Exploring the core Star Trek concept of IDIC (Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combination) this novel, set in a multi-racial Vulcan science research ceExploring the core Star Trek concept of IDIC (Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combination) this novel, set in a multi-racial Vulcan science research centre has a mutating plague, spread by mixed race children. In light of COVID 19, this novel takes on a real gravitas, being so relevant today.
Jean Lorrah does love her Vulcans and we get plenty of Spock's parents Sarek and Amanda as well as Sorel, Daniel and T'Mir, characters from her previous novel The Vucan Academy murders. The new characters introduced for this story are great - I love the Klingon scientist Korsal and T'Pina the young beautiful vulcan and Beau Deaver the half human/half orian Han Solo style rogue.
I found the supporting cast, their histories and relationships here far more interesting than the original TOS cast who don't really get a chance to shine - Bones gets a fair bit of attention, but he's in his element doctoring. Kirk does his charismatic diplomacy thing and Scotty gets and engineering emergency - They all perform their roles, but this doesn't explore their characters or relationships much. We get a bit more with Spock, since he's mixed race, a scientist and has his parents aboard - however this is such a fast paced, busy novel, juggling so many new characters that we don't get much of a chance to get into anyone's head.
This one's definitely all about the story. I really enjoyed it, it's exciting and it does explore race tensions quite nicely - Klingons are immune - if they got their hands on this would they use it as a bioweapon? It also has some nice snippits of Orion and Romulan culture and of course the rebel Vulcan followers of T'Vet.
Fans of SNW will be delighted to see an early appearance of M'Benga - He ends up joining the Enterprise crew, being an expert on Vulcan biology. What made me giggle though is this was written before SNW gave him the official Christian name Joseph - so here he's Geoff.
A solid 3.5 from me, this was a pretty good Trek novel in terms of writing, story and Trekverse. It's just not quite so good on exploring the TOS cast, focusing instead on original characters, still these were likeable and I think this one has aged really well in light of COVID and SNW. ...more
**spoiler alert** What the hell did I just read? Ummmmm
So we begin with a sci-fi B-Movie actor Jason Carter who finds a disc belonging to some archaol**spoiler alert** What the hell did I just read? Ummmmm
So we begin with a sci-fi B-Movie actor Jason Carter who finds a disc belonging to some archaologist dropped on his film set. He takes it to his wardrobe mistress, a mouthy, 50 something ex-gangster on the lam. She copies the disc and then they take it to the professor for the reward. Then using the data from the disc they head to Peru to find a lost city full of treasure. They encounter the professor and his men who take them prisoner. Both groups are further taken prisoner by an amazonian mercinary and her inca descended henchmen - She just wants the money and her men want to punish the spanish, creating a theme park called Inca World and making Inca Cola the top selling drink in the world. In a lost temple they find a Stargate style portal (in the shape of an egg) that is activated by cats.
Cats are monitors of intelligent races - and a renegade cat (manipulating the professor) wants to spread chaos - whilst the good cats have to stop him. So the portal leads to another planet where some incas live in a sort of time bubble - and once the portal is activated they decide to send an invasion force through to conquer the spanish and the rest of Europe by defaukt. When this plot is foiled, they decide to achieve the same objective sending subliminal messages through a soap opera that they finance - hoping to use the anti spanish sentiment to provoke a riot at a football match.
The aliens who built the portals, the Boojums turn up - they are plants who eat anchovies through their feet - and they influenced Lewis Carroll on their last visit to Earth, but he got it wrong. They are the Boojums and Cats are actually Snarks.
I think my poor little head just exploded on the WTF scale. I'm giving this 2 stars which is insanely generous - because I'm a massive Hunting of the Snark fan and I love cats. It's wildly entertaining in a madcap kind of way. Writing is breakneck pulp pace - and this misses a lot of line breaks - especially in the second half where things go off the rails - we shift character perspective with no break to indicate the shift which is somewhat confusing.
This is absolutely terrible and insane, but for some reason crazily readable.
