No spoilers in paragraph one; yes spoilers in paragraph two.

So, finished my first EDA! It did not disapp- well, actually, that's a lie. It very much disappointed. I found it dull for the most part, with little emotional depth. Had I not, yano, consumed other eighth doctor media, I would not have cared for the character at all. It often felt like reading a script with a lot of stage directions, rather than a novel. It's a real shame, as I know Terrance Dicks was an absolutely prolific novelisation writer and TV serial writer, but I just could not enjoy this novel. There were a few moments that made me laugh, and a couple interesting tidbits lore-wise that aren't original to the novel, but that I hadn't heard before. Those funny moments brought the book up a little for me, but not enough to give it three stars.

Good things about the novel - Sam Jones. At the beginning, the part with the drugs felt too much like Terry was trying to be "down with the kids", using as much slang as he could get in there. This took away from my enjoyment of the character. However, the part right at the end, Sam's introduction to the TARDIS? That was funny, witty, and a great introduction to the character. If only we'd seen more of her, I think I would have enjoyed the book more. I am very chuffed that I get more of her in the next book, which I've heard amazing praise for, so, very excited for Vampire Science! The other thing about The Eight Doctors that I thought was interesting was the Seventh Doctor's depression. I really hadn't expected this novel to go into mental illness, and so it certainly surprised me when we got to that part! I liked that Terry tried to deal with the Doctor's depression and loneliness, as that's not something that's often said in those exact words in Who. We see the effect of it, but we rarely hear people go "The Doctor has clinical depression". I wish that the section had been longer, with more time to explore the effect of the Doctor's illness on his life.

Alright, that's all for now!