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Doctor Who 50th Anniversary E-Shorts #1-12
Doctor Who: 12 Doctors 12 Stories
Twelve bestselling authors, twelve Doctors, twelve brilliant adventures in time and space for all Doctor Who fans!
This collection features all twelve original Doctor Who eshort stories, covering each of the twelve Doctors and written by a selection of wonderful children's authors.
531 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 22, 2014
171 people are currently reading
2197 people want to read
About the author
Eoin Colfer
168 books11.9k followersEoin Colfer (pronounced Owen) was born in Wexford on the South-East coast of Ireland in 1965, where he and his four brothers were brought up by his father and mother, who were both educators.
He received his degree from Dublin University and began teaching primary school in Wexford. He has lived and worked all over the world, including Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Italy. After the publication of the Artemis Fowl novels, Eoin retired from teaching and now writes full time. He lives in Ireland with his wife and two children.
He received his degree from Dublin University and began teaching primary school in Wexford. He has lived and worked all over the world, including Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Italy. After the publication of the Artemis Fowl novels, Eoin retired from teaching and now writes full time. He lives in Ireland with his wife and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 224 reviews
January 6, 2016
Since I read the twelve stories on their individual e-book early presentations, I think that the best way to make a review of the collected anthology book will be to add links for my reviews of each story. The rating of the anthology was basically an average number based on the individual ratings of the eleven stories resulting in a general rating for the book.
This anthology is part of the 50th Anniversary celebration of the franchise of Doctor Who, and an updated edition of the one previously published, including the short story involving the Twelfth Doctor, that it was published a year later of the celebration.
This is a great choice for any kind of fan, not matter if you are a hardcore fan or somekind newbie, you will enjoy a lot this anthology. Also, the selected authors are big names in the contemporary literature.
As in almost any anthology, not all the stories were great, well, at least to my opinion, but honestly were only two stories that I didn't like them, but the other nine stories were really good and in some cases even absolutely awesome.
Links to my individual rating of each of the twelve stories:
First Doctor: A Big Hand for the Doctor by Eoin Colfer
Rating: 2 of 5
Second Doctor: The Nameless City by Michael Scott
Rating: 4 of 5
Third Doctor: The Spear of Destiny by Marcus Sedgwick
Rating: 5 of 5
Fourth Doctor: Roots of Evil by Philip Reeve
Rating: 5 of 5
Fifth Doctor: Tip of the Tongue by Patrick Ness
Rating: 1 of 5
Sixth Doctor: Something Borrowed by Richelle Mead
Rating: 5 of 5
Seventh Doctor: The Ripple Effect by Malorie Blackman
Rating: 5 of 5
Eighth Doctor: Spore by Alex Scarrow
Rating: 4 of 5
Ninth Doctor: The Beast of Babylon by Charlie Higson
Rating: 4 of 5
Tenth Doctor: The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage by Derek Landy
Rating: 5 of 5 (and easily the best story in the anthology!)
Eleventh Doctor: Nothing Hour by Neil Gaiman
Rating: 5 of 5
Twelfth Doctor: Lights Out by Holly Black
Rating: 3 of 5
This anthology is part of the 50th Anniversary celebration of the franchise of Doctor Who, and an updated edition of the one previously published, including the short story involving the Twelfth Doctor, that it was published a year later of the celebration.
This is a great choice for any kind of fan, not matter if you are a hardcore fan or somekind newbie, you will enjoy a lot this anthology. Also, the selected authors are big names in the contemporary literature.
As in almost any anthology, not all the stories were great, well, at least to my opinion, but honestly were only two stories that I didn't like them, but the other nine stories were really good and in some cases even absolutely awesome.
Links to my individual rating of each of the twelve stories:
First Doctor: A Big Hand for the Doctor by Eoin Colfer
Rating: 2 of 5
Second Doctor: The Nameless City by Michael Scott
Rating: 4 of 5
Third Doctor: The Spear of Destiny by Marcus Sedgwick
Rating: 5 of 5
Fourth Doctor: Roots of Evil by Philip Reeve
Rating: 5 of 5
Fifth Doctor: Tip of the Tongue by Patrick Ness
Rating: 1 of 5
Sixth Doctor: Something Borrowed by Richelle Mead
Rating: 5 of 5
Seventh Doctor: The Ripple Effect by Malorie Blackman
Rating: 5 of 5
Eighth Doctor: Spore by Alex Scarrow
Rating: 4 of 5
Ninth Doctor: The Beast of Babylon by Charlie Higson
Rating: 4 of 5
Tenth Doctor: The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage by Derek Landy
Rating: 5 of 5 (and easily the best story in the anthology!)
Eleventh Doctor: Nothing Hour by Neil Gaiman
Rating: 5 of 5
Twelfth Doctor: Lights Out by Holly Black
Rating: 3 of 5
March 17, 2019
Повечето хора си купуват книгата, защото са фенове на Доктор Кой, а при мен стана точно обратното- не знаех кой е този Доктор, нито съм гледала сериала, просто ме привлече книжното тяло, зачетох се...и се запалих. Самият персонаж, заедно с неговите пътешествия и преживявания, ми легна много силно на сърцето.
Това е един прекрасен омнибус, сборник от 12 истории, 12 превъплъщения на Доктора, написани от различни автори. Всеки от тях е развихрил фантазията си и ни е предложил забележителни фантастични разкази за Доктора, заедно с който преминаваме през времето и пространството, борим се с тъмнината, сблъскваме се с магичността, грижим се за различни артефакти и се реем из Вселената. И все пак кой е Доктор Кой- Пазител, Космически Пътешественик, Господар на Времето?!... Той е всичко това и още много повече. Той има желязна ръка, облечена в кадифена ръкавица; той има закачливо чувство за хумор; той проявява иронично- блага хапливост; той е камък, обвит със захарен памук; той е ту сприхав, ту уверен, дързък, смел, спокоен...и при него нещата просто се случват. За него смъртта е ново начало.
Прекрасно усещане ми донесе този сборник. И определено ще е една от книгите, които ще си препрочитам с голям кеф.
След затварянето на последната страница, ми се прииска да се кача на ТАРДИС и да попътувам заедно с Доктора. ( ТАРДИС е космическия кораб и времевата машина на Доктора и ако се чудите как изглежда, просто погледнете към корицата на книгата- синя кутия, подобно на полицейска телефонна кабина, с врата, прозорци и още нещо ☺️)
А сега, малко отзад напред, е ред и на сериалът. О, да!
Това е един прекрасен омнибус, сборник от 12 истории, 12 превъплъщения на Доктора, написани от различни автори. Всеки от тях е развихрил фантазията си и ни е предложил забележителни фантастични разкази за Доктора, заедно с който преминаваме през времето и пространството, борим се с тъмнината, сблъскваме се с магичността, грижим се за различни артефакти и се реем из Вселената. И все пак кой е Доктор Кой- Пазител, Космически Пътешественик, Господар на Времето?!... Той е всичко това и още много повече. Той има желязна ръка, облечена в кадифена ръкавица; той има закачливо чувство за хумор; той проявява иронично- блага хапливост; той е камък, обвит със захарен памук; той е ту сприхав, ту уверен, дързък, смел, спокоен...и при него нещата просто се случват. За него смъртта е ново начало.
Прекрасно усещане ми донесе този сборник. И определено ще е една от книгите, които ще си препрочитам с голям кеф.
След затварянето на последната страница, ми се прииска да се кача на ТАРДИС и да попътувам заедно с Доктора. ( ТАРДИС е космическия кораб и времевата машина на Доктора и ако се чудите как изглежда, просто погледнете към корицата на книгата- синя кутия, подобно на полицейска телефонна кабина, с врата, прозорци и още нещо ☺️)
А сега, малко отзад напред, е ред и на сериалът. О, да!
December 31, 2017
What could possibly be a more fitting activity for the last day of a year than time traveling?
