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Doctor Strange: Dimension War
The mind-bending original adventures of Doctor Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme, are brought to life for a new era by New York Times-bestselling author James Lovegrove.
When arrogant physician Stephen Strange lost the ability to wield a surgeon’s knife, he embarked on a path of self-reflection, mysticism and discovery. Now equipped with magical powers, he battles tirelessly to defend the Earth from arcane threats that few humans can conceive of – battling rival sorcerers, thwarting Nightmare the malevolent ruler of dreams, and daring to defy the terrifying despot of the Dark Dimension, Dormammu.
When arrogant physician Stephen Strange lost the ability to wield a surgeon’s knife, he embarked on a path of self-reflection, mysticism and discovery. Now equipped with magical powers, he battles tirelessly to defend the Earth from arcane threats that few humans can conceive of – battling rival sorcerers, thwarting Nightmare the malevolent ruler of dreams, and daring to defy the terrifying despot of the Dark Dimension, Dormammu.
304 pages, Paperback
Published August 19, 2025
8 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
James Lovegrove
152 books663 followersJames Lovegrove is the author of several acclaimed novels and books for children.
James was born on Christmas Eve 1965 and, having dabbled in writing at school, first took to it seriously while at university. A short story of his won a college competition. The prize was £15, and it had cost £18 to get the story professionally typed. This taught him a hard but necessary lesson in the harsh economic realities of a literary career.
Straight after graduating from Oxford with a degree in English Literature, James set himself the goal of getting a novel written and sold within two years. In the event, it took two months. The Hope was completed in six weeks and accepted by Macmillan a fortnight later. The seed for the idea for the novel — a world in microcosm on an ocean liner — was planted during a cross-Channel ferry journey.
James blew his modest advance for The Hope on a round-the-world trip which took him to, among other places, Thailand. His experiences there, particularly what he witnessed of the sex industry in Bangkok, provided much of the inspiration for The Foreigners.
Escardy Gap was co-written with Pete Crowther over a period of a year and a half, the two authors playing a game of creative tag, each completing a section in turn and leaving the other to carry the story on. The result has proved a cult favourite, and was voted by readers of SFX one of the top fifty SF/Fantasy novels of all time.
Days, a satire on consumerism, was shortlisted for the 1998 Arthur C. Clarke Award (losing to Mary Doria Russell’s The Sparrow). The book’s genesis most probably lies in the many visits James used to make as a child to the Oxford Street department store owned by his grandfather. It was written over a period of nine months while James was living in the north-west suburbs of Chicago.
Subsequent works have all been published to great acclaim. These include Untied Kingdom, Worldstorm, Provender Gleed, The Age Of Ra and the back-to-back double-novella Gig. James has also written for children. Wings, a short novel for reluctant readers, was short-listed for several awards, while his fantasy series for teens, The Clouded World, written under the pseudonym Jay Amory, has been translated into 7 other languages so far. A five-book series for reluctant readers, The 5 Lords Of Pain, is appearing at two-monthly intervals throughout 2010.
He also reviews fiction for the Financial Times, specialising in the Young Adult, children’s, science fiction, fantasy, horror and graphic novel genres.
Currently James resides in Eastbourne on the Sussex Coast, having moved there in August 2007 with his wife Lou, sons Monty and Theo, and cat Ozzy. He has a terrific view of the sea from his study window, which he doesn’t sit staring out at all day when he should be working. Honest.
James was born on Christmas Eve 1965 and, having dabbled in writing at school, first took to it seriously while at university. A short story of his won a college competition. The prize was £15, and it had cost £18 to get the story professionally typed. This taught him a hard but necessary lesson in the harsh economic realities of a literary career.
Straight after graduating from Oxford with a degree in English Literature, James set himself the goal of getting a novel written and sold within two years. In the event, it took two months. The Hope was completed in six weeks and accepted by Macmillan a fortnight later. The seed for the idea for the novel — a world in microcosm on an ocean liner — was planted during a cross-Channel ferry journey.
James blew his modest advance for The Hope on a round-the-world trip which took him to, among other places, Thailand. His experiences there, particularly what he witnessed of the sex industry in Bangkok, provided much of the inspiration for The Foreigners.
Escardy Gap was co-written with Pete Crowther over a period of a year and a half, the two authors playing a game of creative tag, each completing a section in turn and leaving the other to carry the story on. The result has proved a cult favourite, and was voted by readers of SFX one of the top fifty SF/Fantasy novels of all time.
Days, a satire on consumerism, was shortlisted for the 1998 Arthur C. Clarke Award (losing to Mary Doria Russell’s The Sparrow). The book’s genesis most probably lies in the many visits James used to make as a child to the Oxford Street department store owned by his grandfather. It was written over a period of nine months while James was living in the north-west suburbs of Chicago.
Subsequent works have all been published to great acclaim. These include Untied Kingdom, Worldstorm, Provender Gleed, The Age Of Ra and the back-to-back double-novella Gig. James has also written for children. Wings, a short novel for reluctant readers, was short-listed for several awards, while his fantasy series for teens, The Clouded World, written under the pseudonym Jay Amory, has been translated into 7 other languages so far. A five-book series for reluctant readers, The 5 Lords Of Pain, is appearing at two-monthly intervals throughout 2010.
He also reviews fiction for the Financial Times, specialising in the Young Adult, children’s, science fiction, fantasy, horror and graphic novel genres.