Volume 4 begins where the last volume left off with the competition between Irina and her Boss - Koro sensei isn't the target though - It's Karasuma -Volume 4 begins where the last volume left off with the competition between Irina and her Boss - Koro sensei isn't the target though - It's Karasuma - the ministry of defence PE Teacher! After that story resolves itself Sensei takes three students to see a ninja movie - a plot line of which reveals the big bad to be the protagonists brother. This sets up the next story in this volume where another assassin gets sent to class 3E and it's Koro Sensei's remarkably human looking brother! The only thing Koro will say on the matter is that they were both artificially created.... So not aliens at all then, the plot thickens.... The last volume features a baseball grudge match with the main school and again leaves us on a cliff-hanger for part 5.
I'm still really enjoying this series and I'm very curious to see where it's headed now that we've had the bombshell that Koro Sensei was created.... By who? and why? And what is up with his complte sociopath brother?...more
Another fun instalment - this one's a bit more episodic, but no weaker for that. We begin with the conclusion to the cliff-hanger of the last volume wiAnother fun instalment - this one's a bit more episodic, but no weaker for that. We begin with the conclusion to the cliff-hanger of the last volume with the kidnapped girls on the school trip - Koro Sensei's guide to surviving a school trip really does cover every eventuality and teaches the kidnappers a lesson or two.
Next we get a new classmate - an A.I assassin, and again she learns from Koro to become more than her programmer's thought possible.
Then there's a small revenge story on a couple from the main school who look down on Class E - The girl having dumped her boyfriend Maehara when he got demoted to class E, and taken up with a new snobby BF.
Again we end on a cliff hanger, the final episode has Irina Jelavitch's boss turn up wanting her to quit as her skills aren't suited to assassinate Koro Sensei - He turns the tables and sets the challenge to see who is the best assassin....
From this one you can clearly see how it can be serialised into episodes - There's very little main plot arc here but rather a series of different scenarios. Honestly though, I'm enjoying this so much I didn't care that it's not a great story in its own right. Very much a filler volume but the characters are larger than life and I love the subtle way that everyone who trys to assassinate Koro learns a lesson and is improved in some way be the attempt. ...more
In this second volume we look at what happens when Irina Jelavich (a Black Widow style assassin) joins the school as the new language teacher. In the In this second volume we look at what happens when Irina Jelavich (a Black Widow style assassin) joins the school as the new language teacher. In the last volume we saw how Koro Sensei motivated the seemingly hopeless students by giving them individual attention, lessons based to their skill sets and the fun of constantly trying to kill him. He does a similar thing in this volume with Irina - Showing her limitations - sure she's a great assassin but can she be a great teacher....
Far less assassination and death than you'd expect from the premise and title (I was expecting something darker and more Battle Royale). But this really is a fascinating exploration of the tracked Education system. I love how the principal and teachers of the school become terrified as Class 3E begin to show pride and actually start achieving - and are no longer 'in their place' - a horror story to threaten the higher achievers with - do well or end up in 3E.
While Koro Sensei still threatens to destroy the world - I'm getting some hints that he's a kind of messianic figure. The principal says "I imagine it makes you sad... wanting to be the saviour of this world, but ending up as the villain who is going to destroy it instead." - You suddenly begin to question whether our Alien is a bad guy at all or whether he's actually a saviour showing mankind his potential - If he can teach the worst of the worst then there's clearly home. Will have to see how this pans out.
The last part of the volume has 3E go on a class trip where the girls get kidnapped. It'll be interesting to see if and how they escape in volume 3. ...more
A grinning yellow octopus alien takes out 70% of the moon and then comes to Earth threatening to destroy the planet in one year. In that year, he demaA grinning yellow octopus alien takes out 70% of the moon and then comes to Earth threatening to destroy the planet in one year. In that year, he demands to become the teacher of class 3E - the dumping ground for all the school rejects (kids with poor grades, bad communication skills or general delinquency). class 3E becomes the Assassination classroom where the students attempt to assassinate their teacher Koro sensi - for a monetary prize as well as of course to take him out before he destroys the world.
This is incredibly surreal and yet a great deal of fun - Think The Breakfast Club meets Battle Royale with aliens. Koro Sensi is an excellent teacher and gives motivation to kids who have pretty much lost all hope.
It's a clever way to highlight the flaws in the tracking education system - Once the kids get sent to 3E, they are written off and shunned by their more able ex-classmates. They are ignored and poorly treated by staff, banned from all extracaricular activities and given substandard equipment and resources. It's an educational death sentence - and while it motivates the higher achievers - do well or you'll end up in 3E - it demoralises those sent there - they are the worst of the worst and will never amount to much so why bother?
