2004

Books
Sometime Never… (8)
Halflife (8)
The Tomorrow Windows (8)
The Sleep of Reason (8)
The Deadstone Memorial (8)
Scream of the Shalka (Alt!9)
Empire of Death (5)
The Eleventh Tiger (1)
Synthespians™ (6)
The Algebra of Ice (7)
The Indestructible Man (2)
Short Trips: Past Tense
Short Trips: Life Science
Short Trips: Repercussions
Short Trips: Monsters
Short Trips: 2040
Short Trips: A Christmas Treasury
Blood and Hope (5)
The Dalek Factor (?)
The Tunnel at the End of the Light (Time Hunter)
The Clockwork Woman (Time Hunter)
Kitsune (Time Hunter)
The Severed Man (Time Hunter)
The Big Hunt (Benny)
A Life Worth Living (Benny)
A Life in Pieces (Benny)

Audios
The Creed of the Kromon
The Natural History of Fear
The Twilight Kingdom
The Axis of Insanity
Arrangements for War
The Harvest
The Roof of the World
Medicinal Purposes
Faith Stealer
The Last
Caerdroia
The Next Life
UNIT: The Coup & Silver Linings
Bernice Summerfield: Death and the Daleks
Bernice Summerfield: The Grel Escape
Bernice Summerfield: The Bone of Contention
Bernice Summerfield: The Relics of Jegg-Sau
Bernice Summerfield: Silver Lining
Gallifrey: Weapon of Choice
Gallifrey: Square One
Gallifrey: The Inquiry
Gallifrey: A Blind Eye
Dalek Empire III: The Exterminators
Dalek Empire III: The Healers
Dalek Empire III: The Survivors
Dalek Empire III: The Demons
Dalek Empire III: The Warriors
Dalek Empire III: The Future
UNIT: Time Heals

The first Who from 2004 that I encountered: the Short Trips: Past Tense anthology, bought in 2006, which  is a bit of a mixed bag.

My favourite Who from 2004: The Big Finish play The Harvest introduces a new companion and does something interesting with the Cybermen at the same time. Other good points: the first Gallifrey seriesPaul Cornell's novelisation of Scream of the Shalka (which I liked more than the webcast); David McIntee's The Eleventh Tiger. Of course from the middle of the year we knew we were on hold for greater things.

Moving swiftly on from: Big Finish's Eighth Doctor stories, now set in an alternate universe supposedly without time, went through some dips here of which the lowest point is The Last.

So, what was your favourite of the above? What is the best bit? (And if you like, what is the worst bit?

1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013

This morning, on the train into work, John Hurt turned and looked at me on my iPad, and I realised that I’d done it – completed the rewatch of New Who that I began last November 23rd. It turned out to be more difficult than my two-year rewatch of Old Who, in 2009-11, had been; there are, what, 270 episodes of New Who and spinoffs, but it took me over eleven months to get through them. With Old Who, because the episodes are usually only 25 minutes long, I could usually catch up over lunchtime or at home if for some reason I didn’t manage to watch that day’s episode on my commute; with New Who, that really only works for the Sarah Jane Adventures and the Australian K9 show.

I found out the hard way that I simply had to give up on any ambition of watching in strictly broadcast order. The biggest problems are the Australian K9 series and Torchwood: Miracle Day, whose first showing dates mesh confusingly with the other shows. But there are also cases like the animated story / webcast The Infinite Quest, which ran alongside the broadcast Season Three. And I confess that I still have not watched all of the Monster Files. (One could of course question whether a New Who rewatch should include the Torchwood audio plays, the animated stories / webcasts, the Comic Relief shorts or even the Australian K9 show. But I think that if a thing is worth doing at all – and that, of course, is a completely different issue – it’s worth doing properly.)

I also misplanned the scheduling of my write-ups. For my Old Who rewatch, it worked well enough to do six stories at a time, though this got more intense towards the end as the stories got shorter. But for New Who and its spinoffs, it would have been much better to take each season, and associated mini-episodes / audios / animations, as a separate topic. As it was, I dried up about half way in, and have had to circle back at the end with individual wrap-up posts on K9, Sarah Jane and Torchwood, and now this one to finish off.

So, all that said: my basic conclusion is that the Moffat era is actually better than I remembered from first time round, and the RTD era perhaps not quite as good. The Tenth Doctor in particular will never be my favourite (admittedly, Blink is one of my favourite episodes in the whole 50 years, but he is barely in it). The first decent Tenth Doctor story is School Reunion, four episodes in; the last is The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End, before the year of specials and the jumble of The End of Time. I see the Tenth Doctor as similar to the Third in some ways, with similar character flaws that don’t always appeal to me.

I do like the Eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith to an extent being Tom Baker to David Tennant’s Jon Pertwee; the Doctor isn’t human, and is most interesting when he is most obviously not One Of Us. But I don’t think he has always been well served by the show’s material. Season Six’s overarching narrative in particular is confusing – I still don’t quite grasp the overall concept. But there are some excellent individual pieces, the standout being (of course) The Doctor’s Wife. And I love the three quite different takes on the role of the companion – Amy, Amy/Rory and Clara, with Amy/Rory/Eleven being perhaps the most fun combination ever. But this is also the era of the Paternoster Gang, a hilarious and yet effective invention (and I do recommend that fans hunt out James Goss’s origin story for how Vastra and Jenny got together in the first place).