Currently James resides in Eastbourne on the Sussex Coast, having moved there in August 2007 with his wife Lou, sons Monty and Theo, and cat Ozzy. He has a terrific view of the sea from his study window, which he doesn’t sit staring out at all day when he should be working. Honest.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
April 9, 2024
Narrated by James Anderson Foster
Presented by Marvel & Dreamscape Media
Pretty mediocre, and minus points for the mumbling narrator.
This professes to be a 'creative novelisation' but it didn't seem all that creative to me. The episodes play out like a cartoon, where the bad guys are incompetent and constantly foiled.
It's Strange taking on Mordo and Nightmare again and again and it was just dull. It would have been better if there was a complete story here instead of multiple episodes. Or, inject a little more humour or something. It just needed something more.
That said, this would probably be a great book for young kids to enjoy, as it's not too dark and nothing is too complicated. Teens and pre-teens with an interest in Doctor Strange, Marvel and/or comics may find this to be an easy way to get into reading, and I can't fault it for that.
Don't recommend the audio, though, I'm afraid. I found the narrator's voice was so low that I was really struggling to make out what he was saying, even at full volume. There's also inconsistency with pace which was frustrating. Some of the characters were hard to tell apart, and others sounded more like a parody. This would honestly be an easy voice to fall asleep to, but as the narrator of this story, he wasn't working for me.
I'd recommend this one for younger readers, easily. For the general reading public this misses the mark a little, but fans of the Doctor Strange comics that inspired this novelisation may find it more entertaining.
With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC
Presented by Marvel & Dreamscape Media
Pretty mediocre, and minus points for the mumbling narrator.
This professes to be a 'creative novelisation' but it didn't seem all that creative to me. The episodes play out like a cartoon, where the bad guys are incompetent and constantly foiled.
It's Strange taking on Mordo and Nightmare again and again and it was just dull. It would have been better if there was a complete story here instead of multiple episodes. Or, inject a little more humour or something. It just needed something more.
That said, this would probably be a great book for young kids to enjoy, as it's not too dark and nothing is too complicated. Teens and pre-teens with an interest in Doctor Strange, Marvel and/or comics may find this to be an easy way to get into reading, and I can't fault it for that.
Don't recommend the audio, though, I'm afraid. I found the narrator's voice was so low that I was really struggling to make out what he was saying, even at full volume. There's also inconsistency with pace which was frustrating. Some of the characters were hard to tell apart, and others sounded more like a parody. This would honestly be an easy voice to fall asleep to, but as the narrator of this story, he wasn't working for me.
I'd recommend this one for younger readers, easily. For the general reading public this misses the mark a little, but fans of the Doctor Strange comics that inspired this novelisation may find it more entertaining.
With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC
April 4, 2024
Fans of Marvel’s Dr. Strange will be delighted to discover a series of episodic adventures featuring the Sorcerer Supreme and his entourage in James Lovegrove’s “Doctor Strange: Dimension War”. With its multiple point-of-view storytelling, the stories dispalys encounters with well-known villains, such as: Mordo, Nightmare, and Dormammu. These encounters occur in disjointed snippets, much like it happens in the comic books which focus on the same characters!
Special thanks to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, Marvel , and the editorial team for giving me the opportunity to review the ARC in audiobook format and to you, my reader, for taking the time to read this honest personal book review.
If you are interested in other of my book reviews, make sure to follow me on GoodReads! #DoctorStrangeDimensionWar #NetGalley #LifeLongLearning
Special thanks to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, Marvel , and the editorial team for giving me the opportunity to review the ARC in audiobook format and to you, my reader, for taking the time to read this honest personal book review.
If you are interested in other of my book reviews, make sure to follow me on GoodReads! #DoctorStrangeDimensionWar #NetGalley #LifeLongLearning
April 21, 2025
Coooool...
An amusing retread of Strange's origin story that leans heavily on the first run of issues co-created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. I hadn't read anything by the author previously but his mischievous British humour enlivened proceedings quite a bit, and helped turn the loathsome figure of Baron Karl Amadeus Mordo into an ever more ridiculous one, in keeping with the original vision of the character and far removed from Chiwetel Ejiofor's suave incarnation from the films.
Our Man Mordo, monologuing to an audience of one. Yet again.
Another thing this novelization accomplished was making me care about the character of Clea for the first time, enough to hope that Charlize Theron popping up at the end of Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness wasn't just a one-off.
Recommended for fans of Marvel's Strange-r elements.
May 16, 2024
I have never read any of the Marvel comics, but yes the movies have made me a fan of MCU. Everything I know about these characters is through the movies. Hence I dont think I can judge the authenticity of this novelization / retelling of initial Doctor Strange stories in comparison to the original comics. But yes, I can definitely say that its a good nostalgia to revisit characters from the first movie. There are occasional references to Avengers and hints to Spiderman multiverse which seems cute, but also bit of Marvel advertising.
This novel had a weird structure in terms of chronology and style. Initially it felt like collection of short stories presenting Dr. Strange adventures, in each of which he faces one adversary and saves earth, sort of a fast track comics.. Second half it transforms into a one big story including all the villains introduced earlier in collaboration. Also, transformation of Dr. Stephen to Doctor strange is one of the mid short story, mind it its not a flashback, its an individual story. Some reviews say this is intentional, as per original comics, maybe I cant relate to it, hence found this chronology weird.
