Doctor Who: The Lost Flame by Cavan Scott & George Mann; audiobook read by Clare Higgins (BBC, 2017) An exaggerated scenario with a deus ex machina finale. A concluding serial that ties in but tenuously with the rest of the series. Clare Higgins handles the reading with aplomb, but once again Cavan Scott and George Mann have failed to deliver.…
Tag: George Mann
Doctor Who: An Apple a Day
Doctor Who: An Apple a Day by George Mann (Woodlands Books, 2014); audiobook read by David Troughton (Bolinda, 2015) David Troughton’s reading brings a lot to this gentle Christmas ‘Seeds of Doom’ homage-cum-reprise. The Krynoid remains one of the Classic Series’ more memorable monsters, although again — as with the original serial’s RAF bombardment — the means of its defeat…
Doctor Who: The Lost Planet
Doctor Who: The Lost Planet by George Mann (BBC Audio, 2017); audiobook read by Nicola Bryant The Doctor, having carelessly created a universe-imperilling problem, defeats it by running away. (If that’s a spoiler, consider yourself saved.) Mann plumbs old depths; with Nicola Bryant reading it almost feels like we’re back in the mid-80s with Pip and Jane Baker.
Doctor Who: The Lost Angel
Doctor Who: The Lost Angel by George Mann & Cavan Scott; audiobook read by Kerry Shale (BBC, 2017) The Weeping Angels, like the Daleks before them, have faded from show-defining monsters into one-dimensional ho-hum tripe. The bits with the Doctor work well enough — as one would expect — but whenever he’s absent the writing, characters and scenario simply fail…
Doctor Who: Paradox Lost
Doctor Who: Paradox Lost by George Mann (BBC, 2011); audiobook read by Nicholas Briggs In an otherwise fairly nondescript Eleventh Doctor adventure, Mann introduces two minor characters with potential for future appearances: Professor Angelchrist, an early twentieth century gentleman adventurer; and Arven, a soft-spoken AI from future London. Of less interest is the dismissively-dealt-with titular paradox. Add to…
42 Word Review: Doctor Who — Engines of War by George Mann
Doctor Who: Engines of War by George Mann (BBC Books, 2014) This readable (if unproofread), epically themed yet superficial bridging novel evokes something of the classic series four-parters. For all the promise the Time War offers, John Hurt’s so-called War Doctor for the most part could (and should) have been Paul McGann’s Eighth.