Rating: 
Summary: The Not-So-Celestial Toymaker
Review: "Divided Loyalties" by Gary Russell brings back an old foe, the Celestial Toymaker, in a battle of wits against the Fifth Doctor. Tegan, Nyssa, Adric, a spaceship load of soldiers, and a planet of comatose telepaths get carried along for the ride.Like a lot of Gary Russell books, there is a lot of references to past stories (both TV and book), which means you have to be a pretty well versed fan to get into them. But in a way, that's what 1980s Who producer John Nathan-Turner always did, so perhaps in that way "Divided Loyalties" is a Fifth Doctor adventure with a very similar feel to the era. Even when so closely linked to so many stories, there's always something in a Gary Russell story that contradicts established continuity. In this case, it's more a minor, emotional thing. There is much character questioning in this story, particularly with Tegan and Nyssa. We hear (very repeatedly) about their resentment towards the Doctor for plucking them out of their timelines and changing their lives, often for the worse. I know the Toymaker had a lot to do with manipulating these emotions, but wouldn't such a dramatic upheaval of feelings effect (or even change) the characters? We don't see this in the TV series, (not until after "Earthshock" anyway) so in that way "Divided Loyalties" seems very out of place with the TV stories that surround it. If you're a fan of the Celestial Toymaker, you might not appreciate him being deconstructed the way this book does. I was a bit dissapointed with the way he was treated. I won't give anything away, but he seems a lot less powerful and vulnerable in this book (compared to the TV story). He's less charming too, less fun, even when surrounded with and using his toys against the Doctor. Though it's not a total waste of the Toymaker. He is a great deal more sinister than before, desperate even. There are some new "toyrooms" too, some of which are quite dreamy, abstract and surreal. These were all quite fun to visualize. I didn't appreciate the "Adric bashing" in this book. Adric, the mathematical whiz kid from another universe, is one of my favourite Doctor Who companions, and he gets a very rap in this story. Being unpopular wasn't a property he had in the series, he was only unpopular among some fans. To some he may seem nosey and annoying, rather than inquisitive, but that's their opinion. In this book, Russell makes this (his) opinion fact. Often when Adric says something, for example, "he said pointlessly" or "no one was listening" is added on the end, just to make sure that no reader gives Adric any love. There is the odd sentence that is out of character, for the sake of making Adric more whiny. Would Adric ever REALLY say "Tegan isn't possessed, she's just doing it to get attention"? (In fact, would ANY character really say that? Sounds a bit like something you'd hear in a Doctor Who parody, I reckon.) Gary Russell even makes Adric pee on the TARDIS toilet seat and gives him body odour. Now that's just plain mean, Gary! Adric was killed off in the TV series, must he be tormented beyond the grave? I ended up very feeling sorry for him in this book, unlike a lot of the other characters, many of whom weren't that memorable. However, one thing I really did enjoy from this novel is the middle part of the book, which flashes back to the young first Doctor at the Time Lord academy. Featured among his fellow students are some very familiar faces. Apart from explaining a plot element in the fifth Doctor part of the story, it reveals and explains an important turning point in the Doctor's life. It's very rare that we get a glimpse into the Doctor's early days and it's always nice to catch a sizable piece of it (though we were spoilt by Marc Platt's "Lungbarrow" in that respect). This sizeable interlude was a fun, page turning treat. No, "Divided Loyalties" is not the best Who book ever written, but worth reading for the sizable bit featuring the pre-series Doctor. Get it second hand (or borrow it from a library) if you can.