Throw a freaky alien octopus into the mix and suddenly these kids have the will to try again - plus since they already hate the establishment who shunned them - who wouldn't want to assassinate their teacher?
I rather enjoyed this first volume and look forward to seeing how the story pans out.
H.G Wells homage fusing The time Machine and War of the Worlds - The female assistant to the creator of the time machine, takes it on a jaunt with herH.G Wells homage fusing The time Machine and War of the Worlds - The female assistant to the creator of the time machine, takes it on a jaunt with her new beau, they break a lever and move in space as well as time, ending up on Mars before the martians invade Earth.
I rather enjoyed this, its a skillfully done mash-up that actually features Wells as a character towards the end....more
The production and voice cast on this, as with most Big Finish audios are top notch - Blue's Antony Costa guest stars here and he's really good. SheriThe production and voice cast on this, as with most Big Finish audios are top notch - Blue's Antony Costa guest stars here and he's really good. Sheridan Smith also gets to strut her stuff playing two different androids; Chloe & Daphne as well as returning as Lucie Miller.
My low score comes from the story itself - Its always hard to do a completely fresh alien Who story. Its very easy for a listener to picture a Dalek, cyberman, Sontaran or Zygon because we have a frame of reference - Here we have Mecurials, mercinaries made of mercury. Being audio there's very little description and I had a hard job 'picturing' this in my mid, despite the excellent voice talent - everyone sounded.... well human.
This is a completely alien world - no time travel/historical point of reference either and honestly it's not very Who-y. The Doctor's been imprisoned in the heart of a sun condemed to maintaining its systems and while he could escape, he's curious as to why he's there and needs to stop the sun becoming a weapon. I applaud this for its originality and scope, however I just felt this would have been far better as a TV episode where we could appreciate the world building and aliens better with a visual context. Its not a bad story, but just doesn't feel very Who. ...more
Although she doesn't want to travel with him permenantly after Auntie Pat, the Doctor promises Lucie the Christmas she missed out on because of Death Although she doesn't want to travel with him permenantly after Auntie Pat, the Doctor promises Lucie the Christmas she missed out on because of Death in Blackpool. He sets up Christmas dinner with Susan (the first companion) and her son Alex (played by Paul McGann's son Jake). The TARDIS gets attacked by a giant Alien fish.
This is such a change of pace after the epic three parter. Its a nice self contained nostalgic piece that's really well researched. Carole Ann Ford reprises her role as companion Susan, and I liked it that it was further on in her life - she has a son now, so she wasn't quite the same character. I loved how the Doctor has kept the rooms of all his former companions in the TARDIS.
I really enjoyed this one - I thought it was clever how the alien fish was released because The Doctor re-opened Susan's old room. Who knows what other aliens and relics might be in the other rooms - Its kind of a cautionary tale about holding on to the past....more
The Resurrection of Mars pulls all the threads together from the last two stories: The Book of Kells and Deimos - As such its not a great self-containThe Resurrection of Mars pulls all the threads together from the last two stories: The Book of Kells and Deimos - As such its not a great self-contained story and really doesn't work as a stand alone - It's heavily plotty. Tasmin and Lucie Miller come face to face and the rival Time Lords (8th Doctor and the Monk) basically swap companions.
This one's excellent for character - While you know the Monk is clearly wrong, it forces the audience and indeed his companions to question The Doctor and his actions - At once point the Doctor has to choose - Save Lucie or Let the Ice Warriors win and kill millions.
I love The Monk and I thought his character was really well used in this one. It's fantastic to have Lucie back as well. I enjoyed this one, but it depends what you want from a Who audio - If you want a cracking good adventure story, you're out of luck, but if you're a fan of the 8th Doctor Adventures and invested in the characters then this one is pretty vital....more
The 8th Doctor encounters Ice Warriors! With David Warner on the voice cast you know this is going to be good and it doesn't disappoint. After Mars becThe 8th Doctor encounters Ice Warriors! With David Warner on the voice cast you know this is going to be good and it doesn't disappoint. After Mars became too hot some Ice Warriors fled to it's moon Deimos where they hibernate awaiting a time when conditions change in their favour.
