Jamie Revell ( of Masters of Luck and Death)

Jamie Revell rated a book it was amazing Torchwood: Poppet by Lauren Mooney (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
After a trilogy of stories with no connection to the regular Torchwood team, the series returns to the sort of creepy supernatural tale that it often excels at. Rhys encounters a woman whose child has been abducted from school... a school that denies ...more
Feb 01, 2026 08:03AM · like · see review
Jamie Revell rated a book really liked it Doctor Who: The Quin Dilemma by Chris Chapman	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The first story in a two-volume celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Sixth Doctor's debut. While one might expect a nostalgia-fest for his TV run (and maybe that's coming up in volume two) that's not what you get here... and given how poor much ...more
Jan 30, 2026 01:38AM · like · see review
Jamie Revell rated a book really liked it Harley Quinn Vol. 3: Clown About Town by Rosy Higgins	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
In a story that's better grounded than the one in the previous volume, and that's also more coherent, Harley tries to use her skills as a psychologist to help minor villains and would-be villains avoid their self-destructive paths. She does this by t ...more
Jan 30, 2026 01:14AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Harley Quinn Vol. 3 by Rosy Higgins. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Harley Quinn Vol. 3 by Rosy Higgins <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jamie Revell rated a book really liked it Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor Adventures, Series 13: Storm of the Sea Devils by David K. Barnes	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Two stories featuring the Fourth Doctor travelling with Harry Sullivan and original character Naomi Cross. Storm of the Sea Devils The title story is a standard four-parter, featuring the eponymous ‘monsters’. Although it’s set in the “present” of the ...more
Jan 26, 2026 08:42AM · like · see review
Jamie Revell rated a book it was ok Torchwood: Oracle by Ash Darby	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This is the third part of a loose trilogy following up on the survivors of the Doctor Who story The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit. This time, it's Danny Bartock, the "ethics officer" who, in the TV story, just seems to be responsible for lookin ...more
Jan 24, 2026 09:17AM · like · see review
Jamie Revell rated a book really liked it Winter's Gifts (Rivers of London, #6.5) by Ben Aaronovitch (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This novella differs from the main series not only in it having a different protagonist, but in that it is set in America. Since the main character is American, we get her internal dialogue in the appropriate style, rather than British English. She a ...more
Jan 14, 2026 11:57AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Winter's Gifts by Ben Aaronovitch. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Winter's Gifts by Ben Aaronovitch <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jamie Revell is currently reading Network Effect (The Murderbot Diaries, #5) by Martha Wells (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 14, 2026 11:57AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Network Effect by Martha Wells. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Network Effect by Martha Wells <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jamie Revell rated a book really liked it Winter's Gifts (Rivers of London, #6.5) by Ben Aaronovitch (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
This novella differs from the main series not only in it having a different protagonist, but in that it is set in America. Since the main character is American, we get her internal dialogue in the appropriate style, rather than British English. She a ...more
Jan 14, 2026 11:39AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Winter's Gifts by Ben Aaronovitch. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Winter's Gifts by Ben Aaronovitch <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Jamie Revell rated a book really liked it Doctor Who: Star-Crossed by John Dorney	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Three loosely connected stories featuring the Ninth Doctor meeting up with River Song. Two are very strong, but the middle one just lets it down for me... and is the only reason the collection doens't get the full five stars. Swipe Right In the first s ...more
Jan 11, 2026 12:58AM · like · see review
Jamie Revell rated a book liked it Black Lightning: The Standard by Brandon Thomas (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Originally just five issues, this storyline follows on from the latest DC crossover event and thus lacks some of the background necessary to fully engage with it. It's really only that that knocks it down to three stars (and one can hardly blame Thom ...more
Jan 10, 2026 08:16AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Black Lightning by Brandon Thomas. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Black Lightning by Brandon Thomas <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

Jamie Revell rated a book it was amazing

Torchwood: Poppet
by Lauren Mooney (Goodreads Author)

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After a trilogy of stories with no connection to the regular Torchwood team, the series returns to the sort of creepy supernatural tale that it often excels at. Rhys encounters a woman whose child has been abducted from school... a school that denies ...more

Jamie Revell rated a book really liked it

Doctor Who: The Quin Dilemma
by Chris Chapman

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The first story in a two-volume celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Sixth Doctor's debut. While one might expect a nostalgia-fest for his TV run (and maybe that's coming up in volume two) that's not what you get here... and given how poor much ...more

