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Book Description
The paperback edition of fantasy and sci-fi giant Michael Moorcock's Doctor Who epic
Product Description
The Terraphiles are a group obsessed with Earth's past and dedicated to re-enacting ancient sporting events. The Doctor and Amy join them on a trip to Miggea, a star on the very edge of reality, and venue for a competition to win the fabled Arrow of Law. But the Terraphiles' grasp of Earth history and customs is dubious to say the least, and just getting to Miggea is going to prove tricky.
For reality is falling apart, ships are disappearing, and Captain Cornelius and his pirates are looking for easy pickings. And the Doctor and Amy have to find out who is so desperate to get the Arrow of Law that they will kill for it.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Cards on table: I am a big Dr Who fan and a Moorcock fan from the 70s / 80s devouring all the Eternal Champion books wherever I found them. When I heard of this novel I was both astounded and apprehensive - would this be a Dr Who novel written by Moorcock or a Moorcock novel with Dr Who in it?
Well the novel is littered with the Moorcock trademarks - arrows of law, law vs. Chaos, cosmic balance, multiverse and a character named Cornelius. We also need to bear in mind Moorcock's novel for the film Great Rock and Roll Swindle for which he (essentially) reproduced a Jerry Cornelius tale (though a good one!).
We then need to think back to the good Doctor - I am just listening to the Big Finish Key2Time series, and it is clear that the Doctor as well uses the language of law/order vs. Chaos, multiverse, the Key to Time itself is a balance, so actually the language is not that far away.
The novel itself is well paced, very readable and very funny. In fact I was most struck by the sense that the fantastic comic prose describing the bizarre archaic psuedo-cricket / darts / jousting games of the 'plot' (ignoring the hat) could as well have been outpourings of the pen of the most credible of Dr Who champions Douglas Adams.
As a Moorcock fan, I thoroughly enjoyed the look back to Earth history from the distant future - pure Dancers at the End of Time for those that know their Moorcock.
Why only four stars? Well I think too much was added to the Who universe to set the backdrop for the story; Amy was left as a cypher until suddenly taking her place as a key character for the final third; the Doctor himself seemed to have all the faults of the Matt Smith character (appearance over content) and didn't quite capture his strengths of timing and expression. I also didn't like the self-referential ending which also reminded me of the Runaway Train post-ending (i.e. setting up the story by going back in time after the story happened).
I leave though this thought - we've had the Coming of the Terraphiles, what price the Return of the Terraphiles?
Well the novel is littered with the Moorcock trademarks - arrows of law, law vs. Chaos, cosmic balance, multiverse and a character named Cornelius. We also need to bear in mind Moorcock's novel for the film Great Rock and Roll Swindle for which he (essentially) reproduced a Jerry Cornelius tale (though a good one!).
We then need to think back to the good Doctor - I am just listening to the Big Finish Key2Time series, and it is clear that the Doctor as well uses the language of law/order vs. Chaos, multiverse, the Key to Time itself is a balance, so actually the language is not that far away.
The novel itself is well paced, very readable and very funny. In fact I was most struck by the sense that the fantastic comic prose describing the bizarre archaic psuedo-cricket / darts / jousting games of the 'plot' (ignoring the hat) could as well have been outpourings of the pen of the most credible of Dr Who champions Douglas Adams.
As a Moorcock fan, I thoroughly enjoyed the look back to Earth history from the distant future - pure Dancers at the End of Time for those that know their Moorcock.
Why only four stars? Well I think too much was added to the Who universe to set the backdrop for the story; Amy was left as a cypher until suddenly taking her place as a key character for the final third; the Doctor himself seemed to have all the faults of the Matt Smith character (appearance over content) and didn't quite capture his strengths of timing and expression. I also didn't like the self-referential ending which also reminded me of the Runaway Train post-ending (i.e. setting up the story by going back in time after the story happened).
I leave though this thought - we've had the Coming of the Terraphiles, what price the Return of the Terraphiles?
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
First the good news. After a disappointing run of cash-in audio adventures that were light on plot and ideas, The Coming of the Terraphiles is an honest-to-goodness novel - and has been published as such - running just short of 11 hours on nine CDs, complete with fully drawn characters and worlds and an ambitious plot written by a `hard' scifi writer with impeccable credentials. The bad news is that despite Clive Mantle's generally excellent reading, it feels like it's often a little too fully realised to work on audio, with the prologue and opening chapters taken up with so much florid backstory and character detail, often conveyed with plentiful nonsensical wordplay that even Edward Lear might have balked at, that the story seems to take forever to get started and often gets lost in the purple prose when it does. All too often it seems as if even the smallest of actions leads to yet more lengthy description and backgound that would work better on the printed page where you could read (and just as importantly, reread) at your own pace to keep your bearings. Moorcock too often seems more interested in engineering worlds than telling a story: you can't fault the detail even if it is overfamiliar, but you do find yourself wanting him to just get on with it at times.
