| Title | : | Doctor Who: Myths and Legends |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1785942492 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781785942495 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 277 |
| Publication | : | First published June 1, 2017 |
These are the most enduring of those tales. From the princess Manussa and her giant snake Mara, to the Vardon Horse of Xeriphin, these stories shed light on the universe around us and the beings from other worlds that we meet. Myths hold up a mirror to our past, present and future, explaining our culture, our history, our hopes and fears.
A collection of epic adventures from the Time Lords’ mist-covered past, Myths and Legends is an unforgettable gallery of heroes and villains, gods and monsters.
Doctor Who: Myths and Legends Reviews
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I received this book via Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This is a cute and charming collection of short stories, all set in the Dr. Who universe. Most of them are re-imaginations of Greek Myths and include familiar characters, planets and species. Time Lords and Gallifrey are heavily featured, with appearances from the Daleks, Ice Warriors, Vampires and many more.
The stories are written in a simple but fairly descriptive fashion. I was not the biggest fan of the writing style, it seemed a bit childish and flat. I would place this on a middle grade level. That being said, I understand that a lot of background information needed to be packed into a few pages for each of these stories, and the result is decent. The stories are easy to follow and definitely stand on their own.
There is variation when it comes to the quality and depth of the stories. An avid fan would definitely love this collection, and if you're not as rusty as me when it comes to your Doctor Who trivia, you'll definitely enjoy most of them. My favorite ones are Defiance of the New Bloods, The Angels of Vengeance and The Enigma of Sisterhood. My least favorite one is probably The Kingdom Of The Blind. -
As soon as I saw this collection I was deeply curious and excited because it couldn't come at a better time. Waiting for the Christmas special is difficult and I am always wanting more Doctor Who!
Based on the introduction included you immediately know this book was written on Gallifrey for other Time Lord's learning and enjoyment. I believe a better title for this book was directly mentioned here: Time Lords Myths and Legends.
Our beloved Doctor does pop in and help in his own style (depending on which Doctor you get since this mixes the classic and new regenerations) but not enough for him to be in the title. This wonderful compilation of stories is based on Greek Mythology ranging from Medusa to Icarus to Thor. There are many stories interwoven with Time Lord lore and our own Greek mythology to excite your imagination and leave you wondering enough to re-read some of these tales. We get insights to parts of Gallifrey we've never known and see some familiar whovian foes like Cybermen, Daleks, Sontarans and The Master. We also get to see just how extensively advanced Time Lord civilization was compared to our own due to the author's extensive knowledge and crafty writing skills.
I very much enjoyed every magical tale here and can't wait to see how beautiful this collection will be in print. The small illustrations included are fantastic, just enough to help guide your imagination in a little deeper into the story. I really enjoyed getting glimpses of many of the versions of the Doctor and hope to see more collections from this author in the future. This book is great for whovians ages 12 and up based on but parents should always read first (because you will love it too). I highly recommend this book for any Doctor Who fan craving just a little more.
This ARC was given by the publisher and NetGalley for a fair and honest review. -
I'm a huge Whovian as well as a fan of mythology and legends so when I saw Doctor Who: Myths and Legends available on NetGalley I didn't hesitate to request it. Needless to say I was beyond thrilled when I got approved for this title. I'm also really glad that it ended up being as amazing as I hoped it would be.
The book contains 14 short stories in the world of Doctor Who that are all retellings of certain mythology and legends that I'm sure everyone is familiar with. Some stories were better than others but I definitely liked them all. Some stories were even brilliant, in my humble opinion. My favorite story was The Enigma of Sisterhood. Below you'll find all the titles and my rating for the stories. Also contained in this book are some truly amazing illustrations made by Adrian Salmon. These were a big part of why I loved it so much.