Like all retellings if you know the original source material, it may have nothing new to offer in terms of plot and storyline. But on its own its a well executed novelization. Narration by James A Foster is excellent and the dialogue delivery and accents feels like living in the MCU.
Thank you to NetGalley, Marvel & Dreamscape Media for this Digital ARC of the audiobook of Doctor Strange: Dimension War in exchange for an honest review.
Verdict : Good read for nostalgia OR if you are new to the character of Doctor Strange.
This novel had a weird structure in terms of chronology and style. Initially it felt like collection of short stories presenting Dr. Strange adventures, in each of which he faces one adversary and saves earth, sort of a fast track comics.. Second half it transforms into a one big story including all the villains introduced earlier in collaboration. Also, transformation of Dr. Stephen to Doctor strange is one of the mid short story, mind it its not a flashback, its an individual story. Some reviews say this is intentional, as per original comics, maybe I cant relate to it, hence found this chronology weird.
Like all retellings if you know the original source material, it may have nothing new to offer in terms of plot and storyline. But on its own its a well executed novelization. Narration by James A Foster is excellent and the dialogue delivery and accents feels like living in the MCU.
Thank you to NetGalley, Marvel & Dreamscape Media for this Digital ARC of the audiobook of Doctor Strange: Dimension War in exchange for an honest review.
Verdict : Good read for nostalgia OR if you are new to the character of Doctor Strange.
April 23, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley, Marvel, Dreamscape Media, Titan Books, James Lovegrove, and James Anderson Foster (audio narrator) for the opportunity to read and listen to the audiobook of Doctor Strange: Dimension War in exchange for an honest review. With special thanks to the original comic creators Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.
Doctor Strange: Dimension War is a novelization based on some of the original Strange Tales comics. With an episodic feel, this novel is like watching a Doctor Strange mini series and is thoroughly enjoyable. James Anderson Foster makes for an excellent narrator, bringing the perfect feel to Strange's character as he goes through some dimensional misadventures (although I love the accent, he does muffle out a bit here and there).
The main premise of the novel follows Strange after he is already an established magician. The leading adversary is Dormamu, with Mordo as his henchman, along with some interactions with Nightmare. Reminiscent of some of the events of the first Doctor Strange MCU film, it was interesting to see a slightly different approach to these villains and how Strange handles them. There is also a moment where he is taken to a different universe and helps the people there before finding his way back, which was a bit off-putting, but intriguing as well, in its own right. We (the reader) even get a funny little cameo near the end.
Despite what people are saying, as a Doctor Strange fan, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This novelization could work as an intro to the character or a prose exploration of world already visited by keen fans. Getting into it a bit more than other recent Marvel books of similar nature, I found it to be a fun aspect of the Marvel novelization world.
Doctor Strange: Dimension War is a novelization based on some of the original Strange Tales comics. With an episodic feel, this novel is like watching a Doctor Strange mini series and is thoroughly enjoyable. James Anderson Foster makes for an excellent narrator, bringing the perfect feel to Strange's character as he goes through some dimensional misadventures (although I love the accent, he does muffle out a bit here and there).
The main premise of the novel follows Strange after he is already an established magician. The leading adversary is Dormamu, with Mordo as his henchman, along with some interactions with Nightmare. Reminiscent of some of the events of the first Doctor Strange MCU film, it was interesting to see a slightly different approach to these villains and how Strange handles them. There is also a moment where he is taken to a different universe and helps the people there before finding his way back, which was a bit off-putting, but intriguing as well, in its own right. We (the reader) even get a funny little cameo near the end.
Despite what people are saying, as a Doctor Strange fan, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This novelization could work as an intro to the character or a prose exploration of world already visited by keen fans. Getting into it a bit more than other recent Marvel books of similar nature, I found it to be a fun aspect of the Marvel novelization world.
June 21, 2024
I loved it. It was an easy read where I could read one chapter whenever I felt like it. It seemed to me like the sentence structure was simple, but the vocabulary was varied. The story was pretty simple overall and so were the characters but it engaged me enough to keep going with the action.
I would’ve loved to see Strange fight other villains than Dormmamu, Nightmare, and Baron Mordo, but I was okay reading of them getting thwarted over and over again because it was fun.
I liked seeing Doctor Strange’s character progression in novel form, even if it was somewhat in comic form (which I actually enjoyed because it made it a light read). It got really good maybe about midway through when all the stories came together for a longer one.
I would’ve loved to see Strange fight other villains than Dormmamu, Nightmare, and Baron Mordo, but I was okay reading of them getting thwarted over and over again because it was fun.
I liked seeing Doctor Strange’s character progression in novel form, even if it was somewhat in comic form (which I actually enjoyed because it made it a light read). It got really good maybe about midway through when all the stories came together for a longer one.
April 24, 2024
This was less of a novel than an episodic series of cobbled together battle scenes that happened to star Stephen Strange. There was no coherent plotline and Doctor Strange had no character growth or real characterization at all, which is a shame because in the comics he's very introspective and always trying to be better. This also didn't feature any particular person that Strange was trying to help, which his novelizations normally do... it was literally just "Mordo and Nightmare are Strange's biggest villains, and they continually pester him."
April 1, 2024
Repetitive somewhat, but enjoyable and a good story.
