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Doctor Who NSA Anthologies #5
Doctor Who: The Legends of River Song
‘Hello, sweetie!’
Melody Pond, Melody Malone, River Song…She has had many names. Whoever she really is, this archaeologist and time traveller has had more adventures (and got into more trouble) than most people in the universe.
And she’s written a lot of it down. Well, when you’re married to a Time Lord (or possibly not), you have to keep track of what you did and when. Especially as it may not actually have happened to both of you yet.
These are just a few of River Song’s exploits, extracted from her journals. Sometimes, she is with the Doctor. Sometimes she’s on her own. But wherever and whenever she may be, she is never far from danger and excitement.
This is just a tiny portion of her impossible life. But it will reveal more than you’ve ever known about the legend that is River Song.
Melody Pond, Melody Malone, River Song…She has had many names. Whoever she really is, this archaeologist and time traveller has had more adventures (and got into more trouble) than most people in the universe.
And she’s written a lot of it down. Well, when you’re married to a Time Lord (or possibly not), you have to keep track of what you did and when. Especially as it may not actually have happened to both of you yet.
These are just a few of River Song’s exploits, extracted from her journals. Sometimes, she is with the Doctor. Sometimes she’s on her own. But wherever and whenever she may be, she is never far from danger and excitement.
This is just a tiny portion of her impossible life. But it will reveal more than you’ve ever known about the legend that is River Song.
219 pages, Hardcover
First published June 2, 2016
339 people are currently reading
1709 people want to read
About the author
Jenny T. Colgan
29 books94 followersJenny T. Colgan is a pseudonym of author Jenny Colgan.
Jenny Colgan is the author of numerous bestselling novels, including 'The Little Shop of Happy Ever After' and 'Summer at the Little Beach Street Bakery', which are also published by Sphere.' Meet Me at the Cupcake Café' won the 2012 Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance and was a Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller, as was 'Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop of Dreams', which won the RNA Romantic Novel of the Year Award 2013.
Under her Jenny T. Colgan pseudonym, she is a writer of romantic comedy fiction and science-fiction, and has written for the Doctor Who line of stories.
She also uses the pseudonyms Jane Beaton and J.T. Colgan
Jenny Colgan is the author of numerous bestselling novels, including 'The Little Shop of Happy Ever After' and 'Summer at the Little Beach Street Bakery', which are also published by Sphere.' Meet Me at the Cupcake Café' won the 2012 Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance and was a Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller, as was 'Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop of Dreams', which won the RNA Romantic Novel of the Year Award 2013.
Under her Jenny T. Colgan pseudonym, she is a writer of romantic comedy fiction and science-fiction, and has written for the Doctor Who line of stories.
She also uses the pseudonyms Jane Beaton and J.T. Colgan
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 263 reviews
September 10, 2018
I really like these anthology collections, it gives readers a chance to explore a recurring character’s backstory.
This book has five short stories focusing on River Song, with regular writers for the Doctor Who novels each getting her fun quirkiness perfectly.
I also liked that The Doctor featured in a couple!
It’s a pretty strong set of stories, my favourite being Suspicious Minds.
This book has five short stories focusing on River Song, with regular writers for the Doctor Who novels each getting her fun quirkiness perfectly.
I also liked that The Doctor featured in a couple!
It’s a pretty strong set of stories, my favourite being Suspicious Minds.
June 19, 2016
Aside from the Doctor, River Song is my favourite Dr. Who character. I absolutely love her! She's a strong, independant, witty, clever, beautiful, curly-haired, champagne-loving sweetie pie with an incredible life story. The Legends of River Song is a collection of entries from her famous TARDIS journal (gifted by the Dr). When I first heard about this book I was incredibly excited, and I definitely wasn't disappointed!
The book contains 5 short-stories, all as fun and wacky as each other! Each of the stories are crammed with humour, action, adventure, inside jokes and obscure Dr. Who references. The Doctor makes an appearance in the first 3 stories, and his exchanges with River are thoroughly enjoyable. I love that each of the 4 writers have managed to get across River's fantastic personality and wit (as well as the Doctor's, actually).
It was nice to learn a bit more about what River gets up to when the Doctor isn't around (her job for example in "Death in New Venice"), and her perspective on her relationship with the Doctor ("Picnic in Asgard"). My favourite "journal entry" was probably "Death in New Venice", but I did enjoy all of the stories a lot!
I would definitely like a second River Song novel in the future, perhaps it could be a full-length novel? Or a second collection of journal entries? Either way I'd love to have some more River Song stories in my life!
If you are a big River Song fan like myself, then this book is definitely for you!
The book contains 5 short-stories, all as fun and wacky as each other! Each of the stories are crammed with humour, action, adventure, inside jokes and obscure Dr. Who references. The Doctor makes an appearance in the first 3 stories, and his exchanges with River are thoroughly enjoyable. I love that each of the 4 writers have managed to get across River's fantastic personality and wit (as well as the Doctor's, actually).
It was nice to learn a bit more about what River gets up to when the Doctor isn't around (her job for example in "Death in New Venice"), and her perspective on her relationship with the Doctor ("Picnic in Asgard"). My favourite "journal entry" was probably "Death in New Venice", but I did enjoy all of the stories a lot!
I would definitely like a second River Song novel in the future, perhaps it could be a full-length novel? Or a second collection of journal entries? Either way I'd love to have some more River Song stories in my life!
If you are a big River Song fan like myself, then this book is definitely for you!
June 13, 2016
I really enjoyed these five short stories. They're just so fabulous and trippy, and the authors wrote River totally canon :)
Read
September 15, 2023I can't rate this because the quality of the stories is so uneven: three one-stars, one two-star and one four-star. The four-star is the last story in the collection .In it, River thinks and speaks like River, ditto for Eleven, and the monsters are passable, as opposed to all the other stories. Next time I want to hole up with a Doctor Who, I'll re-read Neil Gaiman's terrific short story "Nothing O'Clock," which I love almost as.much as his two episodes.
September 15, 2016
Picnic at Asgard by Jenny T. Colgan - 2/5
Suspicious Minds by Jaqueline Rayner - 3/5
A Gamble with Time by Steve Lyons - 4/5
Death in New Venice by Guy Adams - 2/5
River of Time by Andrew Lane - 4/5
Suspicious Minds by Jaqueline Rayner - 3/5
A Gamble with Time by Steve Lyons - 4/5
Death in New Venice by Guy Adams - 2/5
River of Time by Andrew Lane - 4/5
December 25, 2019
Actual rating is 3.5 stars.
This is a book based on the television show. This is a collection of five stories that follow the character River Song. We are told these stories thru her entries into a diary and these adventures are solo adventures or adventures with The Doctor.
