, and more culminate in making an episode that is very brilliant and just a touch off perfect…

The Ultimate Countdown Month 1

1.       The Girl Who Waited (10)

2.       The Doctor’s Wife (10)

3.       Millenial Rites (10)

4.       A Good Man Goes To War (9.5)

5.       The Wedding Of River Song (9)

6.       The Company Of Wolves (9)

7.       The Impossible Astronaut (9)

8.       The Web Of Fear novelization (9)

9.       Day Of The Moon (9)

10.   Dead Of Winter (8.5)

11.   Juliet Of The Spirits (8.5)

12.   Timewyrm: Revelation (8)

13.   Rags (7)

14.   The Rebel Flesh (7)

15.   Hunter’s Moon (6.5)

16.   Cat’s Cradle: Time’s Crucible (6.5)

17.   The Way Through The Woods (6)

18.   The Curse Of The Black Spot (5.5)

19.   The Web Planet novelization (2.5)

Millenial Rites - Book Review

Millennial Rites is the best Doctor Who book ever written. Sorry, I better backtrack a little. The Sixth Doctor era on television was a failure. While still having something to offer the Doctor Who fan it was a failure in the eyes of the casual viewer. The Trial Of A Time Lord is the prime example. By the end of Trial, the story had succeeded in (just) calming Sixie down, writing out Peri and introducing new companion Mel. The story was a failure in almost all other aspects. Ideas introduced at the beginning of the story were not resolved satisfactorily or, in some cases, at all. Clever ideas such as the Valeyard and his past were never explained to give any depth or credibility. This is such a disappointment because the concept behind the Valeyard is deeply fascinating. An enemy who is actually a darker version of the hero, what a fantastic concept. This is where Millennial Rites comes in.

It is clear from the beginning of the book, that Craig Hinton loves Doctor Who and knows where it fails. Fortunately, he also knows how to fix it. The re-characterisation of Mel is superb. Turning her from being a frustratingly annoying character to one that is at least likeable and at best understandable is a difficult task, but Hinton relishes the opportunity. It is on page 9 that this transformation begins. Mel is in attendance at a University reunion, and she sees her “old” friends. Well, they are old for them, but for Mel, they are not a day older. This is once of the consequences of Time Travel. This, among other things, really helps to see Mel as more than a screaming red-head and more of a person, a human being.

Millennial Rites is an unusual narrative style in that the book is essentially focussed on two very different strands of storytelling. (Here I must stress the importance of reading this review after having first read the book in order for certain plot elements to remain unspoiled. This book is truly one of the greatest Doctor Who items written in any media, and I would hate to spoil some of the surprising twists. This is your one and only warning. Now read the book. You’ve read it? Good, then I can continue.) The first half of the book revolves around a plot about computers and Anne Traver’s fear of the Great Intelligence returning to Earth. It is a very earthbound aspect of the narrative. The remainder of the book is about a parallel universe where magic is real and the Doctor’s fear of transforming into the Valeyard. This approach to narrative storytelling has almost never been used before in this way. Inferno is the closest example, with it’s parallel world. Such a way of achieving this leads to a felling that the writer has chosen to use the best of both worlds that the Doctor finds himself in (ie; Earthbound and space travel). The reader, much like the writer, is thrilled to read such an interesting and fascinating novel. It wouldn’t be half so absorbing had the characters that Hinton uses are themselves so deeply interesting.

Two of the most predominant examples of this within the novel are the characters of Louise and Barry. They are two of the few characters used within the novel that are entirely from Hinton’s imagination. They are utterly fascinating characters, and over the novel, we grow to view them as part of our own family and, perhaps more importantly, real human beings. They cease to be aspects of Hinton’s mind and become characters that we can identify. This is an interesting point, on a sidestep, because in this novel our viewpoint is not the companion, but Louise and Barry. Mel is too difficult a companion to possibly become our viewpoint. Readers (and television viewers) fail to identify with a screamer who is a computer programmer from Pease Pottage. For any strange and wonderful series to work, viewers MUST have an audience viewpoint. While Mel is hard to identify with, Barry and Louise are perfect as the reader viewpoint. Barry and Lousie are workers who smoke and have grown closer to those which they work with. This is seen no more clearly than when Barry is inconsolable as he loses, not his job but the friends which he has made at this seemingly dead end job. Louise is also a normal person with normal problems. She loves her child despite her girl’s disorder, she can see past that. It leaves readers unprepared and ready to sympathise as Barry and Louise’s world is changed forever.