Jamie Revell rated a book really liked it

Harley Quinn Vol. 3: Clown About Town
by Rosy Higgins

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In a story that's better grounded than the one in the previous volume, and that's also more coherent, Harley tries to use her skills as a psychologist to help minor villains and would-be villains avoid their self-destructive paths. She does this by t ...more

Jamie Revell rated a book really liked it

Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor Adventures, Series 13: Storm of the Sea Devils
by David K. Barnes

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Two stories featuring the Fourth Doctor travelling with Harry Sullivan and original character Naomi Cross.

Storm of the Sea Devils
The title story is a standard four-parter, featuring the eponymous ‘monsters’. Although it’s set in the “present” of the Two stories featuring the Fourth Doctor travelling with Harry Sullivan and original character Naomi Cross.

Storm of the Sea Devils
The title story is a standard four-parter, featuring the eponymous ‘monsters’. Although it’s set in the “present” of the 1970s, it’s unusual in that it takes place, not somewhere in the UK, but in the Sundarbans nature reserve (now a National Park) in West Bengal, just south of Calcutta. Here, the main villain is building a hotel, encountering the Sea Devils amidst the swampy forests.

Since I happened to have listened to this just four weeks after it finished airing, it’s hard not to draw comparisons with The War Between the Land and Sea. Compared with that, this is a much smaller-scale story, essentially a base-under-siege rather than a world-spanning catastrophe. Although there’s some attempt to imply a larger threat to India should things turn out badly, it feels very much local in scope. Similarly, these are the old, reptilian, version of the Sea Devils, not the amphibious water-breathing ones of the modern era. On the other hand, this, like the TV mini-series, has a female Sea Devil as the primary point of contact with the race, and there are some similarities in her personality and even some of her story.

Unusually, Harry is more the primary character here than the Doctor is, with the latter not turning up until some way into the first episode. As in other stories featuring him and Naomi, he’s toned down a little from the version on 70s TV, but still identifiably the same character, and the voice impression is solid. It continues the disjointed narrative of the two characters, incorporating their first meeting and Naomi’s first mission for UNIT; it fills in a gap, but it’s odd that they decided to do the stories so out-of-order that they ended up creating one. Still, it works, the Indian setting is a nice change, and it’s both a dramatic base under siege and a good portrayal of the Sea Devils that remains faithful to their roots while adapting their story for more modern sensibilities. 4.5 stars.

Worlds Beyond
The backup story in the collection is an hour-long two-parter, following directly on from the end of the main story. Here, the TARDIS arrives on a resort world in the hope of a relaxing holiday that is, inevitably, dashed. It’s fairly obvious how that is going to happen as soon as we’re told how the resort’s ability to provide the perfect holiday works, so that much of the story consists of waiting for the details. Then there’s a battle to reunite everyone and deal with the problem at source.

Oddly, the story’s cold open is never referenced in the story itself, so that it never goes anywhere – its only purpose appears to be to undermine some of the dialogue in the closing segment. There’s also a minor character who simply disappears partway through, which is surprising in a story that’s so short and self-contained. However, these are minor points, and otherwise, it’s a decent, if unremarkable, story that has the benefit of building further on Naomi’s backstory and even exploring some of Harry’s. 3.5 stars. ...more

Jamie Revell rated a book it was ok

Torchwood: Oracle
by Ash Darby

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This is the third part of a loose trilogy following up on the survivors of the Doctor Who story The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit. This time, it's Danny Bartock, the "ethics officer" who, in the TV story, just seems to be responsible for lookin ...more

Jamie Revell rated a book really liked it

Winter's Gifts (Rivers of London, #6.5)
by Ben Aaronovitch (Goodreads Author)

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This novella differs from the main series not only in it having a different protagonist, but in that it is set in America. Since the main character is American, we get her internal dialogue in the appropriate style, rather than British English. She a ...more

Jamie Revell is currently reading

Network Effect (The Murderbot Diaries, #5)
by Martha Wells (Goodreads Author)

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Jamie Revell rated a book really liked it

Winter's Gifts (Rivers of London, #6.5)
by Ben Aaronovitch (Goodreads Author)

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1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

This novella differs from the main series not only in it having a different protagonist, but in that it is set in America. Since the main character is American, we get her internal dialogue in the appropriate style, rather than British English. She a ...more

Jamie Revell rated a book really liked it

Doctor Who: Star-Crossed
by John Dorney

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Three loosely connected stories featuring the Ninth Doctor meeting up with River Song. Two are very strong, but the middle one just lets it down for me... and is the only reason the collection doens't get the full five stars.

