The Quatermass Book-Reading Marathon Blog: Going Fourth

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Book 7...

REVIEW: Doctor Who: Bad Therapy by Matthew Jones


While my Doctor Who collection is far from complete, it is still quite extensive, and there are many books that I haven't read. With Human Nature out of the way, I have decided to choose a different New Adventure novel, a strange one that had echoes in the future of the television series itself...

After the death of their travelling companion and friend Roz Forrester in the future, the Doctor and Chris Cwej are taking a holiday in Soho, London in the 1950s. But while Chris samples the nightlife, the Doctor soon begins to investigate a series of murders, where the victims apparently have no past, and where their necks were cut in a very specific manner. Teaming up with Inspector Hedges and gay youth Jack Bartlett, the Doctor finds that a mysterious alien cab is kidnapping people off the streets, that a local gangster is taking orders from a being he thinks is the devil, and that Chris has fallen in with a group of artificial human beings who have no identity of their own without others. A local mental institution may hold the key, and so may Queen Gilliam of Kron'tep, far away in the future. But what links the ancient legends of a far-off planet to a startlingly new form of psychotherapy? And why are these artificial beings being targeted? The past, distant and recent, is coming back to haunt the Doctor, and not everything will be the same again...

Matthew Jones would later go on to, under the name of Matt Jones, to write one of my favourite two-part stories in the new series, The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit. Yet with this novel, he seems to anticipate Matthew Graham's recent two-part story, The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People. Similar concepts are used, like the nature of identity, of being human, and the very human need to depend on others. This is also a story where one of the more sordid acts from the Doctor's past comes back. Although I am wary of bringing in spoilers, it should be clear to anyone with a decent knowledge of Whoniverse history that 'Queen Gilliam' is an older and bitter Peri, stuck in an unhappy marriage with King Yrcanos, and we see the potentially negative consequences of the Doctor and his companions parting ways, especially in the way that the Doctor and Peri did.

The characters vary. We have some very real characters, such as gay youth Jack, nightclub owner Tilda Jupp, the aforementioned Queen Gilliam, and, of course, the Doctor and Chris, both of whom are suffering from the aftershocks of Roz's death. Chris' attitude to the Doctor later in the novel, while shocking, is understandable. However, the other characters don't quite fit in, and the main villain, while having an understandable motivation, is rather small-time for such a high-concept novel.

The concept of the Toys, a form of living psychotherapy tool that forms an empathic bond with people and shape themselves into the people they need the most, is excellent. Some elements remind me of the Flesh and the Gangers from Matthew Graham's later story for TV, but other elements serve to further the complicated question of how sentient they really are. After all, they can only exist by being dependent on others, supposedly, so how can they have a truly independent existence? The shattered dreams of many of those whose lives were touched by the Toys is both heart-rending and real.

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be quite enough peril to this story. There isn't much of a threat to the entire world, and the villain has the attitude of a petulant child, something which is even noted by the Doctor. The writing also seems to lack a certain energy or atmosphere, to really bring it to a level of excellence.

That being said, there are worse books out there, and worse New Adventures. Bad Therapy ties the past of Doctor Who with, rather unwittingly, its present. The happy ending is hard won, but it seems worth it, in the end...



8.5/10

First words: Teenagers!

Last words: (Not included due to spoilers)

I'm lacking motivation to continue this time around. I think I came back to it too early, plus, one of my biggest tools for helping me read (the Spectate function on Super Smash Bros Brawl, would you believe, helps me read) has been removed. However, I might come back to this later in the year when I rebuild my motivation. I have plenty of books to read.

Book 8...

REVIEW: Jim Henson's Return to Labyrinth: Volume 1 by Jake T Forbes and Chris Lie


Okay, I'll admit, I watched Labyrinth quite a few times when I was younger. I think it was basically because it was a fantasy film for kids and with muppets. Strange, surreal, and funny, I had liked it, but I haven't watched it for ages. I wonder if I would assess it differently if I watched it when I am an adult. But in any case, interestingly enough, someone has gone back to the story, and written a sequel in the form of a manga-style comic, and just out of vague interest, I decided to give it a go...

Fifteen years ago, Sarah Williams, after a bad choice of words in wishing her baby brother Toby to be stolen away by the Goblin King, fought to rescue Toby from the clutches of Jareth. She succeeded, but Jareth's interest in her and her brother was far from over. Now a teenager, Toby has found that whatever he wishes, it is granted to him, and he finds it disturbing. After a maths test ends with him being accused of cheating, he encounters a disguised Jareth who reveals that he was granting Toby's wishes. Toby rejects Jareth, but Jareth is determined to have Toby fulfill his purpose Jareth gave him. Toby is lured into the Labyrinth where his sister fought for his freedom fifteen years ago, where forgotten friends and new allies await, and a new danger arises...