One less celebrated aspect of the Moffat era is that they have cracked the art of doing short episodes, either as teasers for the next full episode or even as stories in their own right. Thus there’s the hilarious fan service of Meanwhile in the Tardis II, and the great time paradoxes of Time / Space and First Night / Last Night – this is the sort of farce format at which Moffat excels, and you wouldn’t want it every day, but once every year or so is absolutely fine. Of course, in general the Moffat era is darker, which I like, and I’m sympathetic to it also being more internally referential, even if that doesn’t always work.

Still, my favourite New Who Doctor remains Nine, who picks the whole thing up from Rowan Atkinson parodies and Richard E. Grant caricatures, and brings it vehemently and unstoppably back to life. In my personal ranking he is second only to the Fourth Doctor and just ahead of the First. His characterisation was completely different, fresh and very watchable. He showed us that, once again, the Doctor mattered, and I have no hesitation (and quite a good track record of success) in introducing new fans to the show with Rose.

I do recommend that you give the grand watch-through a try – if you possibly can, all the way forward from 1963 to the present day, including at least the TV spinoffs (maybe skipping K9 is allowable) and Torchwood radio plays and if possible all the various short videos. There’s no other way to appreciate the full variety of the show. It’s fantastic. 

I had arranged lunch with a senior EU official who wanted to discuss some things in a reasonably private setting, and so I chose a discreet place in the neighbourhood which I hadn’t been to in a while.

I had not realised that it was becoming well known as a discreet place for lunch. At the table immediately to my left, I saw the former British ambassador who runs the EU’s policies on Africa; and at the table immediately behind my friend was the Dutch prince who is also the chef de cabinet of the EU Commissioner for Competition. We all pretended not to recognise each other, let alone be listening to scraps of conversation drifting across.

• Georgians Revealed
  
  I got an email about this and thought of the wrong #Georgia !
  (tags: history )
• Letter From Western Sahara, a Land Under Occupation
  
  Report from the camps.
  (tags: westernsahara )
• Disabled people win living fund case against government
  
  A rare defeat for the UK government in its war on the disabled.
  (tags: ukpolitics disability )
• Sifting Through Arthur C. Clarke’s DVD Collection in Colombo
  
  Very interesting, but not sure that I really approve.
  (tags: sf )
• Disgraced. Azerbaijan and the end of election monitoring as we know it
  
  ESI draws some wider conclusions from the débâcle.
  (tags: azerbaijan )
• What I’d tell you if I could
  
  Grief.
  (tags: )
• Laurie Anderson reflects on her life with Lou Reed
  
  An obituary.
  (tags: music death )

2003

Webcast
Shada
Scream of the Shalka

Books
The Domino Effect (8)
Reckless Engineering (8)
The Last Resort (8)
Timeless (8)
Emotional Chemistry (8)
Blue Box (6)
Loving the Alien (7)
The Colony of Lies (2)
Wolfsbane (4,8)
Deadly Reunion (3)
Short Trips: Companions
Short Trips: A Universe of Terrors
Short Trips: The Muses
Short Trips: Steel Skies
Rip Tide (4)
Wonderland (2)
Shell Shock (6)
The Cabinet of Light (?)
Fallen Gods (8)
Frayed (1)
The Eye of the Tyger (8)
Companion Piece (7)
The Winning Side (Time Hunter)
Life During Wartime (Benny)

Audios
Jubilee
Nekromanteia
The Dark Flame
Doctor Who and the Pirates
Creatures of Beauty
Project: Lazarus
Flip-Flop
Omega
Davros
Master
Zagreus
The Wormery
Scherzo
No Place Like Home
Living Legend
Auld Mortality
Sympathy for the Devil
Full Fathom Five
He Jests at Scars…
Deadline
Exile
Bernice Summerfield: The Mirror Effect
Bernice Summerfield: The Bellotron Incident
Bernice Summerfield: The Draconian Rage
Bernice Summerfield: The Poison Seas
Bernice Summerfield: The Dark Flame
Dalek Empire II: Dalek War

The first Who from 2003 that I encountered: I reviewed the Telos novella Shell Shock for Infinity Plus soon after publication; it impressed me more than my previous encounter with the range.

My favourite Who from 2003: The Shada webcast is great, but once again Big Finish had captured the high ground – my favourite is Creatures of Beauty, but I also like Jubilee (which of course got remade for TV a couple of years later), Flip-flop, Omega, Zagreus, The Wormery and from the Unbound range Sympathy for the Devil which has David Warner as a different Third Doctor and Nicholas Courtney as retired Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, whose successor, Colonel Brimmacombe-Wood, is played by David Tennant. Plus Mark Gatiss as the Master. I also enjoyed the Short Trips: Companions anthology.

