| "Doctor Who", Spiral Scratch (Doctor Who S.) | 
 enlarge | Author: Gary Russell
Publisher: BBC Books
Category: Book
Buy New: £14.99
New (6) Used (11) from £5.66
Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 436519
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.9
ISBN: 0563486260
Dewey Decimal Number: 741
EAN: 9780563486268
ASIN: 0563486260
Publication Date: August 4, 2005
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Mint
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
A regeneration to be proud of. February 17, 2008
This novel isnt the best but gets a big thumbs up from me for just one reason...the sixth Doctor gets a proper regeneration. This novel fits seamlessly just before Time and the Rani and fair play to Russell for giving the sixth Doctor the send off he deserved.
 A Different Kind of Tension May 30, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Firstly, if you are a fan of the "The New Doctor Who Adventures" that were published during the 1990's you may be disappointed to note that the reason for the Sixth Doctor to trigger off his regeneration contradicts the reason placed within that series of novels. However, this is an enjoyable romp, and one, which allows the Sixth Doctor to depart on a real high: something that wasn't realised during the television series or the "new adventures" (please debate here).
Of course, one shouldn't simply approach this novel from the regeneration aspect (although it is extremely pleasing that the sixth is allowed to depart on a real dramatic and heroic note), as this is a wonderful novel. The plot reels you in and keeps you hooked. Some may argue that technobabble is abundant. However, I find that it is unobtrusive and adds to the atmosphere and plot rather than getting in the way and having it for the sake of science-fiction necessity. I feel that this novel can be approached for either shear pleasure (i.e. simply an easy and enjoyable read) or you can approach it with the depth that the novel contains and bathe in the (sometimes) complex threads and enjoy the seemingly random plot-lines that tie-up delightfully. This may seem two completely contradictory approaches but honestly, they are both there. Take your pick!
Indeed, there have been better stories. However, that is no reason to decry this is a waste of time: it isn't. I enjoyed it immeasurably and I do strongly recommend that you buy this.
 you can judge a book by it's cover July 14, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
because this is as big a mess as it looks. Gary Russell is superb at writing the sixth doctor and mel, but his other characters are clumsily created and the pages they're on just aren't as good as the ones that the doctor is in.
With lots of beings from parallel universes running around, it's very hard to get a hold of this book, and the doctor and mel are simply pushed round from one situation to the next.
I nearly didn't finish this because it go so hard going.
The last chapter is great - see the other reviews to find what happens - and I'd like to say it was worth it because of that [this would be a one star review otherwise] - but in all honesty, it's not
Leave the Grammar, Its the Plot I Want September 26, 2005
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
Finally, the Sixth Doctor gets his real final story. The Doctor and Mel discover that a creature from the past of Gallifrey (yes, another one) has broken free and is intent on destroying all the many universes. Time sensitives from various planets in various alternative realities are abducted and forced to feed the creature, while the Doctor and Mel are sent to rescue them before it's too late. I could rarely feel that these characters were the Sixth Doctor and Mel that I've seen on TV. The plot feels jaded, as if Russell himself can barely work up any enthusiasm, and I was reminded of the TV story Logopolis, Tom Baker's swan-song, in so far as the writer was trying to give his Doctor a great, meaningful send-off, in a story way out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, it didn't work in Logopolis, and it doesn't work here. Far better would have been a straightforward adventure story, in the manner of Peter Davison's finale, The Caves of Androzani.Russell's use of language leaves a lot to be desired. He has one character, meeting a social superior, "doffing his head". Given that "to doff" means to remove, e.g. a hat as a gesture of respect, this action should have elicited more comment than it did. He also seems to think that "fortuitous" is a synonym for "fortunate" ( it isn't: it means coincidental ). The novel ends where Time and the Rani begins, and it is nice finally to have a proper send off for the Sixth Doctor, I just wish it had been rather better than this.
Technobabble kills the 6th Doctor August 8, 2005
Spiral Scratch is written as the final 6th Doctor adventure, in the process giving some rationale for the otherwise ridiculous TV regeneration forced by the sacking of Colin Baker. Unfortunately the story isn't up to much, being a confused tangle of multiple alternate 6th Doctor and Mel's, with some hideous technobabble explanation for some ravenous creature at the heart of the vortex who wants to eat the multiverse. Uncannily similar to the parallel worlds 8th Doctor novel The Last Resort, Spiral Scratch scores points for good characterisation of the Doctor and Mel, but the actual storyline is a bit of a mess. For completists only.
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