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Book Description
The Doctor battles his old enemies, the Ice Warriors - in a special holiday themed adventure
Product Description
For centuries the Morphans have worked. With no help from other worlds, they subsist on the food they can grow and that's little enough. But their purpose, their whole life is to maintain the machines that will one day make their world as habitable as old Earth.
Life used to be hard. Now as their crops fail, livestock sickens, and the temperature drops, it's becoming impossible. This year's winter festival won't be the usual celebration. It's not a time for optimism or hope - and it's not a time to welcome unexpected guests. The Doctor, Amy and Rory find a society breaking apart under the strain. Tensions are mounting, old rivalries are coming to the fore, people are dying...
And then the Doctor's old enemies the Ice Warriors make their move. With the cold-hearted threat of invasion, the real battle for survival begins. Or does it? The Doctor begins to suspect that behind everything lies a deadlier, and even more chilling danger...
A thrilling, all-new adventure featuring the Doctor, Amy and Rory, as played by Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill in the spectacular hit series from BBC Television.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
There have been literally hundreds of DOCTOR WHO novels, but with the new millennium incarnation of the TV series, BBC Books (inevitably) renovated its line to match. The publishing "reboot" features three kinds of book: the main line of compact hardcovers sans dust jacket, technically marketed at YA readers, but written at a general audience level; a number of series *specifically* for younger readers, including annuals, Quick Reads and the 2in1 volumes of novellas; and what I guess might be called the "adult" line: mainstream hardcovers presumably written at a higher literary level.
The first book in that series, by science fantasy Master Michael Moorcock, THE COMING OF THE TERRAPHILES was, despite Moorcock's longtime and well documented affection for the show, a vastly disappointing affair, to put it mildly; rather than step into the DOCTOR WHO universe and continuity, he seemed to be appropriating the characters and some of the concepts to fit within his peculiar and legendary multi-verse. They bore little but surface resemblance to the authentic characters and more heartbreaking still, the book itself was a rambling, talky, discursive bit of twee high comedy, as if the setting were a drawing room in space.
But this second book by Dan Abnett, THE SILENT STARS GO BY, seems an aggressive attempt to reclaim the "adult" line's integrity. Abnett, though certainly a major player, does not represent the kind of high profile by-line Moorcock does, but clearly, this time, the editors were more concerned about getting it right than having a brand name on the package.
Abnett's book is really no more "adult" than the primary line of books, save for the fact that it's somewhat longer. Mostly, it's just a ripping good WHO yarn, featuring Matt Smith's incarnation of the Doctor, plus married companions Amelia Pond and Rory Williams. He has the characters, their voices, their internalization, exactly right; his prose is facile (he likes a good, showy effect) but also witty, and also -- and I don't mean this to diminish its sophistication -- easy to read. The flow appears effortless.
This is not to say it breaks any new ground -- as I say, this book is *not* a literary experiment, it's DOCTOR WHO served straight up, with suspense, cool monsters and expertly timed comedy. And it spins variations on a few familiar science fiction tropes (among them the backwoods colony of settlers descended from space travelers, who view artifacts of their ancestors' technology in a reinterpretive, religious context.) But I think that's exactly what was called for to save the line of books.
Flaws? Sometimes THE SILENT STARS GO BY is (despite its highly poetic title) cleverly quippy to a fault, and Abnett works the wisecracks a bit too hard. (When the original play version of THE ODD COUPLE was in out of town tryouts, a colleague asked director Mike Nichols how it was going. "Pretty good," said Nichols. "We're taking out the jokes." Meaning, of course, they were getting rid of distracting excess, that moved off the point of character and story. Here and there Abnett could do with similar restraint.) But all in all, that's a minor quibble.
The book is a brisk, fun read, it truly does come off as a credible DOCTOR WHO episode (and in comparison to the weak 6th season entries, a superior one at that) ... and it can (and will) be enjoyed by young readers as well as adults. Geronimo ...
The first book in that series, by science fantasy Master Michael Moorcock, THE COMING OF THE TERRAPHILES was, despite Moorcock's longtime and well documented affection for the show, a vastly disappointing affair, to put it mildly; rather than step into the DOCTOR WHO universe and continuity, he seemed to be appropriating the characters and some of the concepts to fit within his peculiar and legendary multi-verse. They bore little but surface resemblance to the authentic characters and more heartbreaking still, the book itself was a rambling, talky, discursive bit of twee high comedy, as if the setting were a drawing room in space.
But this second book by Dan Abnett, THE SILENT STARS GO BY, seems an aggressive attempt to reclaim the "adult" line's integrity. Abnett, though certainly a major player, does not represent the kind of high profile by-line Moorcock does, but clearly, this time, the editors were more concerned about getting it right than having a brand name on the package.
