Rating: 
Summary: Raises the bar for all future Doctor Who stories
Review: (Be warned that INTERFERENCE Books I and II are not actually separate, distinct books. This is not a story and its sequel. This is one story split across two books. This should be read straight through as though it were one 600-page book. Book II builds off of the foundation that's been put down in Book I. You won't be able to follow anything that's going on in Book II without having read Book I. Do not buy Book II and expect a complete work.)INTERFERENCE is a startlingly vast undertaking. It pushes the limits of what can and cannot be discussed in a Doctor Who story, and the book is all the richer for it. And while it doesn't manage to quite grasp everything it reaches for, what it does achieve is both powerful and thought provoking. The book definitely has an epic feel to it, although as it's the "first ever full-length two-part Doctor Who novel" it would be a disappointment if this were not the case. The story reaches over several thousand years and intersects the Doctor's personal timeline twice. It's complicated and told from several viewpoints. It has fairly heavy themes and the attitude running through it gives it a very important feel. The atmosphere that becomes built up (particularly effective in the opening sections) makes for a spellbinding and captivating read. This enormous, two-book, six-hundred page marathon is divided into two sections which are then split roughly in half. The first section deals with the Eighth Doctor's adventures on Earth, and the second is centered around the Third Doctor being taken out of his normal time-stream and placed on the planet Dust. The Eighth Doctor segments are also divided up into smaller pieces, each slice not necessarily taking place at the same time as the others. At times, it can be a very confusing read, although ultimately the experience is very rewarding. During a few points I had to stop reading and make mental notes about how exactly the story was unfolding and which pieces were occurring in what order. While the book definitely made me work harder at reading it than others in the EDA line, this change was quite welcome and the pay-off well worth it. As I mentioned, this story is dripping with atmosphere. The tone is set right from the very beginning - this is a very dark story. It's also a very well told story. Lawrence Miles isn't interested in what technological nonsense the Doctor will use to escape from a prison cell; he wants to go deeper than that. He isn't interested in having Sam repeat some clichéd Save The Whales slogan; he wants to explore her mind and her mentality. He's using the conventional tools of Doctor Who to tell a story that reaches outside of the normal parameters of what we expect when we see the blue logo on the cover. But he's not kicking down the ladder of Doctor Who after he's climbed up it; Sam's beliefs and experiences form the very heart of the book. Sam's politics aren't just a springboard for Miles to say Bigger and Better things about Politics, they remain under the microscope during the entire book. Miles has merely taken everything that we know about Sam and drawn them out to their logical conclusion. Who would have guessed that the result would make for such fascinating reading? As in ALIEN BODIES, this story is packed full of great ideas and new pieces of excellent continuity. Here they all fit together much better and work at forming a cohesive work. The little asides and narrative passages that dragged the plot of ALIEN BODIES to a standstill work rather effectively here. Despite its massive length, there's very little (in the Earth sections) that doesn't contribute to the overall tone of the work. Everything just feels right, even the passages where the Doctor comforts a tortured and dying political prisoner with stories about a fantasy world of TARDISes and Time Lords. I think that in the hands of a lesser writer, this section could really have turned out to be rather embarrassing, but fortunately Miles knows what he's doing and treats the subject with the delicacy it deserves. Extra points are given for not tiptoeing around the subject matter. In my opinion, the biggest flaw is that the themes and atmosphere don't translate properly from one part of the story to the other. The Eighth Doctor segment is about the effect of media and culture upon society, the way perceptions change people, and how close perceptions of people come to reality. With only a few exceptions, these themes are totally absent from the Third Doctor segments. The only thematic link between them seems to be Fitz's ruminations on how he is perceived (and how he will be remembered by others) and a character in the Third Doctor segments who is proud of the fact that no one will ever be able to get close enough to know the real her. The jumps between the Earth and the Dust segments seemed much more jarring because of this. If the themes had been held together more coherently, I think this would have ended up being one of the best (if not the best) Doctor Who stories written. As it stands, it's still extremely good, but somewhere well below perfection. The difference in tone between the two segments is unfortunately distracting. All in all this is a really excellent book that is unfortunately let down by a few flaws. While the book does fall slightly short of some of it's goals, it must be commended for daring to aim so high. With the publication of INTERFERENCE, the bar has been raised for all other Doctor Who books and stories. Thank you, Lawrence.
