Dreamstone Moon (Doctor Who Series)

Rating:
Summary: LOW ORBIT
Review: DREAMSTONE MOON started very strong and presented some interesting asides that are lacking from a majority of the early DOCTOR WHO novels. Sam has been seperated from the TARDIS and she nows travels the Universe one day at a time, while the Doctor has been doing his level best to find her, wondering all the while if he should perhaps let Sam go and live her own life on her own terms. But, this being a Doctor Who novel, the Doctor needs someone to talk to (which is nicely pointed out early on in the book). The most original idea in the novel is found in the viewpoint of Sam as she actually watches and hears about how the Doctor operates. Being seperated and being lost, she's allowed to develop her own perspective and viewpoint and she finds the Doctor's actions a rather interesting mix, not one she is often pleased about. But while the book has some good writing and a few solid ideas, you can't help but notice that it is all rather rushed, and as this is the second part in a three book arc, you are left with, not so much a cliffhanger (which would have been nice), but simply a stop. The story itself is not fresh (in fact it reminds me of an early NEXT GENERATION story), but Leonard manages to punch up a few original lines and action, all of which get's lost towards the end as he has to wrap up the plot, the fates of all the players and spring the big surprise (which is no real surprise, but an interesting idea that I wish had been present from the get go than waiting for the last ten pages). What really dropped the book a few stars in my view is the overuse of torture and violence. Once again we are treated to the kind of brutality that reads more like a United Nations Human Rights Report than an actual adventure novel... unpleasent. But Leonard does his best, offers up a few choice ideas, and can't be faulted for being stuck in the middle of a three book story. Worth picking up to complete the series, and worth one read through.

Rating:
Summary: LOW ORBIT
Review: DREAMSTONE MOON started very strong and presented some interesting asides that are lacking from a majority of the early DOCTOR WHO novels. Sam has been seperated from the TARDIS and she nows travels the Universe one day at a time, while the Doctor has been doing his level best to find her, wondering all the while if he should perhaps let Sam go and live her own life on her own terms. But, this being a Doctor Who novel, the Doctor needs someone to talk to (which is nicely pointed out early on in the book). The most original idea in the novel is found in the viewpoint of Sam as she actually watches and hears about how the Doctor operates. Being seperated and being lost, she's allowed to develop her own perspective and viewpoint and she finds the Doctor's actions a rather interesting mix, not one she is often pleased about. But while the book has some good writing and a few solid ideas, you can't help but notice that it is all rather rushed, and as this is the second part in a three book arc, you are left with, not so much a cliffhanger (which would have been nice), but simply a stop. The story itself is not fresh (in fact it reminds me of an early NEXT GENERATION story), but Leonard manages to punch up a few original lines and action, all of which get's lost towards the end as he has to wrap up the plot, the fates of all the players and spring the big surprise (which is no real surprise, but an interesting idea that I wish had been present from the get go than waiting for the last ten pages). What really dropped the book a few stars in my view is the overuse of torture and violence. Once again we are treated to the kind of brutality that reads more like a United Nations Human Rights Report than an actual adventure novel... unpleasent. But Leonard does his best, offers up a few choice ideas, and can't be faulted for being stuck in the middle of a three book story. Worth picking up to complete the series, and worth one read through.

Rating:
Summary: The curse of Paul Leonard's non-endings strikes again!
Review: Putting this book inside the Sam Is Missing arc was probably a very bad idea. While most of this story is rather enjoyable, the ending really suffers because of the lack of a resolution. Not only do the Doctor and Sam fail to meet up again, but the story itself just sputters out without a satisfactory conclusion. Both of these elements seem to highlight the other, making the ending of the book a huge disappointment. Obviously I realize that since this is the middle part of a multi-book series, there isn't going to be a ultimate conclusion to all of the threads, but to leave so many of them hanging (including pieces from the story itself) really leaves the reader feeling unsatisfied.

On the other hand, the parts leading up to the (lack of) ending are quite interesting. The story moves quickly enough so that we never grow bored with any of it and the revelations come quickly enough so that one doesn't have to time to think about them too much. The characters painted are quite interesting as we get to know them, though there are some annoying passages in which Sam gets teamed up with a substitute Doctor and the Doctor gets paired up with a replacement companion. Though the surrogates are interesting characters in their own rights, they share too many of the qualities of the missing half and it ends up feeling a bit contrived.

The plot centers on a substance called dreamstone, which is used by humans to record and play back dreams. This subject has been done a few times before in science fiction, yet Leonard manages to keep things fresh here. He never goes into a great amount of detail concerning the specifics of what dreamstone is, and this allows the plot to stay on track without getting bogged down with boring technobabble.

All in all this is an entertaining, if light, read. This book is quite a bit shorter than the BBC book average, so it won't take the reader very long to get through. While this may help the beginning and middle sections, it probably ends up accenting the unsatisfactory nature of the ending.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding book. shows a different side of the Dr.
Review: This book is a easy read. You get to know about Sam. To me the book is nonstop fom the moment that Sam finds herself on an alein ship to the time that you start to realize that the planet is an living entity. This is one of the first times that one of the companions (Sam) thinks that she is alone when she thinks that the Doctor has been killed. It is a very good book and one that I think every Dr. Who fan should read. It was the first time that I have seen these types of novels have a sequence. After Reading this you will want to read Seeing I. I hope that everyone enjoys reading this as much as I did. I love the New Doctors personality and style and Sam links it together.

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Rating:
Summary: The Doctor losses Sam
Review: This is the first time that the Dr. showes his real feelings when he losses his one of his time travelers (Sam). I feel that the change from the 7th Dr to the 8th Dr. has ment a change in the way he views the events in his life. The books takes you to a planet called Dreamstone moon where people use special rocks to inhance their lives. He spots Sam several times while he is on the planet. But is never able to rejoin her. This book is a real easy read and I have read it more then once. When you have read this one you need to read Seeing I. This is the story where the Dr. and Sam finally find each other and are reunited. I hope that you enjoy this book as much as I did and I suggest that you add this one to your Dr. Who collection.

Rating:
Summary: The Doctor losses Sam
Review: This is the first time that the Dr. showes his real feelings when he losses his one of his time travelers (Sam). I feel that the change from the 7th Dr to the 8th Dr. has ment a change in the way he views the events in his life. The books takes you to a planet called Dreamstone moon where people use special rocks to inhance their lives. He spots Sam several times while he is on the planet. But is never able to rejoin her. This book is a real easy read and I have read it more then once. When you have read this one you need to read Seeing I. This is the story where the Dr. and Sam finally find each other and are reunited. I hope that you enjoy this book as much as I did and I suggest that you add this one to your Dr. Who collection.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding book. shows a different side of the Dr.
Review: This was an enjoyable book; the characters were well-written and sympathetic. There was plenty of action, but everything flowed organically.

Rating:
Summary: Well-written, engrossing read
Review: This was an enjoyable book; the characters were well-written and sympathetic. There was plenty of action, but everything flowed organically.