Rating:
Summary: The Not-So-Celestial Toymaker
Review: "Divided Loyalties" by Gary Russell brings back an old foe, the Celestial Toymaker, in a battle of wits against the Fifth Doctor. Tegan, Nyssa, Adric, a spaceship load of soldiers, and a planet of comatose telepaths get carried along for the ride. Like a lot of Gary Russell books, there is a lot of references to past stories (both TV and book), which means you have to be a pretty well versed fan to get into them. But in a way, that's what 1980s Who producer John Nathan-Turner always did, so perhaps in that way "Divided Loyalties" is a Fifth Doctor adventure with a very similar feel to the era. Even when so closely linked to so many stories, there's always something in a Gary Russell story that contradicts established continuity. In this case, it's more a minor, emotional thing. There is much character questioning in this story, particularly with Tegan and Nyssa. We hear (very repeatedly) about their resentment towards the Doctor for plucking them out of their timelines and changing their lives, often for the worse. I know the Toymaker had a lot to do with manipulating these emotions, but wouldn't such a dramatic upheaval of feelings effect (or even change) the characters? We don't see this in the TV series, (not until after "Earthshock" anyway) so in that way "Divided Loyalties" seems very out of place with the TV stories that surround it. If you're a fan of the Celestial Toymaker, you might not appreciate him being deconstructed the way this book does. I was a bit dissapointed with the way he was treated. I won't give anything away, but he seems a lot less powerful and vulnerable in this book (compared to the TV story). He's less charming too, less fun, even when surrounded with and using his toys against the Doctor. Though it's not a total waste of the Toymaker. He is a great deal more sinister than before, desperate even. There are some new "toyrooms" too, some of which are quite dreamy, abstract and surreal. These were all quite fun to visualize. I didn't appreciate the "Adric bashing" in this book. Adric, the mathematical whiz kid from another universe, is one of my favourite Doctor Who companions, and he gets a very rap in this story. Being unpopular wasn't a property he had in the series, he was only unpopular among some fans. To some he may seem nosey and annoying, rather than inquisitive, but that's their opinion. In this book, Russell makes this (his) opinion fact. Often when Adric says something, for example, "he said pointlessly" or "no one was listening" is added on the end, just to make sure that no reader gives Adric any love. There is the odd sentence that is out of character, for the sake of making Adric more whiny. Would Adric ever REALLY say "Tegan isn't possessed, she's just doing it to get attention"? (In fact, would ANY character really say that? Sounds a bit like something you'd hear in a Doctor Who parody, I reckon.) Gary Russell even makes Adric pee on the TARDIS toilet seat and gives him body odour. Now that's just plain mean, Gary! Adric was killed off in the TV series, must he be tormented beyond the grave? I ended up very feeling sorry for him in this book, unlike a lot of the other characters, many of whom weren't that memorable. However, one thing I really did enjoy from this novel is the middle part of the book, which flashes back to the young first Doctor at the Time Lord academy. Featured among his fellow students are some very familiar faces. Apart from explaining a plot element in the fifth Doctor part of the story, it reveals and explains an important turning point in the Doctor's life. It's very rare that we get a glimpse into the Doctor's early days and it's always nice to catch a sizable piece of it (though we were spoilt by Marc Platt's "Lungbarrow" in that respect). This sizeable interlude was a fun, page turning treat. No, "Divided Loyalties" is not the best Who book ever written, but worth reading for the sizable bit featuring the pre-series Doctor. Get it second hand (or borrow it from a library) if you can.
Rating:
Summary: Middle of the Road Review
Review: I won't be quite so acerbic and say this was the worst story, nor will I proclaim this to be the world's greatest DW story. Truth be told it was a run of the mill tale. I'm always a sucker for a Peter Davison tale and I normally pick up those adventures because I really enjoyed that era. I believe that this story could have (SHOULD HAVE)progressed without the crew of spacestation Little Boy II. I found them shallow wastes of space. The Doctor, his companions and us readers would have been better off in the long run had the cardboard cut-out crew members of the Little Boy II been missing. I will say that I really enjoyed the portion of the Academy-years Doctor. It was fun trying to envision that part of the story. It was once said that you never make the same caliber of friends than the ones you met in school. Gary Russell excelled in bringing this aspect of the Doctor's life across. The fleshing out of Nyssa, Adric and Teagan was very refreshing. I hope we can see more of it in future 5th Doctor novels. Personally, I'd like to read the same style of fleshing out for the more-or-less newly regenerated Doctor. If we're going to read adventures taking place so soon after Castrovalva, this would only make sense. Not to mention a good read. If this were an episode, it would be on par with Four to Doomsday and Time Flight. Not the greatest ones, but watchable.