We then jump to the distant future where a tourist group come to see the remnants of the Ice Warrior civilaztion and failed (through lack of funds) terraforming project. Some Ice Warriors awake and want to use the abandoned terraforming device to re-freeze Mars, killing off all the humans.
Homage to Moonbase & Ice Warriors - tick. Nice little nod to the previous audio Phobos, tick. Phenomenal voice cast tick. The Doctor standing up for diplomacy when the others just want to blow things up - tick. I find the 8th Doctor really suits this kind of role, I don't know if it's simply McGann's voice or what, but I like his incarnation being diplomatic and reasoning.
This story isn't however a good stand alone and you really need to have the Ressurection of Mars on standby. Still I thought this one was really good....more
Series 4 kicks off with the departure of Lucie Miller and it's an interesting way for a companion to go: She doesn't die, fall in love or get homesickSeries 4 kicks off with the departure of Lucie Miller and it's an interesting way for a companion to go: She doesn't die, fall in love or get homesick but rather loses trust in the Doctor - a rather bold step to take. So Lucie wants to return home to Blackpool for Christmas and they run into Aunty Pat (a zygon, but Lucie doesn't know) - This one follows on from The Horror of Glam Rock and the Zygon who fell to Earth. If you're unfamiliar with these the plot will seem pretty confused. It's all about death - Lucie ends up in a coma and Aunty Pat is dying because she's stayed in the same human form too long (all because she loves Lucie)
I found this one depressing and when Lucie finds out the Doctor knew Aunty Pat was a Zygon the who time it severs the bond between them completely - which after all the adventures they've been on and the rapport they've created is a mighty kick in the teeth....more
Spin off from the Pertwee episode Planet of the Spiders this has the 8th Doctor and Lucie attempt to foil a spider invasiom.
As mentioned in the first Spin off from the Pertwee episode Planet of the Spiders this has the 8th Doctor and Lucie attempt to foil a spider invasiom.
As mentioned in the first half of this two parter, Lucie being brainwashed is fairly subdued, but otherwise thumbs up from me. Love Planet of the Spiders and this one's lots of fun....more
Lucie gets recruited by a brainwashing cult while the Doctor joins some scientists investigating a missing space probe.
As usual with Eddie Robson storLucie gets recruited by a brainwashing cult while the Doctor joins some scientists investigating a missing space probe.
As usual with Eddie Robson stories this one's pretty good. My biggest issue is it's brevity. It's the first part of a 2-parter finale and feels shorter than most of the other 8th doctor adventures and then it just ends on an almighty cliff-hanger (so be warned have Wold Wide Web on hand, as this really doesn't work as a stand alone).
The other issue I had with it is splitting up Lucie and the Doctor. It's very much a two strand story - Lucie doing her thing with the cult and the Doctor doing his thing with the scientists. I miss the interaction between the Doctor and his companion, the teasing and witty banter. Luicie is brainwashed for most of this and while total Kudos to Sheridan Smith for making it totally believable, i miss Lucie's usual exuberance and general sarky self.
Still the cult section works really well and this kept my attention entirely. Its not bad at all, I just like some of the other stories better....more
Discovery is the marmite Star Trek - because 'it isn't proper trek' in as much as it's much darker, with far more grey areas and morally ambiguous chaDiscovery is the marmite Star Trek - because 'it isn't proper trek' in as much as it's much darker, with far more grey areas and morally ambiguous characters and doesn't follow the formula of previous shows which are all captain centric and for the large part episodic adventures. Personally I aplaud it for taking risks.
I can't say the same for this novel which is probably the least Star Trek novel I've ever read, and indeed the least Discovery novel I've read - the only connection to the show is a single character and being set in the Trek universe.
It's not a bad novel - It's reasonably written and I like Tilly both in it and in the show. Huge kudos to actress Mary Wiseman for giving real warmth, humanity and likeability to a motormouth genius who could so easily have been super annoying. This gives Tilly's backstory and coming of age as she breaks away from her ghastly forceful diplomat mother. The thing is this disn't need to be a Trek novel - It's a simple girl finding herself story that just happens to have Star Trek trappings. Other than a very awkward frame set on Discovery, in which Tilly, unable to sleep recounts her past to Michael there is no connection to the show. None of Discovery's characters feature other than Tilly and Michael mentioned only in the frame (she could be anyone). There are no recogniseably Trek aliens, nor does this refer to any of the story lines, politics or events of the show WHATSOEVER.