November 2, 2024
DNF'd at 22%
I think I'm just sad that this didn't grip me like I hoped it would. I think it might have if it had a plot from beginning to end, instead of being tiny plots contained in single chapters. At least in the beginning. Kind of feels like reading a Saturday morning cartoon? Which is not necessarily a bad thing, just not what I was wanting from this book.
Will give it another chance in the future without expectations!
I think I'm just sad that this didn't grip me like I hoped it would. I think it might have if it had a plot from beginning to end, instead of being tiny plots contained in single chapters. At least in the beginning. Kind of feels like reading a Saturday morning cartoon? Which is not necessarily a bad thing, just not what I was wanting from this book.
Will give it another chance in the future without expectations!
May 27, 2024
Español:
Gracias a NetGalley por proporcionarme una copia del audiolibro.
Dimension War es una colección de historias adaptadas de cómics. Como novela, la mayor decepción es que se trata solo de escenas de combates escritas como una única historia. Me gustaron y me recuerdan mucho a cómics antiguos que he leído, pero podría haber habido algo más uniendo esas escenas.
Dado que el argumento principal son escenas de combates, falta caracterización. Se da una descripción breve de cada enemigo y hay algo de contexto, por lo que lectores no familiarizados con ellos no se perderán, pero el público objetivo es claramente gente que ya conoce al Doctor Extraño y a sus enemigos.
Por último, la narración es pasable. El narrador baja mucho la voz al final de muchas palabras y eso dificulta entenderlo todo sin buenos auriculares en ambientes más ruidosos.
En general, Dimension War es una historia decente para personas ya familiarizadas con el Doctor Extraño, pero que no quieren buscar cómics viejos.
English:
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC of the audiobook.
Dimension War is a collection of stories adapted from comic books. As a novel, the main disappointment is that it is just a series of battle scenes written as one big story. I enjoyed them and they remind me a lot of the older comic book stories that I've read, but there could have been something tying them together a bit more.
Since the main plot points are battle scenes, the story lacks characterisation. We do get a brief description and contextualisation of each foe, so readers unfamiliar with them are not going to be lost, but the target audience are clearly people already familiar with Doctor Strange and his enemies.
Finally, the narration was ok-ish. The narrator lowers his voice a lot at the end of many words, which makes it a bit difficult to understand everything in noisier environments without good headphones.
All in all, Dimension War is a nice story for people who are familiar with Doctor Strange, but don't want to look for older stories in comic book form.
Gracias a NetGalley por proporcionarme una copia del audiolibro.
Dimension War es una colección de historias adaptadas de cómics. Como novela, la mayor decepción es que se trata solo de escenas de combates escritas como una única historia. Me gustaron y me recuerdan mucho a cómics antiguos que he leído, pero podría haber habido algo más uniendo esas escenas.
Dado que el argumento principal son escenas de combates, falta caracterización. Se da una descripción breve de cada enemigo y hay algo de contexto, por lo que lectores no familiarizados con ellos no se perderán, pero el público objetivo es claramente gente que ya conoce al Doctor Extraño y a sus enemigos.
Por último, la narración es pasable. El narrador baja mucho la voz al final de muchas palabras y eso dificulta entenderlo todo sin buenos auriculares en ambientes más ruidosos.
En general, Dimension War es una historia decente para personas ya familiarizadas con el Doctor Extraño, pero que no quieren buscar cómics viejos.
English:
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC of the audiobook.
Dimension War is a collection of stories adapted from comic books. As a novel, the main disappointment is that it is just a series of battle scenes written as one big story. I enjoyed them and they remind me a lot of the older comic book stories that I've read, but there could have been something tying them together a bit more.
Since the main plot points are battle scenes, the story lacks characterisation. We do get a brief description and contextualisation of each foe, so readers unfamiliar with them are not going to be lost, but the target audience are clearly people already familiar with Doctor Strange and his enemies.
Finally, the narration was ok-ish. The narrator lowers his voice a lot at the end of many words, which makes it a bit difficult to understand everything in noisier environments without good headphones.
All in all, Dimension War is a nice story for people who are familiar with Doctor Strange, but don't want to look for older stories in comic book form.
April 15, 2024
As a long time both comic and MCU lover who has never read any of the novels I was not sure what to expect going into Doctor Strange: Dimension War beyond knowing what comic arc it was a retelling of. As such I had set the bar pretty low and while this was an enjoyable novel, it still somehow didn't quite meet the bar of what I expect with a novel off one of my favorite in the comics.
While all the characters who were involved in the comics in some way played a role in this story about Doctor Strange, from Wong to Dormammu, somehow they all felt a bit flat. As if the dialogue and descriptions had not been fleshed out in advance, and each chapter or situation was being written individually of the rest of the novel. This often lead to the early stages of the novel, I would say about the first half, feeling disconnected from the chapters surrounding it. At about the half way point things started to tie together and the novel at last started to feel as if each chapter was part of a novel and not a standalone serialization of a story.
On the flip side I will add that the story held my despite me knowing, per the comics, the outcome of this story and each characters part in it. The descriptions of magic and places were well done, and the narration from the POV characters when they were just thinking to themself was decently written.
I would pick this up if you love:
- Doctor Strange
- Marvel
- Prefer a novel to Comics
- Have not already read this story in the comics
Over all a novel I would recommend to those I know who love the MCU but don't read comics as a way to learn more about the characters stories.
I received an advance review copy of this book and I am leaving this review voluntarily and all thoughts and opinions are wholly my own and unbiased.
