Rating: 
Summary: Great Character Development Shines Through!
Review: As I started reading this book, I have to say, at first, I didn't think it was a Doctor Who story. The characters were so well developed that had it not been a Doctor Who storyline, it still would have worked. Even though the writer lives in the UK, he captured the winter landscape of New Hampshire very well. Many substantial side characters were also throughout and can be made into seperate series, such as Melody and Parker, Mulder and Scully type UNIT agents. The blending of fanatical religious reasoning and an alien lifeform that kills with force similar to that of "The Blob" in ice form makes for intense, edge of your seat reading! I couldn't put the book down, and when I was finished, I felt like I had read a story about the human condition and the state of the world these days. This story is filled with exciting twists and turns, and you are forever guessing the direction in which it will take. I loved Simon's work and I can't wait to see more of him in the future!
Rating:
Summary: Great Character Development Shines Through!
Review: As I started reading this book, I have to say, at first, I didn't think it was a Doctor Who story. The characters were so well developed that had it not been a Doctor Who storyline, it still would have worked. Even though the writer lives in the UK, he captured the winter landscape of New Hampshire very well. Many substantial side characters were also throughout and can be made into seperate series, such as Melody and Parker, Mulder and Scully type UNIT agents. The blending of fanatical religious reasoning and an alien lifeform that kills with force similar to that of "The Blob" in ice form makes for intense, edge of your seat reading! I couldn't put the book down, and when I was finished, I felt like I had read a story about the human condition and the state of the world these days. This story is filled with exciting twists and turns, and you are forever guessing the direction in which it will take. I loved Simon's work and I can't wait to see more of him in the future!
Rating: 
Summary: Snowy Who
Review: Drift is a Past Doctor Adventure featuring the 4th Doctor and Leela.If I had to choose one word to describe the first book written by Simon Forward, I'd have to say "atmospheric." Forward does a wonderful job of setting the scene, but he falls down a little bit on the characters, which brings the ranking down. The Fourth Doctor and Leela arrive in New Hampshire in the middle of a blizzard which has closed off Melvin Village. They meet up with White Shadow, a US Special Forces group that is in the area looking for a downed experimental aircraft. There's also a survivalist cult which is under observation by the military. Meanwhile, personal problems and strange disappearances affect some of the residents of Melvin, problems which result in these residents getting caught up in the saga of the downed jet. There's something out there in the snow, something that kills. Something that not even the Doctor understands. The Doctor must not only deal with this alien menace, but also some menaces that are all too human. The main character of this novel, you could say, is the weather. A blanket of white coats this entire book (and not just the cover!). The atmosphere in this book is almost chilling as everybody is out wallowing in the snow, trying to get to where they need to be. The snow is almost a living creature in this book, and Forward almost makes you feel cold with his descriptions of what's going on. It's been a long time since I've had a scene in a book set as vividly as it is here. Sometimes, you get an image of a town that's in one of those sno-globes, which you pick up and shake. Other times, the atmosphere is menacing. It's always perfectly placed, though. The characters aren't as well drawn, however. Most of the Special Forces soldiers have a personality quirk or something to identify them, but otherwise they're pretty faceless. The only ones who don't have this problem are Morgan Shaw (the captain), Kristal (the Native American guide), and Joanna (the medic). The rest are indistinguishable. The same can be said for the townspeople, other than the sheriff (Makenzie Shaw) and Amber, the daughter of Makenzie's girlfriend. They have a personality conflict which ends up with Amber getting intimately involved with the ongoing menace. But their story itself is rather dull. Other characters (both soldiers and townspeople) seem to be around just to be killed off. This lack of character extends to Leela as well. Leela comes from a primitive society, and she is always learning from the Doctor's tutelage. When Forward concentrates on this, Leela shines almost as much as she does when her creator (Chris Boucher created the character on television) writes her. However, there isn't that much of this, as Leela is quickly separated from the Doctor and she's on her own. The rest of what happens to her is fine in a character sense, but she just doesn't get anything to do. She follows Kristal around for awhile and senses a kindred spirit, but that's it. She's sidelined to a great extent. There are also two characters that, while I found them interesting, I found them unnecessary. They are two NSA agents who are harbouring a secret of their own. The mystery is fairly effective, but once it's revealed, not much is done with it. It becomes just a background trait, and it lost a lot of its interest when that happened. They didn't really need to be in the book, and I thought they detracted from the rest of the story. As characters themselves, however, they were quite good. Too bad they weren't in another book that was about them. The Doctor is relatively well done, as Forward captures Tom Baker's manic energy that he brought to the television role. He's bouncing back and forth between situations, making foreboding comments to the locals and generally doing his best to solve the problem. He's fine, if rather stiff. And if I heard one more character (or even the narrator!) call him Doc, I was going to scream. The situation that Forward presents, however, is very interesting. I like the idea of a weather-based foe for once. Usually, when you think "elemental," you think of water or fire, so this was a nice change of pace. The method of attack the creature has was pretty neat. I could have done without the zombies, though. The editor of the Who books seems to have a thing for zombies. I wish I knew why. All in all, this is a pretty decent book, especially for a first novel. It's way above a 3-star book, but not quite a 4. Since I have to choose one, though, I'll choose 4. My advice is to revel in the atmosphere and not worry about the characters so much. You'll like it a lot better.