Moving swiftly on from: It is rare that one has to mark down a Big Finish audio for poor production values, but The Poison Seas is not their finest hour.

So, what was your favourite of the above? What is the best bit? (And if you like, what is the worst bit?)

1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013

Current
Reading the Oxford English Dictionary: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages, by Ammon Shea
Reamde, by Neal Stephenson
Isaac Asimov: A Life of the Grand Master of Science Fiction, by Michael White
[Doctor Who] Sleepy, by Kate Orman
About Time: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who, 2005-2006; Series 1 & 2, by Tat Wood

Last books finished
The Watchers: A Secret History of the Reign of Elizabeth I, by Stephen Alford
[Doctor Who] Nightdreamers, by Tom Arden

Next books
Jacob Have I Loved, by Katherine Paterson
The Wise Man’s Fear, by Patrick Rothfuss
There Will be Time, by Poul Anderson
[Doctor Who] Dark Progeny, by Steve Emmerson

Books acquired in last week
Het achterhuis: dagboekbrieven 12 juni 1942-1 augustus 1944, by Anne Frank, ed. Otto Frank and Mirjam Pressler

2002

Webcast
Death Comes to Time (parts 2-12)
Real Time

Books
Mad Dogs and Englishmen (8)
Hope (8)
Anachrophobia (8)
Trading Futures (8)
The Book of the Still (8)
The Crooked World (8)
History 101 (8)
Camera Obscura (8)
Time Zero (8)
The Infinity Race (8)
Relative Dementias (7)
Drift (4)
Palace of the Red Sun (6)
Amorality Tale (3)
Warmonger (5)
Ten Little Aliens (1)
Combat Rock (2)
The Suns of Caresh (3)
Heritage (7)
Fear of the Dark (5)
Short Trips: Zodiac
Citadel of Dreams (7)
Nightdreamers (3)
Ghost Ship (4)
Foreign Devils (2)
The Glass Prison (Benny)
A Life of Surprises (Benny)

Audios
Invaders from Mars
The Chimes of Midnight
Seasons of Fear
Embrace the Darkness
The Time of the Daleks
Spare Parts
…ish
The Rapture
The Sandman
The Church and the Crown
Bang-Bang-a-Boom!
The Maltese Penguin
The Ratings War
Excelis Dawns
Excelis Rising
Excelis Decays
Bernice Summerfield: The Greatest Shop in the Galaxy
Bernice Summerfield: The Green-Eyed Monsters
Bernice Summerfield: The Dance of the Dead
Bernice Summerfield: The Plague Herds of Excelis
Sarah Jane Smith: Comeback
Sarah Jane Smith: The TAO Connection
Sarah Jane Smith: Test Of Nerve
Sarah Jane Smith: Ghost Town
Sarah Jane Smith: Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre

The first Who from 2002 that I encountered: I reviewed Keith Topping’s Telos novella Ghost Ship for Infinity Plus shortly after publication. I didn’t like it much.

My favourite Who from 2002: Again, Big Finish are doing very well here. My absolute favourite, possibly of Big Finish’s entire output, is the Cybermen origin Spare PartsThe Greatest Shop In The Galaxy) and the first Sarah Jane series (my recommendation: Test of Nerve).

Moving swiftly on from: The two webcasts are awfully disappointing. The Time of the Daleks is another rare lapse from BF. Ghost Ship was a poor introduction to the Who of this year for me.

So, what was your favourite of the above? What is the best bit? (And if you like, what is the worst bit?)

1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013

• Cameron wants Kenny
  
  Enda for Brussels?
  (tags: eu ireland ukpolitics )
• The War is over: the Conflict Unresolved? The Consequences of the Good Friday Agreement after 15 years
  
  The 24th John Whyte lecture, 19 November
  (tags: northernireland )
• Azerbaijan should release political prisoners
  
  Ilgar Mammadov’s trial began on 4 November.
  (tags: azerbaijan )
• Europe etymology maps 1
  
  Bear. Church. Beer. Rose. Pineapple. Apple. Tea. Cucumber. Orange.
  (tags: linguistics )

2001

Webcast
Death Comes to Time (part 1)

Books
Father Time (8)
Escape Velocity (8)
EarthWorld (8)
Vanishing Point (8)
Eater of Wasps (8)
The Year of Intelligent Tigers (8)
The Slow Empire (8)
Dark Progeny (8)
The City of the Dead (8)
Grimm Reality (8)
The Adventuress of Henrietta Street (8)
The Quantum Archangel (6)
Bunker Soldiers (1)
Rags (3)
The Shadow in the Glass (6)
Asylum (4)
Superior Beings (5)
Byzantium! (1)
Bullet Time (7)
Psi-ence Fiction (4)
Dying in the Sun (2)
Instruments of Darkness (6)
Time And Relative (1)
The Gods of the Underworld (Benny)
The Squire’s Crystal (Benny)
The Infernal Nexus (Benny)

Audios
Storm Warning
Sword of Orion
The Stones of Venice
Minuet in Hell
Loups-Garoux
Dust Breeding
Bloodtide
Project: Twilight
The Eye of the Scorpion
Colditz
Primeval
The One Doctor
Last of the Titans
Bernice Summerfield: The Stone’s Lament
Bernice Summerfield: The Extinction Event
Bernice Summerfield: The Skymines of Karthos
Dalek Empire I: Invasion of the Daleks
Dalek Empire I: The Human Factor
Dalek Empire I: Death to the Daleks!
Dalek Empire I: Project Infinity

The first Who from 2001 that I encountered: Bunker Soldiers, and shortly after that Last of the Titans and Storm Warning, in 2007.

