Gd, what an incredible story! I haven't truly loved a story like this in a long time. It was everything Doctor Who should be - a little educational, telling a unique and deeply personal experience in a way that is accessible and relatable to a wide audience, and yet wholly and completely alien, too. And the Doctor - the Doctor, angry to kind, unforgiving to accepting, haunted by the past to hopeful for the future. What a range, and what an incredible performance - Ncuti really does capture everything the Doctor should be. There was also still some of that distrust from Belinda that makes her stand out as a companion, and really memorable one-off characters, too. The Story and the Engine - and, oh, what a story! 5/5 - spoilers from here on out.

The Barber's story was one that is incredibly familiar to many writers, inventors, and other creators - one of being overlooked, uncredited, having your work stolen, your name erased. Finally snapping and seeking revenge for that felt wholly justified, and the fact that he was then awoken to the terrible price that would be paid for this revenge, the harm that would be caused, and was able to change his mind without seeming unreasonable for what he was doing before? Absolute masterpiece. I am so so glad this wasn't just another Pantheon god who had to be destroyed or otherwise defeated - this was a person, a human, the place where all these gods really draw their power. We bring them to life. They come from us. They are simply manifestations of the core elements of humanity - and so they, too, are human. Were once human. And so they, too, can make mistakes and feel emotions and be forgiven - or, as in this case, not forgiven. But the choice is there, because this time, he was a person. That story mirroring the Doctor's - with the Timeless Child, credit for their abilities being stolen, with that coward hiding behind a no-name and seeking revenge - that entire speech, where the Barber was in the midst of an identity crisis, was everything we see from the Doctor, too. The Doctor was really confronting himself.

I am so, so glad it was Fugitive - seeing a part of her story spilling out so we could see it, so the Doctor could remember that taken part of their life, all thanks to the machinations of the 'villain'. Seeing the Doctor be the villain in someone else's story because they did what they thought was right, but didn't think about the consequences - sounds like someone else I know (looks intently at the Barber). First of all, hell yeah doomed yuri (that both parties refused - such an underappreciated form of relationship), but also, it specifically being Fugitive, that one story the Doctor can't remember, except inside those four walls, except when confronted with her victim to bring her story to life? The first Black Doctor, who was escaping herself. Her future self, forgiven, being saved by the woman she couldn't free. Abby giving the Doctor the route to freedom, when Abby's freedom was once denied by that very same person? Genuinely, perfect. Every choice that was made in this story has me applauding - it all just fits so well. Plus, gives us new mysteries to ponder... who was that little girl who Belinda saw?

Belinda, the one who doesn't fit in this world that the Doctor calls home. Belinda, who can't get home herself, made to be an outsider everywhere she goes... Belinda, the ordinary person who has the greatest story of them all. Belinda, whose story is still being told, right before our eyes... Does she have someone at home, waiting for her? Is she expendable? Does she only matter for herself? No one's daughter, sister, mother, wife - we care about her story because of who she is. Because she is a person (and also if we're being honest with ourselves, because she's the only one who's been able to resist becoming the Doctor's latest codependent pet project and that's absolutely fascinating like come on who is she who are you Belinda Chandra hmm Chandra I wonder where I've heard that be- )

ANYWAY. Coughs. Speaking of people waiting back home, the way my heart skipped a beat when Omo mentioned Blue - I am so glad I read the prequel story, because I think that really added something to this, already knowing Omo's story, already seeing where he came from and now finally getting to see where he went. But, the episode ended with his story just starting to be told, opening up an avenue to go read that story ourselves - and then see where he went next (this episode), and then go back to see the start of his story, ad infinitum!

I don't think I really have anything clever to say about this one. I just really, really loved it, and I'm really, really glad that this story was able to be told. And, especially that we got this story on our screens. It's not just important that it's part of Doctor Who - it's important that kids are going to be watching this at home and learn that we can change our own futures, we can learn from the past, and, most of all, that no matter who we are or what we've done, the most important thing we can do is still to tell stories.

A lovely little story that does what it's supposed to do: makes me excited for this Saturday's episode!