The titles of all the stories + my ratings for them:
The Mondas Touch {Based on the story of King Midas} 5/5 ★
The Terrible Manussa {Based on the story of Medusa} 4/5 ★
The Unwanted Gift of Prophecy {Based on the story of the Cumaean Sybil} 5/5 ★
The Evil and the Deep Black Sky {Based on the story of Cylla and Charybdis} 3/5 ★
Jorus and the Voganauts {Based on the Argonauts' encounter with the clashing rocks of Symplegades} 4/5 ★
The Vardon Horse {Based on the story of the Wooden Horse of Troy} 3/5 ★
Defiance of the New Bloods {Based on the story of Prometheus} 4/5 ★
The Kingdom of the Blind {Based on the Argonauts' escape from the Cyclops} 3/5 ★
The Labyrinthine Web {Based on the story of Theseus and the Minotaur} 4/5 ★
The Angels of Vengeance {Based on the story of the three Furies and Orestes} 5/5 ★
The Jeopardy of Solar Proximity {Based on the story of Daedalus and Icarus} 5/5 ★
The Multi-Faceted War {Based on the story of Hercules and the Hydra} 3/5 ★
The Enigma of Sisterhood {Based on the lesser-known second riddle of the Sphinx} 5/5 ★
Pandoric's Box {Based on the story of Pandora} 4/5 ★ -
I thought that this book was really quite amazing. The problem I often have with books from the Doctor Who universe is that they seem very superficial and are often just missing the spark for me to really love them, even if I always appreciate new content from the DW universe. However, with this book, I was completely captivated the whole time. I thought the writing was at all times really engaging and the stories were super interesting and the illustrations just improved the reading experience. So if you're a fan of Doctor Who and would like to read something else from the universe, I would definitely recommend you go for this book!
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Review up soon on my blog:
Http://www.booksrfab.blogspot.com
***I received this copy via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.***
I must be honest, I have never watched Doctor Who. However, my sister is a huge fan and I mainly signed up for this copy in order to share the Doctor Who world with my sister just for a bit. I can honestly say I didn't go into this book with very high hopes, mainly because I have never been a big fan of sci-fi books. But I can say this book was a pleasant surprise. I found myself looking forward to what happened next.
This book is a compilation of short stories circled around the world of Gallifrey and the Time Lords before the well known Doctor Who show. Even though I have never watched the show, I found the book interesting and it definitely made me want to watch the show now.
And since it was a prequel I didn't feel lost or super confused, which was a very strong possibly being as some of the characters I have never heard of. And in the end I enjoyed how the books come full circle and all the stories weaved together in some way.
I would definitely recommend this book, even if you have never seen Doctor Who. It was a fun escape from the normal books I read. And now I have a new urge to watch Doctor Who. :) -
This collection of short stories is great for fans of Doctor Who and even for those who are not familiar with the programme. Full of myths and legends, not only from the Time Lords' points of view but also from many of the other aliens and races found in the series. I even found myself rooting for the Sontarans at one point!
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This short story collection was good. It didn't amaze me but it was good. It definitely added to my knowledge of the the Lore of Doctor Who however I just wasn't grasped entirely by some of the tales. That is why my rating stands where it does. Though there are some exciting and better tales. Mostly those involving Time Lords.
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I had to DNF this book. I just couldn't get into it
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2.5 Stars
Full review to come! -
This is an entertaining collection of short stories based around existing tales in the onscreen "Doctor Who" universe. Starting from those televised stories, author Richard Dinnick (oddly not given a cover credit at all) mixes in pieces of old myths. Quite frequently he even manages to explain away some puzzling or overlooked detail in the TV story. Enjoy.
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If you're looking for an analysis of how these myths and legends fit into the core Doctor Who world/fandom or something like that, you're looking in the wrong place. If you want a review of how much you'd like this collection of short stories even if you're not a hardcore fan, I guess that's where this review would fit. (Note: I have watched some Doctor Who as my siblings are fans, but I'm generally too lazy to follow a TV series. Don't kill me.)
Doctor Who: Myths and Legends is a collection of shorts, mostly based in/around Gallifrey, or at least various Time Lords, that makes for light sci-fi reading. This is probably harsh judgement, based off the fact that I've just finished reading Paula Guran's
Swords Against Darkness, but it is what it is: light reading. The stories are short, in some cases, almost simplistic, and some feel as if they end too abruptly. Some background knowledge about the Doctor Who universe is encouraged; I'm guessing that a true fan would decipher what was going on in The Unwanted Gift of Prophecy better than I did.