On the plus side its a very good character study of Tilly and super female friendly. Bullied girl finds a voice and manages to finally shine in Star Fleet - Not a bad role model and actively encouraging girls to pursue science and maths. It's also quite readable and we care what happens to our heroine. I also like seeing Star Fleet through a different lens so to speak - we get to see ordinary people which is a breath of fresh air.
It's a terrible Trek novel however in as much as it isn't very Trek, fails to capture the essence of the show in any way and doesn't really widen the universe or have a particularly exciting story to tell. There isn't much adventure here or any real level of danger. I enjoyed it, but feel that it isn't going to meet the expectations of its target audience who are Discovery fans and this really isn't very Discovery....more
Here's a novel which I think works far better in audio or TV than on the page. It's a truly bizarre blend - Adams pitched it as 'a thunping good detecHere's a novel which I think works far better in audio or TV than on the page. It's a truly bizarre blend - Adams pitched it as 'a thunping good detective-ghost-horror-who dunnit-time-travel-romantic-comedy-epic' In anyone elses hands this would be utterly absurd, but Adams pulls it off, just about. I love the character of Dirk and it's his strength of character that holds this together. I think Stephen Mangan in the BBC series is probably the closest rendering in terms of the novel. Samuel Barnett in the more recent adaptation feels more like a mischievious fairy, I think the character needs more grounding in the real world and I quite like the cynical, penny pinching, but clearly brilliant anti-Holmes.
The story is frankly nuts - but I love the idea that a ghost would gravitate towards a time machine as a way to right past wrongs.
Something about the plot of this one intrigued me. Kirk, Bones & Spock are forced to visit Vulcan after a 'red shirt' crew member is injured and the VSomething about the plot of this one intrigued me. Kirk, Bones & Spock are forced to visit Vulcan after a 'red shirt' crew member is injured and the Vulcan science academy has the only experimental cutting edge technology that can potentially save him. This gives Spock a chance to visit his father and welcome his mother back from stasis where she has been undergoing the same radical life-extention surgery. The chief human doctor's wife is the third patient - when she and our red shirt die, Kirk realises that he is dealing with a murderer and has the play detective.
While this didn't play out how I wanted, its not without merit. I was hoping for something like Sherlock Holmes on Vulcan with detective Spock. Insead we get Kirk investigating a rather humdrum crime of passion where the perpetrator is obvious to the reader early on. What I did like was the exploration of Vulcan customs and the back story of Spock's parents - while the Amanda/Sarek courtship isn't explored in full (there's so a novel in that, if there isn't one already!) there are some nice flashbacks. I also liked Kirk interating with T'Pau - the scene where he sort of half accuses her is gold.
It's not too badly written, my biggest annoyance is how may chapters begin with James T. Kirk - we don't need his full name repeated quite so often, we know who he is, and it feels a tad clunky. Otherwise its reasonably paced and a fun story. I missed Scotty's presence, I think he'd have had a field day with some of the tech. And I also feel Spock was far better suited to the role of detective, however this would have made Kirk somewhat superfluous, so I can see why the story unfolds the way it does. Terminology is all spot on and the characters are all in keeping, and this does allude to several past episodes. Not the best, but a decent TOS novel, with a smashing Boris Vallejo cover....more
**spoiler alert** I'm clearly missing something. Pretty much across the board I've heard rave reviews for The Player of Games and I have to confess I **spoiler alert** I'm clearly missing something. Pretty much across the board I've heard rave reviews for The Player of Games and I have to confess I really struggled with it - it's rare for me to take over a month to read a single book that isn't a tome, but this one did.
It follows Culture agent and game player extraordinaire Jurnau Morat Gurgeh. Bored with his comfortable life in the culture he allows himself to become manipulated and gets sent out to play the most complex game ever created against the Empire of Azad - where the prize is Emperorship if you can stay alive long enough.
Nothing much happens at all - the action (the final game) all takes place in the last 1/4 of the book - but is so slow! Gurgeh introduced. Gurgeh gets sent to the Empire, Gurgeh plays the Game. Everything explodes. Gurgeh goes home. The end. I kept waiting for something interesting to happen.
