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Rating: 
Summary: What Went Wrong?
Review: As a long time fan of Bulis' Doctor Who novels, I was eagerly looking forward to this novel. After reading it, I was disappointed. This book should have been better. The story deals with Doctor #2 returning to Vortis the web planet. This time the peaceful Menoptera are being enslaved by two factions of a race divided by civil war. One group are Communists, the other Fundamentalist. On top of this, we have an old adversary waiting in the wings, and a mysterious fifth party whose motives remain a secret. With all of this going on, you would think that this would be a fast paced exciting story. Well, you would be wrong. The first 180 pages are dull, dull, dull. The only saving grace to the first 180 pages is Bulis' depiction of Doctor #2. Most other authors butcher this incarnation of The Doctor, under Bulis he shines. Being a HUGE fan of Doctor #2, I was willing to plow through the dull parts just to enjoy the scenes with The Doctor in them. The final 120 pages are non stop excitement as the returning villain and the fifth party enter the fray. At this point, it's hard to care because the story is so dull, and the situations involved have been done better elsewhere. On the whole, if Doctor #2 isn't one of your favorites, skip this book. However, if you love Doctor #2 as much as I do, you might want to skim through the first 180 pages, and then read the last 120 pages in their entirety, you won't miss out on anything.
Rating:
Summary: Sequel that devalues the original story
Review: This novel is a sequel (more or less) to the story 'The Web Planet' (adapted as 'Doctor Who and the Zarbi'). Whereas the original visit to the planet Vortis had no real connection to the overall Doctor Who universe, Christopher Bulis decides for some reason to change it from a strange and distant world to just another bunch of aliens being invaded by humans.In endeavouring to recapture the questionable magic of the original without simply rehashing it, we are presented instead with a wandering planet and the offspring of the original menace, the Animus. Even the original foot soldiers of the enemy, the Zarbi, whom the BBC once hoped would become as popular as the Daleks, have no substantial part to play in the story. Indeed, the appearance of one on the cover is probably the most noticeable contribution they make to the story. Sequels are hard. But, unlike this one, they should expand on our knowledge and enjoyment of the original rather than turning it upside down. An opportunity missed.
Rating:
Summary: Sequel that devalues the original story
Review: This novel is a sequel (more or less) to the story 'The Web Planet' (adapted as 'Doctor Who and the Zarbi'). Whereas the original visit to the planet Vortis had no real connection to the overall Doctor Who universe, Christopher Bulis decides for some reason to change it from a strange and distant world to just another bunch of aliens being invaded by humans. In endeavouring to recapture the questionable magic of the original without simply rehashing it, we are presented instead with a wandering planet and the offspring of the original menace, the Animus. Even the original foot soldiers of the enemy, the Zarbi, whom the BBC once hoped would become as popular as the Daleks, have no substantial part to play in the story. Indeed, the appearance of one on the cover is probably the most noticeable contribution they make to the story. Sequels are hard. But, unlike this one, they should expand on our knowledge and enjoyment of the original rather than turning it upside down. An opportunity missed.
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