Swipe Right

In the first s Three loosely connected stories featuring the Ninth Doctor meeting up with River Song. Two are very strong, but the middle one just lets it down for me... and is the only reason the collection doens't get the full five stars.

Swipe Right

In the first story, the Doctor and River independently visit a world under the tyrannical rule of, of all things, a dating app. Encountering people who have, for different reasons, fallen afoul of the app by failing to find a partner, they find themselves drawn together in their attempts to right the situation. In some respects, it’s a typical “evil computer” plot, albeit about one with an unusual modus operandi. But it’s the way that the various characters are portrayed, and especially the interaction between the Doctor and River in the face of a villain that’s trying to force them together romantically, that makes this story so effective.

One could perhaps argue that the story could have more to say about the negative side of dating apps – the gamification of romance and the enshittification of a product that relies on its users prolonging their search to maximise profits. But the latter isn’t applicable here anyway, with the moral instead pointing at one of the dangers of AI and a message that’s more about romance itself, and the different meanings it has for people. It’s great to see a story that deals with the ‘A’ part of LGBTQIA; it’s perhaps rarely seen because it’s hard to write an engaging tale about somebody not being interested in something, but this manages it through the eyes of the characters and those interacting with them. 4.5 stars.

Face of the Apocalypse

This story has some connections to the former, with a sentient AI as the villain. However, it lacks the connection to our own world that the former has – even if that story is set on a human colony hundreds of years in the future. It’s also rather confused, with something spreading River’s image throughout history and leading us from a futuristic bank to a primitive farm on an alien world. Much of the tension is supposed to come from the historical events due to occur at the farm being pivotal to a galaxy’s future. The problem is that, since it isn’t our galaxy, all of the grand mythic status that the characters are supposed to have doesn’t come across; we’re told that it’s important, but never really shown or given reason to feel it.

Once again, the story is partly about romance and how River and this version of the Doctor have such different attitudes towards one another. But it’s more of a side element here, incidental to the main plot about the rogue AI, and doesn’t leave as much room for interaction as one might want. Kingston and Ecclestone are good, certainly, but the script gives them less to work with, and what we’re left with is average, but lacking the punch of the other two stories in the collection. 3 stars.

Archipelago

The obvious problem with stories where River meets Doctors prior to Ten is explaining why he doesn’t recognise her in Silence in the Library. Big Finish have resorted to various explanations in their audios, from handwaving to illusory disguises to big Reset buttons. The first two of those wouldn’t really work here, but at least the final story makes the Reset button the main focus – it’s actually referred to as such from early on.

It sees the Doctor and River travelling into a time storm on a mission to save a man trapped at its heart, through the atmosphere of a gas giant filled with strange and hostile life. The soundscaping helps build the feeling of being trapped in a small ship in a storm and there’s a steady sense of building dread as the characters succumb to the world’s perils. But it’s the characterisation and dialogue that really shine through, aided by some top-notch acting from the leads. While there is another character for some of the story, much of this is a two-hander, allowing Ecclestone and Kingston to show off their acting chops as the script delves into their characters’ relationship. 5 stars. ...more

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Black Lightning: The Standard
by Brandon Thomas (Goodreads Author)

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Originally just five issues, this storyline follows on from the latest DC crossover event and thus lacks some of the background necessary to fully engage with it. It's really only that that knocks it down to three stars (and one can hardly blame Thom ...more

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	Masters of Luck and Death by Greg Stafford (Editor), Stephen Martin (Goodreads Author), David Dunham liked it 3.00 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 2004	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Anaxial's Roster: Creatures of the Hero Wars (Hero Wars Roleplaying Game, 1103) by Jamie Revell (Goodreads Author), Greg Stafford 3.25 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 2000	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Book of Glorious Joy liked it 3.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2011	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Kingdom of the Flamesword liked it 3.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 2012	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Book of Glorious Joy: Adventure in the Gloranthan West 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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