Darth G1nger's Realm of Review
TimeWyrm: Genesys Review
Part 3:
After a punishing winter, gruesome festive and even harder last few chapters, I return to complete my review. As I battled a frigid Britain and an even more objectionable bout of flu, questions kept surfacing in my distracted (and slightly overworked) mind:
- Would the Anusians, thrown in towards the end of the second act, make the slightest bit of difference?
- Would the antagonist's chat ever improve?
- How would the Doctor get out of this one?
- And how long would I have to wait for another mention of breasts?
"With a nod she quickly rearranged her costume to expose her breasts."
It was at this point I simply objected to the repeated use of the word "Breasts". There are so many varied and wondrous nouns to express awesome boobage!
Consider:
- "The Doctor made sure to avert his gaze from the high priestess' Guns of Navarone"
- "Ishtar couldn't help but smirk as her svelte metallic form yielded a pair of Mondo Banging Babylons"
- "Gilgamesh roared in satisfaction as he groped his Queen's awesome toga-puppies".
Predictably the story wraps up after a few minor characters buy the farm and the Doctor comes up with clever way to win...but not quite. I was disappointed with the Anusian's impact, I'd wondered if their involvement would give the Doc an edge but I'm struggling to remember what they actually did, other than giving Ace something to do on her quest to find them with King Horny.
Yes, the meeting of the Doctor and his would-be nemesis was fun, though it seemed that said nemesis withheld from crushing the Doctor merely for the convenience of the plot and subsequent stories. Indeed the dire circumstances he found himself in could be divined from this moment of high drama:
"The Doctor had no option but to use his umbrella."
Just as telling was the mention of Sigoureny Weaver. In a Dr Who book. Set in ancient earth.
Another rankle for me, and this I think is endemic of all extended novels based on a sci-fi show or movie, was how the Doctor simply dived back into a previous incarnation. You just don't see him doing that on the TV series! And that's how The Doctor began, and it's how he endures.
It reminds me of the Star Wars novels I read where the new generation of Jedi, led by Han & Leia's kids, had ability well beyond that in evidence in the movies. It just detracts from the credibility. Now, I understand that a time lord clattering about the cosmos in a blue Police Box is perhaps a stretch to begin with and one should simply hand in one's scepticism at the door. But I always enjoyed fiction - Science Fiction - more when conveyed with verisimilitude.
The ending certainly sets up a grander premise for the next clash with Ishtar, or whatever her new incantation is after The Doctor's misteps serve to give her something of power-up. I mean...HOW can he defeat anything so powerful?
Well, maybe I'll get the chance to find out. What's next, Al?
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