The Doctor is one of the books greatest achievements. His television incarnation was a failure (as stated earlier). He was a hothead, a Doctor that would lose his temper at the drop of a hat. He was a Doctor that, not only could audiences not relate to, he was a Doctor that wasn’t even likeable. While the Sixth Doctor has now been changed into one of the most likeable and cuddly of all Doctors, such a renaissance was yet to occur when Millennial Rites was written. Time Of Your Life is the closest readers had got to experiencing a softer Sixth Doctor. But Millennial Rites takes that one better. This Doctor is fun. He’s having a ball of a time, pushing away computer personnel and having Italian cuisine with Anne Travers. The Doctor that appears in the second-half of the book is very different indeed. London has been changed into a place where magic is real and tangible. Every character that audiences have met earlier have been changed into something completely different. Mel becomes Melaphyre the Technomancer, worshipping the Lady TARDIS. Ashley Chapel (bad guy) becomes the Archimage who worships Yog-Sogoth. Anne Travers becomes the Hierophant who worships the Great Intelligence. Barry (now Bartholomew) and Louise (Louella) become court Jester and Chancellor, respectively. And the Doctor… Well, he at first seems unaffected by the manipulation of the world. But as the novel goes on, events soon become clear, the Doctor was affected and he is transforming into the Valeyard!

Such a twist did not come as a major surprise to this reviewer due to the utterly superb cover. What surprised me more was the Valeyard comes very close to murdering a child. Your valiant reviewer was convinced that the Doctor/Valeyard was going to do the deed. Does he? Well, no. It doesn’t stop that scene from being the scariest in the whole novel.

There is one more aspect which I have yet to mention. That is the world-building that occurs here. Readers truly get a hold as to what this world is actually like and how it is run. This reader drew several detailed diagrams and maps as to how this worked. Every character gets about three names and they each have their own race and their own corner of the universe. We are notified of this quite early on due to the fact that the Doctor sees three different colours of building: gold (the Archimage), blue (the Technomancer) and grey (the Hierophant). This is probably the best example of world-building I am yet to read about.

As the book comes to its conclusion, I felt calm that this book actually finished. I didn’t need to wait for the next instalment which would never come (I’m looking at you The Devil Goblins from Neptune). The same can be said for much of this book. While it is a sequel (of sorts) to The Web of Fear, the reader needn’t have seen that story. It works very well as a standalone novel. This is the best Doctor Who book I have yet read (and I haven’t even spoken in detail about Ashley Chapel, Anne Travers or the Gods). All the elements of the novel come together in a satisfying conclusion. Once read, the reader wishes to read it a second time in order to stumble upon yet more detail. The novel obviously had some clear aims (re-characterise Mel and the Sixth Doctor, tell a good story), which it succeeds upon. The re-characterisation of the Sixth Doctor is particularly important, as this is probably one of the first, if not the first, to fix up the Sixth Doctor’s broken character. It is partly because of Millennial Rites that the Sixth Doctor is this reviewer’s favourite Doctor. We owe this book so much. Well done Millennial Rites for telling readers a story that is not only utterly enthralling, but has helped shape the face of modern Doctor Who. Thankyou Craig Hinton.

VERDICT: 10/10

The Impossible Astronaut – Thoughts And Reminisces

The Impossible Astronaut is tonally very, very different than any other Doctor Who story ever. That is not to say that it is a bad episode, quite the opposite in fact. It’s probably one of the best new series episodes yet.

