Review of The Well-Mannered War by thedefinitearticle63
4 June 2024
This review contains spoilers
This is part of a series of reviews of Doctor Who in chronological timeline order.
Previous Story: The Doomsday Contract
And finally, the last of the Fourth Doctor Novel Adaptations. In my opinion, this is definitely the best of the three, though it still suffers from many of the same problems I have with the other two. I think trying to fit an entire novel into 2 hours of audio-drama doesn't work for me, atleast not the way it's been done here.
Again, since I haven't read the original novels, (though the adaptations have definitely piqued my curiousity), I am reviewing this in terms of the story I have heard. The setting is really good and it's surrounded by a thick shroud of mystery that keeps you engaged. The scenes with K9 running for government are really enjoyable. Menlove Stokes was not a character I really cared for, but this story gave him a very satisfying conclusion.
Unfortunately, in terms of the extended timeline, this is somewhat of a blip. The cliffhanger ending would be resolved if I read the novels however since my extended timeline only covers television and audio, this story doesn't really fit anywhere. Most likely, I'm just going to exclude the Novel Adaptation from now on.
Next Story: Doctor Who and the Iron Legion (Audio Adaptation)