Rating:
Summary: Snowy Who
Review: Drift is a Past Doctor Adventure featuring the 4th Doctor and Leela. If I had to choose one word to describe the first book written by Simon Forward, I'd have to say "atmospheric." Forward does a wonderful job of setting the scene, but he falls down a little bit on the characters, which brings the ranking down. The Fourth Doctor and Leela arrive in New Hampshire in the middle of a blizzard which has closed off Melvin Village. They meet up with White Shadow, a US Special Forces group that is in the area looking for a downed experimental aircraft. There's also a survivalist cult which is under observation by the military. Meanwhile, personal problems and strange disappearances affect some of the residents of Melvin, problems which result in these residents getting caught up in the saga of the downed jet. There's something out there in the snow, something that kills. Something that not even the Doctor understands. The Doctor must not only deal with this alien menace, but also some menaces that are all too human. The main character of this novel, you could say, is the weather. A blanket of white coats this entire book (and not just the cover!). The atmosphere in this book is almost chilling as everybody is out wallowing in the snow, trying to get to where they need to be. The snow is almost a living creature in this book, and Forward almost makes you feel cold with his descriptions of what's going on. It's been a long time since I've had a scene in a book set as vividly as it is here. Sometimes, you get an image of a town that's in one of those sno-globes, which you pick up and shake. Other times, the atmosphere is menacing. It's always perfectly placed, though. The characters aren't as well drawn, however. Most of the Special Forces soldiers have a personality quirk or something to identify them, but otherwise they're pretty faceless. The only ones who don't have this problem are Morgan Shaw (the captain), Kristal (the Native American guide), and Joanna (the medic). The rest are indistinguishable. The same can be said for the townspeople, other than the sheriff (Makenzie Shaw) and Amber, the daughter of Makenzie's girlfriend. They have a personality conflict which ends up with Amber getting intimately involved with the ongoing menace. But their story itself is rather dull. Other characters (both soldiers and townspeople) seem to be around just to be killed off. This lack of character extends to Leela as well. Leela comes from a primitive society, and she is always learning from the Doctor's tutelage. When Forward concentrates on this, Leela shines almost as much as she does when her creator (Chris Boucher created the character on television) writes her. However, there isn't that much of this, as Leela is quickly separated from the Doctor and she's on her own. The rest of what happens to her is fine in a character sense, but she just doesn't get anything to do. She follows Kristal around for awhile and senses a kindred spirit, but that's it. She's sidelined to a great extent. There are also two characters that, while I found them interesting, I found them unnecessary. They are two NSA agents who are harbouring a secret of their own. The mystery is fairly effective, but once it's revealed, not much is done with it. It becomes just a background trait, and it lost a lot of its interest when that happened. They didn't really need to be in the book, and I thought they detracted from the rest of the story. As characters themselves, however, they were quite good. Too bad they weren't in another book that was about them. The Doctor is relatively well done, as Forward captures Tom Baker's manic energy that he brought to the television role. He's bouncing back and forth between situations, making foreboding comments to the locals and generally doing his best to solve the problem. He's fine, if rather stiff. And if I heard one more character (or even the narrator!) call him Doc, I was going to scream. The situation that Forward presents, however, is very interesting. I like the idea of a weather-based foe for once. Usually, when you think "elemental," you think of water or fire, so this was a nice change of pace. The method of attack the creature has was pretty neat. I could have done without the zombies, though. The editor of the Who books seems to have a thing for zombies. I wish I knew why. All in all, this is a pretty decent book, especially for a first novel. It's way above a 3-star book, but not quite a 4. Since I have to choose one, though, I'll choose 4. My advice is to revel in the atmosphere and not worry about the characters so much. You'll like it a lot better.
