Mission: Impractical (Dr. Who Series)

Rating:
Summary: A Continuity Ladden. Fun Romp
Review: Continuity ladden is a nessesary qualifier for this book. Not only does it draw from the series, but his other books as well. The Veltrochni make a strong presence here and we learn more about their culture. They are starting to become my favorite book aliens. Glitz and Dibber also make a welcome re-appearance in this book, and it is explained to us where Glitz obtained the Nosforatu (sp?) and what happened to Dibber between Trial and Dragonfire (he's dead folks).

The book starts out with Frobisher and the Doctor going to see the original showing of Star Wars at Frobisher's insistance, although it doesn't really have much of a point in the later plot, it's a nice point and it ties in nicely with the Season 22 "getting to know the crew better before the story starts" idea.

The Doctor and Frobisher are quickly roped into a mission with Glitz to resteal a Vetrochi artifact that they stole in the first place so it can be returned. They help Glitz round up his old gang and resteal the artifact. In the corse of things we discover that the artifact is not truly of Vetrochi origin and that their is definatley a higher technology at work here.

Although McIntee intended the book to be a bit comical, it doesn't completely come of that way. McIntee is very good with action and that's more of what this book is about. Sure there are some laughs, but this isn't Sky Pirates! Dibber dies, and so do most of the baddies in the books

The Doctor is very much in charecter. He doesn't argue as much with frobisher as he did with Peri and Mel, but it works. Frobisher is a stronger charecter and is tougher to argue with.

Frobisher is also very much fleshed out here. I haven't read all of his DWM stories, nor does it make much of a difference. It's perfectly plausable that frobisher traveled with the Doctor after Peri left and before the Doctor picked up Mel.

All in all, it's a fun read. It's not quite up to par with face of the Enemy or The Dark Path, but it's still quite fun.

Rating:
Summary: Penguins, Ogrons and the surprise villain... Oh my!
Review: The Doctor is travelling in the TARDIS with his companion Frobisher (a shape-changing Whifferdill who normally chooses to look like a penguin) when the TARDIS is invaded by a couple of assassins intent on the Time Lord's death. Tracing the assassins' trail to the Gamma Delphinus system, where they become involved in complex political and financial intrigue, as well as a couple of rogues of the Doctor's acquaintance: Sabalom Glitz and Dibber. But the identity of the person behind the whole thing is a large surprise...

This is the first non-comic strip appearance of Frobisher who, unfortunately, doesn't come across terribly well here. In the comic strips or Big Finish's audio adventure with the Whifferdill, the wonderful 'The Holy Terror', the visual or voice content help make Frobisher more than he is here.

The return of Glitz and Dibber is welcome, as they were a great double act in 'The Mysterious Planet', but writer David McIntee makes one very foolish decision in this book, which I shan't relate as it is a significant event in the story. Glitz certainly works better when he has a more-or-less reliable henchman with him.

The story is OK, expanding some of what we know about a couple of the alien races introduced in the books (the Doctor's would-be assassins are a Tzun and a Veltrochni), and featuring the Ogrons as general muscle, but for my money I would have rather had something that seems less of a runaround than this.

A good try, but not a successful one.