This book does what it is meant to do. It is pure fun and it entertains. I thought this was one of the better collections of short stories from this universe. If you are a fan of the character River this collection is meant for you. These adventures run the whole spectrum as we get adventures from an amusement park that goes haywire or the time travel paradox if a future person was to meet its past self. There was not a bad adventure in this collection as I enjoyed all of them. One of the highlights in this collection was when River was paired with The Doctor and we get to see him thru her eyes. I really liked this perspective. There was one tiny flaw and the reason I could not give this a full four star rating. I felt like a couple of the authors didn't really capture the essence of River correctly. If you are a fan of the show we know that River is a strong, confident woman. Sometimes it felt like the authors went too far with this characterization and it came off that was she full of herself. It is a minor nitpick but it was a disservice to the character.
I am not the biggest fan of anthologies as I like to spend some time in a story and I feel like you don't get to connect with characters. I think this one was better because I already know the character and I could just concentrate on the adventures. It was pure entertainment and I am glad that I read this collection.
This is a book based on the television show. This is a collection of five stories that follow the character River Song. We are told these stories thru her entries into a diary and these adventures are solo adventures or adventures with The Doctor.
This book does what it is meant to do. It is pure fun and it entertains. I thought this was one of the better collections of short stories from this universe. If you are a fan of the character River this collection is meant for you. These adventures run the whole spectrum as we get adventures from an amusement park that goes haywire or the time travel paradox if a future person was to meet its past self. There was not a bad adventure in this collection as I enjoyed all of them. One of the highlights in this collection was when River was paired with The Doctor and we get to see him thru her eyes. I really liked this perspective. There was one tiny flaw and the reason I could not give this a full four star rating. I felt like a couple of the authors didn't really capture the essence of River correctly. If you are a fan of the show we know that River is a strong, confident woman. Sometimes it felt like the authors went too far with this characterization and it came off that was she full of herself. It is a minor nitpick but it was a disservice to the character.
I am not the biggest fan of anthologies as I like to spend some time in a story and I feel like you don't get to connect with characters. I think this one was better because I already know the character and I could just concentrate on the adventures. It was pure entertainment and I am glad that I read this collection.
June 6, 2019
I think I may have a slight obsession with doctor who...
*shoves tardis mug in cupboard*
*hides signed posters that I spent like $200 on*
nah.... i'm just imagining it.
*shoves tardis mug in cupboard*
*hides signed posters that I spent like $200 on*
nah.... i'm just imagining it.
July 11, 2020
Happiness in book form ♡
Some stories were better than others of course but it's a must read for River Song fans.
Some stories were better than others of course but it's a must read for River Song fans.
August 5, 2016
I just got the hardcover in the mail today. I can't wait to read it. I loved The Diary of River Song series one (the Big Finish Audio production) and am eagerly awaiting series two; this will have to tide me over in the meantime.
It did the job. It really did. I'd read some complaints about the book and so was leery of being disappointed, but I wasn't really. We got into River's head. She's snarky and talented with an ego that just won't quit and a brain to match. I dig that.
My only complaint is that I wanted more.
It did the job. It really did. I'd read some complaints about the book and so was leery of being disappointed, but I wasn't really. We got into River's head. She's snarky and talented with an ego that just won't quit and a brain to match. I dig that.
My only complaint is that I wanted more.
June 6, 2021
Doctor Who: The Legends of River Song is a collection of various short(ish) stories about the popular character:
Picnic at Asgard:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cute! River's main theme for this story was a bit random though. Good other than that.
Suspicious Minds:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Loved it! Creepy bug lover lady vs. Elvis Presley the Auton!
Gamble With time: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Not my favorite, but interesting.
Death In New Venice:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Wow! Loved this one! A gated community for the rich is being built. One so illustrious that it will make everything the inhabitants imagine come true. Everything.
River of Time:⭐️⭐️⭐️
Strange story, but not the worst. River is allowed (not that it matters to her what the Governer says) out of Stormcage prison to assist another Professor to understand a discovery he has made.
Picnic at Asgard:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cute! River's main theme for this story was a bit random though. Good other than that.
Suspicious Minds:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Loved it! Creepy bug lover lady vs. Elvis Presley the Auton!
Gamble With time: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Not my favorite, but interesting.
Death In New Venice:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Wow! Loved this one! A gated community for the rich is being built. One so illustrious that it will make everything the inhabitants imagine come true. Everything.
River of Time:⭐️⭐️⭐️
Strange story, but not the worst. River is allowed (not that it matters to her what the Governer says) out of Stormcage prison to assist another Professor to understand a discovery he has made.
February 1, 2024
Actual rating 3,5
Picnic at Asgard: ★☆☆☆☆
Suspicious Minds: ★★★☆☆
Gamble With time: ★★★★★
Death In New Venice: ★★★★☆
River of Time: ★★★★☆
Picnic at Asgard: ★☆☆☆☆
Suspicious Minds: ★★★☆☆
Gamble With time: ★★★★★
Death In New Venice: ★★★★☆
River of Time: ★★★★☆
March 18, 2020
When I first found the book at Waterstones, I had to buy it. River Song is high on the list of my favourite side characters in Doctor Who and the book didn't disappoint.
The first one Picnic at Asgard was a fun one. With the Doctor and River together in an amusement park, a whole lot of things can go wrong and do go wrong but they save the day together in the end. I want to visit Asgard so bad. it sounds like its so much fun for an amusement park fanatic like myself^^
Suspicious Minds was a fun one too. I mean an Auton looking like Elvis saving the bees. The villain was quite obvious in this one, how she disposed of people too but that doesn't mean that it was boring. It was pretty great and River's struggle with the gas was amazingly written.
A Gamble in Time was something completely different. River sent by the Doctor to babysit a man so that his time streams do not cross and in the end, creating a time loop where the one version is destines to always safe the universe, day after day, year after year. I like Martin. he seems like the typical loser who in the end does something great which is largly going unnoticed by the world.
Death in new Venice. Sounds just like a Brunetti crime novel :-D Loved River in this being independent from the Doctor. I love to see her without the Doctor, saving the universe on her own because shes eprfectly capable of that thank you very much.
The story was solid. Nothing to surprising and a little too much rich people get a new gated community and things turn sour, but the AI was very interesting and that thoughts created the bad things was interesting.
Now we come to the last story - River of Time.
I was baffled when the TARDIS turned up but the explanation was great. The idea behind it was great too. There's so little known about the Precursors that everything little bit of information is important. The idea with the captured Time Lord was a nice touch. The solution to the problem too. Let's just hope no one is stumbling upon the TARDIS now :-D
All in all I cans ay that the book was a solid one. I liked the stories. Some were better than others but all in all they brought me nearer to River Song. I want to know everything there is about her. She's such an elsive character and I love her flirty attitude and that she doesn't see herself short.
