Im sorry but this is LEAUGES ahead of Lux and The Well

Genuinely really great fun!

Captures the doctor and Rose perfectly, has some nice horror imagery and a lot of heart.

I liked a lot of what it was doing, but "that scene" was cringy and totally killed the pacing. The last minute extra regeneration energy setup that gets used almost immediately after also felt lazy.

The animated bit shouldn't have been in the trailers.

The one bit it felt like it was gonna do something really interesting was a fake out

And it ain't as fun as Devils Chord

This seems like I hated it has a lot of good in there, just doesn't feel cohesive.

Marco Polo - 9/10

Why does this have to be one of the missing stories? I loved everything up until they get to Kublai Khan. It's still good, just not quite as strong after that.

Positives

Everyone firing on all cylinders: Our four main characters all get lots to do, this is probably Susan's best episode with her relationship with Ping-Cho being the heart of the story.

Dangerous journey: I love when a TARDIS crew is stranded and the word itself is a danger from sandstorms to fear of dying of thirst.

Character Dynamics: The Characters relationships with each other are so strong here. Marco Polo and The Doctor especially have some amazing back and fourth.

Negatives

Conclusions: Both the endings to Ping-Cho's forced marriage and the team getting the TARDIS back feel rushed to me, it's a shame as the overall journey is so fun.

The Bodysnatchers - 8/10

"Litefoot looked at her dubiously 'You are employed by the police then I take it?'
'Not if we can help it' Said the Doctor.

This is unashamedly not anything new or experimental with old friends and foes as the main selling points. I don't really care though because I had a great time.

Positives

An imperfect hero: The Doctor completely accidentally kills almost all the Zygons while attempting to create a peaceful solution. This made a really trad story way more interesting and makes our hero much more fallible which I believe should happen more often.

Imagery: The Zygon imagery from the organic ships to the burning orange eyes in the human disguises are described in a very compelling way that kept me engaged.

Mixed feelings (Hey look this is new for my reviews, but it felt needed here)

Sam Jones: I have both positives and negatives for Sam, hence the new mixed feelings category. On the positive side I really love the continuation of her desperation to be as competent as the Doctor, and failing miserably at it. Gives her some depth as well as humorous scenes. On the negative side it felt as though the plot kept finding excuses to push her to the side, which I didn't like because I thought this was a good showing for her!

Negatives

A couple of obvious twists:  The Zygons are treated as a reveal, bro your face is on the cover I am not going to pretend to be shocked. Also Emmeline turning out to be a Zygon was wayyyy too obviously pointed at with Litefoots comment about her running barefoot. He may as well have looked into the camera and gone "Well that is weird isn't it dear viewer, oh well anyways lets move on".

Dastardly Jack Howe: I was bored whenever we cut to Jack and the Characters involved with him. Luckily this isn't too often but also could probably have just been cut from the book.

Fugitive of the Daleks- 9/10

"A wise woman once told me 'you're as alive as you want to be', so my dear Vicki, live!"

Just when I thought I was immune to stories with lots of fan service in them, I listen to this absolute gem. If you love the Hartnell era there are SO many moments in here that will put a massive grin on your face.

Positives

Fan pleasing moments: As mentioned above I can be quite cynical towards projects that are heavy on "hey look it's the thing I know". This is so much more, it expands upon and surprises you in the best ways.

Authentic fun: structure wise this is essentially The Chase 2. It gets the 60s vibe so correct. There is a specific comedy bit about two guys having to bulldoze a police telephone box and everything about it felt so 60s in the best way. Loved it.

Vicki: Maureen O'brien was delightful here. Still clearly Vicki but more mature. Some very nice emotional scenes in here with her.

Negatives

How did we get here?:  This could be a me problem but I do not understand what set off this string of events lol.

The Smugglers - 4/10

"You're a right couple of nutcases" grumbled Ben.

Before I actually did my run of 60s who, this is exactly what I assumed it would be. Old fashioned tropes with a very basic plot. 60s who is now one of my favourite eras, but this story is certainly a low point.

Positives

Easy reading: So far I have read two Terrance Dicks books. Strangely I found them both really easy reads despite not really enjoying the whole. There MUST be a good flow to the prose because I am always like wow I got through that fast.

Negatives

What is the point?:  I feel slightly mean saying this but it is so simplistic that it feels ultimately pointless. A companion's first trip in the TARDIS should really tell me something new about them.

Man Polly, Jamaica and other old fashioned writing tropes: The writing of these two concepts feel old fashioned. That is because this is an old story so kinda whatever but this novelisation is from the 90s right? Could we not have done something a bit more modern with these ideas? I get the impression this Novelisation doesn't add much that wasn't on-screen. 

Why is this rated so low??? Best part of this comic collection, very funny parody of shows like Jeremy Kyle whilst also putting a spotlight on one of S2 Rose's major character flaws.

Vampire Science - 10/10

Sam had to work at being weird, thought Carolyn, but for the Doctor it just came naturally.

When it comes to a story, characters are the single most important aspect for me. Naturally I absolutely ADORED Vampire Science. This has got amazing character drama, moral dilemmas and the perfect mix of the doctor being whimsical and deadly serious.

Positives

The Doctor & Sam: The Doctor is actually magical here (Or is he??). You will absolutely fall in love with him and then the story delves deep into WHY you and other characters do and why that can be dangerous.

Sam is sooo much more of an actual person here than in the Eight Doctors. Constantly disagreeing with the doctor, to the point she is on the verge of leaving is great character drama and mirrors Carolyn's story very well. Plus her glorious comeuppance against weird Harold will have you cheering for her!

Supporting Characters: Carolyn's journey here is lovely, I think this is what Moffat was going for in Series 5 with Amy and Rory. While I do love Amy and Rory (more so Rory), this story pulls off that plotline so much better in less time. Kramer is also just incredibly enjoyable, no idea if she shows up again but I would love her to be a re-occuring book character (Do not spoil anything I'm doing these in order)

Morals: The talk around vampirism really makes you think. While the vampire section in the Eight Doctors is a lot of fun, I'm really glad they made the doctor think about the morals of killing a lot more here.

Negatives

Skipping the introductions:  Not directly this books fault but they really skip over Sam's introduction as a companion. Probably a purposeful choice but I love first reactions to all the crazy Sci-Fi stuff.

Tad too easy an ending for Joanna: The Anti-Vamp killing her "vamp" but not her human side is a little bit tooooo much of an easy win for me, not enough to take away from my enjoyment but did cause a slight eye-roll for me.

The Demon Song - 8/10

Yo? YO??? What do you mean yo?

The Demon song starts off as an extremely atmospheric horror but the answers to the mysteries in part 2 don't quite live up to the set up and feel fairly rushed. Would love to see this writer do a four parter.

Positives

The past future: This takes place in 2020, for 1 and dodo this is a future setting. Somehow they succeed in making our modern day feel really alien, loved this element.

Atmosphere: In part 1 there is SUCH a good atmosphere due to the creepy demon song lurking in the background of every scene. I never normally notice sound design, but this was stellar.

Negatives

Conclusions:  The creature being an other dimensional being is literally the plot to the story right before this right?? but unfortunately not given time to go into the depth of the miniaturist.

Bye bye vibes: Part 1 almost entirely relies on vibes, which I'm not against at all when done well. They just kinda leave when it comes time to explain what is happening and suddenly I am a lot less invested.