My favourite Who from 2001: The Eighth Doctor Adventures have picked up a bit here, I think; I’ve got as far as The Slow Empire in my own reading of them. But Big Finish is now really coming into its own, with some absolute crackers, of which my favourite is Bloodtide. Shout also for Kim Newman’s Time and Relative.

Moving swiftly on from: Byzantium! is one of the worst Who books ever. And from BF, a rare lapse: Minuet in Hell.

So, what was your favourite of the above? What is the best bit? (And if you like, what is the worst bit?)

1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013

• Jupiter s Triple Shadow Transit
  
  Callisto, Io and Europa.
  (tags: astronomy )
• The Beauty of Duplicity: Two Maps of Kashmir
  
  Depends how you look at it…
  (tags: pakistan maps india china )
• OSCE statement on election violence in Northern Kosovo
  
  Serbia’s special way of keeping promises.
  (tags: kosovo )

2000

Books
Parallel 59 (8)
The Shadows of Avalon (8)
The Fall of Yquatine (8)
Coldheart (8)
The Space Age (8)
The Banquo Legacy (8)
The Ancestor Cell (8)
The Burning (8)
Casualties of War (8)
The Turing Test (8)
Endgame (8)
Last of the Gaderene (3)
Tomb of Valdemar (4)
Verdigris (3)
Grave Matter (6)
Heart of TARDIS (2,4)
Prime Time (7)
Imperial Moon (5)
Festival of Death (4)
Independence Day (7)
The King of Terror (5)
Short Trips and Sidesteps
The Dead Men Diaries (Benny)
The Doomsday Manuscript (Benny)

Audios
The Land of the Dead
The Fearmonger
The Marian Conspiracy
The Genocide Machine
Red Dawn
The Spectre of Lanyon Moor
Winter for the Adept
The Apocalypse Element
The Fires of Vulcan
The Shadow of the Scourge
The Holy Terror
The Mutant Phase
Bernice Summerfield: Dragons' Wrath
Bernice Summerfield: The Secret of Cassandra
Bernice Summerfield: The Shadow of the Scourge

The first Who from 2000 that I encountered: Looks like this was Land of the Dead, rather early in my Big Finish listening.

My favourite Who from 2000: Also early in my Big Finish listening, I really loved The Apocalypse Element. Of the books, a particular shout to The Ancestor Cell and Festival of Death.

Moving swiftly on from: Winter for the Adept was not one of Big Finish's early successes.

So, what was your favourite of the above? What is the best bit? (And if you like, what is the worst bit?)

1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013

• Terry Pratchett on Doctor Who
  
  “The hero can fail, or die… It’s an important lesson.”
  (tags: doctorwho sf pratchett )
• Browsing history: A heritage site is being set up in the room the first Internet message originated in
  
  Where it all began.
  (tags: history internet )
• Street musician sings – original singer comes and joins him
  
  Jimmy Somerville’s comeback!
  (tags: music videos )
• Restoring Trans-Atlantic Trust
  
  A sensible summary from the sensible Wolfgang Ischinger.
  (tags: espionage )
• How to hijack an aid program
  
  Lessons from Canada – for Australia, but could be anywhere.
  (tags: politics )
• Post-Shutdown America by @SlaughterAM
  
  Wrong to say that US constitutionalism works better, right to highlight role of women.
  (tags: uspolitics )

1999

TV
The Curse of Fatal Death

Books
The Face-Eater(8)
The Taint (8)
Demontage (8)
Revolution Man (8)
Dominion (8)
Unnatural History (8)
Autumn Mist (8)
Interference: Book One (8,3)
Interference: Book Two (8,3)
The Blue Angel (8)
The Taking of Planet 5 (8)
Frontier Worlds (8)
Salvation (1)
The Wages of Sin (3)
Deep Blue (5)
Players (6)
Millennium Shock (4)
Storm Harvest (7)
The Final Sanction (2)
City at World’s End (1)
Divided Loyalties (5)
Corpse Marker (4)
More Short Trips
Perfect Timing 2
The Mary-Sue Extrusion (Benny)
Dead Romance  (Benny)
Tears of the Oracle  (Benny)
Return to the Fractured Planet (Benny)
The Joy Device  (Benny)
Twilight of the Gods (Benny)

Audios
The Sirens of Time
Phantasmagoria
Whispers of Terror
Bernice Summerfield: Birthright
Bernice Summerfield: Just War
Bernice Summerfield: Buried Treasures

The first Who from 1999 that I encountered: The Curse of Fatal Death, closely followed by The Sirens of Time, both in 2006.