I have to admit, I'm actually not that fond of OEL manga (that is, Original English Language manga, or else a manga done in English rather than Japanese). The only reason why I chose to read Return to Labyrinth was because I was reasonably familiar with the source material, and I was intrigued at the concept of a sequel, especially in the form of a manga. After all, David Bowie as Jareth seems like many an androgynous manga character.

The problem is, the story isn't quite engaging enough, possibly a problem due to the short length of the volume. After an introduction set in the human world, some of it is set with Toby struggling to overcome perils in the Labyrinth with the fairy Hana. Finally, there is some intrigue between the goblins, Jareth, and new character and fiancee to Jareth Mizumi, with another character, Moppet, proving to be perhaps the most intriguing of all.

The story might have been better received by me, except for the fact that the artwork isn't quite good enough, being a poor imitation of manga style artwork. Oh, it's functional, it works, but it could have been much better. The design of some characters vary, with most of them doing well to resemble the film characters, but more than a few looking out of place.

The first volume of Return to Labyrinth isn't bad per se, but it is mediocre and wastes an intriguing concept. Although one would expect a manga to be a good medium for such a sequel, it didn't quite work. Pity.



6.5/10

First words: Once upon a time...

Last words: And now I bid you adieu.

Maybe this will be the last book, who knows?

Book 9...

REVIEW: The Discworld Almanak: The Year of the Prawn by Terry Pratchett and Bernard Pearson


One of the few benefits of the Borders bookshop chain closing down (and my heart goes out to the unfortunate employees of that franchise) is that they held a sale, and while it took me a while to find something I wanted amongst what was left, I stumbled upon, for quite a cheap price, a couple of Discworld spinoff books. Although I have read every novel in the series at least once, the spinoffs are a different matter, and I purchased one of them, The Discworld Almanak. So, how would this fare?

The Almanak itself doesn't have a story per se, being pretty much an almanak that mostly consists of astrological predictions, although through notes 'pinned' to the book by the acting publisher and the overseer of the printing press, we do learn some interesting tidbits, such as the God of Astrology being the one to do the astrological predictions within the book. Unfortunately, these asides tend to be more interesting than the actual predictions themselves, and being no fan of astrology, I find the predictions irritating. However, the discussions of how the Krull astrologers and the Unseen University astrologers, as well as A'Tuin's movements through space are more interesting.

There is also a rather heavy emphasis on cabbages. While this serves as an in-joke to people familiar with the Discworld series (the Sto Plains are famous, or rather infamous for their cabbage farming), it is a joke that gets old so quickly it would rival what happens to Donovan in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The advertisements filling the books fare better. Besides a few real life ads, you might, if you pay attention, find a couple for Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler's ephemeral business schemes, and other clubs familiar to Discworld fans. And there are some interesting descriptions of various markets and fairs in Ankh Morpork and elsewhere on the Disc, although I am surprised, even with its size, that Lancre isn't mentioned.

This book, while entertaining at times, is strictly a collectable for Discworld fans, and maybe people who want to see a satire of astrology. Non-fans might get something out of it, but I doubt it.


7/10


First words: This Almanak is laid before you with the profound hope that it may not just ease the burden of Uncertainty that confounds man's progress through life, but it may also dispel that melancholy mantle which all too frequently shrounds our existence, namely the Fear of the Future.

Last words: (Not really applicable)


Now, while this may be the last book for the reading blog, I am still trying to read books for it. The next one will probably be a Doctor Who book, either Last of the Gaderene, K9 and Company, or Harry Sullivan's War.

Book 10...

REVIEW: Soul Eater volume 1: Listen to the Beat of the Soul by Atsushi Ohkubo


I have to admit, while I do have some interest in manga and anime, I am rather picky about what I do and don't like. So while Soul Eater has been out for some time, it has taken me a while to decide on seeing whether it is any good. I have to admit, though, that in finally coming to it, it's had some surprises for me...