Rating: 
Summary: Doctor Who ???
Review: I am sorry to say after reading this book I was sadly disappointed. I titled this review "Doctor Who ???" because the Doctor is hardly the main character. In fact Leela and the Doctor are minor characters that appear sporadically throughout the book. This story drags on with a dizzying array of underdelveloped characters. Characters are still being introduced 3/4 of the way through the book. Also the Doctor is referred to as 'Doc' not only by the characters in the book, but by the book itself, which I found particularly annoying.
Not only is the plot slow to delvelope, you never get a significant closure, which I detest. If you are a serious Doctor Who fan lured in by a new novel fearturing the 4th Doctor and Leela, I would take a pass on 'Drift'.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent story
Review: I loved this book. Yes, there are swear words. But these books are tended more for an young adult/adult audience than children.Swearing is more permissable now. Simon has done a remarkable job characterizing the 4th Doctor and Leela just like they were in the series. I couldn't put it down; it's somewhat X-Files like, but much,much better. Give it a chance; just because there is swearing in it doesn't make it a bad story, it gets very good by the middle of the story!
Rating:
Summary: Gorier than Ezra Jack Keats
Review: It's hard to rate "Drift". It's a debut novel, nominally a 4th Doctor and Leela book, the second in four for the PDAs (coming behind "Psi-ence Fiction"). Leela is very much a minimal presence, which I think is probably a good thing, especially coming so soon after a book by the guy who created her. What's most noteworthy, I think, is that "Drift" is set entirely in the United States (southern New Hampshire)... and actually feels like it's filmed in the US, as opposed to TC4! Let's face it, most "Doctor Who" novels set in the States miss the mark in terms of what characters would think and say. When Forward describes a stretch of I-93 in New Hampshire, though, you can actually believe he's driven it (as I have). The character names are more diverse than in "Salvation" -- although when a guy named Marotta shows up here, as sure as eggs is eggs, the word "Brooklyn" is close behind -- so there's finally a sense that not ALL Americans in "Doctor Who"have Anglo names and speak with stilted southern accents. On the other hand, the token New England general store clerk doesn't say "Ayuh" once, so maybe Forward doesn't know his cliches all that well. I enjoyed the sense of menace that gradually builds up over the first 175 pages or so, and unleashes over a prolonged, violent, action-filled climax. 80% of the word count is devoted to descriptions of snow which, let's be honest, grate after a while, especially when the author has to resort to phrases like "cold inferno" on page 217. Before the action takes over, we meet several characters, military and civilian alike. The military leader is not a closed-minded buffoon, and even the drunken ex-husband gets a few moments of pathos before the inevitable happens. The plot is hard to make out if you're reading too quickly. The details involve an extraterrestrial device of unspecified origin; a couple of incognito aliens (again, unspecified) looking for a way home; and psi-conscious cultists looking to cross over. Most of this information is kept in the margins -- perhaps too far in, especially in the case of the cultists, who are massacred offscreen practically before page one, and the survivors of whom streak across the first 4/5ths of the novel committing random violent acts for reasons we're never fully made aware. Even if rookie author Forward gets a little carried away with choice of language and stylistic techniques -- clarity and simplicity really are virtues, even though the BBC editors don't seem to encourage them -- there's also solid plotting, good characterization, and well-visualized action on display. And, lest you think Forward is taking this too seriously, the day is saved because the hero gets drunk. The palette is small (one New Hampshire village) but well-defined. Honestly, I enjoyed this far more than Stephen King's comparable "Dreamcatcher", which distended over 900 pages and was a lot more gross. One thing that jarred is the sudden intrusion of body horror at the tail, tail end of the novel. Most of the early deaths are suggested at, not shown, or least played as CGI effects rathern than gore. In the last chapter, however, one character dies when icicles spike through their eyeballs. This jars, and I can only assume it was the fault of A) an editor who failed to take it out, or B) an editor who insisted, "Hey, this is a "Doctor Who" novel with psi-powers, so we have to trot out the same anime-style deaths that the New Adventures ran into the ground during their psi-powers arc!". Otherwise, Forward manages to rise above more recent DW cliches, by leaving most of his regular cast alive, and reasonably happy, at the end of the day. All together this is one of the more enjoyable debut novels of 2002 and stacks up well with the fandom-acclaimed (and doubly oblique) "History 101".
