City at World's End

It's amusing to me how many writers tend to write Past Doctor stories in the style of the stories that were broadcast during that Doctor's tenure, not really seeing fit to push the format or strain the characters just a little bit. Now, I don't know if that's because the audience really wants just the comfort of seeing old hands being put through their paces or because of editorial fiat, but it generally means you can guess where the story is going once you get too far into it. Thus: the TARDIS crew lands on a planet that is about to undergo peril. Turns out that the moon is about to smash into the planet and kill everyone, so they are currently engaged in trying to build a giant spaceship that will take everyone out of there. Or almost everyone. Maybe. Generally in most situations where people land in a magic teleporting box on a planet with a clear expiration date, the crew would be like, "Well, hey, guys, it's been nice visiting but we're out of here . . ." and leave. Except that the TARDIS gets immediately lost in a collapsing building and everyone gets separated. Oh, gee. Raise your hand if you saw that coming. To Bulis' credit, he's clearly thought the situation out. The place feels like wreckage even before meteors are going to start raining from the sky. Streets are empty, the people that aren't going feel oppressed, the different factions of the government are coming apart at the seams and are barely keeping from being at each other's throats. The Doctor, as usual, rises to the situation not by being an action hero but by being smarter than everyone else and, as is typical for this Doctor, commanding everyone in sight with his nonstop haughty demeanor. He gives the planet layers of mystery that at least give the plot a reason to unfold, even as you can see where this is all going to end up from quite some distance away. There's two problems here. The first is that everyone just falls into their standard roles without expanding or exploring them in any way. Susan screams, the Doctor investigates, Ian becomes Science Action Hero, and Barbara . . . well, Barbara gets brainwashed for no good reason. They do pretty much what you expect them to do in the situation and while the author gets points for consistency they aren't really challenged either, nor does it make for a very exciting situation. The other problem is that large sections of the plot aren't quite developed as fully as they need to be as the story just barrels along. Barbara's brainwashing (and the role of the people who did it) merely serves as a catalyst for an action later without having any other effect and is forgotten almost right away. Susan's clone is introduced in a way that makes you think you skipped a large part of the story (or that someone got names wrong) but becomes obvious shortly later what happened, and again only serves to spark a left-field plot twist later. This means that the early parts of the story, where doom feels imminent, largely

A little adventure never hurts, does it? Well, if the Doctor listened to Ian & Barbara's protests every time, there simply wouldn't be any stories to tell. In this futuristic world, nothing is as it seems. Its a world of social class clashes, giant snakes, and scientific wonders gone wrong. Christopher Bulis does a great job at keeping a surprise waiting on every page, but the surprises in this story just ended up being a bit far-fetched. Even for a time traveling sci-fi lover like myself. Overall while it was a interesting and enjoyable read, it simply was one I could put down for a few days & come back to finish it later. This book might not be the first one I'd point out to a new fan of Dr. Who, but at the same time, its certainly not one Dr. Who regular would want to miss out on.

This book started out like any novel, that being average. The story then followed a some what easy to guess Dr Who pattern, where the characters get separated and have to find one another. Then, about 1/2 way through the book, the plot took me by surprise. It started going places I hadn't guessd at. This book ended up going totally away from where it was leading to for 1/2 of the book. For that, I congratulate the author. That was an excellent job. The supporting characters were enjoyable. I believe that the ending wasn't a complete new story in the realm of sci-fi, but the journey to that end is what I thought was brilliantly done by the author. Also, as in most Dr Who novels, there are 2-3 good subplots evolving around that one main plot. This book did not disappoint any in that area. Again, if your looking for a good read, or are a Dr Who fan, this book is very pleasing to read. I gave it 5 stars, and I rarely give books that good a rating.

Christopher Bulis, one of the most prolific authors of original "Doctor Who" novels, has produced another excellent story in "City at World's End." The book has a satisfyingly complex plot, with many plot strands deftly woven together. The reader is presented with several puzzling mysteries and it is a pleasure to try to guess their solutions before Bulis reveals them. The book also raises thought-provoking questions about the nature of our knowledge of the cities in which we live and of our fellow citizens, and, like all science-fiction stories concerning a planet or civilization facing imminent destruction, makes us wonder how we would behave in such a situation. The book features excellent characterizations of the Doctor and his three companions and makes us care deeply about the supporting characters. Perhaps the book's only flaw is that, toward the end, Bulis throws in a few too many of his trademark shocking plot twists (although most of them have been carefully set up earlier in the book) with the result that he must resort to a somewhat contrived plot device to provide resolution. Nonetheless, this book is highly recommended.

We've seen the story before, but despite covering old ground, this book in the continuing adventures of DOCTOR WHO is worth picking up. The story features the first Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Susan all of whom land in a city that is dominated by a large spacecraft and is not what it seems to be (shades of STATE OF DECAY). There's a mystery afoot, and to keep our hero's around to solve the problem the writer throws the book at them... the building the land on is blown out from under them, Barbara is trapped underneath, Susan is tossed into a coma, the Doctor and Ian worry, party and look for the TARDIS key which has once again been lost. All in all... a true blue Doctor Who adventure. The only real complaint I can level at this story is that the main characters are simply run through their paces... little or no advancement in their relationship is brought forward, and Barbara seems to be put through the worst of it... she is literally knocked out in this book, so much so I felt it bordered on attempted murder by the author. Despite the gaps, it is a fast and fine read and worth picking up.