My favourite Who from 1999: Well, despite the silliness and everything, it’s difficult to top The Curse of Fatal Death. Honorable mentions to Salvation and the audio version of Just War.

Moving swiftly on from: Not much enthused by either The Blue Angel or The Taking of Planet 51963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013

This isn’t so much a second volume as a second half of Rateliff’s bookThe Hobbit, the subsequent revisions to bring the Gollum episode and other elements better in line with The Lord of the Rings, and finally his abandonment of an attempt to rewrite the entire thing to get rid of some of the continuity errors (eg, what did the dwarves do with their musical instruments after they played them in Bag End?) at the behest of an unnamed female friend who persuaded him to let the text be.

• 15 Facts That Reveal The Utter Insanity Of Britain’s Housing Market
  
  particularly in England, particularly in the South East.
  (tags: ukpolitics )
• Dear Richard Littlejohn
  
  @MsJackMonroe strikes back.
  (tags: dailymail )
• Azerbaijan prosecutors raid leading local election monitors
  
  There’s nothing like democracy (and this isn’t much like democracy).
  (tags: azerbaijan )
• Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (Updated) [ #Humor ]
  
  (tags: funny )
• So Long, Saakashvili
  
  A fair assessment by Tom de Waal.
  (tags: georgia )

1998

Books
Kursaal (8)
Option Lock (8)
Longest Day (8)
Legacy of the Daleks (8)
Dreamstone Moon (8)
Seeing I (8)
Placebo Effect (8)
Vanderdeken's Children (8)
The Scarlet Empress (8)
The Janus Conjunction (8)
Beltempest (8)
The Face of the Enemy (3, sort of)
Eye of Heaven (4)
The Witch Hunters (1)
The Hollow Men (7)
Catastrophea (3)
Mission: Impractical (6)
Zeta Major (5)
Dreams of Empire (2)
Last Man Running (4)
Matrix (7)
The Infinity Doctors (?)
Short Trips
Perfect Timing
Tempest  (Benny)
Walking to Babylon (Benny)
Oblivion  (Benny)
The Medusa Effect (Benny)
Dry Pilgrimage  (Benny)
The Sword of Forever  (Benny)
Another Girl, Another Planet (Benny)
Beige Planet Mars  (Benny)
Where Angels Fear  (Benny)

Audios
Bernice Summerfield: Oh No It Isn't!
Bernice Summerfield: Beyond the Sun
Bernice Summerfield: Walking to Babylon

The first Who from 1998 that I encountered: I bought Walking to Babylon on a whim in 2002. I had no idea about Bernice Summerfield and didn't spot that the People were meant to be the Culture, but I enjoyed it anyway.

My favourite Who from 1998: Eye of Heaven, an excellent Leela novel. This is a good year for the Past Doctor Adventures generally (including the squeetastic The Face of the Enemy). I also liked the first Bernice audios from Big Finish,

Moving swiftly on from: Genocide was the first Eighth Doctor Adventure that I read, and I was underwhelmed.

So, what was your favourite of the above? What is the best bit? (And if you like, what is the worst bit?)

1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013

1997

Books
Eternity Weeps (7)
The Room With No Doors (7)
Lungbarrow (7)
The Dying Days (8)
So Vile a Sin (7)
The Eight Doctors (8,1,2,3,4,5,6,7)
Vampire Science (8)
The Bodysnatchers (8)
Genocide (8)
War of the Daleks (8)
Alien Bodies (8)
Burning Heart (6)
A Device of Death (4)
The Dark Path (2)
The Well-Mannered War (4)
The Devil Goblins from Neptune (3)
The Murder Game (2)
The Ultimate Treasure (5)
Business Unusual (6)
Illegal Alien Mike Tucker and Robert Perry (7)
The Roundheads (2)
Decalog 4: Re-Generations
Decalog 5: Wonders
Oh No It Isn’t! (Benny)
Dragons’ Wrath (Benny)
Beyond the Sun (Benny)
Ship of Fools (Benny)
Down (Benny)
Deadfall (Benny)
Ghost Devices (Benny)
Mean Streets (Benny)

The first Who from 1997 that I encountered: It only barely counts, but I read Decalog 5: Wonders back in 2004, less than six months after I started bookblogging, and one of a very few Who books that I read in the wilderness years. If we are only counting fiction with the Doctor in, then it’s The Dying Days which I read in 2005.

My favourite Who from 1997: The New and Missing Adventures kept up quality to the end. My favourites from the list are The Dying Days and The Dark PathBeyond The Sun.

Moving swiftly on from: Actually I enjoyed all of these, though I may lose credibility in some quarters by admitting that Alien Bodies did not really work for me.

So, what was your favourite of the above? What is the best bit? (And if you like, what is the worst bit?)

1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013

I’m way behind with bookblogging, and not likely to catch up for a couple of weeks, which is a shame as it’s more or less the tenth anniversary of my starting this uplifting habit. Anyway, this is the index for October 2013, the 120th month in which I have logged every book I read on Livejournal.