However, the stories are based on myths (well-known examples include King Midas, Medusa, the Trojan Horse, and Pandora's box; others are a little more obscure), so anyone interested in retellings of myths would probably like these science-fiction spins to those classic tales. Doctor Who fans need not fret - Lord High President Rassilon makes multiple appearances, as does the Doctor, though not in every single story. You will also meet the Daleks and the Weeping Angels.
The stories I enjoyed particularly include The Mondas Touch, The Terrible Manussa, The Angels Of Vengeance, The Jeopardy Of Solar Proximity, and The Multi-Faceted War.
Note: I received an e-galley of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review. -
This is a whole collection of myths and legends that are based in Doctor Who world. The myths and legends are the following:
The Mondas Touch
The Terrible Manussa
The Unwanted Gift of Prophecy
The Evil And The Deep Black Sky
Jorus And The Voganauts
The Vardon Horse
Defiance Of The New Bloods
The Kingdom Of The Blind
The Labyrinthine Web
The Angels Of Vengeance
The Jeopardy Of Solar Proximity
The Multi-Faceted War
The Enigma of Sisterhood
Pandoric’s Box
This is the first Doctor Who book I have read. I found it really interesting at learning these things about the world that I didn't have a lot of insight too. This book kept me hooked in. I did not want to put the book down till I was finished with it. I enjoyed the small illustrations in the book. One for each myth and legend. I did feel that some of the myths and legends were lacking is some details and just felt like some of it was still missing while other ones had a lot of detail and was great. All of the myths and legends have Time Lords related things in them. All in all if you are a Doctor Who fan then this book is for you!
Thank you to the publisher for providing this ARC through Netgalley. -
Any time I get a chance to read something from Doctor Who, I go for it. I was especially pleased by this selection as I'm always pleased by different mythologies being well-incorporated. The only downside for me was that it felt a bit jilted a at times instead of cohesive and some of the endings felt too abrupt to me. I couldn't, in good consciousness, give it a 4-star rating but I'd definitely give it a 3.5 if I could give half stars. I think if you're a fan of the series, current or past, you'll definitely enjoy this book and you'll enjoy it even more if you've read much mythology. Overall an enjoyable book and I hope the publisher decides to do more in a similar vein.
I would like to thank the publisher, author, and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review. -
Having read multiple Doctor Who anthologies, I have to admit this was my least favorite so far. In theory, the combination of mythological stories and one of my favorite fandoms sounds quite perfect, but I found the execution to be somewhat lacking. While I did love some of the twists and it was really fun to see some familiar characters, that wasn't enough to make the stories very engaging. The writing was the main problem here, I think. It felt a little dry and lacked the sense of humour that makes Doctor Who so massively enjoyable.
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I received a copy through the publisher via Netgalley for review in exchange for an honest review. Thank you very much for the opportunity to read this!
Well, I have to say this did not disappoint! Before I go any further, this was an awesome read! The title is a bit misleading, though. It says, "Myths & Legends" in the title, but reads more like factual or historical tales from alien worlds in the Doctor Who universe. That could have been intentional, but it does feel a bit strange that it did not read as myths or legends of events but rather of actual events themselves.
Additionally, sorry to disappoint those who might have been hopeful that Doctor Who would be the main feature of the novel - he is most certainly not though he is alluded to in some of the tales.
So now that we have those two points down, I'm really excited to talk about the diversity of this book. You'll see so many alien species - known and possibly new (this is my first Who novel, so perhaps some that were foreign to me have appeared before). The book talks vividly about the worlds these aliens come from, what they look like, government, and sometimes social structure! It really is fascinating. Before you know it, you've been sucked into each tale and you want to know more about the alien people's histories, culture, people, and more. That's the one downside to this book, I think. The short tales are so excellently written and vivid in detail, that you're left wanting "more" from each tale and there isn't any.
