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Doctor Who: Shada

by Gareth Roberts, Douglas Adams (Original Scripts)

4.21 of 5 stars 4.21 · rating details · 839 ratings · 180 reviews

The Doctor's old friend and fellow Time Lord Professor Chronotis has retired to Cambridge University - where nobody will notice if he lives for centuries. But now he needs help from the Doctor, Romana and K9. When he left Gallifrey he took with him a few little souvenirs - most of them are harmless. But one of them is extremely dangerous.

The Worshipful and Ancient Law of G...more

Hardcover, 416 pages

Published March 15th 2012 by BBC Books (first published March 1st 2012)

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Oct 11, 2012 Dan Schwent rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sf, 2012, doctor-who, confession-time

The Doctor and Romana receive a mysterious distress signal, leading them to Cambridge University, home of The Doctor's old friend and fellow Time Lord, Professor Chronotis. Chronotis inadvertantly lets a Time Lord artifact, a book entitled The Worshipful and Ancient Law of Gallifrey, pass into the hands of a clueless young student. Unfortunately, an egomanic called Skagra also has designs on the book and will do anything to get it. Can The Doctor find the book, stop Skagra's nefarious scheme, an...more The Doctor and Romana receive a mysterious distress signal, leading them to Cambridge University, home of The Doctor's old friend and fellow Time Lord, Professor Chronotis. Chronotis inadvertantly lets a Time Lord artifact, a book entitled The Worshipful and Ancient Law of Gallifrey, pass into the hands of a clueless young student. Unfortunately, an egomanic called Skagra also has designs on the book and will do anything to get it. Can The Doctor find the book, stop Skagra's nefarious scheme, and unearth the secrets of Shada?

I have a confession to make. Before getting hooked on the adventures of the eleventh Doctor and began backtracking, my only exposure to Doctor Who was on Sunday nights, waiting through Pertwee and Baker episodes for Red Dwarf to come on. I've since mended my ways.

I recently read Doctor Who: The Coming of the Terraphiles and was disappointed with it despite it having been written by Michael Moorcock. I'm happy to say that this one was loads better.

Crafted from mostly unfilmed Douglas Adams's scripts, Shada is the tale of three Time Lords against a man with a sphere capable of absorbing people's minds. Skagra, the villain, manages to be simultaneously menacing and somewhat ridiculous. From his first appearance at the Think Tank, Skagra presents a capable threat to the Doctor. The subplots involing the unspoken feeling between the grad students, Clare and Chris, as well as Professor Chronotis and his place in the secret history of the Time Lords, kept things from being The Doctor running from enemies on every other page.

The meaning of the title, Shada, is only revealed about 75% of the way through. I don't want to spoil anything but I would love to see Shada depicted in a future Doctor Who episode. I guess I'll have to settle for watching Tom Baker's run as the fourth Doctor.

The writing was very engaging. There were tastes of Adams' style throughout but without as much absurdity as the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The Guide was even mentioned once in the text. References to past and future Doctor Who episodes were littered throughout, even mentioning edible ballbearings. I loved when Roberts had the Doctor poke fun at his supposed reliance on the Sonic Screwdriver. "I'm about to not rely on it for everything again in a moment" or something to that effect.

In conclusion, Shada is everything Coming of the Terraphiles wasn't. There's plenty of the Doctor and the Sonic Screwdriver gets a fair amount of use. While there is a lot of the Doctor and companions running from enemies, there's a good amount of humor and dramatic tension as well. I wouldn't say it's a must read for Doctor Who fans but it's a lot of fun.(less)

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Nov 20, 2012 Susan Ferguson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, sci-fi, nook-owned

The unfinished television episode of Dr Who (a strike stopped taping), based on the latest script notes and intentions of Douglas Adams. Adams was not particularly happy with the script - he had a lot of things to say and ideas to work in, but could not. So Gareth Roberts took over the task. Adams did use some of the ideas in a later novel, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.
This was an enjoyable read - having seen the sections of the television show and being familiar with the fourth Docto...more

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Jun 16, 2012 Nicholas Whyte rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sf, doctor, who, signed, 4th, romana, 2012, 1204

