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31st out of 155 books
—
44 voters
Doctor Who: Apollo 23 (Doctor Who: New Series Adventures #37)
'For a few moments this afternoon, it rained on the moon...' An astronaut in full spacesuit appears out of thin air in a busy shopping centre. Maybe it's a publicity stunt. A photo shows a well-dressed woman in a red coat lying dead at the edge of a crater on the dark side of the moon - beside her beloved dog 'Poochie'. Maybe it's a hoax. But as the Doctor and Amy find out...more
Hardcover, 248 pages
Published
April 22nd 2010
by BBC Books
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Etant devenue complètement accro à la série Doctor Who, je n’ai pas pu passer à côté de ce premier tome! J’avoue que je misais pas mal sur ce livre car je comptais dessus pour me faire patienter jusqu’aux prochains épisodes. Malheureusement, je ressors un peu déçue de cette lecture.
Quoique un peu court, on retrouve quand même le même rythme que dans la série: aucune longueur, les actions s’enchainent et comme le dirait Jenny: on court très souvent.
On retrouve aussi les petites remarques humorist...more
Quoique un peu court, on retrouve quand même le même rythme que dans la série: aucune longueur, les actions s’enchainent et comme le dirait Jenny: on court très souvent.
On retrouve aussi les petites remarques humorist...more
Original posted October 25 2010 on my blog.
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Normally I don't purchase these kind of things: novelizations of movies, books based on television shows, etc. But I may have a tiny obsession with DW and there is such a long wait between July and the lone Christmas episode and then finally another season in April and I had a Chapters gift card and it was only $12 and I thought I would just buy one to see what it's like. The Doctor Who novels are not just book versions of the television series; they...more
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Normally I don't purchase these kind of things: novelizations of movies, books based on television shows, etc. But I may have a tiny obsession with DW and there is such a long wait between July and the lone Christmas episode and then finally another season in April and I had a Chapters gift card and it was only $12 and I thought I would just buy one to see what it's like. The Doctor Who novels are not just book versions of the television series; they...more
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It is a long time since I have read a Doctor Who book,in fact I spent my childhood years reading the old Target books which were based on actual TV episodes.I was always a bit of a nerd and all I ever wanted for Birthdays or for Christmas was Dr Who books or a dog. (I never got my dog!)I loved reading those Target books and I think they were partly responsible for my wanting to write and to become a proper writer one day.
This is one of the newer breed of Dr Who books which are not based on episo...more
Jan 06, 2012
Kerry
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Doctor Who fans looking for a light read
And so my first read for 2012 ends up being a Doctor Who novel.
I saw this on a stand at the library last week and grabbed it just as I was about to leave. It sat on the shelf with the other library books and I forgot about. I saw it there yesterday and thought I'd pick it up.
It's been a hard couple of weeks for me, with my 7 year old with ADHD at home for the summer holidays and my CFS dragging me down. I don't think I could read anything complicated if I tried. I'm slowly rereading Susan Dexter...more
I saw this on a stand at the library last week and grabbed it just as I was about to leave. It sat on the shelf with the other library books and I forgot about. I saw it there yesterday and thought I'd pick it up.
It's been a hard couple of weeks for me, with my 7 year old with ADHD at home for the summer holidays and my CFS dragging me down. I don't think I could read anything complicated if I tried. I'm slowly rereading Susan Dexter...more
1 like · like · see review
This is my first book of the year and it's already nearly the end of January! That's not a very promising start at all. My first book was a Doctor Who novel featuring the Doctor in his shiny new Eleventh incarnation. I wasn't sure how I'd enjoy it, primarily because I'm not overly sure how much I like Eleven compared to Ten. I thought this was a good one to start with because the author has written quite a few Doctor Who novels already and I've quite enjoyed the ones of his that I've read so far...more
Although I was nervous about how well the Doctor Who novelists would be able to capture the personality of the Eleventh Doctor in the new series of novels, I am happy to report that Justin Richards knows his Doctor Who, and some how knows the Eleventh Doctor. It is really easy to read "Apollo 23" because it feels like an episode of the show, with strong characterization of the main character. Amy comes across as pretty generic, but that doesn't seem so much a fault of Richards as a compliment to...more
J'ai lu cet épisode en premier sur les 3 que j'ai reçu en essayant de les trier par intérêt: d'abord celui qui avait l'air le moins intéressant pour finir par celui qui en avait le plus l'air, au vu de la couverture et de la description derrière chaque livre.