The first one Picnic at Asgard was a fun one. With the Doctor and River together in an amusement park, a whole lot of things can go wrong and do go wrong but they save the day together in the end. I want to visit Asgard so bad. it sounds like its so much fun for an amusement park fanatic like myself^^
Suspicious Minds was a fun one too. I mean an Auton looking like Elvis saving the bees. The villain was quite obvious in this one, how she disposed of people too but that doesn't mean that it was boring. It was pretty great and River's struggle with the gas was amazingly written.
A Gamble in Time was something completely different. River sent by the Doctor to babysit a man so that his time streams do not cross and in the end, creating a time loop where the one version is destines to always safe the universe, day after day, year after year. I like Martin. he seems like the typical loser who in the end does something great which is largly going unnoticed by the world.
Death in new Venice. Sounds just like a Brunetti crime novel :-D Loved River in this being independent from the Doctor. I love to see her without the Doctor, saving the universe on her own because shes eprfectly capable of that thank you very much.
The story was solid. Nothing to surprising and a little too much rich people get a new gated community and things turn sour, but the AI was very interesting and that thoughts created the bad things was interesting.
Now we come to the last story - River of Time.
I was baffled when the TARDIS turned up but the explanation was great. The idea behind it was great too. There's so little known about the Precursors that everything little bit of information is important. The idea with the captured Time Lord was a nice touch. The solution to the problem too. Let's just hope no one is stumbling upon the TARDIS now :-D
All in all I cans ay that the book was a solid one. I liked the stories. Some were better than others but all in all they brought me nearer to River Song. I want to know everything there is about her. She's such an elsive character and I love her flirty attitude and that she doesn't see herself short.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2023
Jenny T. Colgan - Picnic at Asgard ⭐️⭐️⭐️
River and Ten go on a date on a planet that recreated Asgard as an amusement park. Cute. With a most brilliant sulk of my favorite Doctor moping about people getting something so obvious wrong, it is just adorable. I can practically see the eyebrow rising.
Jacqueline Rayner - Suspicious Minds ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
River, Eleven, and plastic alien Elvis want to spend a quiet day on the "perfect", most beautiful, peaceful planet. What could go wrong...
Steve Lyons - A gamble with time ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Eleven asks River for a favor. Save a man who stumbled into a time vortex while on the run from a giant green slug...
Guy Adams - Death in New Venice ⭐️⭐️
River helps recreate Venice on a planet that shapes itself into whatever people want it to be. How could that possibly go wrong...
Andrew Lane - River of Time ⭐️⭐️⭐️
River is given a day off from her life in prison when an archeologist finds an abandoned Tardis on a destroyed planet - with instructions to contact River...
All in all a fun collection of River adventures. My favorite being "Suspicious Minds", which just nailed the River/Doctor chemistry (favorite line: "Grandpa Grouch (I haven't yet come across one of him I haven't liked the look of, but goodnes he seems to have been really grumpy back in the day". Yes he was, and oh, how I love him for it), and was the perfect mix of fun and serious. That one would have made a most brilliant episode...
River and Ten go on a date on a planet that recreated Asgard as an amusement park. Cute. With a most brilliant sulk of my favorite Doctor moping about people getting something so obvious wrong, it is just adorable. I can practically see the eyebrow rising.
Jacqueline Rayner - Suspicious Minds ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
River, Eleven, and plastic alien Elvis want to spend a quiet day on the "perfect", most beautiful, peaceful planet. What could go wrong...
Steve Lyons - A gamble with time ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Eleven asks River for a favor. Save a man who stumbled into a time vortex while on the run from a giant green slug...
Guy Adams - Death in New Venice ⭐️⭐️
River helps recreate Venice on a planet that shapes itself into whatever people want it to be. How could that possibly go wrong...
Andrew Lane - River of Time ⭐️⭐️⭐️
River is given a day off from her life in prison when an archeologist finds an abandoned Tardis on a destroyed planet - with instructions to contact River...
All in all a fun collection of River adventures. My favorite being "Suspicious Minds", which just nailed the River/Doctor chemistry (favorite line: "Grandpa Grouch (I haven't yet come across one of him I haven't liked the look of, but goodnes he seems to have been really grumpy back in the day". Yes he was, and oh, how I love him for it), and was the perfect mix of fun and serious. That one would have made a most brilliant episode...
May 16, 2023
River Song is rapidly becoming one of my favourite characters in the Who-verse, as she’s just so sassy and kick ass. She makes for one hell of an interesting character and I could honestly follow her adventures all day. So saying that, this book was perfect.
She first intrigued me when we first met her in The Library and her whole plot and storyline was the foundation for mystery, suspense and intrigue. The more I’ve read/ watched/ listened, the more I’ve grown to love and respect her character. She’s been so greatly crafted and made that it makes for super entertaining reading.
I love reading about her escapades from the stormcage, her dates with the doctor and her many tales. I finished the book in a day as it was just so easy and effortless to read and now I’m sad I’ve finished it!
It was a great hit of doctor who nostalgia and I enjoyed every story.
She first intrigued me when we first met her in The Library and her whole plot and storyline was the foundation for mystery, suspense and intrigue. The more I’ve read/ watched/ listened, the more I’ve grown to love and respect her character. She’s been so greatly crafted and made that it makes for super entertaining reading.
I love reading about her escapades from the stormcage, her dates with the doctor and her many tales. I finished the book in a day as it was just so easy and effortless to read and now I’m sad I’ve finished it!
It was a great hit of doctor who nostalgia and I enjoyed every story.
August 28, 2018
This may be a bit odd, but for me I half expected to have River Song as the first female main character who is a time-lord. Now that a new doctor will soon arrive as the first female, it was a good opportunity to delve into the river which IMHO served as a precursor {no spoilers}.
This is a collection of short stories about River some of earth, while other vary in time and space, sightseeing thieving and running into other temporal creatures in her unique light {\handed} heart way and humor. The stories have plenty of winks and familiar lines along with some new incites of her time away and a bit of her origins.
I do hope she will be meeting the new doctor on screen or on the pages of another book.
This is a collection of short stories about River some of earth, while other vary in time and space, sightseeing thieving and running into other temporal creatures in her unique light {\handed} heart way and humor. The stories have plenty of winks and familiar lines along with some new incites of her time away and a bit of her origins.
I do hope she will be meeting the new doctor on screen or on the pages of another book.
April 9, 2017
This is five short stories by five different authors about River and or the Doctor. In “Picnic at Asgard,” by Jenny T. Colgan the Doctor and River go to a planet- size Norse- style amusement park, where things do not go well, for a time, until River and the Doctor get it all straightened out. “River of Time” by Andrew Lane has an archeology professor springing River from her jail to do some hinky archeology in involving a TARDIS look- a- like.