Shinigami-sama, the God of Death, runs an academy, training reapers and their human-like weapons. If a weapon meister's living weapon collects 99 human souls and the soul of a witch, then they are transformed into weapons that Death himself uses. Problem is, the students are a varied bunch. Maka, the daughter of Death's current Death Scythe, is using Soul Eater, but she has issues towards men due to her lecherous father, and her goofy weapon is an obnoxious boy. Black Star is a ninja who fails to grasp the necessity for stealth, and his weapon, Tusbaki, has self-esteem issues due to Black Star's attitude. And Death the Kid, the son of Death, has major OCD issues and hates assymetry, especially in his lovely twin weapons, Liz and Patty. After Maka and Soul's fateful encounter with Blair, an apparent witch who turns out not to be human at all, and Black Star and Tsubaki's failed attempt to kill witch Angela and her bodyguard Mifune, they are told by Death to stop a rampaging zombie teacher, or else be expelled...

Okay, I have to be honest. The story seems to be little more than an excuse to bring about insanity and comedy on a level I've rarely seen before. Maybe it's because it is only setting up the plot for later volumes (we only get a glimpse of an ongoing plot in the final chapter of this volume), but it's pretty thin on the ground. Death Note, this ain't. This just seems to be sets of battles, rather like Dragonball.

Despite this paucity, Soul Eater is hugely and immensely entertaining, with larger than life characters. Death, or Shinigami Sama, is easily the most humorous version of Death since the character from the Discworld novels. Here, instead of being threatening, he is portrayed as goofy, eccentric, and paternal. Maka's misandry has somewhat understandable motives, although her weapon Soul and the idiotic ninja Black Star seem largely interchangable. Tsubaki seems long suffering, and why she is paired with a rectal sphincter like Black Star is beyond comprehension. Blair is something of a stereotype of a sexual woman, but she is still entertaining nonetheless. Death the Kid, with his obsession with symmetry, is both annoying and hilarious simultaneously, and his weapons, Liz and Patty, have a lovely fun and upbeat personality.

The art style is like a bizarre mixture of Jing: King of Bandits and Tim Burton, and suits this dark and yet funny world wholeheartedly. And while this manga falls prey to an overreliance on fanservice than actual intelligently constructed jokes for the most part, it is still quite a sight to behold. You get a feeling of strange culture about this universe, emphasis on the strange, and it actually does feel like a world where people like Jack the Ripper and Al Capone can mingle with supernatural creatures. The childish art style can seem out of place dealing with the sort of Burtonesque macabre horror, but ultimately works, even if it isn't for everyone.

Soul Eater is probably only for people who can deal with the weirdest stuff manga has to offer, but I guarantee that you'll be entertained. You'll laugh and wince, but hopefully laugh more than you wince. Give it a go.


8/10


First words: Bloodthirsty killer Jack the Ripper...

Last words: This is it!!

What the next book will be, if at all, is unknown. However, there are a number of possibilities. Amongst those coming in from the library are John Dies at the End, The Caves of Steel, and the first volume of Transmetropolitan.

Book 11...

REVIEW: Doctor Who: The Dalek Handbook by Steve Tribe and James Goss


While a fan of the series, I am, of late, not into some of the latest books that are made as handbooks for Doctor Who. So it was really only as filler that I read The Dalek Handbook, and I was thus pleasantly surprised. After all, I didn't get quite the same fulfillment out of reading the similarly themed TARDIS Handbook before.

The Dalek Handbook, on the face of it, mostly discusses the appearances the Daleks made in the series, along with discussions of behind-the-scenes aspects of the Daleks and the stories they appeared in, both in the classic and new series. And yet, Steve Tribe and James Goss have actually done more than that, trying (and for the most part, succeeding) in reconciling the various and disparate continuities of the Daleks and welding them together into a continuity that actually makes sense, even drawing on sources that, while of dubious canonicity, do add to the Dalek mythos. They have done something that, if not impossible, would have still taken a significant amount of effort.

I find their attempts at dating the Dalek stories reminiscent of David Banks' reference book Cybermen, when he tried to date the Cybermen stories to that point in a consistent and logical manner. And it works, just as Banks' speculation did. They succeed in breathing new life and interest into the Dalek mythology, with speculative narrative bridging the gaps between stories and putting forward various theories as to what happened in the gaps between Dalek stories. The behind-the-scenes anecdotes are good and entertaining, but unfortunately far from comprehensive, probably because the emphasis is on the fictional universe.

Other than the lack of comprehensive behind-the-scenes stories (something that I would have liked to see) and an apparent emphasis more on younger readers, there really isn't much to fault this book. It could have been a little more definitive and comprehensive, but what I read is pretty impressive, considering. Surprisingly enjoyable, even for a jaded fan, it's certainly a good introduction to new fans of the series, and something the older fans should have a look at.



9/10


First words: Daleks!

Last words: EXTERMINATE!