Rating:
Summary: Boldly goes where fanboys won't
Review: Finally a book where someone isn't afraid to shake things up. Why write about the same boring things over and over again? Why keep the books static and dull? Doctor Who fans in particular should understand this--the show never stayed in one place, always evolving and changing with the times. This book does the same. It's about time. Fans who are rooted in the past and don't think the show should ever changed are advised to stick with the "original vision" of the show. You know, an old man and his granddaughter from the 49th century, lost in space and time with a pair of teachers. What fun! If one has to complain about something, it's that the writing is a bit preachy at times, and parts of the plotting are more than a bit scattershot. Still, all things considered, it's a hell of a lot better than Yet Another Book where nothing happens.
Rating: 
Summary: re: the review "Where's the Doctor?"
Review: I need to comment on my previous review in light of having read the second volume. Many seeming omissions were remedied, and it was made clear where the Doctor was being held prisoner. Many of the faults of the first book were redeemed in this second volume. I'm not changing my rating, though. The author, Lawrence Miles, writes with the smugness of a toddler on a pot, knowingly altering the setting of the Doctor Who continuum with apparent intent to upset as many fans as possible. Much has been made in previous reviews of the fact that the regeneration from the thrid to the fourth Doctor is changed in this novel; most fail to point out that Miles knows he's changing the history and has a supporting villain gloat over her success in doing so. But still, this is an alteration of an intrinsic part of the Doctor's continuum -- the Doctor himself -- and as such should be roundly condemned. Miles in doing this acknowledges he's probably setting up for a transformation of the eighth Doctor. This is the smugness I was just describing -- thinking he can change an existing character with impunity, and not only with impunity but retoractively. If this is the beginning of a setup for a retooled release of the television series with an all-new first Doctor, I can forgive Miles his rash behavior. If this is just Miles being smug and self-gratifying, however, the man should be taken out and slapped into submission.
Rating:
Summary: re: the review "Where's the Doctor?"
Review: I need to comment on my previous review in light of having read the second volume. Many seeming omissions were remedied, and it was made clear where the Doctor was being held prisoner. Many of the faults of the first book were redeemed in this second volume. I'm not changing my rating, though. The author, Lawrence Miles, writes with the smugness of a toddler on a pot, knowingly altering the setting of the Doctor Who continuum with apparent intent to upset as many fans as possible. Much has been made in previous reviews of the fact that the regeneration from the thrid to the fourth Doctor is changed in this novel; most fail to point out that Miles knows he's changing the history and has a supporting villain gloat over her success in doing so. But still, this is an alteration of an intrinsic part of the Doctor's continuum -- the Doctor himself -- and as such should be roundly condemned. Miles in doing this acknowledges he's probably setting up for a transformation of the eighth Doctor. This is the smugness I was just describing -- thinking he can change an existing character with impunity, and not only with impunity but retoractively. If this is the beginning of a setup for a retooled release of the television series with an all-new first Doctor, I can forgive Miles his rash behavior. If this is just Miles being smug and self-gratifying, however, the man should be taken out and slapped into submission.
Rating: 
Summary: Interference interferes with Who mythos
Review: Interference begins a new direction for BBC Books Eighth Doctor adventures, and if these two volumes are any indication the future looks grim. Lawrence Miles puts the Doctor through brutal physical torture, presents a Sarah Jane Smith with hormone imbalances (apparently caused by the Doctor), and places the third Doctor into an adventure which he is inadequately prepared. Loaded with uninspired portrayals of the main characters and confusing Gallifreyan history, these books fail to make any positive contribution to the Doctor Who mythos. The Doctor fled Gallifrey, in part, because it was boring. It seems only natural that this story which deals so heavily with Gallifrey be equally boring. If the Doctor wishes to avoid Gallifrey, then it's only reasonable the authors cease writing novels about Gallifrey, too. I wouldn't want to go there, either. After reading this book, I would be content to see Gallifrey destroyed, never to be written about again. Read Interference only if you enjoyed Transit by Ben Aaronovitch.
Rating: 
Summary: This is not you father's Doctor Who story.
Review: It's very interesting that Doctor Who has gone on for 36 years without exploring the ramifications of messing around with the Doctor's past. The introduction of Faction Paradox, a thoroughly amoral group dedicated to undermining the Time Lords and their "renegades," breathes an air of menace into this story that has been lacking for some time. We finally have a protagonist who is both more powerful than the Doctor _and_ intelligent and ruthless enough to succeed in their schemes. Other standouts in the novel include the best of use of Sarah Jane and K9 in a long time, the first wholly sympathetic and understandable version of Sam Jones, and the misadventures Fitz goes through (believe me, you won't believe it until you read it). Best of all, the events in this story set off a chain of subplots which will presumably roll through the series. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: This is not you father's Doctor Who story.