Abnett's book is really no more "adult" than the primary line of books, save for the fact that it's somewhat longer. Mostly, it's just a ripping good WHO yarn, featuring Matt Smith's incarnation of the Doctor, plus married companions Amelia Pond and Rory Williams. He has the characters, their voices, their internalization, exactly right; his prose is facile (he likes a good, showy effect) but also witty, and also -- and I don't mean this to diminish its sophistication -- easy to read. The flow appears effortless.
This is not to say it breaks any new ground -- as I say, this book is *not* a literary experiment, it's DOCTOR WHO served straight up, with suspense, cool monsters and expertly timed comedy. And it spins variations on a few familiar science fiction tropes (among them the backwoods colony of settlers descended from space travelers, who view artifacts of their ancestors' technology in a reinterpretive, religious context.) But I think that's exactly what was called for to save the line of books.
Flaws? Sometimes THE SILENT STARS GO BY is (despite its highly poetic title) cleverly quippy to a fault, and Abnett works the wisecracks a bit too hard. (When the original play version of THE ODD COUPLE was in out of town tryouts, a colleague asked director Mike Nichols how it was going. "Pretty good," said Nichols. "We're taking out the jokes." Meaning, of course, they were getting rid of distracting excess, that moved off the point of character and story. Here and there Abnett could do with similar restraint.) But all in all, that's a minor quibble.
The book is a brisk, fun read, it truly does come off as a credible DOCTOR WHO episode (and in comparison to the weak 6th season entries, a superior one at that) ... and it can (and will) be enjoyed by young readers as well as adults. Geronimo ...
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
The concept of a winter-world is an oldie in sci-fi terms, but it's a goodie. And it's to this setting we turn for Dan Abnett's new Doctor Who romp - featuring old adversaries the Ice Warriors!
When it comes to action, there's no better writer than Dan Abnett and paired with the inimitable delivery of Michael Maloney, The Silent Stars Go By does well to conjure up the scenes of a treacherously cold lost world that has forgotten its original heritage.
This might be officially touted as an 11th Doctor adventure, but Maloney clearly had Tom Baker in mind when narrating the Doctor's lines, and it actually works a treat - the likeness is spot on, plays in some wonderfully humorous lines and is at its best in the brilliant confrontation with the Ice Lord in Part 5. Full of menace and rich in the history of the show - it's a classic Doctor/baddie confrontation and written with perfect suspense.
That said, for all that this adventure has its high octane moments, it's not without its lulls too. At six hours long, parts of the tale can feel rather wordy and there's a lot of exploratory stuff mid-way; part three in particular feels rather padded out. Equally though, the extended running time gives the story room to build a proper sense of setting, giving it a richness of texture you rarely get in the TV episodes.
Amy and Rory feel rather periphery to the action, but this is all the more to allow the Doctor more time to be brilliant himself - the effect is of giving The Silent Stars Go By the flavour of a classic series adventure, or indeed classic sci-fi; those golden greats of the 60s pulp fiction era.
The descriptions of the ice warriors themselves are brilliant - they're given genuine menace and gravity; their monstrous, hulking size really coming across. Likewise, the other enemies of the piece - the trans-humans - are fantastically realised; horrible Necron-esque creations of fused flesh and metal. On the other end of the scale, there's the large supporting cast of west-country-accented natives who serve a rather good job of filling in the mystique of the post-Earth world.
When it comes to action, there's no better writer than Dan Abnett and paired with the inimitable delivery of Michael Maloney, The Silent Stars Go By does well to conjure up the scenes of a treacherously cold lost world that has forgotten its original heritage.
This might be officially touted as an 11th Doctor adventure, but Maloney clearly had Tom Baker in mind when narrating the Doctor's lines, and it actually works a treat - the likeness is spot on, plays in some wonderfully humorous lines and is at its best in the brilliant confrontation with the Ice Lord in Part 5. Full of menace and rich in the history of the show - it's a classic Doctor/baddie confrontation and written with perfect suspense.
That said, for all that this adventure has its high octane moments, it's not without its lulls too. At six hours long, parts of the tale can feel rather wordy and there's a lot of exploratory stuff mid-way; part three in particular feels rather padded out. Equally though, the extended running time gives the story room to build a proper sense of setting, giving it a richness of texture you rarely get in the TV episodes.
Amy and Rory feel rather periphery to the action, but this is all the more to allow the Doctor more time to be brilliant himself - the effect is of giving The Silent Stars Go By the flavour of a classic series adventure, or indeed classic sci-fi; those golden greats of the 60s pulp fiction era.
The descriptions of the ice warriors themselves are brilliant - they're given genuine menace and gravity; their monstrous, hulking size really coming across. Likewise, the other enemies of the piece - the trans-humans - are fantastically realised; horrible Necron-esque creations of fused flesh and metal. On the other end of the scale, there's the large supporting cast of west-country-accented natives who serve a rather good job of filling in the mystique of the post-Earth world.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I must admit that what attracted me to this book was The Ice Warriors on the cover. I just love the tardis in the snow flanked by Ice Warriors with broadswords! That said I found this book to be an engaging read, well written with a healthy respect for the show, but (more importantly) NOT dogged with super-continuity/history.