I’m glad I read this, but I wish I read it on the Kindle for ~$1.99 instead of as a hardback from Barnes & Noble for $11.69.
I’m glad I read this, but I wish I read it on the Kindle for ~$1.99 instead of as a hardback from Barnes & Noble for $11.69.
September 16, 2018
REREAD #1: 4 September 2018 - 7 September 2018 (7/10)
I started rereading this because it was this month's featured book on the All New Doctor Who Podcast Book Club. I've been very belated in reviewing it, but since I listened to the podcast today, I thought I really ought to get on with it. It was interesting listening, as I ended up having a totally different experience than the hosts did, and I rather suspect (making broad assumptions here) that it was a gender thing.
Their two favourite stories were my least favourites, and vice versa.
The first featured the often-mentioned "Picnic at Asgard" where, while having and adventure with the Eleventh Doctor, River also muses on the idea of motherhood and having a child with the Doctor. Both hosts felt this was most unlike River, but as a female reader and a mother, it has always seemed to me to be something River would need to consider and come to terms with. So it's a story that works for me, along with the twist of making Asgard the thing it is in the story (I don't want to spoil it) just to turn expectations on their head.
I also really enjoyed "Suspicious Minds" and "Death in New Venice".
The hosts and I disagreed on the other two stories, that were there favourites but not mine. "A Gamble in Time" was just unnecessarily complicated to me and a twisty adventure without much more too it. But I really had issues with the final story in the book, "River of Time", and on reflection, I've come to the conclusion the it is because I find it to be written with so much male gaze when it is supposed to be from the POV of someone as strong minded as River, that it ruins the story for me. River is going on and on about clothes and lipstick and her looks and her hair, but it's a man's view of how a woman would do that. (Yes, the story is written by a man.) River might have such things on her mind, but not like this. There's no self-deprecating edge, no self-awareness. I can't exactly put it into words, but it really niggled at me throughout the story and left me feeling disappointed. Sadly, since this is the last story it left me with a down feeling about the whole book. If I should decide to read it again, I hope I check this first and just skip that story altogether.
ORIGINAL READ: 5 March 2016 - 7 March 2016 (8/10)
I admit to being a huge River Song fangirl and I was delighted to discover this book was coming out. The stories are rather fun and I hope there might be another volume in the future. It's not high literature, but I enjoyed reading the book and I'm delighted I had the chance.
I started rereading this because it was this month's featured book on the All New Doctor Who Podcast Book Club. I've been very belated in reviewing it, but since I listened to the podcast today, I thought I really ought to get on with it. It was interesting listening, as I ended up having a totally different experience than the hosts did, and I rather suspect (making broad assumptions here) that it was a gender thing.
Their two favourite stories were my least favourites, and vice versa.
The first featured the often-mentioned "Picnic at Asgard" where, while having and adventure with the Eleventh Doctor, River also muses on the idea of motherhood and having a child with the Doctor. Both hosts felt this was most unlike River, but as a female reader and a mother, it has always seemed to me to be something River would need to consider and come to terms with. So it's a story that works for me, along with the twist of making Asgard the thing it is in the story (I don't want to spoil it) just to turn expectations on their head.
I also really enjoyed "Suspicious Minds" and "Death in New Venice".
The hosts and I disagreed on the other two stories, that were there favourites but not mine. "A Gamble in Time" was just unnecessarily complicated to me and a twisty adventure without much more too it. But I really had issues with the final story in the book, "River of Time", and on reflection, I've come to the conclusion the it is because I find it to be written with so much male gaze when it is supposed to be from the POV of someone as strong minded as River, that it ruins the story for me. River is going on and on about clothes and lipstick and her looks and her hair, but it's a man's view of how a woman would do that. (Yes, the story is written by a man.) River might have such things on her mind, but not like this. There's no self-deprecating edge, no self-awareness. I can't exactly put it into words, but it really niggled at me throughout the story and left me feeling disappointed. Sadly, since this is the last story it left me with a down feeling about the whole book. If I should decide to read it again, I hope I check this first and just skip that story altogether.
ORIGINAL READ: 5 March 2016 - 7 March 2016 (8/10)
I admit to being a huge River Song fangirl and I was delighted to discover this book was coming out. The stories are rather fun and I hope there might be another volume in the future. It's not high literature, but I enjoyed reading the book and I'm delighted I had the chance.
February 12, 2016
Not as good as I wanted it to be. Five stories in this book but I think it would have been better if they had made it a regular novel so one story could have been more fleshed out instead. The first two stories were okayyy. The third was better and the last two were probably my favourite although the conclusions seemed rushed. They contained some of the sassy River that we know and love but not enough for my liking.
September 25, 2020
A great collection of story's which gives us a great insight into River's adventures. Would recommend to all doctor who fans who have seen the impossible astronaut Matt Smith series.
March 29, 2024
if it was ever entirely possible, I'm more obsessed with Doctor Who now than I was when I started this book... also I love that every time the Doctor appears in this book he's the 11th Doctor bc he's my favorite <33 (also gotta love the tenth ( big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff) and twelfth (I fought in a bigger war!!) but the eleventh will forever and always be my favorite)
April 9, 2016
Most of the stories included in this are very entertaining and this is definitely worth the read especially if you are, like me, a huge River Song fan.
I've made notes reading this (I hardly ever do this, but I knew I would have so much to say), but I will be very good hiding my spoilers because that's the first thing that really got me into River, that she is the spoiler free girl, I try to be just like her on that level though reading Doctor Who Magazine religiously, I sometime get a little more spoiled than I would like.
Picnic at Asgard by Jenny T. Colgan. 2 stars.
I was very disappointed in this story, I thought it was predictable and what is most on River's mind is something I don't think the character would ever entertain to begin with. It has the wrong energy to it, it just doesn't feel like River or the Doctor.
Suspicious Minds by Jacqueline Rayner. 5 stars.
I was expecting a lot from this, I just love Jacqueline's column in DWM and her sense of humor does so often reflect mine; I was not disappointed this was my favorite of the whole book! The tone is just right, this really feel like River and the Doctor at their most funny, witty selves. One of the traditional enemy is given and entire different angle than usual here and I loved that (see how good I am in not spoiling you even though that enemy's race is named in the first page of this short story). I loved how events in Doctor Who's timeline are referred to in a casual way. The story takes the time to establish the characters before putting them in jeopardy. This was just perfect, this one would have been worth the price all on its own.
A Gamble with Time by Steve Lyons. 4 stars.
Its nice to have River more on her own, making the big decisions. I thought this story had a nice rhythm. The concept is not new, but it is well executed. I defy you to not fall in love with the hero, you'll know by the end who I mean, I was misty eyed after reading this one.
