Raven

Slowly catching up on the reviews . . . Doctor Who: Prisoner of the Daleks, by Trevor Baxendale Separated from the TARDIS, the Doctor finds himself along for the ride when a group of bounty hunters manage to capture a live Dalek. The humans want information, but the Dalek isn't talking and the Doctor wants no part of it, and rightly so, because soon the tables have been turned, and the bounty hunters and the Doctor become prisoners themselves . . . I like the Daleks, I really do, but at the end of the day, they can be a bit, well, pants at times . . . It's the old James Bond vs. The Bad Guy dilemma; The Bad Guy can't just shot Bond, he has to explain his evil master plan and then put him in a room from which Bond can escape so he can then stop The Bad Guy's bid for world domination, and it's the same with the Doctor and the Daleks (though in their case they are usually after control of the Universe, or at least a galaxy or two). So given that you know the Doctor is going to save the day, and the Daleks are going to be sent packing, it's the journey they take getting there that is important and, to be fair, Baxendale has a reasonable stab at it. Okay, so it's not a plot that is going to win many awards, but the characters are fairly well drawn - if a little clich

Being chased around a town is not a plot! I'm determined to get to the end of this to see if it gets anymore coherent, but so far the characters are cardboard cut outs (I'm surprised you don't get "hiss" prompts every time Fergun enters a scene!), the dialogue is woeful and in 230 odd pages I've read, nothing of any consequence has happened! Plot wise it's like watching part three of an old four part Doctor Who story; it's the episode where they have run out of money so before the reveal in part four they have to spend an episode running around a quarry to bulk out the running time!

I'm now over half was through The Magicians' Guild and there is still no sign of a plot, if things don't pick up soon I'm not sure how far I will be going with this series.

At the risk of sounding like a stuck record, if you liked this try War of the Worlds, it's a much better story.

Woo and indeed Hoo! I think the manner of the victory was better this time, last time it kinda fizzled out in a draw where the umpires couldn't agree on when to abandon the match, but this time we got an emphatic win on the day

Iain M. Banks The State of the Art is a good collection of his short science fiction stories, the titular story being very good indeed (an alien race visiting Earth in 1977 and getting swept up in Star Wars fever!).

I have become Death, the destroyer of worlds . . .

I don't want to hear about anyone dancing until Strauss is holding the Ashes! Three wickets down, but 230 in front, this could be very close indeed . . .

A cautious "Hurrah!"

My favourite short story is The Pedestrian, by Ray Bradbury (it is the story Fahrenheit 451 was based on). I was given a photocopy of it in English when I was 11 and I still have it today.

I've had a quick look, but I can't seem to find an appropriate thread for this (could this be pinned, so people can post warnings about different book bargains?). Just a quick heads-up, but Waterstones have a 3 for 2 on all of their classic novels at the moment. (And could a friendly Mod also correct my poor spelling in the title!).

Not a prequel fan then?

Well, here's hoping the batting track degrades significantly over night . . .

Fantastic over there from Freddie, almost made it into double figures!

Mr Commitment, by Mike Gayle Duffy is a man who is happy with life, well, he'd rather be a stand-up comic than a temp and the flat he shares could be better, but his relationship with Mel is as steady as ever and that's just the way he likes it. Except Mel wants wants them to move in together. And the "M" word has been mentioned. And soon Duffy finds he is asking himself whether he has what it takes to be Mr. Commitment . . . Mike Gayle's second novel moves on from the subject of finding the right girl, in My Legendary Girlfriend, to the subject of keeping her. The story revolves around an amiable, if slightly irresponsible, twenty-something who is having problems committing to his long-suffering girlfriend. Mel is prefect, and Duffy certainly loves her, so why is he so afraid to settle down? This is trademark Gayle; explaining the world from the male perspective through insightful observation and gentle humour – with a smattering of pop-culture references thrown in for good measure! The book deals with how people and relationships change, missed chances, why people can be self-destructive and why saying "I love you" isn’t always enough. I must admit that I wasn't overly enthusiastic about re-reading this book, as I didn't remember it being one of Gayle's best, but as I'm re-reading all his novels I had to give it another go and I'm actually glad I did. I found the book much more enjoyable and rewarding the second time around, and whilst I would maintain that this isn't one of his best, it did remind me of why Gayle is one of my favourite contemporary authors.