In the company of 12 incarnations of Doctor Who, excitement is guaranteed, a dash of madness promised, and a reminder that, after all, the universe is not running on some complex formula of fossil fuel, but on kindness.
I have always liked Doctor Who, a peculiar man, a lonely man longing for company and affection - not least to hold up a mirror reflecting his genius – a man with a vision of a peaceful solution to intergalactic conflicts, whenever possible.
However, the underlying message of kindness never gets Sunday School moralistic, this is not a tale to raise your children by, it is only an example, which in my opinion is the reason the BBC series is till going strong and calls upon generation after generation.
The 12 authors who(!) have contributed to this book, does so with great love and respect, taking care to let the personality of the 12 incarnations shine through.
The literary quality may vary slightly between 3,5 and 5, but to a true Whovian it is a fine reading experience.
An even shorter synopsis of the lessons learned from the short stories below:
1 How The Doctor singlehandedly conquered the Soul Pirates and became the model of Peter Pan.
2 Bagpipes will shatter a Nameless City if made of glass.
3 Skíðblaðnir is really a TARDIS, SO much bigger on the inside, and The Doctor challenges the old Norse Gods.
4 How the Doctor gets to the roots of Evil
5 The Truth will always come out, young Mr. Klammenhefter
6 How futile and yet strong love can be
7 A most unexpected wrinkle in time.
8 A phonebooth in Area 51
9 How Hammurabi met The Doctor and new Zodiac signs were introduced
10 Trouble seekers in a fictional world
11 In the beginning – before the beginning was the word. And the word was “Doctor!”
12 The Icarus sacrifice, when coffee rush takes over.
In the company of 12 incarnations of Doctor Who, excitement is guaranteed, a dash of madness promised, and a reminder that, after all, the universe is not running on some complex formula of fossil fuel, but on kindness.
I have always liked Doctor Who, a peculiar man, a lonely man longing for company and affection - not least to hold up a mirror reflecting his genius – a man with a vision of a peaceful solution to intergalactic conflicts, whenever possible.
However, the underlying message of kindness never gets Sunday School moralistic, this is not a tale to raise your children by, it is only an example, which in my opinion is the reason the BBC series is till going strong and calls upon generation after generation.
The 12 authors who(!) have contributed to this book, does so with great love and respect, taking care to let the personality of the 12 incarnations shine through.
The literary quality may vary slightly between 3,5 and 5, but to a true Whovian it is a fine reading experience.
An even shorter synopsis of the lessons learned from the short stories below:
1 How The Doctor singlehandedly conquered the Soul Pirates and became the model of Peter Pan.
2 Bagpipes will shatter a Nameless City if made of glass.
3 Skíðblaðnir is really a TARDIS, SO much bigger on the inside, and The Doctor challenges the old Norse Gods.
4 How the Doctor gets to the roots of Evil
5 The Truth will always come out, young Mr. Klammenhefter
6 How futile and yet strong love can be
7 A most unexpected wrinkle in time.
8 A phonebooth in Area 51
9 How Hammurabi met The Doctor and new Zodiac signs were introduced
10 Trouble seekers in a fictional world
11 In the beginning – before the beginning was the word. And the word was “Doctor!”
12 The Icarus sacrifice, when coffee rush takes over.
February 27, 2015
These were SO.MUCH fun. Naturally, as it's a collection of short stories, I loved some more than others, but all of them were a fun adventure, even if a couple had some major writing problems.
The only story that I felt was seriously lacking was the First Doctor story. The adventure was interesting, but it was easy to tell that the story was originally intended to be for a later Doctor. The thoughts and speech patterns sound nothing like the First Doctor, Susan is MAJORLY underdeveloped, and the adventure itself is nothing like a canon First Doctor story. And the Doctor's viewpoints on humanity (given that it takes place pre-Ian and Barbara) are very out of place with what is known from the show's visual canon.
Stories that were amazing and deserving of note:
The Third Doctor: Spear of Destiny. (Jo and Three are written WONDERFULLY. And there's even a cameo appearance from the Brigadier. And Master shenanigans!)
The Sixth Doctor: Something Borrowed. (Richelle Mead was a surprisingly GREAT writer for Six. While I enjoyed Vampire Academy, I had mixed feelings about how well Mead could do with something like this. But she wrote it in first person from Peri's perspective, which is an INSPIRED choice. And she wrote Peri and her relationship with the Doctor PERFECTLY. I was SO.HAPPY. Cos Peri is in my top 3 favourite companions, and I would be pissed if anyone messed her up.)
The Seventh Doctor: The Ripple Effect. (The most pure sci-fi of all the stories. Alternate time lines and re-written histories, and Ace calling the Doctor on his prejudicial crap. What's not to love?)
The Ninth Doctor: The Beast of Babylon. (An inspired choice by Charlie Higson to set the story in between the Doctor's two attempts to convince Rose to travel with him. And Ali -- the one off companion -- as a totally open Doctor/Rose shipper stole my heart. She knew the truth of it. One adventure with Rose and the poor Ninth Doctor was already a hopelessly-in-love Time Lord. The poor boy. In addition to that, my inner history nerd was totally jumping around in happiness over the Babylonian cultural history/mythology. Booyah.)
The Tenth Doctor: The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage. (First, it's Ten and Martha on an adventure, and I can never read enough of that. Also, there were numerous references to the Second Doctor serial "The Mind Robber," which is my top 5 serials of all time. And we got wonderful little nuggets about the book series that Martha obsessed over at different parts of her life. And it was nerd heaven and WONDERFUL. I died laughing at the Twilight bit.)
The Eleventh Doctor: Nothing O'Clock. (It's Neil Gaiman and the Eleventh Doctor. No one writes Eleven as well as Gaiman, and this story is a prime example of why. Wonderfully creepy, and always reminding the reader why DW has lasted over 50 years -- he's always the smartest man in the room, even when you think he's not. God, this story had some serious atmosphere.)
The only story that I felt was seriously lacking was the First Doctor story. The adventure was interesting, but it was easy to tell that the story was originally intended to be for a later Doctor. The thoughts and speech patterns sound nothing like the First Doctor, Susan is MAJORLY underdeveloped, and the adventure itself is nothing like a canon First Doctor story. And the Doctor's viewpoints on humanity (given that it takes place pre-Ian and Barbara) are very out of place with what is known from the show's visual canon.
Stories that were amazing and deserving of note:
The Third Doctor: Spear of Destiny. (Jo and Three are written WONDERFULLY. And there's even a cameo appearance from the Brigadier. And Master shenanigans!)
The Sixth Doctor: Something Borrowed. (Richelle Mead was a surprisingly GREAT writer for Six. While I enjoyed Vampire Academy, I had mixed feelings about how well Mead could do with something like this. But she wrote it in first person from Peri's perspective, which is an INSPIRED choice. And she wrote Peri and her relationship with the Doctor PERFECTLY. I was SO.HAPPY. Cos Peri is in my top 3 favourite companions, and I would be pissed if anyone messed her up.)
The Seventh Doctor: The Ripple Effect. (The most pure sci-fi of all the stories. Alternate time lines and re-written histories, and Ace calling the Doctor on his prejudicial crap. What's not to love?)
The Ninth Doctor: The Beast of Babylon. (An inspired choice by Charlie Higson to set the story in between the Doctor's two attempts to convince Rose to travel with him. And Ali -- the one off companion -- as a totally open Doctor/Rose shipper stole my heart. She knew the truth of it. One adventure with Rose and the poor Ninth Doctor was already a hopelessly-in-love Time Lord. The poor boy. In addition to that, my inner history nerd was totally jumping around in happiness over the Babylonian cultural history/mythology. Booyah.)
The Tenth Doctor: The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage. (First, it's Ten and Martha on an adventure, and I can never read enough of that. Also, there were numerous references to the Second Doctor serial "The Mind Robber," which is my top 5 serials of all time. And we got wonderful little nuggets about the book series that Martha obsessed over at different parts of her life. And it was nerd heaven and WONDERFUL. I died laughing at the Twilight bit.)