Death in New Venice by Guy Adam. 3 stars.
The River here made me think a lot about the one in The Husbands of River Song, a lot harder, knowing what has to be done. I thought the story intriguing, enjoyable, not knowing exactly what was going on for a while, but a coherent explanation. I have to quote this little gem about diary writing : "I haven't got time for all this damn dialogue, besides I'm paraphrasing like hell, if I could remember what she said, word for word, my memory would be so brilliant I wouldn't need a diary." ... and that's the truth about journal writing!!!
River of Time by Andrew Lane. 3 stars.
We get to see River has an archaeologist!!! There's also a pure alien threat which River has to defeat all on her own, but she shows us how clever she can be. Very fun.
I'm so glad to have bought this, I just think any River fan will love it too. Now, I need to listen to The Diary of River Song, series 1 by Big Finish, I'm sure that's gonna be a blast too!
Have fun and... run.
I've made notes reading this (I hardly ever do this, but I knew I would have so much to say), but I will be very good hiding my spoilers because that's the first thing that really got me into River, that she is the spoiler free girl, I try to be just like her on that level though reading Doctor Who Magazine religiously, I sometime get a little more spoiled than I would like.
Picnic at Asgard by Jenny T. Colgan. 2 stars.
I was very disappointed in this story, I thought it was predictable and what is most on River's mind is something I don't think the character would ever entertain to begin with. It has the wrong energy to it, it just doesn't feel like River or the Doctor.
Suspicious Minds by Jacqueline Rayner. 5 stars.
I was expecting a lot from this, I just love Jacqueline's column in DWM and her sense of humor does so often reflect mine; I was not disappointed this was my favorite of the whole book! The tone is just right, this really feel like River and the Doctor at their most funny, witty selves. One of the traditional enemy is given and entire different angle than usual here and I loved that (see how good I am in not spoiling you even though that enemy's race is named in the first page of this short story). I loved how events in Doctor Who's timeline are referred to in a casual way. The story takes the time to establish the characters before putting them in jeopardy. This was just perfect, this one would have been worth the price all on its own.
A Gamble with Time by Steve Lyons. 4 stars.
Its nice to have River more on her own, making the big decisions. I thought this story had a nice rhythm. The concept is not new, but it is well executed. I defy you to not fall in love with the hero, you'll know by the end who I mean, I was misty eyed after reading this one.
Death in New Venice by Guy Adam. 3 stars.
The River here made me think a lot about the one in The Husbands of River Song, a lot harder, knowing what has to be done. I thought the story intriguing, enjoyable, not knowing exactly what was going on for a while, but a coherent explanation. I have to quote this little gem about diary writing : "I haven't got time for all this damn dialogue, besides I'm paraphrasing like hell, if I could remember what she said, word for word, my memory would be so brilliant I wouldn't need a diary." ... and that's the truth about journal writing!!!
River of Time by Andrew Lane. 3 stars.
We get to see River has an archaeologist!!! There's also a pure alien threat which River has to defeat all on her own, but she shows us how clever she can be. Very fun.
I'm so glad to have bought this, I just think any River fan will love it too. Now, I need to listen to The Diary of River Song, series 1 by Big Finish, I'm sure that's gonna be a blast too!
Have fun and... run.
July 24, 2017
Join me in my jump through time and space, will you, Sweetie?
First thing is first. If you know me, then you will know I tend to have a genuine distaste for Professor River Song. I typically find her to be terribly obnoxious. Way too "I'm badass, you and everyone in this universe and the next know it." Really freaking annoying, guys. Occasionally, she grows on me though, more so as of late, but she's still on my "not so fab character list." Same with Missy. I hated her in the beginning, but near the end of Capaldi's era, I started to like her a bit more. For this reason, I had put off picking up this book. But, after some time had passed, I came across this in the library stacks and, for shits and giggles, I decided to pick it up.
I was pleasantly surprised. It was kind of funny and made me like River a bit more than I had. The book consisted of five "diary entries," all from different events in River's life. Of which, I believe, two included the Doctor. And one which included a living mannequin of Elvis. But that's a story for you to check out for yourself. As River says, "Spoilers!"
Each of the stories, or diary entries, gave me a new perspective on River's character. Though you'll see with her character on the show, River tends to only care for herself, the Doctor, and her parents, Amy and Rory. In the book, she shows a part of herself we don't normally see. That River is the main heroine. She decides how she will act. She decides whether or not she will intervene in events. We actually get to see some of her adventures, which was fun.
If you're like me and tend to avoid anything Professor River Song (though her diary I would steal in a heartbeat. And the vortex manipulator), you shouldn't skip out on The Legends of River Song.
P.S. There is the occasional spelling error--and no, I'm not talking about the differences between American English and British English, these are legit mistakes (i.e.: closed instead of close) and the occasional missing punctuation mark. But don't worry, they don't interfere with the story, nor do they occur too often. It's just stuff that was missed before publication.
First thing is first. If you know me, then you will know I tend to have a genuine distaste for Professor River Song. I typically find her to be terribly obnoxious. Way too "I'm badass, you and everyone in this universe and the next know it." Really freaking annoying, guys. Occasionally, she grows on me though, more so as of late, but she's still on my "not so fab character list." Same with Missy. I hated her in the beginning, but near the end of Capaldi's era, I started to like her a bit more. For this reason, I had put off picking up this book. But, after some time had passed, I came across this in the library stacks and, for shits and giggles, I decided to pick it up.
I was pleasantly surprised. It was kind of funny and made me like River a bit more than I had. The book consisted of five "diary entries," all from different events in River's life. Of which, I believe, two included the Doctor. And one which included a living mannequin of Elvis. But that's a story for you to check out for yourself. As River says, "Spoilers!"
Each of the stories, or diary entries, gave me a new perspective on River's character. Though you'll see with her character on the show, River tends to only care for herself, the Doctor, and her parents, Amy and Rory. In the book, she shows a part of herself we don't normally see. That River is the main heroine. She decides how she will act. She decides whether or not she will intervene in events. We actually get to see some of her adventures, which was fun.
If you're like me and tend to avoid anything Professor River Song (though her diary I would steal in a heartbeat. And the vortex manipulator), you shouldn't skip out on The Legends of River Song.
P.S. There is the occasional spelling error--and no, I'm not talking about the differences between American English and British English, these are legit mistakes (i.e.: closed instead of close) and the occasional missing punctuation mark. But don't worry, they don't interfere with the story, nor do they occur too often. It's just stuff that was missed before publication.
June 20, 2016
Like the recent Legends of Ashildr book, this has five short stories featuring River Song. All the stories are from her perspective and are written like they appear in her diary.