Review: It's very interesting that Doctor Who has gone on for 36 years without exploring the ramifications of messing around with the Doctor's past. The introduction of Faction Paradox, a thoroughly amoral group dedicated to undermining the Time Lords and their "renegades," breathes an air of menace into this story that has been lacking for some time. We finally have a protagonist who is both more powerful than the Doctor _and_ intelligent and ruthless enough to succeed in their schemes. Other standouts in the novel include the best of use of Sarah Jane and K9 in a long time, the first wholly sympathetic and understandable version of Sam Jones, and the misadventures Fitz goes through (believe me, you won't believe it until you read it). Best of all, the events in this story set off a chain of subplots which will presumably roll through the series. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Terrible! Absolutely Terrible!
Review: These books are some of the worst doctor who books I have ever read. Mr. Miles seems to want to throw in as many different characters as possible, while never fully fleshing any of them out. From the time it starts off, one is just left wondering why the Doctor is not included in the story. He goes on to explain that it's because he was imprisoned, yet he never explains what the Doctor was doing in the prison in the first place. It appears that he doesn't have the skill to explain the more intricate details of the plot, but just the want to throw in major points which contradict all of the styles of Doctor Who ever written. The best character in the book is probably I.M. Foreman, and then the rest of the book is redundant after that. Sure, he explains near the end why I.M. Foreman and the third doctor are important, but the rest of the story is him just describing this irritating planet Anathema, and vague things that are happening to Fitz. Not only that, but he seems to be obsessed with throwing the metaphysical into all of his stories. All of this [stuff] dealing with the loa is just unwieldy and poorly written. As I read each passage, I just kept hoping that the next one would finally reveal what was going on. Not only did he not have the skill to resolve fully the complexity of all the points of plot, but he never had the skill to fully explain what happened to the characters in the first place. Mr. Miles seems like exactly the sort of author that is typified by William Freer in Mad Dogs and Englishmen. The kind with a nasty yet captivating style who is just out to change things to the way that he wants to see them, and with the ability to throw in items that used to be seen as bad in past Doctor Who stories, such as prostitutes in "the Adventuress of Henrietta Street", and try to make them seem as if they should be seen as good. A hand to Mr. Miles for being able to be published in the first place, but let me just say that the only reason I read his books is because I know that I will be lost in the other ones if I don't.
Rating:
Summary: Terrible! Absolutely Terrible!
Review: These books are some of the worst doctor who books I have ever read. Mr. Miles seems to want to throw in as many different characters as possible, while never fully fleshing any of them out. From the time it starts off, one is just left wondering why the Doctor is not included in the story. He goes on to explain that it's because he was imprisoned, yet he never explains what the Doctor was doing in the prison in the first place. It appears that he doesn't have the skill to explain the more intricate details of the plot, but just the want to throw in major points which contradict all of the styles of Doctor Who ever written. The best character in the book is probably I.M. Foreman, and then the rest of the book is redundant after that. Sure, he explains near the end why I.M. Foreman and the third doctor are important, but the rest of the story is him just describing this irritating planet Anathema, and vague things that are happening to Fitz. Not only that, but he seems to be obsessed with throwing the metaphysical into all of his stories. All of this [stuff] dealing with the loa is just unwieldy and poorly written. As I read each passage, I just kept hoping that the next one would finally reveal what was going on. Not only did he not have the skill to resolve fully the complexity of all the points of plot, but he never had the skill to fully explain what happened to the characters in the first place. Mr. Miles seems like exactly the sort of author that is typified by William Freer in Mad Dogs and Englishmen. The kind with a nasty yet captivating style who is just out to change things to the way that he wants to see them, and with the ability to throw in items that used to be seen as bad in past Doctor Who stories, such as prostitutes in "the Adventuress of Henrietta Street", and try to make them seem as if they should be seen as good. A hand to Mr. Miles for being able to be published in the first place, but let me just say that the only reason I read his books is because I know that I will be lost in the other ones if I don't.
Rating:
Summary: A very confusing book! One of the series worst!
Review: This two parter book was too confusing and too long! Next time tell one story and make a cliffhanger! also do only doctor , not more than one! Explain more about the new companion Compassion! This book was one the worst books I've read in the series in a long time!
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