While all the characters who were involved in the comics in some way played a role in this story about Doctor Strange, from Wong to Dormammu, somehow they all felt a bit flat. As if the dialogue and descriptions had not been fleshed out in advance, and each chapter or situation was being written individually of the rest of the novel. This often lead to the early stages of the novel, I would say about the first half, feeling disconnected from the chapters surrounding it. At about the half way point things started to tie together and the novel at last started to feel as if each chapter was part of a novel and not a standalone serialization of a story.
On the flip side I will add that the story held my despite me knowing, per the comics, the outcome of this story and each characters part in it. The descriptions of magic and places were well done, and the narration from the POV characters when they were just thinking to themself was decently written.
I would pick this up if you love:
- Doctor Strange
- Marvel
- Prefer a novel to Comics
- Have not already read this story in the comics
Over all a novel I would recommend to those I know who love the MCU but don't read comics as a way to learn more about the characters stories.
I received an advance review copy of this book and I am leaving this review voluntarily and all thoughts and opinions are wholly my own and unbiased.
June 4, 2024
Some reviewers have pointed out this feels "episodic", like a series of small adventures cobbled together as a book, rather than a single solid narrative. There's a reason for this, it is exactly that.
Dimension War is a novelization of the first several stories of Doctor Strange comics...or more precisely, his HALF of the Strange Tales comics, so yes. every chapter is basically a retelling of a single, stand alone, comic book.
Tonally, that makes this whole book a bit weird, especially if you're familiar with the source material. On the one hand, it's a good reinterpretation, with thankfully better dialogue than Stan Lee's overblown soliloquys, and the author's translation of what was once art on panel is rather good. The narrator of the audio book is professional, clear and easy to understand, and plays the different roles well with differing accents and voices.
However, this, and other Marvel books like it, are a bit of an exercise in "Why?"
You're honestly far better off just reading the source material, as this just feels like a rehashed cash grab, well done as it is. Rather than rewriting already told stories, Marvel novels need to tell original ones. I could only recommend this is the idea of retreading familiar territory in pure prose without Ditko's art sounds good, or if you just a SUPER hard Marvel fan.
*ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you!*
Dimension War is a novelization of the first several stories of Doctor Strange comics...or more precisely, his HALF of the Strange Tales comics, so yes. every chapter is basically a retelling of a single, stand alone, comic book.
Tonally, that makes this whole book a bit weird, especially if you're familiar with the source material. On the one hand, it's a good reinterpretation, with thankfully better dialogue than Stan Lee's overblown soliloquys, and the author's translation of what was once art on panel is rather good. The narrator of the audio book is professional, clear and easy to understand, and plays the different roles well with differing accents and voices.
However, this, and other Marvel books like it, are a bit of an exercise in "Why?"
You're honestly far better off just reading the source material, as this just feels like a rehashed cash grab, well done as it is. Rather than rewriting already told stories, Marvel novels need to tell original ones. I could only recommend this is the idea of retreading familiar territory in pure prose without Ditko's art sounds good, or if you just a SUPER hard Marvel fan.
*ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you!*
April 14, 2024
ARC from NetGalley:
I understand why this book is pretty divisive in the reviews, but I enjoyed this immensely.
A novelization of the first big arc of Dr. Strange comics from the 60s. Of the comics novelized here, I'd only read the Spider-Man one novelized in the epilogue but I thought that Lovegrove did an excellent job.
This particular era of Dr. Strange is very cosmic, accompanied with beautiful visuals by Steve Ditko. Turning that into the written word was not an east feat, but was deftly accomplished.
The book has a very serialized style to it, often times feeling like you are reading a cartoon show with the same villains showing up every week to get outwitted again and again. For me this wasn't a detriment as it was immensely entertaining. The back half of the book turns the story into a more focused narrative with a satisfying conclusion, leading to the earlier serialized elements coming together to form a satisfying whole.
While not for everyone, if you are a fan of goofy cosmic Marvel goodness, you'll be very happy with this one.
Kudos to Titan for continuously playing around with the novelization as a format, one of the few companies who keep the tradition alive.
I understand why this book is pretty divisive in the reviews, but I enjoyed this immensely.
A novelization of the first big arc of Dr. Strange comics from the 60s. Of the comics novelized here, I'd only read the Spider-Man one novelized in the epilogue but I thought that Lovegrove did an excellent job.
This particular era of Dr. Strange is very cosmic, accompanied with beautiful visuals by Steve Ditko. Turning that into the written word was not an east feat, but was deftly accomplished.
The book has a very serialized style to it, often times feeling like you are reading a cartoon show with the same villains showing up every week to get outwitted again and again. For me this wasn't a detriment as it was immensely entertaining. The back half of the book turns the story into a more focused narrative with a satisfying conclusion, leading to the earlier serialized elements coming together to form a satisfying whole.
While not for everyone, if you are a fan of goofy cosmic Marvel goodness, you'll be very happy with this one.
Kudos to Titan for continuously playing around with the novelization as a format, one of the few companies who keep the tradition alive.
April 12, 2024
Doctor Strange: Dimension War was not a fun read. I read the comics when I was growing up and especially enjoyed the extra-dimensional stories by Steve Ditko. I haven't seen the Benedict Cumberbatch movies but plan to, so I thought James Lovegrove's novel would be a romp. Lovegrove is a competent writer, but this book fell flat for me. It is not a real novel but a retelling of episodes from the initial run of the comic, with some exposition, without the cohesiveness of an interesting plot that the individual stories could enhance. Only toward the climax does the volume vary from the short, repetitive magical encounters to a lengthier treatment of drama in the Dark Dimension.