Non-fiction 5 (YTD 40)
The Girl: A Life in the Shadow of Roman Polanski, by Samantha Geimer
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, by Mary Roach
A Book of Silence, by Sarah Maitland
The History of the Hobbit vol 2: Return to Bag-End, by John Rateliff
The Last Mughal, by William Dalrymple

Fiction (non-sf) 3 (YTF 37)
The Far Side Of The World, by Patrick O'Brian
The House of the Seven Gables, by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Flood, by Ian Rankin

SF (non-Who) 6 (YTD 56)
Conjure Wife, by Fritz Leiber
The Subtle Knife, by Philip Pullman
Mortal Clay, Stone Heart and Other Stories in Shades of Black and White, by Eugie Foster
Returning My Sister's Face, And Other Far Eastern Tales of Whimsy and Malice, by Eugie Foster
Odd and the Frost Giants, by Neil Gaiman
Equal Rites, by Terry Pratchett

Doctor Who, etc 15 (YTD 62)
Catastrophea, by Terrance Dicks
Warchild, by Andrew Cartmel
The Slow Empire, by Dave Stone
The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage, by David Landy
Invasion of the Bane, by Terrance Dicks
Revenge of the Slitheen, by Rupert Laight
Eye of the Gorgon, by Phil Ford
Warriors of Kudlak, by Gary Russell
Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?, by Rupert Laight
The Lost Boy, by Gary Russell
The Last Sontaran, by Gary Russell
Day of the Clown, by Phil Ford
The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith, by Gareth Roberts
The Nightmare Man, by Joseph Lidster
Death of the Doctor, by Gary Russell

Comics 4 (YTD 28)
De Sigaren van de Farao [Cigars of the Pharaoh], by Hergé
De Blauwe Lotus [The Blue Lotus] by Hergé
Fables Vol. 17: Inherit the Wind, by Bill Willingham
De Zwarte Rotsen [The Black Island], by Hergé

~6,900 pages (YTD 56,800)
5/33 (YTD 63/224) by women (Geimer, Ropach, Maitland, 2x Foster)
2/33 (YTF 10/224) by PoC (2x Foster)

Rereads: The Subtle Knife, Equal Rites, Invasion of the Bane, Revenge of the Slitheen, Eye of the Gorgon, Warriors of Kudlak, De Sigaren van de Farao, De Zwarte Rotsen – 8 (YTD 23)

Acquired 2011 or before: 17 (YTD 86) – Conjure Wife, The Far Side Of The World, The House of the Seven Gables, Catastrophea, Warchild, The History of the Hobbit v.2, A Book of Silence, The Flood, The Lost Boy, Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?, The Slow Empire, Warriors of Kudlak, Invasion of the Bane, Eye of the Gorgon, Revenge of the Slitheen, Equal Rites, The Subtle Knife
Acquired 2012: 3 (YTD 28) – Fables Vol. 17: Inherit the Wind, Odd and the Frost Giants, The Last Mughal
Acquired 2013: 13 (YTD 110) – De Zwarte Rotsen, The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage, De Blauwe Lotus, Death of the Doctor, The Nightmare Man, The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith, Day of the Clown, The Last Sontaran, De Sigaren von de Farao, Mortal Clay, Stone Heart, Returning My Sister's Face, The Girl, Stiff

Reading now:
About Time: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who, 2005-2006; Series 1 & 2, by Tat Wood
Reamde, by Neal Stephenson
The Watchers, by Stephen Alford (2013)
Reading the Oxford English Dictionary, by Ammon Shea

Coming next, perhaps:
Isaac Asimov, by Michael White
Jacob Have I Loved, by Katherine Paterson
Streetlethal, by Steven Barnes
There Will be Time, by Poul Anderson
The Wise Man's Fear, by Patrick Rothfuss
Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke
Eyeless in Gaza, by Aldous Huxley
Guns, germs, and steel, by Jared Diamond
Looking for Jake and Other Stories, by China Mieville
The Truth Commissioner, by David Park
The Devils / The Possessed, by Fyodor M. Dostoyevsky
Le Chat du Rabbin Tome 1, by Joann Sfar
Letters from Father Christmas, by J.R.R. Tolkien
Do Elephants Ever Forget?, by Guy Campbell
Anglicizing the Government of Ireland, by Jon G. Crawford
The Road to Middle-Earth, by Tom Shippey
334, by Thomas M. Disch
The Secret River, by Kate Grenville
Essays on Time-based Linguistic Analysis, by Charles-James N. Bailey
[Doctor Who] Nightdreamers, by Tom Arden
[Doctor Who] Sleepy ,by Kate Orman
[Doctor Who] Dark Progeny, by Steve Emmerson

1996:

TV
The Movie

Books
Doctor Who – The Novel of The Film (8)
Doctor Who – The Script of the Film (8)
Just War (7)
Warchild (7)
SLEEPY (7)
Death and Diplomacy (7)
Happy Endings (7)
GodEngine (7)
Christmas on a Rational Planet (7)
Return of the Living Dad (7)
The Death of Art (7)
Damaged Goods (7)
Bad Therapy (7)
Downtime
The Man in the Velvet Mask (1)
The English Way of Death (4)
The Eye of the Giant (3)
The Sands of Time (5)
Killing Ground (6)
The Scales of Injustice (3)
The Shadow of Weng-Chiang (4)
Twilight of the Gods (2)
Speed of Flight (3)
The Plotters (1)
Cold Fusion (5,7)
Who Killed Kennedy?
Decalog 3: Consequences

Audio
Doctor Who and the Ghosts of N-Space

The first Who from 1996 that I encountered: The Scales of Injustice, shortly before I watched The Movie for the first time.

My favourite Who from 1996: We have to acknowledge the importance of The Movie for providing a glimmer of hope, as well as much distraction. But there are a number of good books in this range, and I will single out The Sands of Time as an excellent fifth Doctor story. Honorable mentions to The Man in the Velvet Mask, Who Killed Kennedy?, Decalog 3: Consequences, Downtime, Just War and The Eye of the Giant.

Moving swiftly on from: The Plotters. Meant to be funny but I couldn't get past the anachronisms.

So, what was your favourite of the above? What is the best bit? (And if you like, what is the worst bit?)

1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013

Current
The Watchers: A Secret History of the Reign of Elizabeth I, by Stephen Alford
Reading the Oxford English Dictionary: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages, by Ammon Shea
Reamde, by Neal Stephenson
About Time: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who, 2005-2006; Series 1 & 2, by Tat Wood

Last books finished
The History of the Hobbit vol 2: Return to Bag-End, by John Rateliff
The Last Mughal, by William Dalrymple
Equal Rites, by Terry Pratchett
[Doctor Who] The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage, by David Landy
Day of the Clown, by Phil Ford
The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith, by Gareth Roberts
The Nightmare Man, by Joseph Lidster
Death of the Doctor, by Gary Russell
De Zwarte Rotsen [The Black Island], by Hergé

Next books
[Doctor Who] Nightdreamers, by Tom Arden
Isaac Asimov: A Life of the Grand Master of Science Fiction, by Michael White (2005)
Jacob Have I Loved, by Katherine Paterson

Books acquired in last week
The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage, by David Landy
Anglicizing the Government of Ireland, by Jon G. Crawford

• Latest #DoctorWho Missing Episodes Rumours #fb
  
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• Here’s Why Drug Policy Reform Is Gaining Momentum
  
  Prices for illegal drugs falling despite increased seizures.
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1995:

Books
Warlock (7)
Set Piece (7)
Infinite Requiem (7)
Sanctuary (7)
Human Nature (7)
Original Sin (7)
Sky Pirates! (7)
Zamper (7)
Toy Soldiers (7)
Head Games (7)
The Also People (7)
Shakedown (7)
The Romance of Crime (4)
The Ghosts of N-Space (3)
Time of Your Life (6)
Dancing the Code (3)
The Menagerie (2)
System Shock (4)
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (1)
Invasion of the Cat-People (2)
Managra (4)
Millennial Rites (6)
The Empire of Glass (1)
Lords of the Storm (5)
Decalog 2: Lost Property
Doctor Who Yearbook 1996

The first Who from 1995 that I encountered: Human Nature was posted quite early to the BBC website, and I lapped it up. Correction: I had already read, but not especially enjoyed, Invasion of the Cat-People which I bought around 2002.

My favourite Who from 1995: Evolution, bringing the Fourth Doctor together with the young Arthur Conan Doyle.

Moving swiftly on from: Toy Soldiers.

So, what was your favourite of the above? What is the best bit? (And if you like, what is the worst bit?)

1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013

Xavier Bettel enjoying a relaxed weekend with his partner before taking up office

So is his main coalition partner, Labour leader Etienne Schneider (article from Spanish gay magazine).

Of course, we Belgians got there first.

• They’re all going to laugh at you
  
  @NussbaumAbigail on Much Ado About Nothing.
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Travel both last week and at the weekend has made me way behind with bookblogging, so I shall be trying to catch up over the next few days. I may not quite get there by the end of the month though.

The Blue Lotus really is the first proper Tintin book – a huge step up from Cigars of the Pharaoh. Hergé takes Tintin to the real 1931 Japanese invasion of China, and is firmly and passionately on the side of the Chinese, both versus the Japanese and the Europeans in the Shanghai concession (one of whom in real life would have bee a very young J.G. Ballard). Apparently this came about because a priest who worked with Chinese students at Leuven contacted Hergé out of concern that the promised adventure in China would be as stereotypical as the previous volumes; and through him, Hergé met Zhang Chongren, who was effectively Hergé’s co-artist for the Chinese parts of the book, and is also the basis for the character of Chang here and in Tintin in Tibet. Suddenly the political orientation of Tintin has veered very sharply to the left.