Ce livre, donc, n'était pas parti pour m'emballer:
- une histoire avec seulement Amy et le Docteur, alors qu'on a l'habitude de voir le bon Rory toujours accroché à leurs basques
- sur la Lune, donc pas au plus fort de ce que l'univers de cett...more
Ce livre, donc, n'était pas parti pour m'emballer:
- une histoire avec seulement Amy et le Docteur, alors qu'on a l'habitude de voir le bon Rory toujours accroché à leurs basques
- sur la Lune, donc pas au plus fort de ce que l'univers de cett...more
British writers who want to use “Americanisms” really should do their research. That being said, it was really my only problem with the book, and it was a very minor annoyance. Apollo 23 is a straightforward, fun sci-fi adventure with the Doctor and Amy.
The story starts out strong, with an intriguing mystery and simple but effective imagery. (view spoiler)...more
The story starts out strong, with an intriguing mystery and simple but effective imagery. (view spoiler)...more
Being a Doctor Who fanboy, I enjoyed this book.
I had no problem staying in the story when there were aspects to the plot like mind-control, secret moon bases, and even balloon-like alien creatures known as Talerians. All fine and dandy.
What always gets to me in these stories, though, are the little things. An alien race files away things using a filing system built around our alphabet and numbering system...? They speak to each other in our language...? Meh. I know it's fiction and purely enter...more
I had no problem staying in the story when there were aspects to the plot like mind-control, secret moon bases, and even balloon-like alien creatures known as Talerians. All fine and dandy.
What always gets to me in these stories, though, are the little things. An alien race files away things using a filing system built around our alphabet and numbering system...? They speak to each other in our language...? Meh. I know it's fiction and purely enter...more
Usually the first few Doctor Who books released after a change in Doctor or Companion tend to suffer from having been written when there wasn't that much available footage to base their characterisations upon in the rush to release the books around the new episodes - a prime example being "The Last Dodo" which was originally written with Rose but then changed into a Martha story. Thankfully, this isn't the case with Apollo 23 as the Doctor and Amy seem pretty spot on with the way they are portra...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I could barely finish it. No, it wasn't very good, although I did enjoy the reference to the classic episode "Frontier in Space."
If you love the Doctor, you might be able to finish it like I did. Barely.
If you love the Doctor, you might be able to finish it like I did. Barely.
A man suffocates in the park and an astronaut appears in a restaurant. The Doctor heads to the moon to find out what's going on and finds a secret moon military moon base and that the Apollo missions didn't stop at 17.
This is the first in a series of BBC books about the 11th Doctor and my first experience with the Doctor in the printed word.
Its a fast, fun read, capturing just enough of the quirkiness of the television show to make it worthwhile. The writing is quick and easy and has a pulp f...more
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1443025.html
Justin Richards has written more Doctor Who books than anyone except Terrance Dicks, and those I've read have included more hits than misses. However, this isn't one of his more memorable contributions to the quasi-canon; at first it seems like an Eleventh Doctor rehash of The Seeds of Death but in fact the resolution is much closer to The Faceless Ones. Lots of stuff thrown in here without quite gelling - quantum wormholes, aliens just happening to take...more
Justin Richards has written more Doctor Who books than anyone except Terrance Dicks, and those I've read have included more hits than misses. However, this isn't one of his more memorable contributions to the quasi-canon; at first it seems like an Eleventh Doctor rehash of The Seeds of Death but in fact the resolution is much closer to The Faceless Ones. Lots of stuff thrown in here without quite gelling - quantum wormholes, aliens just happening to take...more
2 likes · like · see review
Jul 26, 2012
Jennifer
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audiobooks,
library-loan
This was again a teeny bit slow - a good story to a set length. The opening of the story was particularly fine I thought with the two (make that three with the dog) walkers in the park suddenly turning up dead, two of them on the Moon. Add to that the sudden appearance of an astronaut in a shopping mall and my interest is definitely grabbed, along with the Doctor and Amy's.
Just when you think it is all psychology and ethics - is it right to wipe even parts of someone's brain in the cause of rend...more
Just when you think it is all psychology and ethics - is it right to wipe even parts of someone's brain in the cause of rend...more
This was a really interesting book! I'm a big fan of the Doctor Who tie-in novels and this one did not dissapoint. I chose it because of the title, as I'm a huge NASA geek and I love reading about the Apollo program. This was an intriguing story involving a base on the moon and a mystery for the Doctor to solve. I won't give away the full story, it's a great one to read. Justin Richards captures the Eleventh Doctor's voice just as well as he did for the Tenth, so well that I could hear Matt Smit...more
I love Doctor Who and this book was entertaining. My only issue was that the author was writing about Houston, TX (which is where I grew up) and got it all wrong. The book describes it as being the heart of Texas, dry, hot, and desert like. The only thing correct in that statement is the hot part. For some reason, he thinks that we launch NASA rockets from Texas as well. It would have been nice if he had done just a little bit of research. A quick Google search could have fixed that little probl...more
Aug 05, 2011
Christie Bradley
added it
Reading this book is a lot like watching the show. I think the author did an amazing job of capturing Matt Smith's portrayal of the Doctor. I will say that the plot is less complicated than that of Night of the Humans, but the story is better written and uncluttered with unnecessary words. I especially liked the larger amounts of dialogue, which helped to round out the characters as well as provide a lot of laughs. If you love the 11th Doctor, you need to read this one!