The Eleventh Doctor: Nothing O'Clock. (It's Neil Gaiman and the Eleventh Doctor. No one writes Eleven as well as Gaiman, and this story is a prime example of why. Wonderfully creepy, and always reminding the reader why DW has lasted over 50 years -- he's always the smartest man in the room, even when you think he's not. God, this story had some serious atmosphere.)
September 11, 2018
Кой е Доктор Кой? Енигматичен космически пътешественик. Господар на Времето. Икона на британската научна фантастика. Гинес рекордьор за най-дълго продължил телевизионен сериал и най-успешна фантастика в историята на телевизията. На 23 ноември тази година Доктор Кой ще отпразнува своята 55-та годишнина, а от изд. „Студио Арт Лайн” са подготвили перфектния подарък за родните фенове. Днес ще ви представим предпремиерно „12 доктора, 12 истории” – луксозен омнибус, който ще ви даде да вкусите от десетилетията приключения през времепространствения континуум! Дванадесетте превъплъщения на Доктор Кой, изиграни от дванадесет различни актьора, характеризиращи се със свои собствени характери и чудатости. Сега те се завръщат, този път на хартия, и то с помощта на дванадесет признати писатели, сред които са култови имена като Нийл Геймън, Патрик Нес, Холи Блек, Оуън Колфър, Дерек Ланди, Филип Рийв…! Прочетете ревюто на "Книжни Криле": https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/201...
January 29, 2019
Еха! Като изключим една-две истории, написани в първо лице и малко излишно мелодраматични като за Доктора, сборникът е просто приказен! ♥️ А последната истор��я действително ме накара да си пожелая пътуване с ТАРДИС, та било то и само, за да ида до Междугалактическата Станция за Печене на Кафе!
December 26, 2019
Един от най-пренебрегваните по нашите ширини култови сериали на всички времена за междугалактическия, междувремевия и междувсякаквия доктор Кой има своят книжен посланик и на българския пазар под формата на фантастично оформения Тардис, съхранил 12 образа на вечно прераждащите се времеви пътешественици, които най-обичат да се бъркат във всички вълнички на континиума, уж за добро. Геймън, Холи Блек, Еоин Кофлър, Патрик Нес, Дерек Ланди, Майкъл Скот, Филип Рийв, Ришел Мийд и цял куп малко познати, но фантастични автори събират морно набърчени чела с една цел – да ви накарат да се влюбите в хиперактивния, скаран със стила, но не и с елегантността, всезнаещ, всесилен и всеможещ доктор, който за едно по-малко напреднало общество вероятно веднага би добил статут на бог. И успяват.
Дали ще се бори с омагьосващите сънища пирати, вдъхновили Питър Пан, или ще попадне на планета, която дава живот на всеки книжен или филмов образ, минал пред очите ви, или ще отговаря на енигматичните въпроси на извънземна форма на живот, абсорбираща света ни до ниво на първична каша, Докторът никога не спира за миг да се забърква в неприятности, и да разрешава времево-пространствените дилеми на всяко възможно измерение. Понякога се мотае из собствената ни история с не-човешки компаньони, измисляйки цял нов пантеон от отдавна забравени божества, друг път натриса човешките си приятели насред интергалактическа сватба в космическия вариант на мега – Вегас, като намира време да отвори цяла нова времева линия, в която представете си – даалеките са с характера на готини учители от детската градина.
С хора или чудовища за компания, Доктор Кой е все така самоуверен и непредубеден към броя пипала, крака или слузеста маса на другарите си. Дори, ако същите са генетично модифицирани серийни убийци в космическа база или гигантски ракообразни с изключително холеричен темперамент на майка орлица с психически отклонения. Все пак май харесва повече хората, особено като ги изпрати на разлютена планета – дърво с лоши спомени от неслучили се събития, уреди им среща със съвременниците на Один, ама обогатени с нови, поизгубени източници на електричество, или ги телепортира при родителите на Ктхулу и компания накрая на вселената. Въобще, харесва ни повече, дума да няма. И е страхотно. Кара ме да се оглеждам за синя телефонна кабинка, в която да се бухна с триста, жадна за тайните на всичко, което може да се нарече реалност за някоя форма на живот. Не пропускайте приключението, или поне прочетете за него, сънувайки го тихо.
Дали ще се бори с омагьосващите сънища пирати, вдъхновили Питър Пан, или ще попадне на планета, която дава живот на всеки книжен или филмов образ, минал пред очите ви, или ще отговаря на енигматичните въпроси на извънземна форма на живот, абсорбираща света ни до ниво на първична каша, Докторът никога не спира за миг да се забърква в неприятности, и да разрешава времево-пространствените дилеми на всяко възможно измерение. Понякога се мотае из собствената ни история с не-човешки компаньони, измисляйки цял нов пантеон от отдавна забравени божества, друг път натриса човешките си приятели насред интергалактическа сватба в космическия вариант на мега – Вегас, като намира време да отвори цяла нова времева линия, в която представете си – даалеките са с характера на готини учители от детската градина.
С хора или чудовища за компания, Доктор Кой е все така самоуверен и непредубеден към броя пипала, крака или слузеста маса на другарите си. Дори, ако същите са генетично модифицирани серийни убийци в космическа база или гигантски ракообразни с изключително холеричен темперамент на майка орлица с психически отклонения. Все пак май харесва повече хората, особено като ги изпрати на разлютена планета – дърво с лоши спомени от неслучили се събития, уреди им среща със съвременниците на Один, ама обогатени с нови, поизгубени източници на електричество, или ги телепортира при родителите на Ктхулу и компания накрая на вселената. Въобще, харесва ни повече, дума да няма. И е страхотно. Кара ме да се оглеждам за синя телефонна кабинка, в която да се бухна с триста, жадна за тайните на всичко, което може да се нарече реалност за някоя форма на живот. Не пропускайте приключението, или поне прочетете за него, сънувайки го тихо.
March 29, 2016
A nice mix of stories set in the Doctor Who universe. Some stunningly good, a couple of them ok but only one I didn't like at all.
February 6, 2017
Some of these stories would have made great episodes.
January 7, 2017
A fun book. Just like listening to a Doctor Who episode.
March 5, 2017
There are a few excellent stories here and a few not. As a big Dr. Who fan, the rest fall in between. 6 of 10 stars
December 28, 2017
"I’m very clever," said the Doctor. It was a good line, and he was determined to use it as much as possible.
One cannot have too many Doctor Who short stories! Loved reading all these little pieces and meeting all these Doctors once again - along with several companions whom I've missed dearly. Some stories affected me more than others, so those I might actually read again. I especially enjoyed the 8th Doctor's story Spore - and you honestly can't go wrong with a story like Nothing O'Clock by Neil Gaiman. The Nameless City (2nd Doctor) wasn't my cup of tea, though. Sadly.
Individual ratings
- A Big Hand for the Doctor by Eoin Colfer (4 out of 5 stars)
- The Nameless City by Michael Scott (2 out of 5 stars)
- The Spear of Destiny by Marcus Sedgwick (4 out of 5 stars)
- The Roots of Evil by Philip Reeve (3 out of 5 stars)
- Tip of the Tongue by Patrick Ness (5 out of 5 stars)
- Something Borrowed by Richelle Mead (4 out of 5 stars)
- The Ripple Effect by Malorie Blackman (5 out of 5 stars)
- Spore by Alex Scarrow (5 out of 5 stars)
- The Beast of Babylon by Charlie Higson (4 out of 5 stars)
- The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage by Derek Landy (4 out of 5 stars)
- Nothing O'Clock by Neil Gaiman (5 out of 5 stars)
- Lights Out by Holly Black (3 out of 5 stars)
March 21, 2019
Забавлявах се неимоверно много с тази книга. Разказите прекалено добре улавят характерите на всеки Доктор, увлекателни са и са много различни, точно както дванадесетте Доктора.