Some feature information that preludes events in the most recent seasons of Doctor Who and give a bit more background on things that happened in the show, which also ties in beautifully. The Doctor does make some cameos in a tale or two, without being named, so that was also very intriguing because it makes you truly wonder how much he was involved in that we aren't aware of, which is something I am always wondering while watching the show itself. What does he get up to when he is companion-less?
Overall, without giving too much more away I highly recommend adding this collection of Tales from the Doctor's universe, especially if you're wondering about other Alien peoples and events that aren't featured on the show. It is vibrantly written, draws you in, and leaves you wanting more! There is no bumpy transition or gaps based on the format we're used to either, thankfully! I will definitely be picking this up for myself in physical version to add to my bookshelf. I hope you do too. -
"No need for alarm. Or guards for that matter, I don't really like guards. They're always locking me up. And I'm always escaping."
I've had the opportunity to read one other Doctor Who collection, the American Adventures. I really enjoyed that one. I get that these stories are simple in their writing, but I think that works well in order to offer them to younger, perhaps Middle Grade, readers. In this collection of Myths and Legends, my favorites included The Mondas Touch and The Angels of Vengeance.
For Doctor Who fans (and fans of Greek mythology), as soon as each story begins, I think they can figure out where it's headed. For those unfamiliar with the various races or planets, it may be more of a surprise. Either way, it's a fun read. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars because though I did enjoy some of the stories, I didn't like all of them. However, I really do like the concept of the Doctor Who world influenced by Greek mythology: Medusa, the Argonauts, Theseus and the Minotaur, Daedalus and Icarus, and Hercules and the Hydra. There are more, but I don't want to spoil the entire collection for you. The title alone "myths and legends" should give the reader a vague idea of what to expect.
I think classic fans and new fans alike will enjoy these short stories because they cover original races as well as new: the Macra, the Daleks, the Racnoss, the Great Ones and the Weeping Angels (to name a few). However, if they are looking to read adventures of the Doctor, they might be disappointed. The Mondas Touch has the Doctor, but most of the other stories are events that happen without his meddling. That isn't a problem though. What is an issue happens to be the storytelling itself. Some stories end too quickly while others seem to drag on too long with a lot of telling and less showing. I don't need the Doctor to be involved in everything (or even the Time Lords, for that matter). I really like the stories involving creatures from old episodes and with the mixture of myths into this world, it really is fun to read. I recommended this book for any Doctor Who fan. They'll enjoy it, though they might skim past a story or two. -
"We are all stories, in the end. Just make it a good one" - El Doctor
Antes de empezar la reseña, he de admitir que he leído dos tipos de historias de Doctor Who: novelas y conjunto de relatos. Lo menciono porque, aunque no quiera, mi mente tiende a comparar todo lo nuevo con lo ya leído. En especial este libro con el de "
Doctor Who: Time Lord Fairy Tales" que también son un conjunto de relatos, aunque esta vez inspirados en cuentos de hadas.
"Doctor Who: Mitos y Leyendas" colecciona 14 historias en 275 paginas, cada una inspirada en una historia mitológica o leyenda. Cada capítulo cuenta con ilustraciones originales en blanco y negro por Adrian Salmon. Contadas en primera o tercera persona, la mayor parte de las historias están protagonizadas por los Señores del Tiempo (en más de una ocasión aparece el Doctor) en un ambiente futurístico, sobre todo en naves espaciales.
Bien, primer punto que quiero tratar es que no puse el número de páginas para sonar más profesional, sino para mencionar mi primera crítica y es que son muchas historias en pocas páginas. El libro en si no me gustó mucho, es de esos libros que dentro de unos años te lo mencionan y tú dices "ah, sí, ese creo que lo leí" y el problema radica en este punto: muchas historias, pocas páginas. Leerlo resulta en ir tachando páginas del índice como en la lista de la compra. Es la longitud exacta para ponerte en contexto de qué va el mito, pero no lo suficiente para enfrascarte en la historia y empatizar con los personajes. Este mismo problema también lo tenía "Cuentos de hadas de los Señores del Tiempo" pero no, por ejemplo, "
Doctor Who: The Missy Chronicles". Este último tenía el mismo número de páginas, pero solo 6 historias y te hace dar cuenta que lo importante es la calidad, no la cantidad. -
I received this courtesy of Smith Publishing and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I should preface this review by saying that I'm usually not a fan of collections of short stories only because they lack the continuity that I like when I'm reading a novel. I made an exception for this because I LOVE Doctor Who and I really enjoy Greek myths.