For anyone still interested in following this, my next book may be one of many things. I am currently reading Raptor Red, and I am hoping to get a hold of the first volume of Transmetropolitan before long.

Book 12...

REVIEW: Transmetropolitan volume 1: Back on the Streets by Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson


While I have to admit that my experience of graphic novels isn't that extensive, I have been, of late, trying to change that, looking here and there to acclaimed graphic novels of note. One series that I have been intending to try out was Transmetropolitan, a cyberpunk series created by Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson. Having heard about its violent and dark content, I was a bit worried about what I would find, but decided to press on regardless...

Noted and hardhitting hournalist Spider Jerusalem has been living in exile for the past five years, to get away from the dark and dirty world he once commented upon, not to mention the hordes of fans. But he's now out of money, and has a year to write two books promised for his publisher as part of his contract. Returning to the City and getting a job with newspaper The Word in order to have some money to write the books, Spider finds that life since he left the city has passed him by. After a brand new assignment covering the plight of a group of alien/human hybrids and a riot involving the same, Spider finds himself with a new assistant, and does outrageous things like corner the incumbent president, 'The Beast', in a toilet, terrorise television call-in hosts with his own brand of sardonic observation, and cause havoc at a religious convention. All in a quest to demonstrate the Truth...

So, let's get the crappy stuff out of the way first. The world of Transmetropolitan is violent and disturbing in the extreme, and is certainly not for the sensitive. Spider is far from the most likeable of protagonists, being obnoxious and violent, although most of the other characters are, unless (for the most part) they're merely pretending to be normal, likeable people. And the City in which it all takes place is home to all sorts of strange and frankly horrifying things, perhaps one of the most notable being a kid's puppet show that is actually pornographic, and another kid's cartoon that makes The Simpsons' Itchy and Scratchy Show look tame by comparison. Yep, that's the kind of world that Transmetropolitan takes place in. It's like Ellis and Robertson deliberately set out to squick the audience out.

And yet, in reading this, I am reminded of a similarly extremely disturbing but ultimately excellent work, John Ajvide Lindqvist's Let the Right One In. If one can look past the extremely disturbing imagery, or even stomach it, what is here is a thought-provoking work, and, in the case of Transmetropolitan, darkly funny. There is a strong element of satire in this series, with Spider's brutally frank narration providing an insight into the foibles of the denizens of the City. One is reminded of Rorschach from Watchmen, although Spider has at least one advantage over Alan Moore's character: Spider is much funnier, and given the right targets, provokes laughter. And Channon Yarrow, his assistant, is a marvellously normal character (despite the fact that, before she becomes Spider's assistant, she worked as a stripper) to balance out Spider's wildness. Already, her arguments with Spider have all the hallmarks of a wonderful professional relationship, and there's a darkly funny sequence when, while on the way to a religion convention, their arguments provoke a series of adverse reactions from a priest sitting next to them.

The storylines are interesting. While all of them are issues that we have to deal with today (minorities, politicians, the media and religious proliferation respectively for each story line in this volume), two of them have a blatantly science fiction slant. The first story deals with 'transients', people who modify themselves with alien DNA to become aliens, while the third storyline deals with various television programs that Spider comments on, with his antics calling into call shows nearly driving (much to his ultimate horror, as well as his horror in participating in television) one person to suicide. The second story involves Spider cornering the Nixonesque 'Beast' politician in a toilet, as well as him coming to grips with his new assistant Channon (with a funny scene having him greet her with a bowel disruptor while nude). And the final story, involving Spider going to town in a religious convention, is a sight to behold and appeals to my misotheistic tendencies.

Partly because of the dark and disturbing tone of the series, I find it hard to recommend Transmetropolitan to anyone but with the hardiest of sensibilities. But if you think you can take it, then try it. You may laugh your head off, and certainly will get both entertainment and thought-provoking stories. Not perfect, but, disturbing stuff notwithstanding, very good nonetheless.


9/10


First words: Up a goddamned mountain:

Last words: --all I can do is tell the truth--

What is the worst book you have ever read?

Hmmm...voluntarily and all the way through? I once read Atlas Shrugged, cover to cover, for a bet. Now, there are some books that I hate because the authors don't seem to make the effort to create a plot. But Atlas Shrugged is quite the opposite. It's intelligently conceived and written (for the most part), but it is so dense and boring and filled with characters that are so unlikeable, the so-called heroes are only marginally better than their enemies. It is basically Ayn Rand's bible for Objectivism, and she forgot the first rule about writing fiction: it has to entertain. It did not entertain me to any great degree. Hell, even Twilight was more entertaining. The only substantial entertainment I would be able to get from Atlas Shrugged would be if I went through it and mocked it Mystery Science Theater 3000 style, which I intend to do one day.