As a long time enthusiast I loved the 'old' series of BBC Dr. Who books from the 1990s which featured the 8th Doctor as well as all the past doctors which were aimed at a more adult readership which were unceremoniously dropped when the new show came out - it was like a slap in the face to all the people who had helped keep the show alive in the hiatus. Well if this book is anything to go by then that may have begun to be redressed.
Although Amy & Rory have their parts to play in this book the doctor comes to the fore and has a nice exchange with the Ice Warriors, where some of their history is explored and the Doctor's faux-pas in getting his time eras wrong certainly brought a smile to my face.
Although I find the characters of Amy & Rory on TV quite irritating they are (thankfully) underplayed in this book and therefore for me, more believable. I think therefore this book should appeal to new and long-time enthusiasts alike as a wonderful consolidation of old & new.
I like also that the cover has a timeless quality about it by not having images of the current doctor & companions which also reflects the latter policy of the books in the '90s, to allow the book to retain it's appeal once the actors decide to move on... indeed it appears that in the TV Xmas special Matt Smith will be going solo - Hurrah! It's been sometime coming but it appears Matt Smith has become a 'proper' Doctor! More excellent books like this one can only serve to underline this. Now, can we have an occasional past Doctor book please?
As a long time enthusiast I loved the 'old' series of BBC Dr. Who books from the 1990s which featured the 8th Doctor as well as all the past doctors which were aimed at a more adult readership which were unceremoniously dropped when the new show came out - it was like a slap in the face to all the people who had helped keep the show alive in the hiatus. Well if this book is anything to go by then that may have begun to be redressed.
Although Amy & Rory have their parts to play in this book the doctor comes to the fore and has a nice exchange with the Ice Warriors, where some of their history is explored and the Doctor's faux-pas in getting his time eras wrong certainly brought a smile to my face.
Although I find the characters of Amy & Rory on TV quite irritating they are (thankfully) underplayed in this book and therefore for me, more believable. I think therefore this book should appeal to new and long-time enthusiasts alike as a wonderful consolidation of old & new.
I like also that the cover has a timeless quality about it by not having images of the current doctor & companions which also reflects the latter policy of the books in the '90s, to allow the book to retain it's appeal once the actors decide to move on... indeed it appears that in the TV Xmas special Matt Smith will be going solo - Hurrah! It's been sometime coming but it appears Matt Smith has become a 'proper' Doctor! More excellent books like this one can only serve to underline this. Now, can we have an occasional past Doctor book please?
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Smart, snappy and cool....
Dan Abnett has a good reputation in genre franchise circles, largely due to his continually solid entries in the Warhammer 40,000 canon. Read more
Published 1 day ago by Christopher Meadows
A good story but a tad long
This story, despite featuring the 11th incarnation of the Doctor with Amy and Rory, feels more like one of the classic series 6 parters, maybe with the Tom Baker or Sylvester McCoy... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. Dk Hamm
pretty good Who romp
We've listened to a fair number of the Doctor Who adventures over the years, and this one is fairly standard fare. Exciting adventure and hijinks for the Doctor, Amy & Rory. Read more
Published 1 month ago by D. Graham
What a disappointment.
Sadly, I really didn't enjoy this book at all. After it was announced that Doctor Who books were to be gaining a series aimed at adult readers, I was ecstatic, and unlike a lot of... Read more
Published 1 month ago by UntidyDubs
the silent stars go by.....
now i must admit i never used to like doctor who, but then i sat down with my boyfriend one day and watched the pandorica opens with him and i must say i have never looked back. Read more
Published 2 months ago by miss sarah brown
Dr Who: The Silent Stars Go By
Another great Dr Who adventure, featuring the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith). It also features Amy and Rory but to a somewhat lesser extent with the Doctor as the more focal... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Tasha
The Christmas Special we should have got in 2011
Firstlyit is 6 CDs not 8 as one descriptions says, still, 6 hours worth
Featuring the 11th Doctor and Amy and Rory this is an enjoyable winters adventure. Read more
Featuring the 11th Doctor and Amy and Rory this is an enjoyable winters adventure. Read more
Published 3 months ago by J. A. Walls
Beautifully written story.
This story is set over six hours on six CDs, and is worthy of every second.
The Doctor, Amy and Rory travel to a planet colonised by humans, in the depths of a deep... Read more
The Doctor, Amy and Rory travel to a planet colonised by humans, in the depths of a deep... Read more
Published 3 months ago by E. E. Hughes
a fun adventure story
What can I say - it's Doctor Who. For anyone who is a fan of the programme, this will be a fun read/listen (I had the audio version). Read more
Published 3 months ago by H. Ashford
Tough going but eventually got there...
I have always held audio books in high regard as they are the perfect tool for those with a visual impairment. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Bryan
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