Simon Bradshaw (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
major_clanger) wrote2012-08-19 10:40 am
major_clanger) wrote2012-08-19 10:40 am
Entry tags:
Books - Harrison and Baxter
The Stainless Steel Rat, Harry Harrison (1961)
A quick re-read in the week of Harry Harrison's death. Stands up surprisingly well, with only the odd anachronism (punch cards, film cameras) reminding the reader that this was written more than half a century ago. Only one female character, although she is the main antagonist. I'm surprised this was never filmed, although I'm assured that HH expressed the hope it never would be as the continued re-optioning paid very nicely!
The Wheel of Ice, Stephen Baxter (2012)
Stephen Baxter has never made any secret of being a Doctor Who fanboy and his love of the show, particularly the Patrick Troughton era in which TWOI is set, very much shines through in this novel. But Baxter's own style and interests are unmistakable, and this is very much a Stephen Baxter Doctor Who novel; crucially, though, it stops short of being a Baxter novel with Who elements shoe-horned in. So Baxter fans will find many elements familiar (the setting has some echoes of Raft, the supporting characters are very typical of Baxter, and there is a blatant shout-out to an aspect of the Manifold series) but at the same time this is first and foremost a Doctor Who novel, and moreover one which sits well with the in-show period of its setting.
(In terms of continuity, TWOI falls in the second half of Season Six, featuring as it does Zoe and Jamie, and references to the events of The Seeds of Death. Mind you, continuity geeks will find TWOI a joy, with numerous references both to the events of other Doctor Who stories or to the technology featured in them; this even leads to the odd allusion to Fourth and Fifth Doctor stories.)
I am less familiar with Troughton-era Who than many of my friends, so I'll have to bow to the opinion of others as to how well Baxter captures the Second Doctor, Zoe and Jamie. What I can say is that they all work very well as characters, and are pushed in some interesting directions, mostly in terms of their relationships with the mining colony's children; Zoe has to learn how to relate to them, whilst Jamie finds himself in the odd position of being a half-resented adult rather than a young sidekick.
Anyone who likes either Stephen Baxter's writing or classic Doctor Who will probably enjoy this; anyone who likes both is likely to devour it as quickly as possible with a big grin.
A quick re-read in the week of Harry Harrison's death. Stands up surprisingly well, with only the odd anachronism (punch cards, film cameras) reminding the reader that this was written more than half a century ago. Only one female character, although she is the main antagonist. I'm surprised this was never filmed, although I'm assured that HH expressed the hope it never would be as the continued re-optioning paid very nicely!
The Wheel of Ice, Stephen Baxter (2012)
Stephen Baxter has never made any secret of being a Doctor Who fanboy and his love of the show, particularly the Patrick Troughton era in which TWOI is set, very much shines through in this novel. But Baxter's own style and interests are unmistakable, and this is very much a Stephen Baxter Doctor Who novel; crucially, though, it stops short of being a Baxter novel with Who elements shoe-horned in. So Baxter fans will find many elements familiar (the setting has some echoes of Raft, the supporting characters are very typical of Baxter, and there is a blatant shout-out to an aspect of the Manifold series) but at the same time this is first and foremost a Doctor Who novel, and moreover one which sits well with the in-show period of its setting.
(In terms of continuity, TWOI falls in the second half of Season Six, featuring as it does Zoe and Jamie, and references to the events of The Seeds of Death. Mind you, continuity geeks will find TWOI a joy, with numerous references both to the events of other Doctor Who stories or to the technology featured in them; this even leads to the odd allusion to Fourth and Fifth Doctor stories.)
I am less familiar with Troughton-era Who than many of my friends, so I'll have to bow to the opinion of others as to how well Baxter captures the Second Doctor, Zoe and Jamie. What I can say is that they all work very well as characters, and are pushed in some interesting directions, mostly in terms of their relationships with the mining colony's children; Zoe has to learn how to relate to them, whilst Jamie finds himself in the odd position of being a half-resented adult rather than a young sidekick.
Anyone who likes either Stephen Baxter's writing or classic Doctor Who will probably enjoy this; anyone who likes both is likely to devour it as quickly as possible with a big grin.