Има разкази на различно ниво като само за един мога да кажа, че не си струваше. Повечето са добри, но има и няколко гениални!!! Личи си че всеки автор е писал с огромно желание и много любов към героя. А майсторството на някои от авторите е просто безспорно!!! Уверих се защо съм почитател на някои, защо не ми допадат други и как по дяволите съм пропуснала трети.
Четох книгата бавно и продължително защото се наслаждавах на всеки разказ като на отделна книга/ епизод и след време ще си препрочитам някоя и друга част, просто за да поживея още малко с Доктора
Има разкази на различно ниво като само за един мога да кажа, че не си струваше. Повечето са добри, но има и няколко гениални!!! Личи си че всеки автор е писал с огромно желание и много любов към героя. А майсторството на някои от авторите е просто безспорно!!! Уверих се защо съм почитател на някои, защо не ми допадат други и как по дяволите съм пропуснала трети.
Четох книгата бавно и продължително защото се наслаждавах на всеки разказ като на отделна книга/ епизод и след време ще си препрочитам някоя и друга част, просто за да поживея още малко с Доктора
January 2, 2015
This book probably deserved 4 stars but since I'm a huge fan of Doctor Who I gave it one more just because I was thrilled to read a book about such a beloved character! The short stories get increasingly better and I have to admit it, even though I haven't watched the first series I thoroughly enjoyed reading about that time. The Time Lords were still alive and well in Gallifrey in some of the stories and you can just feel the change in the personality of different Doctors. And the companions are great as well!
Amazing book for fans!
Amazing book for fans!
January 15, 2015
I really liked some of the stories while others were not really necessary, in my opinion. However, all of them were interesting when it comes to different writing styles and also to know a little more about the Doctor and his different regenerations.
March 6, 2024
I read this for the "Written by More Than One Author" part of my 2020 reading challenge. This was really well done, a collection of short stories each featuring a different Doctor, by a different author. The stories were all well written and felt like they could easily become an episode.
May 23, 2018
Ha! So, uhm, this one took me A WHILE.
Which is kind of surprising because the stories are so short but I kind of abandoned them quite soon.
But here we are today and I finished the boxset!!
So I think this will be my first combined review of short stories, I'm just going to post the reviews I have for each book down here.
(Note: I've read these short stories over the years and didn't read them in the right order, my way of critically reading books has been altered a lot and so some stories may be rated higher than I would nowadays)
Book 1:
A big hand for the doctor
Rating: 2/5 stars
"I need an entire hand just to do up my shirt in the mornings. Humans put buttons in the most awkward places even when they are quite aware that Velcro exists."
This was ehh, I liked the whole idea of it being the origin story of Peter Pan. Other than that not that great.
I only watched one episode of the first doctor, but what I've seen I didn't feel that it was the same doctor that I read about in this short story?
It didn't really work for me and only gets the stars for the Peter Pan idea.
Book 2:
The nameless city
Rating: 2.5/5
While I thought book 1 had more problems where it clashed with the canon at least I cared for that story.
This story I really did not care for really and I was also questioning the whole thing where the timelords pretty much stole the special seeds to make the TARDIS and stuff, I don't know it was weird and I thought the story wasn't put together well. It felt like two completely different stories, the book part felt like a completely different story then when they went to the nameless city and was only tied together by a tiny plot point. Did not really care for it.
Book 3:
The spear of destiny
Rating: 3/5 stars
This was definitely more interesting then the first two,
I liked the origin story of Norse Mythology according to doctor who it was really interesting and a fun twist on it.
To be honest I didn't see the I guess sort of twist coming which was fun.
Wasn't very sure what to think of the whole spear that was used on Jesus part but I suppose they needed a plot.
Book 4:
The roots of evil
Rating: 3.5/5
The best of the first four so far, this story was actually quite interesting and fun.
The doctors character seemed to really shine through and it was enjoyable to read.
I liked how it was written like it is normally filmed, it has the same build up as an episode which was fun!
Book 5:
Tip of the tongue
Rating: 3.25/5
This was enjoyable, I loved quite a bit of Ness' work and to be honest have read way better work by him (more than this is still one of my favorite books)
It was definitely not bad but also nothing special.
Book 6:
Something borrowed
Rating: 2.75/5
To be honest I thought this story was quite predictable. Yes the villain was a surprise but the hints in the first pages weren't too subtle and so I could very fast figure out how it was going to end.
It definitely wasn't bad.
I just wasn't really intrigued either and giving it 3 stars just simply felt too high still.
Book 7:
The ripple effect
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Finally!! A story with the daleks! That absolutely made this story get extra points!
It was an interesting plot and only had no more than a handful of cheesy sentences (way less than the other ones in this series so far)
I definitely enjoyed this one.
Book 8:
Spore
Rating: 4/5 stars
This was one of the more enjoyable stories!
I was intrigued by the plot even though it may be more of the typical science fiction plots I enjoyed it a lot.
I don't really have a lot more to add though (also possibly because I'm writing this review 3 days later and it's such a short story there isn't much to remember I suppose.)
Book 9:
The beast of babylon
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Even though nine only had one season and it's been quite some time since I watched it last he was once again very vivid. I love how all these authors from these little books got the doctors very right and vivid on paper.
The story was really interesting and Ali was a very interesting character, it's nice to actually be able to read from one of the aliens minds. To see what they think and read how their thoughts lead to certain actions. Really interesting!
Book 10:
The mystery of the haunted cottage
Rating: (So I actually never rated this one? But I remember enjoying this one the most so 4.5/5 stars)
Ten was written so well, I read everything with his accent and voice it really was Ten. [weeelll.. weeell..] [did miss allons-y though]. Martha was great too, I love all Tens companions and Martha was great once again. Both of them made me laugh, the way they speak to each other.
The story is about the Doctor and Martha being trapped in a storybook Martha read when she was a kid. It’s about the troubleseekers [which kind of reminded me of Scooby doo]
You’ll find more characters like Rapunzel and Dracula with some Harry Potter scenery. It was a nice read, and for such a tiny book so well worked out. Very nice how the writer fits this whole world with plot and outcome in such a tiny book.
This book gave me a good laugh and I really enjoyed reading it.
Book 11:
Nothing o'clock
Rating: 4/5 stars
This was a really good one! I wish that this one was an episode! the story was really interesting and well written. the characters were once again very vivid and I just overall enjoyed it a lot.
Book 12:
Lights out
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Once again a great story! I liked that at one point I realized at what exact point this story would have taken place in the series and it made if feel more like it was part of the series. tho some 'scientist' parts were a bit confusing to me it was all cleared up at the end of the story. very enjoyable.
Total rating: 3.3 stars
Which is kind of surprising because the stories are so short but I kind of abandoned them quite soon.
But here we are today and I finished the boxset!!
So I think this will be my first combined review of short stories, I'm just going to post the reviews I have for each book down here.
(Note: I've read these short stories over the years and didn't read them in the right order, my way of critically reading books has been altered a lot and so some stories may be rated higher than I would nowadays)
Book 1:
A big hand for the doctor
Rating: 2/5 stars
"I need an entire hand just to do up my shirt in the mornings. Humans put buttons in the most awkward places even when they are quite aware that Velcro exists."
This was ehh, I liked the whole idea of it being the origin story of Peter Pan. Other than that not that great.
I only watched one episode of the first doctor, but what I've seen I didn't feel that it was the same doctor that I read about in this short story?
It didn't really work for me and only gets the stars for the Peter Pan idea.
Book 2:
The nameless city
Rating: 2.5/5
While I thought book 1 had more problems where it clashed with the canon at least I cared for that story.
This story I really did not care for really and I was also questioning the whole thing where the timelords pretty much stole the special seeds to make the TARDIS and stuff, I don't know it was weird and I thought the story wasn't put together well. It felt like two completely different stories, the book part felt like a completely different story then when they went to the nameless city and was only tied together by a tiny plot point. Did not really care for it.