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1924079.html[return][return][return]We've waited a long time for this, the lost novelisation of the lost Doctor Who story, brought to life from the final version of Adams' script by one of the best-placed of the current Who authors. And it is pretty damn good. Having watched both the 1992 video of the surviving parts of the original 1979 filming, and the webcast version with Paul McGann, and also read a previous fan-produced novelisation, the single most important t...more

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Jun 03, 2012 Melanie rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: DW-fans, Douglas Adams fans, people who love quirky stories

Shelves: doctor-who

Okay, some coherent thoughts ... THIS BOOK WAS BRILLIANT. Nothing really struck me as boring, silly or un-Doctor-Who-ish. I laughed, I cheered, I was excited and most important, I felt I was in the middle of the action of the book.

Gareth Roberts managed to write as funny as Adams without trying to imitate him and failing horribly. You really felt the presence of Douglas, but it was at the same moment not some bad imitation of his funniness and genius. That's no insult to Gareth Roberts, though....more

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Mar 18, 2012 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great book kept me guessing the whole time on the edge of my seat most of the time couldn't put it down once i began it the characterizations of the Doctor and Romana were perfect and interesting look at the history of timelords legends and into there nightmares and Gallifray most wanted

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Apr 11, 2013 Molly G rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, media-tie-in, science-fiction

I liked almost everything. The syntax is a solid, sensory delight. It completely realizes the wonderful settings, and has a strong, charming voice that simultaneously encompasses the original Adams but doesn't worry about trying to imitate it. It also succeeds in fixing some of the issues I had with the original story (as heard in the radioplay w. Paul McGann and the released snippets from what was filmed with Tom Baker) - as the afterword confirmed for me, things that Adams himself hadn't been...more I liked almost everything. The syntax is a solid, sensory delight. It completely realizes the wonderful settings, and has a strong, charming voice that simultaneously encompasses the original Adams but doesn't worry about trying to imitate it. It also succeeds in fixing some of the issues I had with the original story (as heard in the radioplay w. Paul McGann and the released snippets from what was filmed with Tom Baker) - as the afterword confirmed for me, things that Adams himself hadn't been thrilled with but Roberts and I are sure he would have fixed if he'd had the time. Bravo to all of that!

The thing I didn't like, that knocks it down a star for me, is the gender issue. The female characters doth protest too much (often in narrative) that they won't be relegated to 1950s gender roles, yet pretty firmly remain in them, even when they and the narration loudly declare they're breaking free (and don't). Book does not even pass the Bechdel test: when Romana and Clare are in the same place together, they're either not talking to each other directly, or the one time they do, it's about Chris and the Doctor. Which is a shame because they're both rather kickass characters—or again would be if only they'd go ahead and initiate anything ever rather than be almost entirely reactive. There are one or two exceptions, but it's a shame they are exceptions. Overall, it's frustrating to read. Similarly, why gender switch Dr. Caldera from a man to a woman, only to take her one scene away and give it to a male character? Really confusing.

One might argue that in Doctor Who, next to the Doctor himself, everyone becomes fairly reactive and delegated to lab assistant. (Though I think happily that hasn't been the case in much of New Who.) In "Shada", very confusingly and sadly, it's not just the Doctor. Clare even reflects on this—yet continues to be reactive. Sigh.

I think I'm only complaining about this so much because in this case, with this author, it seems like this situation could so easily not be the case. I didn't get this vibe from the other adaptions, even where Romana's external actions were the same.

It's a shame, really, because as I said, I liked everything else. I just found this issue disappointing and distracting for being so unnecessary.(less)

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Feb 06, 2013 Donovan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: comedy, sci-fi

What can I say...Dr Who meets The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. In all my years as a fan of both, I had no idea that Douglas Adams wrote any Dr Who episode. And now I find he wrote three. This on, Shada and two others being The Pirate Planet and City of Death.
Unfortunately Shada was not finished and the versions that were released are only dumbed-up versions. Then along comes a VERY capable man by the name of Gareth Roberts who (was hoodwinked by his capabilities, ego and love of Dr Who) wa...more

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Sep 22, 2012 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone

In the past (thank you WGBH) I had the chance to watch Dr. Who. By the time I learned of it, the programme was more than a decade old and Tom Baker was taking over the role of the Doctor. I remember thinking that the whole concept was brilliant and ludicrous in roughly equal parts. Given its small budget, the often cheesy effects were tempered by the imagination of the writers and the fun that obviously was designed in. Dr. Who was a Children’s program yes, but one that did not pamper the audien...more In the past (thank you WGBH) I had the chance to watch Dr. Who. By the time I learned of it, the programme was more than a decade old and Tom Baker was taking over the role of the Doctor. I remember thinking that the whole concept was brilliant and ludicrous in roughly equal parts. Given its small budget, the often cheesy effects were tempered by the imagination of the writers and the fun that obviously was designed in. Dr. Who was a Children’s program yes, but one that did not pamper the audience nor treat them as infants.

Fast-forward a long, long time (let’s put it this way; entire start systems have come & gone) and I have had the pleasure of seeing some of the revival episodes in DVD. With the evolution of CGI the effects are much better and the stories and acting remain quite good. Kudos to David Tenant for challenging Tom Baker as my all-time favourite Doctor.

I was just in the middle of “The Grotesque” when I saw this book beckoning me from a display stand. I knew that “Shada” had been in production when a BBC strike halted filming and snippets of it had been used in the later episode, “The Five Doctors”. Looking for something a little less somber to follow on after the uplifting prose of Mr. McGrath, I hesitated only a few milliseconds before taking it home.

“Shada” is a bit longer and more elaborate than many of the other Dr. Who novelisations. I realize that it was intended to be a 6-episode story, but the novelization is in many ways more “complete” than those of 6- or 8-parters written in the aforementioned youth of the universe. Even with the current length, it’s not a standalone story. If you know nothing about the Doctor, the era of “The Key of Time”, et cetera, then you will probably be disappointed. But only just a little. Mr. Roberts does a bang up job of filling in a lot of background in unobtrusive and easily digested ways.

As far as Doctor Who stories go, it’s pretty good. There’s the arch-villain, a genial old Cambridge professor, a pair of bright but clueless humans that get turned into Companions, Romanadvoratrelundar (aka “Romana”), and a couple of dark, dirty secrets from the Time Lord’s past. The plot has a few decent twists and turns, while the characters (as usual) are a bit overdrawn. The dialogue flow pretty well and even the megalomaniac is amusing (although how some of the nuances would have played out on screen is difficult to imagine.)

The author clearly worked to develop this into a decent book. The afterword details how he used a variety of the original scripts in order to bring the story to a more polished state. I had no idea that the original filmed version of “Shada” with additional narration by Tom Baker had been released on video. Someday it might be interesting to see how the two differ.

If you are not a fan of Dr, Who (in any incarnation) than I suspect you will consider this a mediocre effort (maybe a 3-star rating). On the other hand, those that have or do enjoy the series will admire the “missing” episode for adding to our lore. As I wrote earlier, this is a better-than-average novelisation and it was as fun as I remember the programme to be: 4 stars.

PS: The British spellings are deliberate. Just a touch of homage.

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Sep 20, 2012 Dark Matter rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shada by Gareth Roberts is a Doctor Who adventure with comedy and pathos in the best pantomime tradition. Die-hard long-term Doctor Who fans know the story of the unfinished Douglas Adams script starring Tom Baker as the Doctor and Lalla Ward as his companion Romana. The script was unfinished, shooting was rushed. Conflict on set was the last straw; this story was cancelled after some scenes were shot.

About 20 years ago hubby and I found the shot scenes with a script available for hire from a DV...more

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Jul 12, 2012 D.L. Morrese rated it 4 of 5 stars

The fourth Doctor, Romana, and K-9 answer a call from Chronotis, an aging and befuddled Time Lord, who is living out his retirement as a Cambridge professor. Unfortunately, Chronotis has forgotten why he called, although it soon becomes clear that it is for the Doctor to save the universe (again).

This time, the threat comes from Skagra, an overly ambitious fellow from the vacation planet of Dronid. He wants to be God, or the closest thing possible. To achieve this goal, he needs to absorb the mi...more The fourth Doctor, Romana, and K-9 answer a call from Chronotis, an aging and befuddled Time Lord, who is living out his retirement as a Cambridge professor. Unfortunately, Chronotis has forgotten why he called, although it soon becomes clear that it is for the Doctor to save the universe (again).