Picnic at Asgard by Jenny T. Colgan: Probably the best story of the collection but it's by Colgan so that isn't really surprising. This is one of the last River Song stories that has been mentioned on screen that we haven't seen. It's a fab story featuring a Viking-based sci-fi theme park which is as good as it sounds.
Suspicious Minds by Jaqueline Rayner: River and the Eleventh Doctor team up with an auton Elvis and visit an insect-zoo which is not all it seems. A story that could only happen in Doctor Who which works brilliantly.
A Gamble with Time by Steve Lyons: The Doctor can't cross his own time line so he gets River involved instead. It's a timey-wimey story mostly set in London 2016 featuring a giant alien slug. It's awesome.
Death in New Venice by Guy Adams: My least favourite story. The Doctor is nowhere to be seen in a story about a futuristic rebuild of Venice that goes wrong. Whilst the Venice idea is good I've seen the basic plot before.
River of Time by Andrew Lane: Another no Doctor story but it's steeped in Who mythology anyway. River goes to visit an alien archaeological site where an alien species contemporary to the Time Lords lived. Inevitably they are still there. Very enjoyable.
A good collection and whilst I felt all the authors captured the character well it did mean the style of writing differed a little, as did the format. I felt the authors needed to work more closely together to make the collection a little more coherent. Overall I thought this was one of the best Who releases of recent years.
Picnic at Asgard by Jenny T. Colgan: Probably the best story of the collection but it's by Colgan so that isn't really surprising. This is one of the last River Song stories that has been mentioned on screen that we haven't seen. It's a fab story featuring a Viking-based sci-fi theme park which is as good as it sounds.
Suspicious Minds by Jaqueline Rayner: River and the Eleventh Doctor team up with an auton Elvis and visit an insect-zoo which is not all it seems. A story that could only happen in Doctor Who which works brilliantly.
A Gamble with Time by Steve Lyons: The Doctor can't cross his own time line so he gets River involved instead. It's a timey-wimey story mostly set in London 2016 featuring a giant alien slug. It's awesome.
Death in New Venice by Guy Adams: My least favourite story. The Doctor is nowhere to be seen in a story about a futuristic rebuild of Venice that goes wrong. Whilst the Venice idea is good I've seen the basic plot before.
River of Time by Andrew Lane: Another no Doctor story but it's steeped in Who mythology anyway. River goes to visit an alien archaeological site where an alien species contemporary to the Time Lords lived. Inevitably they are still there. Very enjoyable.
A good collection and whilst I felt all the authors captured the character well it did mean the style of writing differed a little, as did the format. I felt the authors needed to work more closely together to make the collection a little more coherent. Overall I thought this was one of the best Who releases of recent years.
June 3, 2022
2.5 stars
Overall this wasn't great, I don't think most of the authors really got River's voice down. Some of the stories I truly didn't care about, and River Song is one of my all time favourite characters so to read stories of her that I feel don't do her justice is not a fun experience.
I don't know who they get to write these Doctor Who novels but they're never very good. Fanfiction writers can have better grasps on the characters!
But anyway, here are my mini reviews of each short story:
- - - - - - - - - -
Picnic at Asgard - ⭐️⭐️
This was odd. It felt like young River, with her anxiety around asking the Doctor for anything and there wasn’t really any of the flirty banter we see when their relationship is more established. It never said it was Eleven / Matt Smith but it had to have been, this read like an awkward early date, haha. I thought River even considering having a child out of character, she’s too busy killing people and digging things up and flying across space to worry about a baby.
It read like someone who has watched the Eleven/River episodes maybe once or twice but never delved deep into who the characters really are and their relationship dynamic. I can say that because I watched it religiously from 2010-2013 and have written and read my fair share of fanfic for these two. 🙈😅
I found a word missing from a sentence, and another word at the beginning of sentence that should have been capitalized but wasn’t.
Suspicious Minds - ⭐️⭐️✨ {2.5 stars}
I feel like I don’t have any strong feelings on this one. It was perfectly fine, a quick little romp with the Doctor and River on an adventure. 🤷🏼♀️ Felt kinda like the X-Files movie with the wasps and creepy building holding them all. But it wasn’t that memorable. I think I liked it better than Picnic at Asgard though!
A Gamble With Time - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Oh this was absolutely brilliant!!! I loved it. Steve Lyons has absolutely got young River’s voice and sass and sarcasm down, the flirting with Eleven was perfect, I found myself grinning through all of their interactions.
It felt like a really good mini in-between adventure they had, when Amy and Rory weren’t with the Doctor or literally just a moment in time between episodes. It felt like RTD-era Who, which Matt Smith’s run doesn’t but I liked that! It was a fun take on the characters and totally believable, like you can’t tell me this didn’t happen, haha.
Death in New Venice - ⭐️
I didn’t like this one at all. It didn’t really feel like River and I didn’t care about the story or the characters, and just read it to get through it. By far the worst one of the book.
River of Time - ⭐️⭐️
This one was okay. I think River’s voice was right, and I can see this having happened to her at some point in her life.
What struck me as bad though, was a couple times where high necked tops were said to be “not a good look for any culture” which felt I dunno, a lil racist??? And there was a weird reference to when she was Amy and Rory’s friend Melody as a kid/teen/young adult but it was like a throwaway, “that one time I was black” line that I just thought was unnecessary??? The sentence was literally, “I spent three years back on Earth as a management consultant, back when I was young and black.” And I dunno, that was wholly unnecessary to include, in my opinion. Rubbed me the wrong way to just randomly include that she was Black once, when it made no difference to the story.
The Silence were also referred to as “The Silents,” which is incorrect. If you’re going to make reference to other Doctor Who things you should make sure it’s right, because readers will know when it’s not. 🙄
FAVOURITE QUOTES
Picnic at Asgard
“I stepped out in front. 'Excuse me,' I said, in a voice I have known to get excellent results. Were you planning to join in the funeral pyre ritual later? Because if you weren't, I'd be quite happy to facilitate it.”
“The sun suddenly set above our heads in a million glowing shades of pink and purple streaking across a golden sky. As the stars popped out above us, thousands and thousands of tiny candles lit themselves, until the amphitheatre was a glittering fairyland and a collective 'ooo' could be heard from the crowd. I realised we were holding hands, but we weren't running.”
"They say a psychopath cannot imagine the world any other way but their own. That their version of reality is the only one that matters to them. They are so wrong about me."
Suspicious Minds
"'Humans are animals,' the Doctor interjected, without putting his hand up. It was just an aside. Of course, I knew he was referring to their taxonomical classification rather than being rude, but it's more fun pretending to take offence. 'Human wife sitting right next to you!” I pointed out. And would you deny, River, that you can sometimes be a bit of an animal? Ah, compliments will get you anywhere.”
"I fought harder against the all-consuming calm, desperately struggling to reach the surface again. I whispered his name under my breath, over and over, a mantra to keep me afloat."