Book 3:
The spear of destiny
Rating: 3/5 stars
This was definitely more interesting then the first two,
I liked the origin story of Norse Mythology according to doctor who it was really interesting and a fun twist on it.
To be honest I didn't see the I guess sort of twist coming which was fun.
Wasn't very sure what to think of the whole spear that was used on Jesus part but I suppose they needed a plot.
Book 4:
The roots of evil
Rating: 3.5/5
The best of the first four so far, this story was actually quite interesting and fun.
The doctors character seemed to really shine through and it was enjoyable to read.
I liked how it was written like it is normally filmed, it has the same build up as an episode which was fun!
Book 5:
Tip of the tongue
Rating: 3.25/5
This was enjoyable, I loved quite a bit of Ness' work and to be honest have read way better work by him (more than this is still one of my favorite books)
It was definitely not bad but also nothing special.
Book 6:
Something borrowed
Rating: 2.75/5
To be honest I thought this story was quite predictable. Yes the villain was a surprise but the hints in the first pages weren't too subtle and so I could very fast figure out how it was going to end.
It definitely wasn't bad.
I just wasn't really intrigued either and giving it 3 stars just simply felt too high still.
Book 7:
The ripple effect
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Finally!! A story with the daleks! That absolutely made this story get extra points!
It was an interesting plot and only had no more than a handful of cheesy sentences (way less than the other ones in this series so far)
I definitely enjoyed this one.
Book 8:
Spore
Rating: 4/5 stars
This was one of the more enjoyable stories!
I was intrigued by the plot even though it may be more of the typical science fiction plots I enjoyed it a lot.
I don't really have a lot more to add though (also possibly because I'm writing this review 3 days later and it's such a short story there isn't much to remember I suppose.)
Book 9:
The beast of babylon
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Even though nine only had one season and it's been quite some time since I watched it last he was once again very vivid. I love how all these authors from these little books got the doctors very right and vivid on paper.
The story was really interesting and Ali was a very interesting character, it's nice to actually be able to read from one of the aliens minds. To see what they think and read how their thoughts lead to certain actions. Really interesting!
Book 10:
The mystery of the haunted cottage
Rating: (So I actually never rated this one? But I remember enjoying this one the most so 4.5/5 stars)
Ten was written so well, I read everything with his accent and voice it really was Ten. [weeelll.. weeell..] [did miss allons-y though]. Martha was great too, I love all Tens companions and Martha was great once again. Both of them made me laugh, the way they speak to each other.
The story is about the Doctor and Martha being trapped in a storybook Martha read when she was a kid. It’s about the troubleseekers [which kind of reminded me of Scooby doo]
You’ll find more characters like Rapunzel and Dracula with some Harry Potter scenery. It was a nice read, and for such a tiny book so well worked out. Very nice how the writer fits this whole world with plot and outcome in such a tiny book.
This book gave me a good laugh and I really enjoyed reading it.
Book 11:
Nothing o'clock
Rating: 4/5 stars
This was a really good one! I wish that this one was an episode! the story was really interesting and well written. the characters were once again very vivid and I just overall enjoyed it a lot.
Book 12:
Lights out
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Once again a great story! I liked that at one point I realized at what exact point this story would have taken place in the series and it made if feel more like it was part of the series. tho some 'scientist' parts were a bit confusing to me it was all cleared up at the end of the story. very enjoyable.
Total rating: 3.3 stars
September 23, 2016
My full review for all of the stories can be found on my book blog The Book Challengers HERE, but if you aren't interested in clicking and reading, then I'll leave with you this quote from Eleven alone (a conversation between Eleven and Amy):
"Were you always like this?"
"Like what?"
"A madman. With a time machine."
"Oh, no. It took ages until I got a time machine."
August 10, 2015
Even though some of the stories were definitely stronger than others… This anthology of Doctor Who short stories excelled in almost every way. Original ideas, with the new, characters (and old ones as well) I've happily read through, hating it every time I had to put it down.
March 11, 2024
A wonderful little collection for Doctor Who fans. A few of the stories are 4 star level fantasy. Read altogether, each Doctor’s voice is represented well and it’s fun going through different genres and influences. The various authors are able to make allusions to broader literature and history as well as add in Easter Eggs from the show.
February 9, 2015
Twelve fantastic authors come together to tell twelve original Doctor Who short stories - each one featuring an incarnation of the Doctor.
I was so excited when I saw this on the new shelf at my local library - I ran right over and snatched it up before anyone else got the same idea! Although there are so many great authors participating in this collection, I only wanted to read the stories to go along with the new era of the show (9th-12th). I am interested in the classic era, but I would like to have a greater sense of the character's voice and tone - like I do for Eccleston's, Tennant's, and Smith's (I haven't seen any of Capaldi's episodes yet, but I will soon). I'd like to have a greater familiarity with the previous actors in the part before I look into their stories.
I read "The Ninth Doctor: The Beast of Babylon" by Charlie Higson, "The Tenth Doctor: The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage" by Derek Landy, "The Eleventh Doctor: Nothing O'Clock" by Neil Gaiman, and "The Twelfth Doctor: Lights Out" by Holly Black (even though I'm not yet familiar with Capaldi's performance I wanted to read this since I like Holly Black and I will hopefully be watching the series eight soon). Each story was very good on it's own, but my two favorites were "Nothing O'Clock" (with Amy) and "The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage" (with Martha). I would love to see tv adaptations of both of these! "Nothing O'Clock" is super creepy and it's written by one of my favorite authors (and sometime writer for Doctor Who) - the Kin would be great villains to see on screen. "The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage" has a brilliant concept - the Doctor and Martha find themselves in recreated worlds of different books.
In regards to "The Beast of Babylon", the 9th Doctor's story, it's also quite good and is set between the time when the Doctor first asks Rose to travel the universe with him and that the TARDIS can also travel in time. This is a side adventure with a non-human companion where he realizes he should ask Rose one more time. The 12th Doctor's story, "Lights Out", features the Doctor on a mission to get Clara a really good coffee at the International Coffee Roasting Station, but he gets mixed up in a murder mystery alongside one of the roasted coffee bean shippers. Both of these were good, but I did prefer the 11th and 10th (Tennant is my personal favorite) Doctor's stories.
Of the four stories I read from this collection, each author really gets the Doctor's tone and his known companions (Martha and Amy, in this case) down pat. I really enjoyed reading them and in the future I'm looking forward to checking out the previous Doctors' stories (when I'm more familiar with them, anyway). I also can't wait to watch the eighth series with Peter Capaldi!
I was so excited when I saw this on the new shelf at my local library - I ran right over and snatched it up before anyone else got the same idea! Although there are so many great authors participating in this collection, I only wanted to read the stories to go along with the new era of the show (9th-12th). I am interested in the classic era, but I would like to have a greater sense of the character's voice and tone - like I do for Eccleston's, Tennant's, and Smith's (I haven't seen any of Capaldi's episodes yet, but I will soon). I'd like to have a greater familiarity with the previous actors in the part before I look into their stories.
I read "The Ninth Doctor: The Beast of Babylon" by Charlie Higson, "The Tenth Doctor: The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage" by Derek Landy, "The Eleventh Doctor: Nothing O'Clock" by Neil Gaiman, and "The Twelfth Doctor: Lights Out" by Holly Black (even though I'm not yet familiar with Capaldi's performance I wanted to read this since I like Holly Black and I will hopefully be watching the series eight soon). Each story was very good on it's own, but my two favorites were "Nothing O'Clock" (with Amy) and "The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage" (with Martha). I would love to see tv adaptations of both of these! "Nothing O'Clock" is super creepy and it's written by one of my favorite authors (and sometime writer for Doctor Who) - the Kin would be great villains to see on screen. "The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage" has a brilliant concept - the Doctor and Martha find themselves in recreated worlds of different books.