But there’s also a step change in quality of plotting and of art. There’s one rather silly scene where Tintin hospitalises three burly guards, and Thomson and Thompson provide some slapstick comic relief, but otherwise this is a book that takes story-telling seriously and uses the right tools to do it in the right way. It’s unfortunate in a way that it ties up some dangling plot strands from Cigars of the Pharaoh, because it is so much better.

I think I actually had not read it before – none of the incidents rang any bells for me, and I see that it was not translated into English until 1983 precisely because it was thought to be too firmly rooted in events of 1931 which would be unknown to today’s younger readers. But in fact the themes of military domination and corrupt occupation are, unfortunately, pretty timeless.

1994:

Books
Doctor Who – The Paradise of Death (3)
Conundrum (7)
No Future (7)
Tragedy Day (7)
Legacy (7)
Theatre of War (7)
All-Consuming Fire (7)
Blood Harvest (7)
Strange England (7)
First Frontier (7)
St Anthony’s Fire (7)
Falls the Shadow (7)
Parasite (7)
Goth Opera (5)
Evolution (4)
Venusian Lullaby (1)
The Crystal Bucephalus (5)
State of Change (6)
Doctor Who: Galaxy 4 (1)
Doctor Who: The Crusade (1)
Decalog
Doctor Who Yearbook 1995

Audio
Whatever Happened to Susan Foreman?

Comics – exceptionally; I don’t normally track them in these posts but this one is a little different
The Age of Chaos (6), by Colin Baker

The first Who from 1994 that I encountered: I read Blood Harvest and Goth Opera in May 2006, and listened to Whatever Happened to Susan Foreman? shortly after.

My favourite Who from 1994: I love the Cthulthu crossover novel All-Consuming Fire tremendously, with No Future, where the Meddling Monk poses as Richard Branson, not far behind.

Moving swiftly on from: None of these, of those that I have read, is actually all that bad. The plot concept of Theatre of War is a bit ludicrous though.

So, what was your favourite of the above? What is the best bit? (And if you like, what is the worst bit?)

1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013

1993:

Books
Doctor Who – The Power of the Daleks [novelisation] (2)
Doctor Who – The Evil of the Daleks (2)
The Highest Science (7)
The Pit (7)
Deceit (7)
Lucifer Rising (7)
White Darkness (7)
Shadowmind (7)
Birthright (7)
Iceberg (7)
Blood Heat (7)
The Dimension Riders (7)
The Left-Handed Hummingbird (7)
Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks  [script] (2)
Doctor Who: Ghost Light (7)
Doctor Who Yearbook 1994

TV
Dimensions in Time

Audio
The Paradise of Death (3)

The first Who from 1993 that I encountered: God help me, I watched Dimensions In Time when it was first broadcast. I was 26 and newly married.

My favourite Who from 1993: Lucifer Rising, by one of my favourite Who writers (though he has done a lot of other stuff) Andy Lane, just shades it over John Peel’s late novelisation of The Power of the Daleks and Iceberg by Cyberleader David Banks.

Moving swiftly on from: The Pit, which is really one of the worst Who books I have ever read. Really, if you cringe at Dimensions in Time (and who doesn’t?) or The Paradise of Death, this is in a completely different category.

So, what was your favourite of the above? What is the best bit? (And if you like, what is the worst bit?)

1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013

1992:

Books
Cat’s Cradle: Time’s Crucible (7)
Cat’s Cradle: Warhead  (7)
Cat’s Cradle: Witch Mark (7)
Nightshade  (7)
Love and War  (7)
Transit (7)
Doctor Who: The Masters of Luxor (1)
Doctor Who: The Dæmons (3)
Doctor Who Yearbook 1993

The first Who from 1992 that I encountered: The script of The Masters of Luxor, the unmade story from 1963. If they’d done that instead of the Daleks, well, I wouldn’t be writing this series of posts because the show would have ended in 1964!

My favourite Who from 1992: In the year when the New Adventures really started to get into their stride, it’s a tough choice between Nightshade and Love and War, and since this is my project I can just refuse to choose. I like them both a lot.

Moving swiftly on from: Cat’s Cradle – Witch Mark, which has the worst cod-Celticism in the entire Whoniverse, even including the story of The Five Leafed Clover.

So, what was your favourite of the above? What is the best bit? (And if you like, what is the worst bit?)

1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013

1991:

Books
Doctor Who – Battlefield (7)
Doctor Who – The Pescatons (4)
Timewyrm: Genesys (7)
Timewyrm: Exodus (7)
Timewyrm: Apocalypse (7)
Timewyrm: Revelation (7)
Doctor Who Yearbook 1992

The first Who from 1991 that I encountered: I read the Timewyrm books in 2006, starting with Genesys.

My favourite Who from 1991: Doctor Who – Battlefield – I am really not a fan of the TV story, bu the novel works really well. The Timewyrm books are hugely important as the start to the New Adventures; Paul Cornell’s Timewyrm: Revelation is the best.

Moving swiftly on from: Doctor Who – The Pescatons (as I said before).

So, what was your favourite of the above? What is the best bit? (And if you like, what is the worst bit?)

1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013