Lovegrove acknowledges the source as Strange Tales 110-111, 114-146 and a Spiderman Annual, nearly all the same issues collected in the Marvel Masterworks Doctor Strange Volume 1. I believe that a perusal of that volume would be a more entertaining version of the adventures of Doctor Strange. I have the kindle version and I'll be reading it soon.
Lovegrove acknowledges the source as Strange Tales 110-111, 114-146 and a Spiderman Annual, nearly all the same issues collected in the Marvel Masterworks Doctor Strange Volume 1. I believe that a perusal of that volume would be a more entertaining version of the adventures of Doctor Strange. I have the kindle version and I'll be reading it soon.
April 15, 2024
[ARC recieved via Netgalley]
Doctor Strange: Dimension War includes a story about Doctor Strange against Mordo and Dormammu. It is set before he joins the Avengers, and we get the backstory without it being an origin story.
This book didn't hit for me. I've read a few comic novelisations, and this one utilises the format change in a boring way. It still feels like a comic, trying to keep the fast action pace that just feels flat without the illustrations. Some things that are included also feel very unnecessary. One example is that Strange instantly trusts a woman because he finds her attractive, then as an afterthought, it's added that she has good vibes basically. Strange is a very perfect and flat character in this book. He used to be an arrogant asshole, and now he is so selfless and pure that all his praise comes from others. It was just boring.
For the audiobook, the narration was fine. It's just a bit slow. I rarely speed up audiobooks, and when I do, it's 1.2. I had to go 1.5 for this one.
Doctor Strange: Dimension War includes a story about Doctor Strange against Mordo and Dormammu. It is set before he joins the Avengers, and we get the backstory without it being an origin story.
This book didn't hit for me. I've read a few comic novelisations, and this one utilises the format change in a boring way. It still feels like a comic, trying to keep the fast action pace that just feels flat without the illustrations. Some things that are included also feel very unnecessary. One example is that Strange instantly trusts a woman because he finds her attractive, then as an afterthought, it's added that she has good vibes basically. Strange is a very perfect and flat character in this book. He used to be an arrogant asshole, and now he is so selfless and pure that all his praise comes from others. It was just boring.
For the audiobook, the narration was fine. It's just a bit slow. I rarely speed up audiobooks, and when I do, it's 1.2. I had to go 1.5 for this one.
November 3, 2025
I'm a long time Doctor Strange fan and was really looking forward to this book when I first learned it was coming out. That said I was very disappointed when I started to read it. I was expecting a new Doctor Strange story, much like Doctor Strange The Fate of Dreams by Devin Grayson, but it turns out it is just a novelization of the first few comics. If you've read Marvel Masterworks Doctor Strange Vol 1, then you've already covered everything in this book. The first few comics were VERY short and that shows in this book as well as chapters and stories happen really quickly and move on to the next issue of the comic. This is also the first thing I've read by James Lovegrove and, given everything else he has published, I'm sure he could have written a really good original Doctor Strange story if given the chance. I am happy to have this in my collection but disappointed to discover it is just a rehash of previous stories. If the other Marvel novels that are coming out are the same then I'll just skip all of them.
July 7, 2024
3.5 stars
One of the things I'm glad about, is the movie, Doctor Strange, gave Mordoe a more compelling motivation for his anger at Dr. Strange than the comics managed to. Here, he is just a greedy, power hungry man with a Russian accent from an ancient lineage of nobles. And Wong in the movies is far more independent and interesting than his comic book counterpart, who is mostly a background servant in the comic and this book.
We can see some of the roots of Doctor Strange, setting up a conflict between the American and the Russian, echoing the Cold War which was going on at the time the original comics came out. This story is very much in serial format, suggesting its adaptation is from the original comics, which were in such a format when the character was first introduced. It does make for slightly bumpy reading, but I still enjoyed learning more about Strange and his world.
One of the things I'm glad about, is the movie, Doctor Strange, gave Mordoe a more compelling motivation for his anger at Dr. Strange than the comics managed to. Here, he is just a greedy, power hungry man with a Russian accent from an ancient lineage of nobles. And Wong in the movies is far more independent and interesting than his comic book counterpart, who is mostly a background servant in the comic and this book.
We can see some of the roots of Doctor Strange, setting up a conflict between the American and the Russian, echoing the Cold War which was going on at the time the original comics came out. This story is very much in serial format, suggesting its adaptation is from the original comics, which were in such a format when the character was first introduced. It does make for slightly bumpy reading, but I still enjoyed learning more about Strange and his world.
April 28, 2024
4 out of 5 stars mostly because Doctor Strange is one of my favorite characters. So, maybe I’m being a little generous.
Anyway, this book really does read more like a collection of short stories, which I’m sure will take some people off guard. The dust jacket synopsis makes it seem like the story will be way more cohesive than it actually is. But it’s understandable once you consider the source material.
This book is essentially a novelization of several of Doctor Strange’s early stories. I’m talking OG stuff from the anthology title Strange Tales. They would just have a few pages to tell a whole contained story. Consequently, this book is just some lightly strung together stories that have some characters in common but no real strong unifying story.
