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| Doctor Who: The Clockwise Man | 
| Author: Justin Richards
Publisher: BBC Books
Category: Book
List Price: $11.99
Buy New: $9.11
You Save: $2.88 (24%)
New (8) from $9.11
Avg. Customer Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 139089
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 4.6 x 1.1
ISBN: 0563486287
Dewey Decimal Number: 741
EAN: 9780563486282
ASIN: 0563486287
Publication Date: August 24, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 6-9 of 9 | | « PREV | | |
 A good start to the Ninth Doctor Adventures September 7, 2005
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
When I learned that BBC Books was going to release a range of novels to tie in with the new serial of Doctor Who (a smash hit in the UK, yet to be seen on my side of the pond, in the United States) I was extremely dubious.
I've been a Doctor Who fan for most of my adolescent/adult life, and in all that time I've purchased only a handful of books that have to do with the series, most of those being either non-fiction (Jon Pertwee's biography, Blacklight, etc) or they were Missing Adventures. I've owned two books in the range of New Adventures - Nightshade (which I enjoyed) and Happy Endings (which I still have yet to wade through.) This is mostly due to the fact that, by the time I realized there was a line of books, I was so far behind that I didn't understand anything that was going on.
Thankfully, the first novel in the Ninth Doctor Adventures, The Clockwise Man, is set within the confines of the new series (between World War III and Dalek) and does not rely upon the past doctor novels to keep afloat. This is a good thing, because relying on past events is what halted my reading both Happy Endings and The Ancestor Cell.
The story behind the Clockwise Man is fairly simple - the Doctor and Rose arrive in 1924, their plan to visit the British Empire Exhibition. However, as soon as they exit the TARDIS they are sucked into an event that will lead them through a series of mini-mysteries, in search of a mysterious killer and those who would pilfer a police box and leather jacket.
My feeling had always been that the range should have opened perhaps with a preface - a novel to set up how the Doctor went from his Eighth incarnation to his Ninth. Upon further consideration, I'm glad they didn't do this (and as of writing this, am still unsure of whether or not the Eighth Doctor Adventures have approached a regeneration) because it would have been taking a step back, and if Russell T Davis has tried to do anything with the new franchise, it's not take steps back.
So this adventure is, as stated above, set between World War III and Dalek. I quite like the idea of getting to know the characters a little bit better, to see their relationship fleshed out in a way that a 13 episode series probably can't accomplish without a whole lot of boring tip-toeing. Having said that, I come to my one problem with the novel - the lack of deeper character insight.
We get a few nice tidbits in the novel where we're allowed to know what the Doctor or Rose are thinking, thoughts left unspoken on screen. The downside is that there are precious few of these, and in the end the novel feels very light-weight due to this.
At the same time, I don't see how this novel would be marketed toward children or even young teenagers. It is quite slow in the beginning and the underlying political issues don't seem like the type of thing that would snag an eight year old's interest. Despite this, I think that Justin Richards has written a novel that, at least, captured my attention and gave me an enjoyable jaunt to the past with my two favorite time traveling companions. I don't share a lot of the same problems I've noticed in other reviews/comments online, and I find the overall story plenty fulfilling, especially since I was expecting mindless fluff (thanks to the Children's Book label that I keep seeing for the new series of novels.)
The characters in the book are fairly likeable and entertaining. Repple and Aske are entertaining, Wyse is a lovely chap (for the most part...) Freddie is adorable and vulnerable and probably my favorite supporting character in the novel.
While I found most of the character's actions predictable, there were one or two surprises I was unprepared for. Most of this transpires in the last quarter of the novel, a lot of which takes place in Big Ben. The finale felt very slightly padded, with a whole lot of running back and forth in circles, but over all the whole thing came together nicely. The little mysteries and whatnot added a bit of needed depth to the story, and they all finished up nice and tidy.
