This story is fun, but the most fun I have watching it is mentioning that Tom Baker does half of his scenes with a broken collarbone. This is my LOTR helmet kick scene.

Every day I send mind beams to Big Finish and everyone who has ever written for them to please do something with the Shalka Doctor because I'm obsessed with this freak. More... MORE!!!!!

This serial is my Threegado manifesto

Not just one of my favorite Doctor Who novels, but also just one of my favorite novels period. Blum and Orman really knocked it out of the park... again! This is the book that really made me love Sam as a character. She's so well written and Blum and Orman added so many details to her that made her feel so real and human. I love her arc in this!!! I love The Doctor's side of the story in this just as much... it's a bit of a theme, it seems, that books written by Kate Orman involve The Doctor being tortured horrifically, and she does it so, so well. I also enjoyed the world building a LOT. It's rare to see Jewish culture used like this in sci-fi and I really really loved it. Overall 10/10. Kate Orman and Jonathan Blum I owe you my life yet again.

THIS BOOK!!! THIS IS THE ONE!!!!

I understand that, with the nature of Doctor Who as a TV show, The Doctor can never truly die. I get it. But I love, love, LOVE stories like this that force The Doctor to come to terms with their own mortality. It's always so, so good. Quite a lot of fun ideas in this one, too, Lawrence Miles is always great with the weird cosmic horror of it all. Definitely recommend this one.

Whenever people ask me where to start with the EDAs, THIS is the book I point them to. Blum and Orman are an absolute powerhouse-- their writing is brilliant and their characterization of Eight is not only incredible, but it also seems to be the basis for Eight's characterization in all other extended universe works featuring him. They did incredible work in taking a character that, before this, had only appeared in a 90 minute movie and one lackluster novel, and made him a fully fleshed out person. Sam is also great in this, and I do maintain that Orman and Blum write her The Best out of any EDA authors I've read so far. Definitely give this one a shot if you want to dip your toes into the world of Dr Who novels. You won't be let down.

I loved pretty much everything about this story. It's a great introduction for Benny, the villain is imposing and the threat carries weight, the Doctor's motivations are fun and complicated, and Ace is well fleshed out as a young adult trying to find herself. The fights Ace and The Doctor have are cathartic and compelling, I always love to see cracks in their relationship caused by The Doctor's scheming and Ace's stubbornness, and the Doctor's clear manipulation was JAW DROPPING. I read passages to my friend and they half-jokingly told me The Doctor was "pulling a Lestat" when I got to the bit where he tells Ace how alone he'll be if she leaves, puppy eyes and all. Incredible stuff.

Now, as for my criticisms, I wasn't a huge fan of Jan. He seemed a bit bland, and, if his romance with Ace wasn't completely necessary for the story to work, I would probably just put him on a shelf with all the other male love interests writers want to constantly throw at Ace and forget he existed. But that's really the only big thing.

No matter how many times I watch this, I still don't completely understand it. 10/10. No notes.