Rating:
Summary: Adric bashing aplenty - yay!!!!
Review: In mid-flight, the Doctor receives a telepathic dream message from a long lost friend, begging for help. The friend was overtaken by the cosmic force known as the Celestial Toymaker. The Doctor goes looking for revenge and, along with his companions, end up once again playing the Toymakers deadly games. This novel is really two interlinking stories in one. In the second part of the book we go back into the Doctors past to when he was still in school on Gallifrey and visit an adventure he had with his first ever TARDIS jaunt which leads him to his first Toymaker meeting. This is by far the best aspect of the novel and it would be great to get another story set around this period. The fifth Doctor's parts tend to be pretty bland. The Toymakers games that try to persuade the Doctor's companions to doubt him are excellent and are issues that were not ever touched on in the series. But one of the best reasons to read this book is for all the Adric bashing - yay!! He whinges a lot but he does get put back into place. All in all, the book is RECOMMENDED for a no brainer read and especially for the insight into the Doctor's past.
Rating: 
Summary: A waste of trees and time
Review: Media tie-in novels often get a bad reputation in the science-fiction community; it's books like DIVIDED LOYALTIES that bring that about. Characters are two- and one-dimensional, the plot is less exciting than the opening credits from the television show, and the prose itself would not be deemed publishable anywhere else. There are a lot of good media tie-in novels out there. This is not one of them. Try your luck elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: Some games are played rough!
Review: The TARDIS is invaded by a force from the past, which asks him "How many doors must you slam, Doctor, before you understand the magnitude of what you did?" And so it's off to the planet Dymok, where a shadow from the past places the present under threat and the Doctor must try to undo a past mistake. Featuring the return of the classic William Hartnell foe, the Celestial Toymaker, and the crowded TARDIS of the Fifth Doctor, Adric, Nyssa and Tegan, this book is written in three parts (or rounds, as it puts them). The first and third feature the TARDIS crew, but the middle round is an all-star visit to Gallifrey's past to discover exactly how the Doctor and the Toymaker first came to be in conflict. So many Time Lords you'll need a score card to keep track! Aside from this visit to Gallifrey's past, the other great feature of the book is the characterisation of the Doctor's companions. For instance, we are treated fairly early on to Tegan's impressions of the Doctor, Nyssa and Adric, and complimentary is not a word that springs to mind. As the book progresses, discord is sewn amongst the four friends with potentially disastrous results. So, here we have a book which not only deals with the "present", but has its eyes fixed firmly on the past as well as the "future" - in the form of the unmade but novelised Sixth Doctor story 'The Nightmare Fair'. If Doctor Who's continuity gives you a headache or makes you nauseous, leave this one to those (like me) who enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: Some games are played rough!
Review: The TARDIS is invaded by a force from the past, which asks him "How many doors must you slam, Doctor, before you understand the magnitude of what you did?" And so it's off to the planet Dymok, where a shadow from the past places the present under threat and the Doctor must try to undo a past mistake. Featuring the return of the classic William Hartnell foe, the Celestial Toymaker, and the crowded TARDIS of the Fifth Doctor, Adric, Nyssa and Tegan, this book is written in three parts (or rounds, as it puts them). The first and third feature the TARDIS crew, but the middle round is an all-star visit to Gallifrey's past to discover exactly how the Doctor and the Toymaker first came to be in conflict. So many Time Lords you'll need a score card to keep track! Aside from this visit to Gallifrey's past, the other great feature of the book is the characterisation of the Doctor's companions. For instance, we are treated fairly early on to Tegan's impressions of the Doctor, Nyssa and Adric, and complimentary is not a word that springs to mind. As the book progresses, discord is sewn amongst the four friends with potentially disastrous results. So, here we have a book which not only deals with the "present", but has its eyes fixed firmly on the past as well as the "future" - in the form of the unmade but novelised Sixth Doctor story 'The Nightmare Fair'. If Doctor Who's continuity gives you a headache or makes you nauseous, leave this one to those (like me) who enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: Some games are played rough!