To be fair there are some superb horrific scenes - which elevates this from a one to a two star rating. The hunt turned my stomach and the depiction of the Azad culture with its three sexes (Male, Female, Apex) and its face for the masses and then the secret cruelty for the ruling elite - reminded me of David Cronenberg's videodrome - Fascinating and sickening. The Culture clash and world building is definitely this novel's saving grace.
The other issue I really struggled with in this one was character. Horza in Consider Phlebas is sympathetic and 'human' - In fact I warmed to all the characters in that one - which was very much from a human POV. Even the aliens were likeable. I can't think of a single character in Player I liked or was rooting for, Gurgeh is thoroughly unlikable from the outset - And while he does change I never sympathised with him, except to see him as preferable to the Apices of Azad. This one's from the Culture POV which is alien in its own right and i failed to find any real point of emotional connection with the characters or the story. Other than perhaps the old house drone Chamlis I had no sympathy for the machine minds and actively hated the manipulative Mawhrin Skel.
I think perhaps a lot of the subtleties went over my head because I really couldn't see any point to this at all. The idea of games as real life worked far better in things like Ender's Game. The allegory was largely lost on me - I have no idea what lesson Gurgeh learned (other than perhaps to appreciate what he has, and that games are dangerous) and I was left with a feeling of 'is that it?'
Memorable for the horror sequences, but over all this one did very little for me....more
Lucie wants the Doctor to take her back to Moulin Rouge era Paris so she can meet Ewan McGreggor. Instead they end up on Gestapo occupied Paris where Lucie wants the Doctor to take her back to Moulin Rouge era Paris so she can meet Ewan McGreggor. Instead they end up on Gestapo occupied Paris where Goat Headed aliens perform Grand Guignol theatre and execute a 'scapegoat' over and over again.
The Grand Guignol theatrical segments reminded me a bit of The Master and Margarita. This is a great 'fusion' plot - with Gestapo, theatricality and aliens - but while its a great story in it's own right it isn't very Doctor-Who-y. The TARDIS and Lucie play a far more important role than the actual Doctor - The one nice moment for him is when he tells Max that he himself was a scapegoat for the Time Lords and survived, otherwise I found him pretty superfluous. Great voice cast including Samantha Bond. Sheridan Smith steals the show again on this one, her manggled French is a hoot.
Interesting and compelling plot, but not a particularly good WHO story. ...more
If there are any Trekkies out there who fancy a Stargate cross over, Gene DeWeese's Chain of Attack is a good starting point. The Enterprise are invesIf there are any Trekkies out there who fancy a Stargate cross over, Gene DeWeese's Chain of Attack is a good starting point. The Enterprise are investigateing what are basically stargates of unknown origin and predictability. They've been sending through probes with various reactions - some have come back exactly the same, some have manifested elsewhere and others have not come back at all. The Enterprise is forced through one of these gates and gets stranded with no way home. They investigate and find a basically annihilated galaxy with two hostile races both of whom are convinced the other is responsible for the destruction around them.
Kirk attempts to mediate peace but is hampered by a villainous visiting politition observer aboard the Enterprise who attempts mutiny and to discredit the 'family' he can never be a part of.
While the story isn't particularly original I thought this one was fairly exciting, well paced and would make a decent episode of TOS. Characters are all on point - the only niggle is Kirk being a bit too nice - but he's being distracted by hostile aliens in a strange galaxy with no way home, so we can cut him some slack - still letting Crandall back on the bridge after his previous mutiny.... waaaaaaaaay to lenient if you ask me. Spock gets to be both logical and heroic and Scotty & Bones have their moments.
As Trek novels go, I thought this one was pretty good, not quite in the favourites pile - it doesn't offer me anything new in terms of plot, character exploration, originality or expansion/exploration of the Trek universe and it maybe lacks humour but it is pacy and exciting and as a Star Trek adventure doesn't disappoint.
The one neat thing this does bring in is the for want of a better word, stargates. We don't learn who built them, why or where they all lead. Trek itelf of course uses this trope later on with wormholes - but here its kind of left hanging. I mean you could read this that they are in fact wormholes and someone like the Dominion or Borg have been destroying worlds - Or you could read them as actual stargates, or completely unrelated portals which gives plenty of scope for more exploration and stories in this particular sandbox....more