Rating: 
Summary: wonderful alternative view about World War II
Review: This book is great, even more so because it was written in such a short time and yet managed to maintain that fun sense of adventure. Nobody will ever confuse it with literature, but if you want a fun read, this is it.The Sixth Doctor meets up with the Brigadier, and hijinks ensue. Since the Sixth Doctor has already met the Brigadier in the book series (in one of Gary Russell's books), there is no need to have yet another initial meeting between the two. Instead, Justin and Stephen can get on with the story. And what a story it is. Did Hitler survive the events of the bunker at the end of the war? What's going on in that strange house? Why has an entire English village been cordoned off since World War II? All of these mysteries come together in a delightful fashion. Colin Baker *is* the Sixth Doctor in this book. I could see him perfectly in this part. The Brigadier is perfect as the wise old soldier who's still got the will to go on an adventure even though his body may not agree. The "companion" role is taken by a television reporter who is also well characterized. She's got a nose for a mystery, and it shows. What happens to her in this story actually surprised me, though it was almost poetic when I thought about it afterward. It's something that Cole and Richards couldn't do if they had been forced to use a real companion from the series. There's also a wonderful use of continuity in this book. I love continuity as long as it's used well (for an example of how not to use it, see The Quantum Archangel). This book references both the series, a previous BBC book and also a previous Virgin book, which surprised me a bit. This book is a lot of fun. Don't expect anything truly deep and meaningful out of it, but it's a nice, straightforward adventure that will make you smile.
Rating:
Summary: wonderful alternative view about World War II
Review: This book is great, even more so because it was written in such a short time and yet managed to maintain that fun sense of adventure. Nobody will ever confuse it with literature, but if you want a fun read, this is it. The Sixth Doctor meets up with the Brigadier, and hijinks ensue. Since the Sixth Doctor has already met the Brigadier in the book series (in one of Gary Russell's books), there is no need to have yet another initial meeting between the two. Instead, Justin and Stephen can get on with the story. And what a story it is. Did Hitler survive the events of the bunker at the end of the war? What's going on in that strange house? Why has an entire English village been cordoned off since World War II? All of these mysteries come together in a delightful fashion. Colin Baker *is* the Sixth Doctor in this book. I could see him perfectly in this part. The Brigadier is perfect as the wise old soldier who's still got the will to go on an adventure even though his body may not agree. The "companion" role is taken by a television reporter who is also well characterized. She's got a nose for a mystery, and it shows. What happens to her in this story actually surprised me, though it was almost poetic when I thought about it afterward. It's something that Cole and Richards couldn't do if they had been forced to use a real companion from the series. There's also a wonderful use of continuity in this book. I love continuity as long as it's used well (for an example of how not to use it, see The Quantum Archangel). This book references both the series, a previous BBC book and also a previous Virgin book, which surprised me a bit. This book is a lot of fun. Don't expect anything truly deep and meaningful out of it, but it's a nice, straightforward adventure that will make you smile.
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