2006-06-05
The Slow Empire
Author: Dave Stone
EDA-47, w/Eigth Doctor, Fitz, Anji
I brought out my Doctor Who collection and started reading again. I'm trying to pick up the EDA series where I left off, despite it being two years, not remembering everything that's happened perfectly, and in general being a little confused. A Dave Stone book is always a good place to start when you're a little confused. Frequently nothing is meant to make sense anyway. I don't even know how many of the first 46 books I've actually read, so I'll probably start over from the top at some point.
I'm going to start writing less unless I'm really inspired, so that the dates on these posts come a bit closer to the dates I actually finish reading something. I'm no more than a week behind, but it's gotten bad in the past. That being said:
The Slow Empire seems to be worth some, but not all of the praise heaped on it. I thought there was a very good, classic, four-episode TV story inside, waiting to get out. Unfortunately, I didn't think that story worked as a novel, even one as short as this. It's another case of wondering what happened in editing -- in the last quarter of the book Anji comments that a pattern keeps repeating itself, but we haven't seen it happen but twice. I wonder if someone (rightly) decided to pick up the pace a bit, but in the process took out a little too much of the plot's definition.
The end notes were stupid and distracting. If I happen to reach you before you read the book, just skip the end notes. The payoff, when there's any, isn't worth dropping the narrative thread. If I reach a writer that insists on using this technique, at least make them footnotes, please? And reconsider not doing it at all?
Overall, this isn't all that bad. It's relatively coherent for Dave Stone and, if you give yourself permission to speed through the junk, it's a solid story too. Not essential, but not the worst Who you could pick up either.
EDA-47, w/Eigth Doctor, Fitz, Anji
I brought out my Doctor Who collection and started reading again. I'm trying to pick up the EDA series where I left off, despite it being two years, not remembering everything that's happened perfectly, and in general being a little confused. A Dave Stone book is always a good place to start when you're a little confused. Frequently nothing is meant to make sense anyway. I don't even know how many of the first 46 books I've actually read, so I'll probably start over from the top at some point.
I'm going to start writing less unless I'm really inspired, so that the dates on these posts come a bit closer to the dates I actually finish reading something. I'm no more than a week behind, but it's gotten bad in the past. That being said:
The Slow Empire seems to be worth some, but not all of the praise heaped on it. I thought there was a very good, classic, four-episode TV story inside, waiting to get out. Unfortunately, I didn't think that story worked as a novel, even one as short as this. It's another case of wondering what happened in editing -- in the last quarter of the book Anji comments that a pattern keeps repeating itself, but we haven't seen it happen but twice. I wonder if someone (rightly) decided to pick up the pace a bit, but in the process took out a little too much of the plot's definition.
The end notes were stupid and distracting. If I happen to reach you before you read the book, just skip the end notes. The payoff, when there's any, isn't worth dropping the narrative thread. If I reach a writer that insists on using this technique, at least make them footnotes, please? And reconsider not doing it at all?
Overall, this isn't all that bad. It's relatively coherent for Dave Stone and, if you give yourself permission to speed through the junk, it's a solid story too. Not essential, but not the worst Who you could pick up either.