Review: The TARDIS is invaded by a force from the past, which asks him "How many doors must you slam, Doctor, before you understand the magnitude of what you did?" And so it's off to the planet Dymok, where a shadow from the past places the present under threat and the Doctor must try to undo a past mistake. Featuring the return of the classic William Hartnell foe, the Celestial Toymaker, and the crowded TARDIS of the Fifth Doctor, Adric, Nyssa and Tegan, this book is written in three parts (or rounds, as it puts them). The first and third feature the TARDIS crew, but the middle round is an all-star visit to Gallifrey's past to discover exactly how the Doctor and the Toymaker first came to be in conflict. So many Time Lords you'll need a score card to keep track! Aside from this visit to Gallifrey's past, the other great feature of the book is the characterisation of the Doctor's companions. For instance, we are treated fairly early on to Tegan's impressions of the Doctor, Nyssa and Adric, and complimentary is not a word that springs to mind. As the book progresses, discord is sewn amongst the four friends with potentially disastrous results. So, here we have a book which not only deals with the "present", but has its eyes fixed firmly on the past as well as the "future" - in the form of the unmade but novelised Sixth Doctor story 'The Nightmare Fair'. If Doctor Who's continuity gives you a headache or makes you nauseous, leave this one to those (like me) who enjoy it.
Rating: 
Summary: Academy Days, Tegan's Perspective and Celestial Toymaker!
Review: This is one of the best Doctor Who books in a long time. A long, long time! It's writing style is straightforward and enagaging, much like the literature of Terrance Dicks. The companions were fleshed out as to reveal insights and opinions on issues we always wondered about. Tegan's disgust with Adric's poor teenaged hygene, Adric missing "His" Doctor, the Fourth, and the like. The passions and hidden resentments make this very soap operatic for Doctor Who, but it works. It's fun and yet quite insightful and revealing. Even the young First Doctor's "Luke Skywalker" type yearning to escape into adventure makes its mark. Granted, the entire second part dedicated to the early days can EASILY have "Toymaker" replaced by "Q" or "Trelane", the "Gallifreyan Academy" replaced by "Federation Academy" and "The Doctor" replaced by "Kirk" or "Picard". But that's what adds to it's fun and appeal. This book isn't overly complex and full of high level concepts like other books in the range. It's an entertaining tale in the spirit of the original series that deals with beginnings and relationships. It DOES feel a lot like a Star Trek type of novel, but I was pleased with that. Through many references (DW Television, novels, even comics) and by utilizing elements that DO work for other sci fi (such as Star Trek and Star Wars), Gary Russell brought back style, humility and a sense of "fun" to Doctor Who. As a devout fan of Parkin's A HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE and Platt's LUNGBARROW, I really liked the Academy scenes and the appearance of Badger, Koschei (and others) and the mention of the nickname "Snail". I can see how many die hard fans who dislike too much of Gallifrey revealed may be a bit hostile. But I just think this novel was so full of rich characterization and held such a fun mood that I was overjoyed with every bit of it, Trek-like or otherwise. Tegan's descriptions of her companions on pages 24-25 and the Doctor's teacher's lecture on pages 108-110 are alone worth buying and cherishing this richly rewarding book. This is TRUE Doctor Who if EVER such a thing existed in any form. I loved it.
Rating:
Summary: the origin of the toymaker, the doctor at school , fun!
Review: This missing adventure features the fifth doctor ,tegan,nyssa and adric. The doctor and his companios get into a squabble over how the TARDIS lands in a space station over a planet in the future.Meanwhile the Toymaker is screwing around with the doctor companions minds of their trust of the doctor. The Doctor goes back in his mind to his school days back home on gallifrey. This brings some answers but not enough to stop the Toymaker plan with his friends. Eventually the Doctor and his friends escape the Toymakers world. The Toymaker leaves his world for other places while the world his lives is repaired. This novel also explains how the guradians came to be ( such a example Black/white guradians)! This novel is a fast story and it a little slow at first, but gradually the pace of the story picks up! Over all a fun read with my favorite doctor and companions! please do more adventures of the 5th doctor please (this a note to the authors! ) there a great addition to the novels of my favorite doctor (besides Tom Baker! )
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