This time, the threat comes from Skagra, an overly ambitious fellow from the vacation planet of Dronid. He wants to be God, or the closest thing possible. To achieve this goal, he needs to absorb the mind of the legendary Gallifreyan criminal Salyavin who had the ability to replace or augment the minds of others with own. Salyavin, though, was reportedly placed in stasis and imprisoned thousands of years ago on the now lost and forgotten prison planet of Shada. The key to finding Shada is the book The Worshipful and Ancient Law of Gallifrey, which Professor Chronotis stole from the Time Lords’ archives and subsequently misplaced.
Got it? Good. Because that’s about as much of the plot as I’m going to try to summarize.
The story was originally written as a TV script by Douglas Adams, the late, great author of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galxay, and novelized by Gareth Roberts, a writer of other Doctor Who novels and TV scripts.

To me, the beginning sounds like Adams. See if you don’t agree.

‘At the age of five, Skagra decided emphatically that God did not exist. This revelation tends to make most people in the universe who have it react in one of two ways -- with relief or with despair. Only Skagra responded to it by thinking, Wait a second. That means there’s a situation vacant.’

Now I don’t know if Adams came up with this opening or if Roberts did, but it has a lot of Douglas Adams’ irreverent wit and whimsy. And so does the rest of the book. Now, I won’t say it reads exactly like a Douglas Adams book because it doesn’t. There are bits that do, probably because Adams wrote them as part of the script, but in other parts, the imagination is noticeably more constrained. It’s still quite good, enjoyable, and it hangs together very well. The melding of Roberts and Adams is virtually seamless.

The portrayal of the Doctor is exceptional, often sounding more like the later Doctors from the new series than the fourth Doctor from the 1970s/1980s. I don’t consider this a bad thing. (Don’t get me wrong, all of the Doctors were fun, but the new series has more polish.)
There was a certain element of nostalgia for me reading a ‘new’ Doctor Who adventure set in the 1980s featuring the Doctor’s campy, robot dog, K-9. I enjoyed it very much. I would recommend this book to all fans of Douglas Adams and Doctor Who. If you are not a fan, what’s wrong with you?
(less)

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May 07, 2013 Jason Rhodes rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is perfect.

The twists, the adventures, the characters, the conflicts, the pacing: all perfect. Douglas Adams is said to have not been really pleased or impressed with the half-filmed serial and never too upset it didn't get to exist. Reading this excellent novelization based on the absolute latest scripts, I cannot understand. There are certainly scenes that work better in a novel than they would have on Who's tiny late 70's budget, but the writing!

Adams is, of course, very good at throwin...more

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Jan 28, 2013 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a novel created from Douglas Adams' long lost TV script for Tom Baker's Doctor Who, an episode which was never filmed. The author/editor Roberts has painstakingly reviewed the old scripts and notes and pretty successfully untangled a novel out of it. I haven't read any other Doctor Who novels so I don't know how this one compares, and it's been many years since I watched a Tom Baker episode of Doctor Who. This feels pretty true to the Tom Baker Doctor I remember, and there are echoes of...more

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Jan 17, 2013 Jim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Based on the scripts of the lost episode of Doctor Who during Tom Baker's run. Well lost is a poor choice of word, it was filming but production was cut short because of a strike and never finished. Scripts were written by Douglas Adam's of Hitchhiker's Guide fame, who also wrote a couple of serials during Baker's run, the most famous one being City of Death under a different name. If you're familiar with that one then you'll recognize some of the humor in this one. This one revolves around an e...more

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Jun 30, 2012 David Brzezinski rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: doctor-who, sci-fi, time-travel

For fans of the classic Doctor Who, Shada was a story of legend, even before this novelization. Written by Douglas Adams and intended to be a six part series for Tom Baker's fourth Doctor, the series was never finished because of a strike. Some of the footage shot for the series did eventually surface as part of The Five Doctors special.

Now, thanks to Gareth Roberts, himself a veteran of the new Doctor Who series, we can finally see what this unfinished series might have looked like.