The concept was fantastic, the execution in terms of the writing style, was not so much to my liking. But that's just me. I had a hard time getting into some of the stories because they were either too short or the writing was just too flat.
That being said, I actually really did enjoy reading a few of the stories. I loved the Angels of Vengeance, The Labyrinthe Web, Defiance of the New Bloods, The Jeopardy of Solar Proximity, and the Unwanted Gift of Prophecy. They were easier to read and the inclusion of some of the current characters in a few of these was a nice touch. I also have a soft spot for the Weeping Angels and for any stories dealing with taking out the Daleks.
I haven't followed Doctor Who throughout the years so I found some of my history and knowledge lacking. I mean, I watched it as a child but it scared the hell out of me and I don't remember too much. I only really started getting into it again starting with the 9th doctor. Some of the timelords that figured pretty prominently, I had actually never heard of before including Rassilon and Omega. I also had no idea who the vampires were, or the Ice men but it was fascinating reading about them.
Overall, as I was reading this, I was wishing that all of these could or would be made into actual episodes or specials because I don't think the writing necessarily did it justice. I liked it though, I just didn't love it. However, if you're a hardcore Whovian, I definitely recommend picking this up. It was fresh and it provided a creative spin to the history of the Doctor Who universe with the addition of myths. -
A collection of short stories to thrill Doctor Who fans and with any type of collection like this there will be some you love more than others but all have that distinct flavor we come to expect when exploring the universe through the eyes of THE DOCTOR.
We get to revisit battle with the much loved Daleks along with a host of enemies from both the Classic Era and New. You’re treated to an intrepid examination of the Timelord history dotted with heroes and Mythical Timelords that will leave you drooling over the pages.
This is a wonderful way to introduce the wonder and mysticism of the Timelords to younger generations and makes for a fun way to wile away the hours for those who can recite the Doctors in order.
There is a TON of information, history and characters that will be exploding out from this novel to the point you practically need index cards to keep everything straight. Each story is written in a manner that makes them easy to read with a fluctuation between light plots for any type of audience to ones full of darkness that will have you thinking on deeper levels. Despite the shortness of each story they somehow still manage to feel full of context, deep world building and excellent character development.
You can skip around to read them in whatever order you would like as they are self-contained which allows you to take an afternoon to go through the whole thing in one sitting or stretch out the excitement by reading them piecemeal.
Word of caution: this collection isn’t so much about The Doctor as the world in which they inhabit. Temper your expectation lest you be disappointed and do not take time to enjoy this for what it has to offer. -
This book acts as a series of short stories that I can imagine would be told to the younger generation of Gallifreyans. and frankly I found the concept both intriguing and overall very fun to read.
Like with any series of short stories, everyone has favorites, and I definitely found that certain myths were written in a more pleasing manner than others.
However I will admit this book didn't fully reach my expectations, this is because it took me a while to become involved in each story and because I found it was definetly written for a younger audience then myself. Yet I still found it hard to keep all the different characters straight in my head and would have enjoyed if there had been something to tie the book all together and was a little displeased that there wasn't.
That being said each myth is uniquely its own and I did quite enjoy the majority of them. Especially since you can connect the morals and themes at play with those of our own myths and folktales.
I love the Dr. Who television series and that honestly may have biased my opinion a bit considering i was looking for the doctor everywhere v.s just appreciating the story for itself, which is quite frankly just a boo boo on my part.