In regards to "The Beast of Babylon", the 9th Doctor's story, it's also quite good and is set between the time when the Doctor first asks Rose to travel the universe with him and that the TARDIS can also travel in time. This is a side adventure with a non-human companion where he realizes he should ask Rose one more time. The 12th Doctor's story, "Lights Out", features the Doctor on a mission to get Clara a really good coffee at the International Coffee Roasting Station, but he gets mixed up in a murder mystery alongside one of the roasted coffee bean shippers. Both of these were good, but I did prefer the 11th and 10th (Tennant is my personal favorite) Doctor's stories.
Of the four stories I read from this collection, each author really gets the Doctor's tone and his known companions (Martha and Amy, in this case) down pat. I really enjoyed reading them and in the future I'm looking forward to checking out the previous Doctors' stories (when I'm more familiar with them, anyway). I also can't wait to watch the eighth series with Peter Capaldi!
May 25, 2016
Reviewing short story collections is the worst because you either go into way too much detail about each selection so that nobody would ever want to read it, or you give an overall assessment of the entire collection that doesn't really get to the meat of anything. I'll take the middle path.
These were mostly pretty good. Not all of them, but the strong ones stood out more than the weak ones did. I listened to the audiobook mostly at the gym, so I didn't do a good job of keeping track of who wrote or narrated which story and which were the best ones. I do remember that Neil Gaiman's was among the best. I also rather enjoyed the 9th Doctor story because it made me wistful about Rose.
This collection also gave me renewed respect for Holly Black. I was previously only familiar with her young adult faerie stories, which are good but I'm not 12. Her contribution to this collection was probably the best story of the bunch, pushing but not breaking past the acceptable range of the melodramatic spectrum. She got the Peter Capaldi doctor, and she captured his gruff horribleness really well. The narrator too. It was firmly mature, but she threw in her trademark lightness with an amusing reverence for good coffee.
You'll like it.
These were mostly pretty good. Not all of them, but the strong ones stood out more than the weak ones did. I listened to the audiobook mostly at the gym, so I didn't do a good job of keeping track of who wrote or narrated which story and which were the best ones. I do remember that Neil Gaiman's was among the best. I also rather enjoyed the 9th Doctor story because it made me wistful about Rose.
This collection also gave me renewed respect for Holly Black. I was previously only familiar with her young adult faerie stories, which are good but I'm not 12. Her contribution to this collection was probably the best story of the bunch, pushing but not breaking past the acceptable range of the melodramatic spectrum. She got the Peter Capaldi doctor, and she captured his gruff horribleness really well. The narrator too. It was firmly mature, but she threw in her trademark lightness with an amusing reverence for good coffee.
You'll like it.
September 26, 2015
This book has definitely become a favourite and comfort read. It rejuvenated my love for Doctor with wonderfully consistent writing, interesting stories and purposeful and thought provoking characters. A must read for any whovian (and a sure way to make you question having a favourite doctor because of how fantastic they all are)
August 5, 2020
So having little to no knowledge of most of the doctors, i feel like i was in a pretty good position to be unbiased and see exactly how i feel about the different doctors and their mannerisms. the only doctors i had seen any episodes at the time of reading were the 1st, 11th, and 12th. and from reading these, i have to say, i definitely have more of a feeling of how they behave. some more than others.
As they're mini stories, it's much easier to read as you don't have invest 300+ pages on a doctor who you have no idea if you'd like. But long story short, here's what i thought of each doctor's story
1st: I enjoyed it. I didn't expect to see hartnell's doctor doing some peter pan cane fighting, but it was very entertaining. also i like eoin's writing style as i like artemis fowl. the 1st is also my favorite doctor so it was fun overall
2nd: i know hardly anything about doctor #2, but his story was interesting. the necronomicon and glass bad guys along with his kilt wearing companion was pretty fun.
3rd: it was an average story with an average payoff. i didn't dislike it by any means, but it just felt very average. although the 3rd doctor personality wise is still fun.
4th: the story of the tree planet was interesting, and the doctor was okay. the only thing i didn't like about it was how i felt like there were references i was missing. except it turned out there wasn't. that was just strange.
5th: the 5th doctor was barely in this one. he cameoed. that's about it. the actual story wasn't very good. masks that make people tell the truth. he takes the masks away from people. the end. wow. exciting. i wish it had more of him as he seems like he'd be a fun doctor to learn about.
6th: this plot has been done to DEATH. evil person wants to marry someone for an evil purpose and good person has to stop the wedding. the 6th doctor was fine and i didn't have an issue with the characterization, but when the premise for your story was even done in GUMMI BEARS, then maybe you need to come up with a different plot.
7th: this was by far the worst of the stories. They end up in an alternate universe where dalaks are good and ALL the doctor does is complain and whine about how dalaks can't ever be good and this is wrong and blah blah blah. I was actually kind of annoyed and disgusted with the doc in this one. Unlike the 5th, it actually had a plot, but the doctor was so whiny it ruined the mildly interesting story.
8th: I enjoyed the mannerisms of the doctor in this one. i want to get to know him more, but the story itself wasn't very good. it's like every "unknown slime thing killing everyone in a town" premise. didn't really care for the story, but i liked this doctor.
9th: Honestly, the only reason this one got me mad was because the companion in this one was actually way better than the actual companion he travels around with in the show (since reading this story i saw an episode of leather jacket man) in this story he had a badass lobster warrior girl. Why couldn't SHE have been the 9th doctor's companion? That would have been awesome! instead we get whiny flirt girl. The story itself was all right, not great, but i'm more mad at this one for showing me the wasted potential of the 9th doctor.
10th: The story started out really good and i was having a LOT of fun with the different book references they make. I also LOVE landy's writing style with his quick back and forths (you can totally tell this is the same guy who wrote skullduggery pleasant and he writes this exactly the same) the only thing that disappointed me was the ending. the ending did not impress me at all and i was actually quite disappointed with it. very lackluster ending.
11th: This one was kind of stupid. ex-prisoner wearing masks and buying everyone's house? i mean...that's kind of lame the doctor was a tad annoying in this one and the villain's motivations and subsequent defeat were kind of ...meh. not great overall. Also, i have to say this. out of all the stories, this was the only one where i went "wow. i do NOT like this style of writing. at all." turns out it was written by Neil Gaiman. so you know...that made sense.
12th: not a fan that for some reason this story was in first person and was from the point of view of a dude who hung around with the doctor for JUST this story. the story itself felt way too short and rushed. the doctor was all right though it was just not a story you should have told in 30 pages.
in order of best to worst for me it goes
First, Second, Fourth, Third, Tenth, Ninth, Eighth, Twelfth, Sixth, Fifth, Eleventh, Seventh
Overall, hovering somewhere between a 3.5 and a 4. but since i can't do half stars, i'm going to give it a 4. Most of the stories ranged from good to all right. Sad there were some stinkers in there, but with 12 stories and 12 separate authors, that's bound to happen.
As they're mini stories, it's much easier to read as you don't have invest 300+ pages on a doctor who you have no idea if you'd like. But long story short, here's what i thought of each doctor's story
1st: I enjoyed it. I didn't expect to see hartnell's doctor doing some peter pan cane fighting, but it was very entertaining. also i like eoin's writing style as i like artemis fowl. the 1st is also my favorite doctor so it was fun overall
2nd: i know hardly anything about doctor #2, but his story was interesting. the necronomicon and glass bad guys along with his kilt wearing companion was pretty fun.
3rd: it was an average story with an average payoff. i didn't dislike it by any means, but it just felt very average. although the 3rd doctor personality wise is still fun.
4th: the story of the tree planet was interesting, and the doctor was okay. the only thing i didn't like about it was how i felt like there were references i was missing. except it turned out there wasn't. that was just strange.
5th: the 5th doctor was barely in this one. he cameoed. that's about it. the actual story wasn't very good. masks that make people tell the truth. he takes the masks away from people. the end. wow. exciting. i wish it had more of him as he seems like he'd be a fun doctor to learn about.
6th: this plot has been done to DEATH. evil person wants to marry someone for an evil purpose and good person has to stop the wedding. the 6th doctor was fine and i didn't have an issue with the characterization, but when the premise for your story was even done in GUMMI BEARS, then maybe you need to come up with a different plot.