The story, i...more

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Apr 10, 2013 Stef rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, doctor-who, fantasy, fiction, mistaken-identities

I am a die hard devoted Doctor Who fan. My father used to rock me to sleep with repeats of the Tom Baker years playing on PBS. I have read almost every hardback book written about the last three doctors (and if I haven't read them yet, they are probably piled up on my bookcases). When I saw that Gareth Roberts had completed Douglas Adams' Shada I was extremely interested and excited, and purchased it right then.

Yes, you read right, Douglas Adams, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Adams. He was a...more I am a die hard devoted Doctor Who fan. My father used to rock me to sleep with repeats of the Tom Baker years playing on PBS. I have read almost every hardback book written about the last three doctors (and if I haven't read them yet, they are probably piled up on my bookcases). When I saw that Gareth Roberts had completed Douglas Adams' Shada I was extremely interested and excited, and purchased it right then.

Yes, you read right, Douglas Adams, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Adams. He was a script editor from 1978-1979, and he was brilliant. One of my favorite episodes was The Pirate Planet in the Key to Time series. He had a way of keeping the characters real, the humor fresh, and the campiness of 1970s tv actually work for the story. It's very similar to how Neil Gaiman is occasionally writing brilliant episodes for the most recent series. (The Doctor's Wife is totally wonderful, hilarious, and just the right amount of sad).

Anyways, Douglas Adams wrote the script for a grand adventure for the 4th Doctor and Romana II, but due to BBC strikes and a general feeling of incompleteness Shada was never finished. After Adams' death, Gareth Roberts got ahold of the original scripts and tried to do right by Adams and finish the story in a way he could be proud of. This book is by far the best Doctor Who novel I've ever read. Usually I consider the stories a bit like throw away episodes. They are entertaining and amusing for the 4 hours it takes me to read them, but they don't really have the substance of the books I usually read. However, this book has the depth, it has the length, its much more of a story arc than the single shot episodes are today. Single shots aren't bad, but the way seasons were designed in the 70s were as 6 episode arcs, where the characters were really well developed within a single story.

While Roberts untangled the story lines that Adams left, he managed to keep the heart of the story intact. The Doctor was my Doctor and after I remembered it was Romana II, not Romana I, I could see her in my mind's eye as well. The characters were true to themselves, and for once there was a happy ending for everyone. Villains aren't always what they seem and everyone deserves the chance to think for themselves, even if you're a spaceship programmed to adore the ground your creator walks on. Even though I'm a big fan of Doctor Who, I think that Adams and Roberts have a way of relating the story to a much broader audience than the die hard fans. The story reveals enough of the complicated history of Gallifrey, the Time-Lords, and what the Doctor is and does that you can simply enjoy the ride without any prior run in with the long running series.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book to everyone. If you like your science fiction very futuristic, very mecha, and very disillusioned, then this isn't for you. But if you enjoy whimsy, adventure, space travel, and the occasional happy ending then maybe you should give it a try.(less)

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Feb 26, 2013 John Mcpheat rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shada, as anyone reading this is likely to know, was the great lost Doctor Who story. The final story of Douglas Adam's year as script editor, location and some studio scenes were filmed, but strikes at the BBC meant it was never completed.

Now, 30 something years later, Shada has reappeared in book form, as Gareth Roberts has reinterpreted Douglas Adams' originally work.

Shada did make an appearance 20 or so years ago, on video; the surviving scenes linked together by narration from Tom Baker. I...more

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Nov 29, 2012 Lori rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012challenge, borrowed, british-authors, doctor-who-shelf

A loving tribute to Douglas Adams and Doctor Who, this is a fun read and it's great to finally get the story in full.

Mr. Roberts, you did a wonderful job. Thank you!

On becoming a god (at least in his own mind):

"At the age of five, Skagra decided emphatically that God did not exist. This revelation tends to make most people in the universe who have it react in one of two ways - with relief or with despair. Only Skagra responded to it by thinking, 'Wait a second. That means there's a situation vac

...more

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Oct 03, 2012 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, sci-fi, reviewed

This is a nice piece of memorabilia. This story was originally the final episode of one season of Doctor Who. The screenplay was written by Douglas Adams, but filming was never completed. The serial was released later with some connecting narration by Tom Baker. It was different, and would've made a good episode if it had been completed.