I listen to the Whocast, but I didn't start until the beginning of this year - I'll have to look up some of the earlier ones sometime!

I found out one my local second-hand book shops is closing down next week. Everything is currently 50% off, but as you can guess there wasn't much left by the time I got there yesterday. I did get an Encyclopaedia of London for

I've not come across that site, but I did find The War of the Worlds Book Cover Collection - someone has a singular passion!

I've heard good things about Girlfriend in a Coma, but I've not read it myself - one for the "to buy" list, when I have some funds! I'll - hopefully - be posting a review of Band of Brothers shortly, but suffice to say it was very interesting, and it filled in a lot of background that wasn't gone into in the TV series.

Star Trek: Countdown, by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman A star is about to explode with devastating consequences, but the Romulan Senate refuses to heed the danger to their home world. In a desperate attempt to save Romulus, Ambassador Spock joins forces with a renegade Romulan miner named Nero. In their hands lies the fate of the Empire, and possibly the quadrant itself . . . Originally issued in four instalments, this graphic novel is a direct prequel to the events in the recent Star Trek movie, and lays down the back-story that led to Nero and Spock being thrown back in time. Set in the future, several years after the end of the previous Next Generation movie Star Trek: Nemesis, it covers the political fallout within the Romulan Empire, and the careers of the Next Generation crew, following on from that film. Orci and Kurtzman tell a reasonable story, and do a good job of shoe-horning a lot of detail into a very short space (the graphic novel weighs in at just under 100 pages), but their hands are tied by the limitations of the format and it ultimately feels stilted and hurried - I can't help but feel that there is a much richer story to be told here, and that it would have made a much more satisfying and interesting conventional novel. But this is primarily a hand-holding exercise for a nervous fan base, worried about rumours of a reboot for the universe they have come to know and love. Many familiar faces appear (Picard, Data, Worf and Geordi all feature), and there is a lot of juicy detail for fans to relish, and I think it is they who will ultimately get the most out of this. So possibly not one for a main stream audience, but if you are a Star Trek fan this is an interesting – if somewhat light-weight - read.

I don't think RTDs problem was the number of episodes he wrote; it was more what he wrote. I'm not a huge fan of a lot of his stories (the Slitheen stories and the Master two-parter for example), but I have to admit that he did turn out some very good stories at the same time (Midnight, Love and Monsters, Doomsday etc). Which Doctor Who forum is it that you are avoiding now, out of interest?

I don't have a problem with sex scenes in books (or on TV and in films for that matter) if they are warranted by the plot, but if they are just there to titillate then why include them? I do have a problem with some graphic descriptions of violence though. A friend of mine recommended me a book by Karin Slaughter (apt name . . .), because I had been reading some Pat Cornwell books and she said Slaughter's were in the same vein - they are not, casual reader! I think I got about four or five pages into the book I bought before the first murder took place and the descriptions of the victim's death was just so over the top that I put the book down and have never been tempted to read another by her (I also no longer listen to my friend when she says she's read a good book!).

*As written by Steven Moffat! (That man has so much to live up to, I hope he manages it).

In which case I'm guessing it will be a house on a canal in Florence, rather than Manchester!

When reading a book, do you have any pet peeves that really bug you, possibly to the point where you will stop reading? You know the sort of thing, repetitive use of the same phrase, overly florid descriptions etc. My pet peeve is writers who put too much description around dialogue, for example: "Your tea is getting cold," smiled Simon. "I know," nodded Julie. Simon raised his eyebrows suggestively, "I could warm it up for you, if you like . . ." "No, that's all right," said Julie, shaking her head. Okay, possibly a poor example, but hopefully you get my drift! I find this really annoying for two reasons; firstly it pulls you out of the flow of the conversation and secondly there are only so many adjectives you can use, so if this is overused characters quite often end up coming across as being a bit simple because they are smiling, or grinning after everything they say! Do you have any pet peeves?!