I feel like they did a good job for what this book is. But it is VERY light on characterization. No real character development stuff at all. Everyone is pretty one-dimensional.
But I was entertained nonetheless. I hope there’s a sequel or follow-up. I’d love to read more Doctor Strange novelizations.
Anyway, this book really does read more like a collection of short stories, which I’m sure will take some people off guard. The dust jacket synopsis makes it seem like the story will be way more cohesive than it actually is. But it’s understandable once you consider the source material.
This book is essentially a novelization of several of Doctor Strange’s early stories. I’m talking OG stuff from the anthology title Strange Tales. They would just have a few pages to tell a whole contained story. Consequently, this book is just some lightly strung together stories that have some characters in common but no real strong unifying story.
I feel like they did a good job for what this book is. But it is VERY light on characterization. No real character development stuff at all. Everyone is pretty one-dimensional.
But I was entertained nonetheless. I hope there’s a sequel or follow-up. I’d love to read more Doctor Strange novelizations.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 25, 2024
This was an okay book. I'll figure out by the end if I rate it 2-stars or 3-stars. It moved at a fast pace, which is probably the best that can be said about it - I finished it in just under three days of reading. The character development seemed okay; it begins at an early point in Strange's career as a sorcerer before becoming "the Sorcerer Supreme".
Never having read the comics this book is based on, I assume the novelization is decent. It does seem excessively repetitive as most of the book is about Dr. Strange "battling"/defeating Baron Mordo and Nightmare. This was a little frustrating as there were blurbs at the start of some chapters where Strange supposedly faced off against other foes (including Loki of Asgard), and yet the author focused on Mordo and Nightmare as Strange's opponents throughout most of the book. I think I would have liked to have read some of the other adventures (battles) he faced as the whole Mordo/Nightmare back-and-forth did get a little old. I realize these stories are based on short comic stories, which is why they are so quick and somewhat devoid of "world-building", and that is fine, I guess. But it does feel like the author could have fleshed some of these chapters out a bit more, given them some more "meat" (as it were).
Also, this is the third book that features Nightmare (there was a book from the 1970s paperback series where Strange battles Nightmare, and then there was Dr. Strange: the Fate of Dreams novel from 2016). This book is better than The Fate of Dreams, on the one hand, but I also realize that might not be saying much. It's not the author's fault that Nightmare has a big focus since it is based on the Strange Tales series, but he did not need to focus on Nightmare so much if there were other story options available (same with Baron Mordo).
I know some reviewers commented on (complained about) the dialogue, but it is fitting with what Stan Lee would have written during the 60s. I don't know how much the author "interpreted and translated" what Stan the Man and Co. wrote in the comics for the novelization, but I would say the author managed to capture the essence of the lingo used in the original format.
I would say, 2.4-2.6, generously rounded up to 3 stars. It was okay; I enjoyed some of it. I got to learn more about Strange's backstory than I knew previously. I really enjoyed Strange's encounter with Eternity; that was a fun, well-written part of the book (and I liked how Eternity gave Strange a gift and said Strange would either know the right time to use this gift or he would muff it up and blow it because he was not wise enough to know when to use Eternity's gift - it was just funny how this "Supreme Deity" talked out of both sides of his/its mouth at the same time). Anyhow. While I might never read this book again, I am glad I took a chance and read it at least one time.
Never having read the comics this book is based on, I assume the novelization is decent. It does seem excessively repetitive as most of the book is about Dr. Strange "battling"/defeating Baron Mordo and Nightmare. This was a little frustrating as there were blurbs at the start of some chapters where Strange supposedly faced off against other foes (including Loki of Asgard), and yet the author focused on Mordo and Nightmare as Strange's opponents throughout most of the book. I think I would have liked to have read some of the other adventures (battles) he faced as the whole Mordo/Nightmare back-and-forth did get a little old. I realize these stories are based on short comic stories, which is why they are so quick and somewhat devoid of "world-building", and that is fine, I guess. But it does feel like the author could have fleshed some of these chapters out a bit more, given them some more "meat" (as it were).
Also, this is the third book that features Nightmare (there was a book from the 1970s paperback series where Strange battles Nightmare, and then there was Dr. Strange: the Fate of Dreams novel from 2016). This book is better than The Fate of Dreams, on the one hand, but I also realize that might not be saying much. It's not the author's fault that Nightmare has a big focus since it is based on the Strange Tales series, but he did not need to focus on Nightmare so much if there were other story options available (same with Baron Mordo).
I know some reviewers commented on (complained about) the dialogue, but it is fitting with what Stan Lee would have written during the 60s. I don't know how much the author "interpreted and translated" what Stan the Man and Co. wrote in the comics for the novelization, but I would say the author managed to capture the essence of the lingo used in the original format.
I would say, 2.4-2.6, generously rounded up to 3 stars. It was okay; I enjoyed some of it. I got to learn more about Strange's backstory than I knew previously. I really enjoyed Strange's encounter with Eternity; that was a fun, well-written part of the book (and I liked how Eternity gave Strange a gift and said Strange would either know the right time to use this gift or he would muff it up and blow it because he was not wise enough to know when to use Eternity's gift - it was just funny how this "Supreme Deity" talked out of both sides of his/its mouth at the same time). Anyhow. While I might never read this book again, I am glad I took a chance and read it at least one time.
