Time, Gentlemen
Very interesting, watching yesterday's final 'Doctor Who' special in the pub. We were in the Lass O'Gowry in Manchester - scene of various other raucous pie-and-pint Who-related events. In an atmosphere a bit like (I have it on good authority) Big Screen Cup Final Day we all had quite a nice time. Oohing and ahhing and wondering how the various plot strands were going to wind together and resolve themselves. Lots of questions remain, and that's the fun of it. Was the woman in white the Doctor's mother? Why did poor Donna have to stay unconscious the whole time, flat on her back in an alley? At what point did the Master slope off? The Time Lords kind of came and went. Approaching in silhouette rather like the cast of Bod used to, and then backing away again. And, given that Gallifrey was actually *there* it would have been nice to *go* there for a bit.
Anyway, it was all fun and about as mawkish and noisy as you could want. I love regenerations, though this one seemed too much like the last one to me - as did the new Doctor's first scene. But the clips sequence of the new season was properly tantalizing, I thought. Monsters and punching people on the jaw. It seems a bit gung-ho and Boy's Own Adventure. Geronimo, indeed.
Snow here again - and I hope that won't hold up my travels tomorrow. I'm off on the road again for the first event of my year. I'm packed and ready - and what's more - I've even started writing. A thousand words on New Year's Day's morning - there's dedication for you. And again today. I wonder how soon this fizzing energy will run out. But I need to get on with things - I've deadlines looming already. And I can't even say yet what this New Project is! But I will soon.
Meanwhile, I've been looking into Steampunk. I think, through reading George Mann's Newbury and Hobbes novels, and thinking about Holmes and about 'At the Earth's Core' with Peter Cushing... I've been realising that this particular niche of sf / fantasy is one of my favourites. I want to explore it more. So - what would you recommend? Is there a good contemporary anthology? What other books series are written within that genre?
5 Comments:
RE: Steampunk, I've heard good things about Cherie Priest, and while I've not read her books I have heard her interviewed and she seems like a smart lady with some interesting story ideas.
I couldn't stand the wait and watched the episode on Youtube. I agree with everything you said about it. For one with Gallifrey. I would have loved if they had more on the planet. It just felt like a bit of a tease.
And I am very interested in seeing the new series. Although, I am hoping that "Geronimo" is something that doesn't last too long as a catchphrase ;-)
I do think Matt Smith has an interesting face. A lot of the past Doctors have been odd looking. But not in an ugly sort of way. Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker in particular have had a lot of character to their faces which I think helped add to their alien quality.
But great review, Paul!! I think you summed it up nicely!
Steampunk - excellent :-)
GW Dahlquist - The Glass Book Eaters (and the not so good sequel The Dark Volume)
Stephen Hunt - The Court of the Air, The Kingdom of the Waves, The Rise of the Iron Moon
As for Doctor Who - what was the point in making it into two episodes? The second one just went on and on, boring... they could have squashed that story into an hour and a half feature length easy peasy...
Philip Reeves’ series (in a world where cities scramble round on mechanical legs chasing one another) Mortal Engines is pretty well regarded. Someone gave a copy years back and I got around to it last February; I wasn’t interested in the characters, but the ideas are big; you can have my copy if you like, it doesn’t feel right to charity-shop it.
Another vote for The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters.. A proper huge sprawling adventure, full of, well, stuff you'll like :)
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