Either way I would highly recommend picking this up if you are a Dr. Who fan and want to get a new experience with the world in which The Doctor lives, and especially for those with maybe a slightly younger audience in mind (say middle school ish) who love the show. -
I love Doctor Who, so I was super excited when I was approved for this galley on NetGalley!
This is a collection of myths and legends from the Doctor Who universe. The stories feature some of my favourite creatures, like the Cybermen and Daleks.
I loved how these stories are taken from real ancient myths and legends, using Doctor Who characters, such as “The Mondas Touch” based on The Midas Touch, and “The Vardon Horse” based on the story of the Trojan horse. I love Greek mythology so I appreciated the way that the Doctor Who universe was blended with these ancient stories.
Sometimes there was a grey haired man, who could travel in time, that appeared in the stories. I wish this appearance of the Doctor happened more often because it was funny to see the reactions of the other creatures to this strange man.
At times the stories were quite detailed and spoke about things that were scientific, so I kind of got lost. But otherwise I loved this book! It’s a great collection of Doctor Who stories.
I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for a review. -
I am a HUGE fan of Doctor Who and Mythology so I really did enjoy this story collection! I could tell that some of the stories like "Jorus and the Voganauts" and "The Terrible Manussa" were based on Greco-Roman Myths. But with stories like "The Evil and the Black Deep Sky", I could not recognize the origins so the story felt new and unlike some myths, unpredictable. My favorite of the collection was "The Mondas Touch", which was inspired by the myth, Midas Touch. I don't care for the original as King Midas was always very greedy and just overall not a great person. In "The Mondas Touch", I supported the queen and her reasons for wanting to keep the gauntlet as she was doing to help her people advance. One could argue that she is just as greedy as King Midas, and as that is true, I will reiterate that she was doing to not just for herself but for the good of society. Overall, this book was a blast to read and I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Doctor Who or Mythology in general!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy that I can review. -
2.75
I was given a copy via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
As a big Doctor Who fan, I got excited when I saw this book in Netgalley and I got more excited when I got it approved. Everything was going well until I started reading it.
Each short story is based in an ancient myth retold in the world Time Lords live. The writing style is simple and sometimes that disconnected me from the narration.
I liked the book, but it was hard for me to finish it. I think it was mostly because when I started to get invested in the characters of each short story, it ended.
My favorite story is the one that has as protagonist Lucy, Harold Saxon's wife, because it gave a deep insight to her relationship with the Master(s). I have always wondered what it takes to be married to the Master, even if he is trying to pass as a human, and this story showed me more from Lucy and her character.
This is a book for huge Doctor Who fans that want to read stories not Doctor-centric. -
I was torn on what to rate this book. As an avid fan of Doctor Who, I would rate it 4 stars. But trying to read it with the mindset of someone who isn't familiar with Doctor who, I would have to take off one or two of those stars.
If you aren't familiar with Doctor Who, this would probably read as a mediocre collection of Sci-fi short stories. Just okay.
BUT. If you are a Doctor Who fan, this book is chalk full of fun retelling of familiar myths and legends set in the Who-universe.
Each story brought something new to a familiar aspect of Doctor Who. We get appearances by the Cybermen, Daleks, Racnoss, Sontarans, etc. Plus there were even a few appearances by the Doctor himself! (although I would have liked more)
It was also fun to see myths & legends from our own world retold with a Doctor Who twist. King Midas, Medusa, Icarus, the Trojan Horse, Pandora's Box, and many more myths are very recognizable, and I really enjoyed reading about how they might have happened in space. :)
*I received a digital copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.* -
'Doctor Who: Myths & Legends' by Richard Dinnick with illustrations by Adrian Salmon takes familiar characters from Doctor Who and weaves them loosely around stories from Greek mythology.
The table contents lists the story title as well as the myth that they are based on. There are stories based on stories that were more familiar to me like King Midas and Jason and the Argonauts. There are stories basedon stories I was less familiar with. The stories don't always follow the myth exactly, but that keeps the suspense going in the stories.
The Doctor shows up sometimes, but these are mainly about the different races that appear in the show. Some of these were more familiar than others. I liked this style of Doctor Who book. Each story has one or two black and white illustrations, and I thought they were pretty good.