This novelization of Adams' script is a fun read, but if you're not a fan of the show you may not appreciate the writer's humor. The humor is similar to that of

...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Brad rated it 4 of 5 stars

Before writing The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams was a writer and script editor for Doctor Who. But he's only credited with having written a few episodes -- one of them was never broadcast.

That's because production of Shada was interrupted by a BBC strike and parts of the episode were never filmed. In the 90s Shada was released on video with actor Tom Baker (the 4th doctor) filling in the blanks through narrative. But it didn't quite do justice to the story.

And as writer Gareth...more

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Dec 17, 2012 Leah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, library-book, sci-fi

I heard about this book from a coworker and subsequently got it out from the library.
I will state two things right away: I have not seen much Classic Who, and I have only been through the Hitchhiker's Guide for the first time within the past year or so. I blame this on my upbringing (too full of other wonders, but sadly lacking in the Science Fiction department). So I come at this novel without the baggage of childhood adoration, and cannot vouch for it against those who do.
That disclaimer made,...more

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Jun 20, 2012 Iain rated it 4 of 5 stars

Those who know me know I love Douglas Adams. They also know I am a massive "Doctor Who" fan.

Many Adams fans don't know that he was the script editor for "Who" in the late 70s, and that he wrote three scripts for the series: The Pirate Planet, City of Death, and Shada. The first was imperfect but enjoyable; the second probably the finest achievement of 70s "Who". The third was shut down by industrial action at the Beeb - and Adams reportedly was quite glad. He never liked those scripts much - as...more

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Dec 16, 2012 Ron Arden rated it 4 of 5 stars

I didn't know that Douglas Adams was a script writer for Dr. Who in the 70s. This book is from one of those scripts and was finished by Gareth Roberts. Apparently they started filming the episode when Tom Baker was the Dr. but never finished it.

The story is classic Douglas Adams with a lot of wild ideas and great hilarity. The Dr and Romana get a distress call from an old Time Lord on Earth, Professor Chronotis. It turns out he is posing as a professor at the University of Cambridge. The story c...more

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Mar 21, 2012 Mel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: doctor-who, 21st-century-fiction

So when I first heard they were novelising Shada I couldn't think why. It seemed almost disrespectful to Douglas Adams and really who would be able to do it justice? Then I went and read some of the novels that Gareth Roberts had written about Doctor and Romana and knew he was exactly who should be doing this! This book was brilliant! It was hilarious. The characterisation was perfect. The first half was definitely my favourite. All the jokes about Skagra looking like a disco queen were perfect....more

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Mar 23, 2012 Chris Limb rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shada is very much a story whose reputation precedes it.

I first became aware of it in 1979 - when questioning my eight year old brother about a list of the titles of the stories in the next season of Doctor Who he'd seen when our Dad had taken him into work (at the BBC) one day. At the time the title sounded a bit odd to me. It wasn't The Horror of something or the something of Terror. I decided that he must have misread it or couldn't remember it properly, so I forgot all about it...

Within a ye...more

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Aug 16, 2012 Markt5660 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

For those that don't know, this is a novelization of the legendary "missing" episode from the Tom Baker era penned by Douglas Adams. Parts of the story were filmed before a BBC strike killed the season (one scene of which was re-used as Baker's only appearance in Doctor Who: The Five Doctors anniversary episode).

This is a pretty quick read and you can definitely see Adams elements in the story. His wit shows through at several points and some of the supporting cast would be very familiar to fan...more

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Apr 22, 2012 Stuart Douglas rated it 4 of 5 stars

'Shada' is a big budget production, with Gareth Roberts - an able prose writer but, I think, a better dramatist - bringing both bow strings to bear on Adams' script, to generally pleasing effect.