At times this is more of a Moorcock novel complete with his trademark obsessions and characters - another variation on Jerry Cornelius, more Multiverses, more Arrows of Law - with the Doctor sidelined to a minor player who almost feels shoehorned in, never quite commanding the story and often feeling subordinate to it and the author's already long-established worlds. As such it may well disappoint or alienate some fans of both the series and Moorcock. Certainly it's hard to make a case for this working better as an audiobook than it does on the printed page: this one just doesn't seem quite right as a listening experience and not just because, like other readers before him, Mantle has difficulty with Amy's Scottish accent...
At times this is more of a Moorcock novel complete with his trademark obsessions and characters - another variation on Jerry Cornelius, more Multiverses, more Arrows of Law - with the Doctor sidelined to a minor player who almost feels shoehorned in, never quite commanding the story and often feeling subordinate to it and the author's already long-established worlds. As such it may well disappoint or alienate some fans of both the series and Moorcock. Certainly it's hard to make a case for this working better as an audiobook than it does on the printed page: this one just doesn't seem quite right as a listening experience and not just because, like other readers before him, Mantle has difficulty with Amy's Scottish accent...
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Much as I have loved Doctor Who novels, since the early days of the Target novelisations, through the Virgin New/Missing Adventures, up to the BBC range of books featuring the Eighth, Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Doctors, it has to be said that they rarely knock on the door of literature. Yes, they have imaginative plots. Yes, they often explore mind-boggling sci-fi concepts. And yes, the authors strive to get the voice of the TV characters exactly right. But often, they are limited in their ability to create believable worlds, cultures, and incidental characters - the latter often being reduced to stereotypes.
Enter Michael Moorcock, one of the legends of British Sci-Fi. A quantum leap in Whovian literature - a rich galaxy populated with real people - all absolutely and deliciously defined by the background provided by the Galaxy in which they live. Humour, word-play, and characterisation drive this novel forward in such a way that you don't mind the fact that the plot just kind of happens by amongst all the exquisitely written interactions.
Perhaps BBC Books can learn from this, and entice other celebrated SF authors on board. On the basis of this, the appetite is even more whetted by the prospect of what Neil Gaiman's season six episode may bring.
Enter Michael Moorcock, one of the legends of British Sci-Fi. A quantum leap in Whovian literature - a rich galaxy populated with real people - all absolutely and deliciously defined by the background provided by the Galaxy in which they live. Humour, word-play, and characterisation drive this novel forward in such a way that you don't mind the fact that the plot just kind of happens by amongst all the exquisitely written interactions.
Perhaps BBC Books can learn from this, and entice other celebrated SF authors on board. On the basis of this, the appetite is even more whetted by the prospect of what Neil Gaiman's season six episode may bring.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Incredibly Cool - Like Its Author's Bow-Tie
I don't recall any "Doctor Who" novel ever being afforded the fanfare that "The Coming of the Terraphiles" has been. Read more
Published 28 days ago by E.G. Wolverson
For older fans
I was hoping my young son - an avid Doctor Who fan - would enjoy this, but he gave it up fairly early on. Having listened myself, I can see why. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ray Blake
One for Moorcock fans
Doctor Who: The Coming of the Terraphiles
If you're a fan of Michael Moorcock, you'll probably enjoy this story a lot. Read more
If you're a fan of Michael Moorcock, you'll probably enjoy this story a lot. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Michele Fry
A Terrible Mess
Sorry, but I hated this and couldn't finish it.
I have a lot of respect for Moorcock and I have mostly enjoyed his books over several decades, and I love Doctor Who. Read more
I have a lot of respect for Moorcock and I have mostly enjoyed his books over several decades, and I love Doctor Who. Read more
Published 10 months ago by John W
An 11th Doctor adventure
Featuring the 11th Doctor and Amy The Coming of the Terraphiles seems to have more in tune with a Tom Baker era story. Read more
Published 10 months ago by D. Evans
Disappointing
I was sadly disappointed by The Coming of the Terraphiles, having enjoyed a previous Dr. Who audiobook. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Steve Bevis
Awful...just awful
An unabridged Dr Who audiobook that's over 10 hours long? = Brilliant.
Clive Mantle reading? = Great (except for his bizarre Scottish accent).
The actual plot? Read more
Clive Mantle reading? = Great (except for his bizarre Scottish accent).
The actual plot? Read more
Published 13 months ago by LordMuck
A wasted opportunity
Let me begin by saying I have been a fan of Doctor Who for many years - I followed the classic series and then was overjoyed when it returned to the screen in 2004. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Kirsty at the Overflowing Library
A novel but not totally successful attempt to cross universes
Like some other reviewers, I've read plenty of Who novels but none from Michael Moorcock, and having read this, I'm in no particular hurry to redress that balance. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Mr. Stuart Bruce
If it wasn't Moorcock I wouldn't have read it
Happened to notice it in HMV while xmas shopping with the wife and hinted. It's taken till now to finish it. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Matt Westwood
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