7th: this was by far the worst of the stories. They end up in an alternate universe where dalaks are good and ALL the doctor does is complain and whine about how dalaks can't ever be good and this is wrong and blah blah blah. I was actually kind of annoyed and disgusted with the doc in this one. Unlike the 5th, it actually had a plot, but the doctor was so whiny it ruined the mildly interesting story.
8th: I enjoyed the mannerisms of the doctor in this one. i want to get to know him more, but the story itself wasn't very good. it's like every "unknown slime thing killing everyone in a town" premise. didn't really care for the story, but i liked this doctor.
9th: Honestly, the only reason this one got me mad was because the companion in this one was actually way better than the actual companion he travels around with in the show (since reading this story i saw an episode of leather jacket man) in this story he had a badass lobster warrior girl. Why couldn't SHE have been the 9th doctor's companion? That would have been awesome! instead we get whiny flirt girl. The story itself was all right, not great, but i'm more mad at this one for showing me the wasted potential of the 9th doctor.
10th: The story started out really good and i was having a LOT of fun with the different book references they make. I also LOVE landy's writing style with his quick back and forths (you can totally tell this is the same guy who wrote skullduggery pleasant and he writes this exactly the same) the only thing that disappointed me was the ending. the ending did not impress me at all and i was actually quite disappointed with it. very lackluster ending.
11th: This one was kind of stupid. ex-prisoner wearing masks and buying everyone's house? i mean...that's kind of lame the doctor was a tad annoying in this one and the villain's motivations and subsequent defeat were kind of ...meh. not great overall. Also, i have to say this. out of all the stories, this was the only one where i went "wow. i do NOT like this style of writing. at all." turns out it was written by Neil Gaiman. so you know...that made sense.
12th: not a fan that for some reason this story was in first person and was from the point of view of a dude who hung around with the doctor for JUST this story. the story itself felt way too short and rushed. the doctor was all right though it was just not a story you should have told in 30 pages.
in order of best to worst for me it goes
First, Second, Fourth, Third, Tenth, Ninth, Eighth, Twelfth, Sixth, Fifth, Eleventh, Seventh
Overall, hovering somewhere between a 3.5 and a 4. but since i can't do half stars, i'm going to give it a 4. Most of the stories ranged from good to all right. Sad there were some stinkers in there, but with 12 stories and 12 separate authors, that's bound to happen.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2022
An odd little collection of stories, as these collections tend to be. Almost all the stories are written by authors who cover a whole age range from young children to adults, but the more memorable and we'll executed stories skew considerably older.
A big hand for the doctor - pretty meh
The Nameless City - very interesting and plausible villain, to the point I had to double check that they weren't already canon and perfectly captured era voice
The Spear of Destiny - some fun parts to the premise, but overall too bloated.
The roots of evil - quite fun and accurate to the era, again a little bit too bloated to be really memorable, although the time twist was interesting
Fifth doctor - ok story, pretty interesting in parts, but almost retrofitted into being a doctor who one, as the who cast was underused compared to the original one
something Borrowed: Something genuinely witty with the Rani, and a voice which helps 6 and Peri feel like a real team rather than the very awkward onscreen duo.
The Ripple Effect - Excellent. Alhough 7's voice itself isn't quite as replicant as others in lesser stories.
Spore - a very different pace and tone, starts slow but grows quite compelling
Beast of Babylon - bloated internal mythology makes it relatively hard to follow, but it's saved by a combination of perfectly understanding the 9th doctor's character, little grounding references to the much more simple world of his era overall, and an ingenious trick with the quasi companion of the story.
The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage: A perfect combination of fun and philsophy, with some interesting character expansion for Martha and classic who references for the doctor too.
Nothing o clock - Excellent again, perfect command of voice, mystery and character, introduces lofty concepts without ever overburdening the story, could be argued as a little too similar to other episodes in 11's era, but as part of a larger anthology, that's not as much as a problem.
Lights Out - Another interesting trick with the quasi companion of the story, but which stands apart well from TBOB. Very good glimpse of 12's early character in brief, while containing small but well constructed subtleties about his relationship with Clara. Great worldbuilding and understanding of the whoniverse as well, made it really compelling and imersive to bring back such a range of cameos in a way that made perfect sense.
A big hand for the doctor - pretty meh
The Nameless City - very interesting and plausible villain, to the point I had to double check that they weren't already canon and perfectly captured era voice
The Spear of Destiny - some fun parts to the premise, but overall too bloated.
The roots of evil - quite fun and accurate to the era, again a little bit too bloated to be really memorable, although the time twist was interesting
Fifth doctor - ok story, pretty interesting in parts, but almost retrofitted into being a doctor who one, as the who cast was underused compared to the original one
something Borrowed: Something genuinely witty with the Rani, and a voice which helps 6 and Peri feel like a real team rather than the very awkward onscreen duo.
The Ripple Effect - Excellent. Alhough 7's voice itself isn't quite as replicant as others in lesser stories.
Spore - a very different pace and tone, starts slow but grows quite compelling
Beast of Babylon - bloated internal mythology makes it relatively hard to follow, but it's saved by a combination of perfectly understanding the 9th doctor's character, little grounding references to the much more simple world of his era overall, and an ingenious trick with the quasi companion of the story.
The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage: A perfect combination of fun and philsophy, with some interesting character expansion for Martha and classic who references for the doctor too.
Nothing o clock - Excellent again, perfect command of voice, mystery and character, introduces lofty concepts without ever overburdening the story, could be argued as a little too similar to other episodes in 11's era, but as part of a larger anthology, that's not as much as a problem.
Lights Out - Another interesting trick with the quasi companion of the story, but which stands apart well from TBOB. Very good glimpse of 12's early character in brief, while containing small but well constructed subtleties about his relationship with Clara. Great worldbuilding and understanding of the whoniverse as well, made it really compelling and imersive to bring back such a range of cameos in a way that made perfect sense.
August 9, 2018
A bit of an uneven collection, with some of the stories for earlier Doctors reading somewhat on the generic side. It does pick up the further you get into it, especially once you reach the NuWho Doctors.
Some highlights:
Patrick Ness's Fifth Doctor story, which places the Doctor and his companion in the background for most of the story and focuses on the human characters who get caught up in the latest round of alien weirdness.
Derek Landy's Tenth Doctor story sets Martha and the Doctor against bad English children's fiction and it is utterly delightful. Martha and Ten were a great pairing too frequently bogged down in the show with Ten's Rose angst and Martha's unrequited crush. This story skips all of that and glories in their banter and chemistry and it's easily my favorite.
Neil Gaiman's Eleventh Doctor story has easily the best villain of the collection in the Kin, an intensely creepy foe that I would have loved to see in an episode. This story might have been my favorite except Amy feels oddly flat in this, reduced mainly to being the shouty Scottish girl and not much else.
Holly Black's Twelfth Doctor story is Twelve at his most Twelviest, scary eyebrows and brusquely kind. I'm still mourning the loss of Peter Capaldi's Doctor despite being excited for Thirteen, so I very much appreciated this one.
Some highlights:
Patrick Ness's Fifth Doctor story, which places the Doctor and his companion in the background for most of the story and focuses on the human characters who get caught up in the latest round of alien weirdness.
Derek Landy's Tenth Doctor story sets Martha and the Doctor against bad English children's fiction and it is utterly delightful. Martha and Ten were a great pairing too frequently bogged down in the show with Ten's Rose angst and Martha's unrequited crush. This story skips all of that and glories in their banter and chemistry and it's easily my favorite.
Neil Gaiman's Eleventh Doctor story has easily the best villain of the collection in the Kin, an intensely creepy foe that I would have loved to see in an episode. This story might have been my favorite except Amy feels oddly flat in this, reduced mainly to being the shouty Scottish girl and not much else.