This was the first 11th Doctor novel I read and I am reviewing it from the point of view I had before reading the later stories with Rory (which made this drop down a star in comparison). 'Apollo 13' is an interesting and fun read, but a little sketchy on the Doctor's "feel" since it is so new, but still sparked with the doctor we know and love. A great read but a mere stepping stone to the Matt Smith novels that were to come.
After the success of the Apollo project, the us military has secretly been performing tests on a concept called quantum displacement, a way of instant teleportation. But the system malfunctioned and caused a citizen to be switched with an astronaut, killing the citizen. A time traveler, The Doctor, and his companion, Amy, investigate the quantum displacement device to perfect the system before anyone else dies
Jan 09, 2013
Ard
added it
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
A decent who novel, though it doesn't go out of its way to shake things up. Nothing big happens personality-wise, and the only interesting thing mentioned was the 'yellow book operation.'
The book features a tight plot and solid structure, but laughably predictable avert step of the way.
If you're a Who fan, you can enjoy Apollo 23, but you won't be blown away by it.
The book features a tight plot and solid structure, but laughably predictable avert step of the way.
If you're a Who fan, you can enjoy Apollo 23, but you won't be blown away by it.
This book is written well, so much so you can visualise it easily as an actual episode. The characterisation is perfect - though Amy could use a tiny bit of work, I guess, if I was to be brutal and truthful... but really, I found her very good. She may not have always sounded like Amy would, but she acted like she would.
As far as Doctor Who books go this one is very good.
As far as Doctor Who books go this one is very good.
Justin Richards proves once again that he can write a fun, action-packed Doctor Who adventure. He perfectly captures the eleventh Doctor and Amy, particularly in the scene where they're communicating over a system with a few seconds delay. Brilliant! It reminded me of the time displacement skit from Mystery Science Theater 3000 several years ago...and if that comparison doesn't get the the geek of the week award, I give up!
One of these enjoyale quick reads that tend to be not very memorable.
It captured the characters of Amy and the Doctor well enough, had some interesting tech and aliens and an okay adventure on a hidden moon base. A few secenes seemed a bit random and the solution very much reminded me of one of the 7st Doctor's Big Finish adventures and that's probably why I wasn't blown away by it...
It captured the characters of Amy and the Doctor well enough, had some interesting tech and aliens and an okay adventure on a hidden moon base. A few secenes seemed a bit random and the solution very much reminded me of one of the 7st Doctor's Big Finish adventures and that's probably why I wasn't blown away by it...
I've never read a Doctor Who novel before, but I picked this up on a lark. I worried that it would read like some adolescent fan fiction. But instead I was wonderfully surprised. It reminded me of the 1950s and 60s pulp sci-fi that I consumed as an adolescent.
It's quite full of the humor (should I say "humour"?) of the new Who. Take this description of the first time we see the moon base: "The whole thing looked like it had been made out of enormous egg boxes for some children's school project....more
It's quite full of the humor (should I say "humour"?) of the new Who. Take this description of the first time we see the moon base: "The whole thing looked like it had been made out of enormous egg boxes for some children's school project....more
It's a fun read for any fan of the TV series. I think my biggest concern was if the writer would keep Amy and the Doctor consistent in their characterization - which Richards does. Also, the story keeps you on your toes at a good, consistent style. I once listened to a Doctor Who audiobook which completely changed the themes and plot of being focused on Rory/Amy to what seemed to be the Doctor's plot and made the whole story feel completely different and out of place. This book balances out both...more
I read Doctor Who: Apollo 23 and thoroughly enjoyed it. The Astronaut in the burger bar was a fascinating start and the book just kept going after that and delivered.
A solid read, but more concerned with keeping a tight plot than letting loose & taking risks. A bit of a clincal read, spiced up by a strong command of the 11th Doctor & Amy. I think of it as a bit of a modern update of the 2nd Doctor story "The Moonbase"...without the pithy Cybermen.
This was the first Doctor Who book I have read with the 11th Doctor. I have to say that it didn't disappoint. I could hear the characters voices as if I were watching the show. I can't wait to read more, especially since their will be no more Doctor Who until Christmas.
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| Which of these Doctor Who books are actually good? | 1 | 5 | Aug 01, 2012 06:36am |
Justin Richards is a British writer. He has written many spin off novels based on the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, and he is Creative Director for the BBC Books range. He has also written for television, contributing to Five's soap opera Family Affairs. He is also the author of a series of crime novels for children about the Invisible Detective, and novels for older children....more
More about Justin Richards...
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