Rating:
Summary: Gorier than Ezra Jack Keats
Review: It's hard to rate "Drift". It's a debut novel, nominally a 4th Doctor and Leela book, the second in four for the PDAs (coming behind "Psi-ence Fiction"). Leela is very much a minimal presence, which I think is probably a good thing, especially coming so soon after a book by the guy who created her. What's most noteworthy, I think, is that "Drift" is set entirely in the United States (southern New Hampshire)... and actually feels like it's filmed in the US, as opposed to TC4! Let's face it, most "Doctor Who" novels set in the States miss the mark in terms of what characters would think and say. When Forward describes a stretch of I-93 in New Hampshire, though, you can actually believe he's driven it (as I have). The character names are more diverse than in "Salvation" -- although when a guy named Marotta shows up here, as sure as eggs is eggs, the word "Brooklyn" is close behind -- so there's finally a sense that not ALL Americans in "Doctor Who"have Anglo names and speak with stilted southern accents. On the other hand, the token New England general store clerk doesn't say "Ayuh" once, so maybe Forward doesn't know his cliches all that well. I enjoyed the sense of menace that gradually builds up over the first 175 pages or so, and unleashes over a prolonged, violent, action-filled climax. 80% of the word count is devoted to descriptions of snow which, let's be honest, grate after a while, especially when the author has to resort to phrases like "cold inferno" on page 217. Before the action takes over, we meet several characters, military and civilian alike. The military leader is not a closed-minded buffoon, and even the drunken ex-husband gets a few moments of pathos before the inevitable happens. The plot is hard to make out if you're reading too quickly. The details involve an extraterrestrial device of unspecified origin; a couple of incognito aliens (again, unspecified) looking for a way home; and psi-conscious cultists looking to cross over. Most of this information is kept in the margins -- perhaps too far in, especially in the case of the cultists, who are massacred offscreen practically before page one, and the survivors of whom streak across the first 4/5ths of the novel committing random violent acts for reasons we're never fully made aware. Even if rookie author Forward gets a little carried away with choice of language and stylistic techniques -- clarity and simplicity really are virtues, even though the BBC editors don't seem to encourage them -- there's also solid plotting, good characterization, and well-visualized action on display. And, lest you think Forward is taking this too seriously, the day is saved because the hero gets drunk. The palette is small (one New Hampshire village) but well-defined. Honestly, I enjoyed this far more than Stephen King's comparable "Dreamcatcher", which distended over 900 pages and was a lot more gross. One thing that jarred is the sudden intrusion of body horror at the tail, tail end of the novel. Most of the early deaths are suggested at, not shown, or least played as CGI effects rathern than gore. In the last chapter, however, one character dies when icicles spike through their eyeballs. This jars, and I can only assume it was the fault of A) an editor who failed to take it out, or B) an editor who insisted, "Hey, this is a "Doctor Who" novel with psi-powers, so we have to trot out the same anime-style deaths that the New Adventures ran into the ground during their psi-powers arc!". Otherwise, Forward manages to rise above more recent DW cliches, by leaving most of his regular cast alive, and reasonably happy, at the end of the day. All together this is one of the more enjoyable debut novels of 2002 and stacks up well with the fandom-acclaimed (and doubly oblique) "History 101".