July 31, 2024
I wondered why all this seemed so familiar until I realized that it is likely an adaption of the actual early comic books, which of course explains the episodic nature of each chapter and how it basically wraps up a mini-story. It also explains why some events are just sketched out and not dramatized in favor of concentrating on the over-arching story which involves Mordo, the Dread Dormammu, and his lovely and traitorous niece Clea.
As a bonus, the first meeting between Spider-Man and Doctor Strange is detailed in an extraneous coda that doesn't fit into the overarching story but is fun nonetheless. Lovegrove is a very talented writer and he does a good job making this adaption entertaining and readable, where in lesser hands it might have suffered.
As a bonus, the first meeting between Spider-Man and Doctor Strange is detailed in an extraneous coda that doesn't fit into the overarching story but is fun nonetheless. Lovegrove is a very talented writer and he does a good job making this adaption entertaining and readable, where in lesser hands it might have suffered.
April 21, 2024
I don't usually like to rate books I haven't finished. However, this is about as bad as it could possibly get. I knew I was entering fan fiction territory but figured it could (or should) at least be fun, possibly even better for the format. That was not to be.
The writing is horrid. The exposition is horrendous. The dialogue is bad. Literally all telling no showing. The good and bad guy are saying exactly what they're doing, why they are doing it, what that means. No subtly. No trust in the reader. But also just not compelling in the slightest.
Please save yourself the trouble and avoid this book.
The writing is horrid. The exposition is horrendous. The dialogue is bad. Literally all telling no showing. The good and bad guy are saying exactly what they're doing, why they are doing it, what that means. No subtly. No trust in the reader. But also just not compelling in the slightest.
Please save yourself the trouble and avoid this book.
April 3, 2025
Arrogant surgeon Stephen Strange with his career ruined desperately looks for a cure and finds an elderly mage, the Ancient One who seeing the good in him, teaches him magic.
His previous assistant Baron Mordo cannot forgive him for this and launches magical attacks on Doctor Strange. Strange has to protect our dimension and finds himself fighting Nightmare, a magical Freddy Kruger like character and then the more powerful Dormammu who also wants to take over Earth.
More battles ensue, magical and well as fistical, loosely following Strange's stories in the STRANGE TALES issues of Marvel comics and a meeting with Clea, Eternity and Spider-Man follows.
Quite well done.
His previous assistant Baron Mordo cannot forgive him for this and launches magical attacks on Doctor Strange. Strange has to protect our dimension and finds himself fighting Nightmare, a magical Freddy Kruger like character and then the more powerful Dormammu who also wants to take over Earth.
More battles ensue, magical and well as fistical, loosely following Strange's stories in the STRANGE TALES issues of Marvel comics and a meeting with Clea, Eternity and Spider-Man follows.
Quite well done.
May 2, 2024
Doctor Strange: Dimension War is an action packed series of adventures following Dr. Strange as he constantly battles Mordo, Nightmare, and Dormammu.
This is great for Marvel lovers who love action and battles. This follows Dr. Strange after he has been a pupil of The Ancient One for some time. With flashbacks to his life before magic this book offers a full view of the man Strange has become in relation to the man he was before. This was a fun read.
Thanks Netgalley for an ARC of the audiobook.
This is great for Marvel lovers who love action and battles. This follows Dr. Strange after he has been a pupil of The Ancient One for some time. With flashbacks to his life before magic this book offers a full view of the man Strange has become in relation to the man he was before. This was a fun read.
Thanks Netgalley for an ARC of the audiobook.
April 25, 2024
In the classic Lovegrove style, this is a highly-digestible and delightfully paced read. The format may be so episodic that it blurs the concept of novel, graphic novel, and collection of comic book issues. Most of the time, that isn't any problem, and on display are an assortment of entertaining strategies and spells wielded by the mystical hero. I would be interested to see a continuation of this Strange in further stories helmed by the author.
May 1, 2024
I do not really enjoy Strange and this story was a bit long winded, but overall it was an interesting origin story and had some interesting bad guys. If you like Dr. Strange, then you'll probably enjoy this one.
August 23, 2024
This read a lot like a cartoon. Like a cheesy 90s cartoon. Mordo is just an idiot that will get our hero "Next time" again and again. You can see the bones of Doc Strange two movies in here, but also lots of goofy cartoon stuff as well.
August 30, 2024
Novelization of classic Doctor Strange comics. A must read for any Doctor Strange fan or someone new to the world of Doctor Strange. 4.5 bookworms
February 23, 2025
One of the worst comic novels that I've ever read. I'm not expecting high art but a plot would have been nice.
August 22, 2025
Hmmm, my thoughts on this are rather scattered. I was expecting (hoping) for a deeper take than what strictly comics can provide and have to say, in that, I was let down. It is strictly as advertised: written out comics. I have no complaints, but I also have no praise. On the upside though, if you're a blind comicbook fan this would be a fantastic way to read the reference material without needing someone to describe the art. It also has none of the cheese the o.g. comic has (lol).
October 26, 2024
This audio book was fun! The narrator was amazing but I did find the story to be a little slow at times. For someone who is such an avid marvel fan, sometimes stories can become a bit repetitive and there were times this did feel that way but for the majority of the story, it was fun and fresh. I did like the fight sequences a lot and I do enjoy the magical elements quite a bit! If you are new to marvel, this is a great book to listen to! It was not a deep dive where you would get lost at all and need a lot of background to follow. All marvel level fans would enjoy!
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