The Impossible Astronaut is really, very dark, almost pitch black. The main reason for this has to be the fact that almost the whole episode is overshadowed by the fact that the Doctor is dead. There is no get out clause. To a child, one of the comforts of watching Doctor Who is that the Doctor will always be there to fight the monsters. So, when the episode opens with a scene depicting the death of the Doctor, this episode in turn becomes increasingly dark. Also, this is how the season will likely become darker and more ominous. The fact that the Doctor isn’t always going to be there will play on the audience’s mind, regardless of his clear screen presence. That’s not to say that this is the only “dark” scene.

The Silence and what they can do are dead creepy, and very unnerving. The way that they can erase themselves from your memory, even if you turn away for a second, is very frightening. Steven Moffat obviously loves the idea, as the idea is similar to the way in which the Weeping Angels operate. The Silence are better than the Weeping Angels, though. This is due in no small part to their unique design. Taking inspiration from the painting, The Scream, they are absolutely terrifying and made this reviewer jump several times over the course of the episode. If your ever brave reviewer had to pick a scene that defined them as a race, it would no doubt be the White House restroom scene. Amy’s reactions to seeing them are terribly creepy and, just in case you were unaware of their abilities, the reactions of Joy are amazing. One moment she looks at them, she is terrified, next she looks at Amy, normal again, and so on. It’s an amazing and jaw-dropping scene that really sets the Silence up as the best ever new series monster.

But the scene that will really be remembered long after viewing is the Doctor’s death. This is a tour-de-force of a scene and is by far the standout scene of the episode. This is partly due to the way in which it is shot. The location chosen is bright and utterly beautiful, which really offsets the tone of the scene that occurs here. This incredible juxtaposition of the brightness of the location and the terribly dark mood is amazing and to my knowledge has never been seen before in the series. The effect on the viewer is massive. The location adds so much to the scene as it gives a feeling of realism. Dark things happen in beautiful locations all the time in our lives. Also this scene reflects a line from Alice in Wonderland which goes, ‘sometimes places that look safe turn our nasty (the beach) and places that look nasty turn out safe (the White House to an extent).’

The actual death comes as a significant shock to the system. It is completely unexpected and is really very sudden. The effects are magnificent, but what really sells the scene is the conviction in the performances of Karen Gillian (Amy), Arthur Darvill (Rory) and Alex Kingston (River). It is said that Karen cried real tears and it shows, making this an utterly heartwrenching scene. It is a scene of real people coming to terms with the loss of a friend and that is something extra special. This reviewer has a feeling that this scene will grow in importance as the season progresses, and more importantly, this scene will certainly go down as one of the greatest ever in Doctor Who.

The episode is not all dark, though. There is plenty of humour in the scenes set in the White House as the Doctor tries to weasel his way into the president’s good books. It is very funny watching the banter between the Doctor and River and it is one thing I am looking forward to seeing more of.

Speaking of River, this reviewer is loving how well the character is progressing. In this episode we have the chance to learn more about her and it’s wonderful to learn more about this fascinating and complex character. Her characterisation in this episode is wonderful, and her standout scene discussing her past and future with the Doctor is beautiful and very moving. I also love the way she has managed to unknowingly foreshadow her death twice so far.

But, the episode isn’t all great. I still think Rory is a bit of a third wheel on the TARDIS crew. He’s a great character, I just want to see him given a bit more to do. Canton Everett Delaware the Third is a bit of a boring character and I just can’t see why he’s there. Hopefully, he gets more to do next episode and avoids becoming a stereotype. The cliffhanger is slightly weak and after the excitement of the episode it feels as though were ending on a low point. The River and Rory part of the cliffhanger is fantastic and is very disturbing, but the Doctor and Amy aspect is a definite low ebb. Maybe a swap between the two scenes would have been more appreciated.

Overall, The Impossible Astronaut has some weak characterisation, but this is overriden by a feeling of spectacle and several wonderful scenes. It has many, many twists that left this reviewer suffering from a bit of twist fatigue and ideas that are set up here will surely appear again over course of the season. This episode will be best remembered as a change to anything that has ever appeared in the series with a much darker tone and spectacular juxtapositions caused by certain scenes. The season has opened strongly and I hope it continues on this note. Hurry up, Day of the Moon!

VERDICT: 9/10 (because I think the next episode will be even more amazing.)