"My eyes snapped open. I stared at the thing I was holding. A hand of bone in my hand of flesh. More bones leading away from it, still attached, arm bones that folded in on themselves, clattering to the ground as I hurriedly let go of the hand."
"I pushed the peace out of my mind and replaced it with anger. Anger at being taken from my parents. Anger at the life stolen from me. Anger at the people who'd made me what I am. (I'd like to say "what I was'. But I can never be entirely sure.) Anger at a universe that allowed this to happen. Perhaps, even, anger at the Doctor, because loving him might make life so much better, but it made it oh, so much harder too."
A Gamble With Time
"We returned to the place where - if you'll pardon my own mangled tenses, Dear Diary- it had all been about to begin."
River of Time
"Professor Forcade bought us down to a shaky landing near a cluster of artificial domes. These were coloured in various shades of red, yellow and blue, making them look against the dusty monochrome landscape like carnival balloons at a funeral."
Overall this wasn't great, I don't think most of the authors really got River's voice down. Some of the stories I truly didn't care about, and River Song is one of my all time favourite characters so to read stories of her that I feel don't do her justice is not a fun experience.
I don't know who they get to write these Doctor Who novels but they're never very good. Fanfiction writers can have better grasps on the characters!
But anyway, here are my mini reviews of each short story:
- - - - - - - - - -
Picnic at Asgard - ⭐️⭐️
This was odd. It felt like young River, with her anxiety around asking the Doctor for anything and there wasn’t really any of the flirty banter we see when their relationship is more established. It never said it was Eleven / Matt Smith but it had to have been, this read like an awkward early date, haha. I thought River even considering having a child out of character, she’s too busy killing people and digging things up and flying across space to worry about a baby.
It read like someone who has watched the Eleven/River episodes maybe once or twice but never delved deep into who the characters really are and their relationship dynamic. I can say that because I watched it religiously from 2010-2013 and have written and read my fair share of fanfic for these two. 🙈😅
I found a word missing from a sentence, and another word at the beginning of sentence that should have been capitalized but wasn’t.
Suspicious Minds - ⭐️⭐️✨ {2.5 stars}
I feel like I don’t have any strong feelings on this one. It was perfectly fine, a quick little romp with the Doctor and River on an adventure. 🤷🏼♀️ Felt kinda like the X-Files movie with the wasps and creepy building holding them all. But it wasn’t that memorable. I think I liked it better than Picnic at Asgard though!
A Gamble With Time - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Oh this was absolutely brilliant!!! I loved it. Steve Lyons has absolutely got young River’s voice and sass and sarcasm down, the flirting with Eleven was perfect, I found myself grinning through all of their interactions.
It felt like a really good mini in-between adventure they had, when Amy and Rory weren’t with the Doctor or literally just a moment in time between episodes. It felt like RTD-era Who, which Matt Smith’s run doesn’t but I liked that! It was a fun take on the characters and totally believable, like you can’t tell me this didn’t happen, haha.
Death in New Venice - ⭐️
I didn’t like this one at all. It didn’t really feel like River and I didn’t care about the story or the characters, and just read it to get through it. By far the worst one of the book.
River of Time - ⭐️⭐️
This one was okay. I think River’s voice was right, and I can see this having happened to her at some point in her life.
What struck me as bad though, was a couple times where high necked tops were said to be “not a good look for any culture” which felt I dunno, a lil racist??? And there was a weird reference to when she was Amy and Rory’s friend Melody as a kid/teen/young adult but it was like a throwaway, “that one time I was black” line that I just thought was unnecessary??? The sentence was literally, “I spent three years back on Earth as a management consultant, back when I was young and black.” And I dunno, that was wholly unnecessary to include, in my opinion. Rubbed me the wrong way to just randomly include that she was Black once, when it made no difference to the story.
The Silence were also referred to as “The Silents,” which is incorrect. If you’re going to make reference to other Doctor Who things you should make sure it’s right, because readers will know when it’s not. 🙄
FAVOURITE QUOTES
Picnic at Asgard
“I stepped out in front. 'Excuse me,' I said, in a voice I have known to get excellent results. Were you planning to join in the funeral pyre ritual later? Because if you weren't, I'd be quite happy to facilitate it.”
“The sun suddenly set above our heads in a million glowing shades of pink and purple streaking across a golden sky. As the stars popped out above us, thousands and thousands of tiny candles lit themselves, until the amphitheatre was a glittering fairyland and a collective 'ooo' could be heard from the crowd. I realised we were holding hands, but we weren't running.”
"They say a psychopath cannot imagine the world any other way but their own. That their version of reality is the only one that matters to them. They are so wrong about me."
Suspicious Minds
"'Humans are animals,' the Doctor interjected, without putting his hand up. It was just an aside. Of course, I knew he was referring to their taxonomical classification rather than being rude, but it's more fun pretending to take offence. 'Human wife sitting right next to you!” I pointed out. And would you deny, River, that you can sometimes be a bit of an animal? Ah, compliments will get you anywhere.”
"I fought harder against the all-consuming calm, desperately struggling to reach the surface again. I whispered his name under my breath, over and over, a mantra to keep me afloat."
"My eyes snapped open. I stared at the thing I was holding. A hand of bone in my hand of flesh. More bones leading away from it, still attached, arm bones that folded in on themselves, clattering to the ground as I hurriedly let go of the hand."
"I pushed the peace out of my mind and replaced it with anger. Anger at being taken from my parents. Anger at the life stolen from me. Anger at the people who'd made me what I am. (I'd like to say "what I was'. But I can never be entirely sure.) Anger at a universe that allowed this to happen. Perhaps, even, anger at the Doctor, because loving him might make life so much better, but it made it oh, so much harder too."
A Gamble With Time
"We returned to the place where - if you'll pardon my own mangled tenses, Dear Diary- it had all been about to begin."
River of Time
"Professor Forcade bought us down to a shaky landing near a cluster of artificial domes. These were coloured in various shades of red, yellow and blue, making them look against the dusty monochrome landscape like carnival balloons at a funeral."
August 27, 2016
Petit recueil de 5 nouvelles, c'est trop peu xD une fois qu'on commence on a envie de connaitre toutes les aventures de River. Elles sont écrites du point de vue de River, comme elle le raconte dans son journal. C'est drôle (surtout quand le Docteur est là), émouvante même quand elle livre des infimes détails sur elle-même, et parfois tragique (forcément elle tombe aussi sur des méchants qui tuent des gens).
C'est aussi le kiffe quand on a quelques références aux épisodes (ya même une nouvelle qui se passe presque en parallèle du 1er ep de la saison 1).
C'est aussi le kiffe quand on a quelques références aux épisodes (ya même une nouvelle qui se passe presque en parallèle du 1er ep de la saison 1).