It's a book designed to appeal to the casual Who fan, the sort of people who watch the new series on telly and who know the name 'Douglas Adams' from somewhere or other. It's funny at times while a little obvious at others, clever but also occasionally clumsy and well-written but unsure if it's a Target...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Manda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Gareth Roberts did an excellent job recreating the tone and humor of Douglas Adams. There were so many wonderful quotes from all the characters. I was totally unfamiliar with the story, besides knowing some footage intended for it turned up in "The Five Doctors," so they'd be on a boat for some reason. What Shada is was a total mystery to me throughout the book. Claire and Chris's story, which Roberts seems to have added according to his author's note, was particularly cute. While this is clearl...more

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Jul 30, 2012 Cathy rated it 5 of 5 stars

I usually avoid novels based on TV series/characters or movie novelizations, but made the exception in this special case (Strictly speaking, it isn't based on the TV programme as it never aired, thanks to the BBC going on strike at the time). I'm glad I did. I was given the radio play (with Lala Ward playing Romana and Paul McGann as the Doctor) based on the script a few years ago and loved it, so was thrilled to come across the novel. Gareth Roberts did a sterling job of turning Douglas Adam's...more

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Oct 12, 2012 Ian rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: doctor-who, sci-fi

Three stars veering towards a fourth.

This book is a late novelization of a six-parter story that Douglas Adams wrote for Doctor Who, but which never got fully filmed because of a strike. Since then Shada has had a troubled history and nearly as many incarnations as the Doctor: bits of it were used in The five Doctors, Adams himself recycled some of his own ideas in Dirk Gently, then a VHS was released with the filmed bits and narration, then it was re-cast as an audiobook with the Eight Doctor,...more

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Jun 16, 2012 Adam Stone rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi, humour, doctor-who

This version of Shada has been written by Gareth Roberts based on Douglas Adam’s original scripts and it is a fully realised version of the script of the uncompleted story that is much better than the Tom Baker narrated version of the story released on BBC Video twenty years ago and the Big Finish version starring Paul McGann produced ten years ago.

This is because the whole thing now flows much better than it ever did before and makes a lot more sense as a whole piece and is a whole lot more en...more This version of Shada has been written by Gareth Roberts based on Douglas Adam’s original scripts and it is a fully realised version of the script of the uncompleted story that is much better than the Tom Baker narrated version of the story released on BBC Video twenty years ago and the Big Finish version starring Paul McGann produced ten years ago.

This is because the whole thing now flows much better than it ever did before and makes a lot more sense as a whole piece and is a whole lot more enjoyable as a result. Although the majority of the dialogue and the plot comes straight from Douglas Adam’s script what I like about this book is that Gareth Roberts does not try to ape a Douglas Adam’s style in writing this, he writes it in his own style as he did the Missing Adventures that he wrote years ago perfectly evoking the era that the story was set in.

Most impressively of all is his bringing to life of the characters from the script some of whom were little more the ciphers in the script, and also in the footage that was shot all of whom now are more believable living and breathing characters, even the smaller ones such as the people who were unlucky enough to have their minds stolen by Skagra such as the man who picked Skagra up in his car and didn’t live to tell the tale.

He also brings in a love story between Chris and Clare who feature in the story which was in no way evident in the original script but makes perfect sense, and gives Skagra a better back story and more than just a rather one note villain and we also find out a little bit more about Salyavin and the other renegade Time Lords from the early days of the Time Lords some of whom I would love to meet in further adventures.

This is very much a Douglas Adams story but Gareth Roberts has done a fine job in brining it all together and turning it into this book which I think could be enjoyed by both Doctor Who fans and fans of Douglas Adams who will find plenty of things to enjoy within its pages.

The Big Finish version of the story has its merits but this is the real deal, and I think is the most definitive version of the story that we are ever going to see.
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About Gareth Roberts

Gareth Roberts has written several Doctor Who novels (including Only Human featuring 9th & Rose), and TV scripts for Emmerdale and Randall & Hopkirk (deceased).
He also wrote the Doctor Who interactive adventure Attack of the Graske and the mobile phone Tardisodes accompanying the 2006 series.

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Doctor Who: The One Doctor (Big Finish Audio Drama, #27)

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“At the age of five, Skagra decided emphatically that God did not exist. This revelation tends to make most people in the universe who have it react in one of two ways - relief or despair. Only Skagra responded to it by thinking - 'wait a second. That means there's a situation vacant!” — 6 people liked it

“The more the merrier. Too many cooks spoil the broth of destruction.” — 1 person liked it

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Doctor Who: Shada

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