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Rating: 
Summary: WOW! That should say it all.
Review: Mr. Roberts has written a masterpiece! This book kept me guessing until the very end. Not only was the ending quite a surprise, it was also a very logical ending. Furthermore, getting to the end of this many-paged Dr. Who book happens very quickly as each page leaves the reader anxious to get to the next. This tale was told the way a Dr. Who story needs to be told. Each chapter was a cliffhanger; the Doctor was his wonderfully charasmatic self (as only Tom Baker could portray); K-9 was fabulous (I don't care what others say, I like K-9!); and Romana is simply charming (I love the final scene between the Doctor and Romana). Having not read the New Adventure The Highest Science, I cannot say if the Chelonians are accuratly portrayed in this novel. However, being both a history teacher and a prior military serviceman, - history is full of examples of how enemy soldiers developed friendships- I can appreciate the friendships displayed between the Chelonians and the humans in The Well-Mannered War. All in all, well worth buying at any price. If you are lucky enough to find it, buy it before someone else beats you to it!
Rating:
Summary: A very English ending
Review: The TARDIS approaches its maximum distance into the future, and the Doctor forces an emergency materialisation to prevent its destruction. The TARDIS crew find themselves arrive on Barclow, which is a planet claimed by both the humans and the Chelonians, who are waging a war in a very polite fashion (hence the title). But there are also other matters afoot, and a great enemy (whose identity I'm not at liberty to divulge here) is behind a complex plot to destroy the Doctor. Oh, and K9 runs for president as well...This book is the last of Virgin's Missing Adventures series, featuring past incarnations of the Doctor. The decision not to renew Virgin's license plays a subtle role throughout the book, up to an including the very tongue-in-cheek ending. The Doctor and Romana are yet again well characterised by Gareth Roberts, and the return of the Chelonian (originally created by Gareth Roberts for the seventh Doctor novel, 'The Highest Science') make a welcome return. The book also looks at a few other important aspects of Doctor Who history and plays a role in setting up the Bernice Summerfield adventure series that Virgin published following BBC re-claiming the Doctor Who license. It is both a great book and important for defining what was to come.
Rating:
Summary: "The Logical Choice" - K9
Review: The Well-Mannered War, the last of the Virgin Missing Adventures, sees the Fourth Doctor, Romana II and K9 hurtling towards the end of the universe. They arrive, very near the end, in the midst of a staged conflict between Earth colonists and the Chelonians, a giant turtle type race. The cause of the dispute is a very small, muddy, valueless planetoid known as Barclow. Why does either side value it so much? Why have they been "fighting" for more than 100 years? What is unloved artist Menlove Stokes doing millenia into his future. As the Doctor soon discovers, things are much more contrived than they first appear... Gareth Roberts really outdid himself with this book, in my opinion. The sharp wit he had been using in his last two Missing Adventures ("The Romance of Crime" and "The English Way of Death") is funnier than ever, without ever going over the top like he did in his other two novels. Political satire, wordplay, banter, it's all here in rapid fire succession. It's also more of a page turner than his other two, I read this one very quickly. Each chapter was very exciting and involving. All of the characters in the story were memorable, and even the nastier ones are likeable (those that died I felt sorry for!). My favourites include Harmock - the fat, out of touch politicia, Admiral Dolne - the military man without the stomach for death and war, and Fritchoff - the self appointed "Rebel Labourer" who spouts nothing but radical political jargon, even in times of crisis. The villain(s) are unique and surprising, though still act in the way you'd expect a Doctor Who nasty to act. To top it all off, there are twists and turns, right when you least expect them. It has the humour of a TV story like "City of Death", and the intrigue of a TV story like "Logopolis". What more could you want? I'd recommend this to the Fourth Doctor fans out there. It's a satisfying read. It may help to read "The Romance of Crime" and "The English Way of Death" before this one, but it's not essential. Everything is explained quite well here. "The Well Mannered War" is long since out of print, and you'll only find it used here on amazon.com . However, it is available for free on the official Doctor Who (BBC) website as an e-book.
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