The presentation of the book is beautiful. I love the small hardback with the rounded off spine, and wish more books were published like this. It fits nicely on my shelf and looks as though it is made to last in a collector's inventory. I also like the detail of having the number of the novel on the spine in Gallifreyan. Very nice touch.
Over all, I really enjoyed the Clockwise Man and was pleasantly surprised by the writing and story. It was a good opening to the Ninth Doctor Adventures, and I can't wait to get my hands on the next two novels (and the up-coming second wave when they're released in the United States.)
 Another Doctor, another alien invasion September 4, 2005
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
Same old Doctor Who plot. Don't spend your money on this flashy new hardback. Buy an old Target novel used for a penny and have the same story. Let's face it. The BBC has too much riding on the new series to allow their authors to try anything daring like the Virgin series of the 90's. I will of course be a silly fan and buy the next few, but I won't be expecting much.
ENGLISH WITHOUT ACCENT August 30, 2005
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
A better title for this, the first 9th DOCTOR adventure, would be LIKE CLOCKWORK. It may be a new Doctor (and actually, now a PAST DOCTOR as Christopher Eccleston has left the series - paving the way for the new 10th Doctor series and books), a new companion (Rose), but everything else is pretty much the same. For a first book launching a new series and a new Doctor there's next to nothing here we haven't seen a hundred times before.
The Doctor and Rose arrives on Earth in 1924 to take in The British Empire Exhibition, but instead fall into trouble (although, unlike most Doctor Who adventures, both the Doctor and Rose do actually do end up going to the Exhibition - so, a plus there). Conspiracies, double deals, bloodlines, revolutions, dictators, machine men, black cats and a boy make up this adventure - and despite the mix, and the promise one, if not all these parts holds for a crackerjack adventure it all falls apart too fast. You see the twists and surprises well before they arrive since Justin Richards has borrowed heavily from not only DOCTOR WHO history, but from popular movies as well (the entire ending seems to be a silly putty mix of Harold Lloyd meets BACK TO THE FUTURE). So, instead of crafting a new tale for a new Doctor for a new age - we're pretty much forced to march once again into battle wearing only one boot, leaving the experience lopsided and highly uneven.
The new Doctor is still very new here - and it can be forgiven that he hasn't found his own personality yet, but, that doesn't mean he should read as a "blank" - which he does for most of the book. It's very odd, on the one hand there's the "blank" and then out of the blue he goes all Guy Ritchie with sudden, but useful, outbursts of action and violence (there's one very clever and cruel moment late in the book that almost makes up for the snore festival the first part of the book has been). Uneven, but could get better... we shall see.
Rose might be a modern girl, but she quickly slips into the mold set by the series in the past. She there to ask the right questions, notice the things, and both succeed and fail to tell the Doctor important clues or facts (it's a toss up - if the story needs to be padded, then Rose becomes too distracted to remember to tell the Doctor, but if the story needs to move quickly Rose comes up with one after the other in rapid succession). Having not seen the new series, I'm not sure how she comes across there (although I have been told and read that she's far more versatile, helping to pick up the slack for a Doctor still unsteady on his feet), but on paper she's just another cog in the machine. It could be anyone with the Doctor now, so lacking in personality the character Rose is - hopefully this will change.
Again, for the launch of a new (and profitable) series they have gone out of there way to make the books look fantastic (and to even add a puzzle or two - I'm not sure what, if anything, the geometic DNA patterns that adorn the spines of the books, and the chapter headings mean - but it's cool). The new logo works and the feel of the book is great... so it comes as a surprise to find the book riddled with spelling, grammar and punctuation errors throughout. I'm sure the book was proofed, but it seems it could have used one more look before being published. Sloppy.
Overall the book looks great, feels great, has the right weight - while the story is lightweight and dull. Read once, then bag and save for eBay one day in the future.
 I'd LOVE to read it!!!! August 2, 2005
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
I would LOVE to read this book......IF ANYONE IN THE U.S. WOULD CARRY IT!!!!!!What does Borders and other U.S. stores have against these books? Import them from England please!!
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