REVIEWS
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Blue Angel
by Paul Magrs and Jeremy Hoad
Blue Angel is a very odd book indeed, continuing the cycle of stories started with the excellent Interference. The storyline is very simple. A shopping centre in the north of England is attacked by a cluster of giant owls, and the shoppers are only saved by the timely intervention of Iris Wildthyme, in her latest 'Barbarella' incarnation. Meanwhile, the Doctor, Fitz and Compassion arrive on a federation ship right out of Star Trek, even down to the uniforms and "captain on the bridge" cries. It's very much original Trek, and is the closest there's been to a cross between the two series.
As well as these strands of plot, there is another, seemingly in an alternative universe where the Doctor and his companions are living in England, and keep in touch with an old friend of the Doctor's Sally, and her dog Canine (who apparently talks). These sections are rather confusing, and you can't help but think that the book would be much better without them.
But overall, the book seems out of place being released in August, with it's wintry theme. In many ways, it's like something out of The Wizard of Oz, with it's fantastical people and cities made of glass. As a Doctor Who book, it's a fascinating read, although at first you may be a little confused. But bear with it, as Blue Angel is a very good read, but don't expect everything to be explained by the end of the book. Like Interference, it asks lots of questions, and does not answer them all!
Blue Angel rating:-
City at World's End
by Christopher Bulis
And so from a book with a lot of Star Trek overtones to one with a Star Trek-esque title. City... is a Hartnell story with the original crew, and manages to keep the mood of the early Doctor Who stories.
When the four travellers land on a roof of a skyscraper, they decide to investigate the enormous rocket that towers above the city. However, a meteorite storm destroys the building, seemingly with Barbara and Susan still inside it, and Ian and the Doctor are sent to a camp for refugees. Talking to the other men and women there, the two companions discover that the moon of the planet is on a collision course with the planet, and there are only a matter of weeks before impact.
With a plot like the above, City... sounds like a cheap 50's B-movie, but Christopher Bulis manages to play the whole thing with conviction, and comes out of it with a well written, entertaining book. The Doctor and his companions are portrayed exactly as on television, and the other characters are also well sketched. Plot wise, the book may have benefitted by losing one or two plot strands, most notably, the strange creature that inhabits the outskirts of the city, but overall, City... is a welcome addition to the BBC range of books, without being too complicated or difficult to read, and is a nice relaxing read that doesn't need a degree to understand.
City at World's End rating:-
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