I received a review copy of this ebook from BBC Books, Penguin Random House UK, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook. -
Doctor Who? Um yes please. I loved this one. Getting stories from all different worlds and planets in the Doctor Who galaxy was so much fun. These stories were based off of myths and legends that we already know, and it was easy to see which one they were based off of most of the time.
Some of the places/characters are ones that we see a lot throughout the show, and some are from ones that are just mentioned (I could be wrong, I'm not completely caught up on the show). However, you don't need any background information to read these stories. And a familiar Time Lord just might pop up here and there throughout some of the stories...
The only negative I have was the writing style. It was a little hard to get into, and sometimes disrupted the flow of the story. But other than that, I really enjoyed this collection.
I received an eARC from the publisher, this did not affect my honest opinion.
This review first appears on
The NerdHerd Reads -
(originally posted on
The Writing Hufflepuff)
I was really excited to read Doctor Who Myths and Legends. The world of Doctor Who is very broad and there's so much to explore. Myths and legends set in that world? Yes please. Unfortunately this book was a huge let down for me, mostly because of one reason: the writing style.
The writing style was very simple, flat and there's a lot of telling instead of showing.I spoke with Orfak and told him of my concerns. He was deeply shocked but admitted to having the same fugue state when it came to the events of last night following the use of the sarcophagus by the Vardon.
This led to me not feeling immersed in the stories at all, nor caring about what happened. There was a lot of they did this, they did that. There was no excitementPersis peered through one of the tiny windows. She was staring into the throne room. She recognised it from the holovid. It was empty.
I also felt like the stories were too short and sometimes rushed. Some of them ended very abruptly and made me wonder what even the point of the story was. I would've preferred if the author had reduced the amount of stories and had developed the remaining ones better. Though I'd still have trouble with the writing style, I do think that that way I would've cared a little bit more about the characters and their stories. Maybe I would've given the book a higher rating if that were the case. But now? I didn't care at all for these characters, even though they definitely had potential to be interesting.
I didn't expect the Doctor to be in this much, but the introduction did hint at them appearing in the stories, at least now and then. They appeared in only a few stories though, and except for one they barely played a part. It was still fun to see the Doctor show up though! It's just a shame that they only appeared in some of the stories at the beginning.
I also liked that the first story hinted at River ('She was an archeologist - feisty and unconvential') and there's a story about Lucy, The Master's Wife in season 3 of New Who which I really liked.
All the other stories unfortuntely felt really flat to me, though they did have potential to be really interesting. Since the writing style was the biggest reason for that, I think this might be a case of it's not you (the book), it's me.
A 1-star rating feels really harsh, but I sadly really didn't enjoy this one, so giving it more than 1 star felt like I was lying (to both myself and others). -
As a die-hard whovian, I adored this collection of 14 short stories set in the Doctor Who Universe. A good deal of the stories held underlying Greek mythology elements, but these were re-imagined and creative. My favorite titles are: The Angels of Vengeance and The Kingdom Of The Blind, just to name two.
Also, I love that some of the stories are told by different versions of the Doctor. Not just the last one. The tales paired with the little illustrations were marvelous.
While I was not overly fond of the writing style, I felt the simple, yet creative, presentation of the stories made it a book - whovian or otherwise - could read. This considered, I would expect to find this in the Middle Grade section of a store or library.
**I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my review** -
I received an advanced ready galley from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was so excited to be approved for this book because I'm a proud Whovian and love reading anything to do with Doctor Who.
This was an interesting collection of Earth tales that were turned into Gallifreyan tales, many involving creatures that I haven't heard of but made sense to be a part of the Whoniverse. There were themes at times similar to our own and at others futuristic themes.
In the beginning of the book, there's a reference as to who the Doctor Who tales we're inspired by which was very helpful.
A wonderous tale full of aliens, magic, adventure, and the power of friendship, it was a pleasure to read these tales and a great companion for those who wish to know more about the Doctor Who world!