Oh yeah I can understand that, I read it myself not too long ago.

You poor sod.

Anyway, the next book is likely to be Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, followed by either the second volume of Soul Eater or Doctor Who: The Bodysnatchers.

Book 13...

REVIEW: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S Thompson


After reading Transmetropolitan last week, I wanted to have a looks at its roots. According to some, Spider Jerusalem is basically a futuristic Hunter S Thompson. Curious, I decided to go straight to the source, and read the most famous of Thompson's works, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Fear and Loathing is apparently based on a trip that Thompson and his attorney took to Las Vegas. How much of it is true and how much of it is fictionalised or grossly exaggerated is hard to tell, especially with Thompson calling himself 'Raoul Duke' and his attorney 'Dr Gonzo'. A drug-filled journey of insanity, it is a controversial cornerstone of American literature, and apparently an example (a failed example) of what Thompson called 'Gonzo journalism'.

Now, let me make things clear: when I read a book, I hope to be entertained as well as learning something. I'm not sure what I learned from Fear and Loathing, except that drugs can screw you up real good, and that at the time, there didn't seem to be a way to deal with the problem. People say that this was meant to be a look at the failure of the American Dream, but I don't see that here as often as the sheer insanity of what happens, except for occasional attacks against Nixon and America's participation in various wars at the time (early seventies).

And yet, despite the often repulsing nature of what transpires, the insanity, while not catching, is instead highly entertaining, if rather morbidly so. Duke's and Dr Gonzo's drug-fuelled antics are darkly funny, and perhaps the fictionalisation and exaggerations (it is impossible to tell what is what) helps lessen the sting of what should be repulsive and nasty things. I am reminded, to a certain degree, of the meandering discussions of the drug-fuelled characters in A Scanner Darkly, although this is turned up to eleven.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is 200 pages of drug-fuelled madness that nonetheless manages to be highly entertaining, if rather repulsive and with the point, at least for me, hard to find. It feels more like Dada than Gonzo, but it is still rather good.


8.5/10


First words: We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold.

Last words: I felt like a monster reincarnation of Horatio Alger...a Man on the Move, and just sick enough to be totally confident.

Book 14...

REVIEW: Soul Eater volume 2: The jet black SOUL, Walk with me by Atsushi Ohkubo


After the review of the first volume of Soul Eater, I decided to give the second part a go. I mean, I found it somewhat entertaining, and there was just the very beginning of an actual plot starting to occur, so I wondered, would I enjoy the second one as much as the first? Only one way to find out, really...

During their remedial lesson, Weapon Meisters Maka and Black Star, along with their living weapons Soul and Tsubaki, face off against former teacher and Weapon Meister Dr Franken Stein, a sewn-together sadist who delights in experimentation. But after a long and gruelling battle, it turns out that the lesson was to try and get the Meisters and their weapons to cooperate better in combat. Meanwhile, Death's son intends to join the academy proper, though he doesn't need to, a decision that will lead him into a battle with Black Star and Soul. But even now, another confrontation is brewing, where the mysterious witch Medusa is pressuring the strange and introverted Crona to become stronger, to become a powerful being known as a kishin, and on a course to confront the Meisters and their Weapons...

After all that lead up at the end of the first volume, it was a disappointment to see Stein not turn out to be a villain. A good twist, to be sure, but it somehow seems a little trite, and it takes until halfway through the volume that we start to see some decent plot going around here. Unfortunately, this is also at the point where the jokes get real old, with the humour becoming repetitive.

The introduction of the ambiguously-gendered Crona and his/her mother, Medusa, does help save the plot from utter mediocrity, with Crona and his/her weapon, Ragnarok, being unsettling, and the revelation about Medusa at the end of the volume being intriguing. The other characters are starting to get cliched, but are still entertaining at times.

Even so, while the artwork is still the same disturbing yet humourous style as before, somewhere from a world like Tim Burton's head, it works. In fact, the artwork is very good, though the style is not really for everyone. Goofy and cartoony, and yet showing many horror motifs, this is certainly not for kids.

In summary, repetitive humour and a slow-to-accelerate plot bring this story down from good to rather average. Maybe it might improve, now that we have the ongoing plotline involving Medusa and Crona, but I am wary.


7.5/10


First words: Hmm...

Last words: Thanks!!

The next book will probably be Doctor Who: The Bodysnatchers.