Rating:
Summary: Gorier than Ezra Jack Keats
Review: It's hard to rate "Drift". It's a debut novel, nominally a 4th Doctor and Leela book, the second in four for the PDAs (coming behind "Psi-ence Fiction"). Leela is very much a minimal presence, which I think is probably a good thing, especially coming so soon after a book by the guy who created her. What's most noteworthy, I think, is that "Drift" is set entirely in the United States (southern New Hampshire)... and actually feels like it's filmed in the US, as opposed to TC4! Let's face it, most "Doctor Who" novels set in the States miss the mark in terms of what characters would think and say. When Forward describes a stretch of I-93 in New Hampshire, though, you can actually believe he's driven it (as I have). The character names are more diverse than in "Salvation" -- although when a guy named Marotta shows up here, as sure as eggs is eggs, the word "Brooklyn" is close behind -- so there's finally a sense that not ALL Americans in "Doctor Who"have Anglo names and speak with stilted southern accents. On the other hand, the token New England general store clerk doesn't say "Ayuh" once, so maybe Forward doesn't know his cliches all that well. I enjoyed the sense of menace that gradually builds up over the first 175 pages or so, and unleashes over a prolonged, violent, action-filled climax. 80% of the word count is devoted to descriptions of snow which, let's be honest, grate after a while, especially when the author has to resort to phrases like "cold inferno" on page 217. Before the action takes over, we meet several characters, military and civilian alike. The military leader is not a closed-minded buffoon, and even the drunken ex-husband gets a few moments of pathos before the inevitable happens. The plot is hard to make out if you're reading too quickly. The details involve an extraterrestrial device of unspecified origin; a couple of incognito aliens (again, unspecified) looking for a way home; and psi-conscious cultists looking to cross over. Most of this information is kept in the margins -- perhaps too far in, especially in the case of the cultists, who are massacred offscreen practically before page one, and the survivors of whom streak across the first 4/5ths of the novel committing random violent acts for reasons we're never fully made aware. Even if rookie author Forward gets a little carried away with choice of language and stylistic techniques -- clarity and simplicity really are virtues, even though the BBC editors don't seem to encourage them -- there's also solid plotting, good characterization, and well-visualized action on display. And, lest you think Forward is taking this too seriously, the day is saved because the hero gets drunk. The palette is small (one New Hampshire village) but well-defined. Honestly, I enjoyed this far more than Stephen King's comparable "Dreamcatcher", which distended over 900 pages and was a lot more gross. One thing that jarred is the sudden intrusion of body horror at the tail, tail end of the novel. Most of the early deaths are suggested at, not shown, or least played as CGI effects rathern than gore. In the last chapter, however, one character dies when icicles spike through their eyeballs. This jars, and I can only assume it was the fault of A) an editor who failed to take it out, or B) an editor who insisted, "Hey, this is a "Doctor Who" novel with psi-powers, so we have to trot out the same anime-style deaths that the New Adventures ran into the ground during their psi-powers arc!". Otherwise, Forward manages to rise above more recent DW cliches, by leaving most of his regular cast alive, and reasonably happy, at the end of the day. All together this is one of the more enjoyable debut novels of 2002 and stacks up well with the fandom-acclaimed (and doubly oblique) "History 101".
Rating:
Summary: Never judge a book by its cover
Review: The artwork for the Doctor Who novel "Drift" is without a doubt one of the most gorgeous covers in the entire series' line. It conveys the chill and solitary feeling one would experience in a blizzard. I adored the novel for its cover more so than the story within. About a quarter of the way into it I found myself doing the book equivalent of channel surfing... that is... skimming pages until I got to passages that mentioned either the Doctor or Leela. I would start reading at that point, as I really didn't care for a majority of the characters in this particular installment. But that's just me. It's been interesting in recent adventures to see past incarnations out of the United Kingdom and in what is ostensibly foreign lands to fans of the series. This one was just a little below par story-wise. If this were an episode of the series... it would have been similar to "Image of the Fendahl" or "Underworld." I didn't care for those particular episodes, but I watched them just the same. Two stars for the brilliant artwork and the fourth Doctor's ever-so brief appearances in the story.
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