February 3, 2017
"The biggest issue a girl has with long-term incarceration on a remote and dismal prison planet is, I've found, the effect it had on her shoes."
Oh, River Song; don't you ever change.
Oh, River Song; don't you ever change.
December 31, 2022
As a Doctor Who fan, I was eager to read more about the woman who is known as the Doctor’s Wife, a child of the TARDIS, as well as his murderer, and much more. The Legends of River Song is an anthology book with contributions from Jenny T. Coglan, Jaqueline Rayner, Steve Lyons, Guy Andrews, and Andy Lane. Only two of those names were familiar to me when I picked this out to read. This is designed to be like picking up her diary and reading it; a diary she was given by the Doctor and often shares with him.
What I got were five short stories. Out of the five, two were very good and the rest were okay. It wasn’t as good as I was expecting it to be, and it’s kind of sad that near the end, I just wanted to get it over with and move on to my next book.
The first was Picnic at Asgard. I’d heard adventures in Asgard between the Doctor and River mentioned during the series, so I was very intrigued by this one. It did not disappoint. It was a very good rendition of adventures involving the Doctor and River and a lot of fun. The second was Suspicious Minds. If you’re thinking that’s the title of an Elvis Presley song, you’d be correct and he (or something like him) plays a part in the story. Gamble With Time was the final story involving the Doctor and was the least remarkable of those. Death in New Venice was the strongest story in which River is working alone. It is a great concept involving the construction of a gated community for the wealthy using a substance known as WishCrete. I could easily see this as an episode of the series and it was a lot of fun. Finally, there was River of Time in which it appeared the Doctor was summoning River, but he never makes an appearance. You’ll have to read it to find out why!
To read my full review, please go to: https://thoughtsfromthemountaintop.co...
What I got were five short stories. Out of the five, two were very good and the rest were okay. It wasn’t as good as I was expecting it to be, and it’s kind of sad that near the end, I just wanted to get it over with and move on to my next book.
The first was Picnic at Asgard. I’d heard adventures in Asgard between the Doctor and River mentioned during the series, so I was very intrigued by this one. It did not disappoint. It was a very good rendition of adventures involving the Doctor and River and a lot of fun. The second was Suspicious Minds. If you’re thinking that’s the title of an Elvis Presley song, you’d be correct and he (or something like him) plays a part in the story. Gamble With Time was the final story involving the Doctor and was the least remarkable of those. Death in New Venice was the strongest story in which River is working alone. It is a great concept involving the construction of a gated community for the wealthy using a substance known as WishCrete. I could easily see this as an episode of the series and it was a lot of fun. Finally, there was River of Time in which it appeared the Doctor was summoning River, but he never makes an appearance. You’ll have to read it to find out why!
To read my full review, please go to: https://thoughtsfromthemountaintop.co...
September 12, 2020
Picnic at Asgard by Jenny T. Colgan: ⭐️
I didn’t enjoy this story at all, there was something different about the characters I can’t put my finger on and the story was meh. After reading this first story in the book I had to put it down for a week to convince myself to finish it.
Suspicious Minds by Jacqueline Rayner: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I really enjoyed reading this story. I was a bit iffy in the beginning but the more I read the more I enjoyed this story. The Doctor, River, and plastic Elvis teaming up in the meadows was a good dynamic. Plastic Elvis finding his passion put a smile on my face and I wish there was a second part to this story.
A Gamble With Time by Steve Lyons: ⭐️⭐️
This was a nice little story to read. It wasn’t the best but it wasn’t the worst. Martin wasn’t what I was expecting but I grew to like him by the end of the book. River ‘baby sitting’ was curious, she was like the fun aunt at Christmas time.
Death in New Venice by Guy Adams: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was different than what I was expecting. The story was told in the form of diary entries and it was a nice change. I was intrigued with what was happening and it kept me wanting to know how it ended. I really liked the character of Gloriana and when she came into the story it was a little bit more interesting.
River of Time by Andrew Lane: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I really enjoyed reading this story. It had a good plot and the pacing of the story kept me wanting to read more. From being in Stormcage to onto a derelict planet as old as the Time Lord’s I was surprised at what had been found and how it played out.
I didn’t enjoy this story at all, there was something different about the characters I can’t put my finger on and the story was meh. After reading this first story in the book I had to put it down for a week to convince myself to finish it.
Suspicious Minds by Jacqueline Rayner: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I really enjoyed reading this story. I was a bit iffy in the beginning but the more I read the more I enjoyed this story. The Doctor, River, and plastic Elvis teaming up in the meadows was a good dynamic. Plastic Elvis finding his passion put a smile on my face and I wish there was a second part to this story.
A Gamble With Time by Steve Lyons: ⭐️⭐️
This was a nice little story to read. It wasn’t the best but it wasn’t the worst. Martin wasn’t what I was expecting but I grew to like him by the end of the book. River ‘baby sitting’ was curious, she was like the fun aunt at Christmas time.
Death in New Venice by Guy Adams: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was different than what I was expecting. The story was told in the form of diary entries and it was a nice change. I was intrigued with what was happening and it kept me wanting to know how it ended. I really liked the character of Gloriana and when she came into the story it was a little bit more interesting.
River of Time by Andrew Lane: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I really enjoyed reading this story. It had a good plot and the pacing of the story kept me wanting to read more. From being in Stormcage to onto a derelict planet as old as the Time Lord’s I was surprised at what had been found and how it played out.
May 15, 2023
I was quite excited when I saw the list of writers, knowing a few of them from previous works and having liked their writing. However, none of them seem to truly grasp River Songs voice. This is also true for the Doctors voice in stories which involve him. This leads me on to me next negative. The majority of the stories either have the Doctor present or a key element relating to the Doctor. This was disappointing as, although the Doctor is an important part of her life, I wanted to see River as a strong character separate from a man. Other complaints include a few plots being difficult to follow and multiple issues with pronouns. However, this is still a fun read. A lot of the concepts are very unique and all come to a satisfying conclusion. They also build effectively on pre established knowledge. On top of this, it was interesting to get a glimpse into Rivers brain and some parts were particularly painful.
October 30, 2017
Well this one was hard to rate. I'll be totally honest here, the 4 stars is due to my undying love for River Song and everything related to her.
The writing isn't bad at all but it's nothing remarkable either, the stories are fun but that's about it, however it has a couple sweet moments that made me smile (but to be fair even the mention of River's name can make me smile).
I'll probably read it again soon and update this a bit.
The writing isn't bad at all but it's nothing remarkable either, the stories are fun but that's about it, however it has a couple sweet moments that made me smile (but to be fair even the mention of River's name can make me smile).
I'll probably read it again soon and update this a bit.
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