Holly Black's Twelfth Doctor story is Twelve at his most Twelviest, scary eyebrows and brusquely kind. I'm still mourning the loss of Peter Capaldi's Doctor despite being excited for Thirteen, so I very much appreciated this one.
May 30, 2024
3.5⭐️
This was a fun set of stories written by some well-known authors, each following a different Doctor, set in different parts of time and space. Each is quite short and contained and while I'm not sure any of them are particularly mind-blowing, or even especially memorable, I had fun reading them and it was a nice little collection for a Doctor Who nerd.
The stories not only take place over a variety of time periods and settings, but many of them also include iconic villains like the Daleks, the Master, and the Rani, which was cool to see. The authors also managed to capture each Doctor's personality well in the short page time that they had.
Unsurprisingly, some of my favourites were the ones written by my favourite authors; Patrick Ness' story about the fifth Doctor and Neil Gaiman's about the eleventh among them. Some others that I enjoyed, by authors I've never read from before, were the eighth (Alex Scarrow), tenth (Derek Landy), and the thirteenth (Naomi Alderman).
I probably won't reread this collection, but I had fun making my way through it.
This was a fun set of stories written by some well-known authors, each following a different Doctor, set in different parts of time and space. Each is quite short and contained and while I'm not sure any of them are particularly mind-blowing, or even especially memorable, I had fun reading them and it was a nice little collection for a Doctor Who nerd.
The stories not only take place over a variety of time periods and settings, but many of them also include iconic villains like the Daleks, the Master, and the Rani, which was cool to see. The authors also managed to capture each Doctor's personality well in the short page time that they had.
Unsurprisingly, some of my favourites were the ones written by my favourite authors; Patrick Ness' story about the fifth Doctor and Neil Gaiman's about the eleventh among them. Some others that I enjoyed, by authors I've never read from before, were the eighth (Alex Scarrow), tenth (Derek Landy), and the thirteenth (Naomi Alderman).
I probably won't reread this collection, but I had fun making my way through it.
March 12, 2021
Cada história é genuinamente única e vai progredindo de modo que mexe com a memória de cada assíduo de Doctor Who. Tanto que a última história, referente ao Doctor de Capaldi, me emocionou verdadeiramente por atingir exatamente o ponto que me faz amar Doctor Who. Com destaque para os contos "Efeito de Propagação", "A Lança do Destino", "Luzes Apagadas" e "O Mistério da Cabana Assombrada", o livro é perfeito em retratar mais de 50 anos de histórias com Doutores incríveis e ainda mais por retratarem eles com tanta fidelidade. De fã pra fã, é FANTÁSTICO.
April 16, 2025
Perfectly delightful. I think 9's story was my favorite. It definitely had the most powerful and recognizable voice! 12's story was excellent as well (thanks, Holly Black!) - really made me love Capaldi's Doctor in a way that I didn't quite reach through his episodes. Looking forward to reading 13's (or perhaps listening to it; the narrators did these stories great favors, I think)!
P.S. The Doctor definitely swore with "D'Arvit" in Eoin Colfer's story, I do not understand how to feel about the implications of this
P.S. The Doctor definitely swore with "D'Arvit" in Eoin Colfer's story, I do not understand how to feel about the implications of this
August 17, 2017
If you are a Doctor Who fan then the chances are you will have a favourite doctor, I know it’s like playing favourites with children but let’s be honest, we all do have our favourites.
Mine you ask? Well I am a fan of the Fourth and Tenth Doctor, They always have been and always will be my Doctors.
As the title would suggest 12 Doctors, 12 Stories is a collection of 12 short stories, with each story having a different doctor as the inspiration, originally these stories were releases as separate e-book, but to celebrate the 50th anniversary they were bound together in 551 pages of science fiction goodness.
These stories are...
The First Doctor: A Big Hand for the Doctor by Eoin Colfer
The Second Doctor: The Nameless City by Michael Scott
The Third Doctor: The Spear of Destiny by Marcus Sedwick
The Fourth Doctor: The Roots of Evil by Philip Reeve
The Fifth Doctor: Tip of the Toung by Patrick Ness
The Sixth Doctor: Something Borrowed by Richelle Mead
The Seventh Doctor: The Ripple Effect by Malorie Blackman
The Eight Doctor: Spore by Alex Sparrow
The Ninth Doctor: The Beast of Babylon by Charlie Higson
The Tenth Doctor: The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage by Derek Landy
The Eleventh Doctor: Nothing O’Clock by Neil Gaiman
The Twelfth Doctor: Lights Out by Holly Black
While reading I would regularly update my Goodreads after each story with a mini review of what I liked or didn’t like about the story, now I won’t be doing that here but if you would like to read my random thoughts you can find them here.
As with any anthology I had stories I liked and some that I didn’t, it was never the writing style that got me it always seemed to be the stories just weren’t that creative or just didn’t interest me.
My top five stories (in no particular order) were, The Spear of Destiny by Marcus Sedwick, Tip of the Toung by Patrick Ness, Spore by Alex Sparrow, The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage by Derek Landy & Nothing O’Clock by Neil Gaiman.
These five stories were my favourites for many reasons, one was how they captured their Doctors and how I just loved their writing style, but the main reason was that these are adventures I would love to see the doctors go on. Each one was well fitted and made me double check the authors just so I could read more of their works.
Rating: 4 Stars- Really good, I would recommend reading it.
I would recommend this anthology to any Doctor Who fans. The writers were well chosen and each one captured their doctor perfectly. So much so that I was tempted to go back and rewatch old Doctor Who episodes just to make sure they were like I remembered.
It also acted as a sample test and gave me a list of other authors I would love to look up, just so I can read more of their writing.
Happy reading everyone!
Jess
Mine you ask? Well I am a fan of the Fourth and Tenth Doctor, They always have been and always will be my Doctors.
As the title would suggest 12 Doctors, 12 Stories is a collection of 12 short stories, with each story having a different doctor as the inspiration, originally these stories were releases as separate e-book, but to celebrate the 50th anniversary they were bound together in 551 pages of science fiction goodness.
These stories are...
The First Doctor: A Big Hand for the Doctor by Eoin Colfer
The Second Doctor: The Nameless City by Michael Scott
The Third Doctor: The Spear of Destiny by Marcus Sedwick
The Fourth Doctor: The Roots of Evil by Philip Reeve
The Fifth Doctor: Tip of the Toung by Patrick Ness
The Sixth Doctor: Something Borrowed by Richelle Mead
The Seventh Doctor: The Ripple Effect by Malorie Blackman
The Eight Doctor: Spore by Alex Sparrow
The Ninth Doctor: The Beast of Babylon by Charlie Higson
The Tenth Doctor: The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage by Derek Landy
The Eleventh Doctor: Nothing O’Clock by Neil Gaiman
The Twelfth Doctor: Lights Out by Holly Black
While reading I would regularly update my Goodreads after each story with a mini review of what I liked or didn’t like about the story, now I won’t be doing that here but if you would like to read my random thoughts you can find them here.
As with any anthology I had stories I liked and some that I didn’t, it was never the writing style that got me it always seemed to be the stories just weren’t that creative or just didn’t interest me.
My top five stories (in no particular order) were, The Spear of Destiny by Marcus Sedwick, Tip of the Toung by Patrick Ness, Spore by Alex Sparrow, The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage by Derek Landy & Nothing O’Clock by Neil Gaiman.
These five stories were my favourites for many reasons, one was how they captured their Doctors and how I just loved their writing style, but the main reason was that these are adventures I would love to see the doctors go on. Each one was well fitted and made me double check the authors just so I could read more of their works.
Rating: 4 Stars- Really good, I would recommend reading it.
I would recommend this anthology to any Doctor Who fans. The writers were well chosen and each one captured their doctor perfectly. So much so that I was tempted to go back and rewatch old Doctor Who episodes just to make sure they were like I remembered.
It also acted as a sample test and gave me a list of other authors I would love to look up, just so I can read more of their writing.
Happy reading everyone!
Jess
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