The emphasis on imminent action to combat imminent danger, the need to protect your home from man-made environmental catastrophe created by corporate greed and enforced by a fierce, child-shooting military - and with fire being in almost every illustration. It's a very powerful image, and one I'm very glad to see after Lucky Day's much more pro-government/pro-military stance.

Well worth a read. 4/5 stars

I think it could have been worse. Maybe. 1/5 because I am a benevolent overlord.

4/5 - a well-written book in a style I enjoyed, with some notable points that knocked this down for me.

Firstly, there was a lot of gore and violence that was really offputting in a way that felt unnecessary/pointless - I was not surprised to learn that the writer, Mark Morris, went on to become a horror writer. The Doctor accidentally committing genocide, and the grotesque descriptions of the Zygons' decaying bodies and the destruction of the Skarasen, was truly horrifying. However, it was supremely well-written, and there was no part of this book that I felt was a slog. Well paced, and fely like it simultaneously fit well with classic who serials, whilst being clearly written for this medium, which is a difficult balance to acheive. There were some slightly, shall we say, odd ideas about gender with the Zygons especially, but this was written in the 90's, so I wasn't all that surprised - and, he did play around with gender a little, made it interesting at least.

I have to admit, I'm a little bored of the whole "aliens try and take over the Earth and destroy humanity and can't be reasoned with" plotline combined with such incredible levels of violence. It rarely interests me. This is more of a personal gripe though; it often feels shallow and isn't really my thing. However, this was at least somewhat balanced out well with a member of that invading force joining with our heroes, and helping them save the Earth from their own invasion, though I'm not sure that it really made sense after the Doctor killed the rest of the invasion force. Even if you disagree with what someone is doing, seeing them and all the rest of your people violently killed is probably not going to keep you on the good side of the murderer.

Fun seeing Litefoot again! He was integrated well into the plot, so it didn't just feel like we were pointing back at an old episode for nostalgia points. There were also a lot of little elements that I didn't know came from pre-NuWho, so were really fun to see in an extended universe book. I won't mention them by name - if you haven't read it, you'll just have to wait and see! They were fun surprises for sure. However, there was one big issue that really made this harder to enjoy - Sam. She didn't feel distinguished from other companions in her personality (I kept reading her lines in Ace's voice) despite this clearly being a bit intent of the book. Morris somehow managed to put Sam in focus, have the story told mostly though her, without making her active. We were told what she wasn't doing, rather than what she was doing instead, and most of her actions (or lack thereof) seemed to be driven by a complex that she didn't really have in the previous book, and so came off as a mischaracterisation, despite her being relatively new and therefore not having much established character to miss! Then again, perhaps I am judging this too harshly - Vampire Science is a tough act to follow.

So, a very well-written novel (that's just a bit too violent for my tastes). I know a lot of people skip the early EDAs to get to Faction Paradox quicker, and reading this has made me feel glad that I didn't do the same, because while this wasn't entirely my cup of tea, it was a very well made book that I think a lot of people will enjoy, and it would be a shame to miss out on the chance to find out. 4/5

I'm kind of thinking of the whole of 'Daleks!' as one story, so, will collect my thoughts on the series here. I thought the mechanoid voice acting was excellent, but the animation style was really not my thing. The whole "beautiful" idea was intriguing - the Mechanoids calling technology and synchronicity beautiful, showing they had real emotions beyond Dalek hate, whilst what the Daleks found beautiful was their enemies' destruction. A mostly well-written series (not counting one episode that I feel really let the series down) that always made me excited for the next part of the story while still feeling like it had a satisfying ending. There were even gripping relationship dynamics explored well, which I didn't see coming in a miniseries about some Daleks fighting - I loved how the Dalek-Mechanoid relationships felt like the Mechanoids were trying to broaden Dalek horizons, make them see beauty, but in the end, a Dalek can never know friendship or love, because a Dalek knows only hate. Doomed from the start - we should have known things would end this way. Daleks don't change. Daleks don't see beauty beyond destruction.

A lovely series that is well worth the watch - 4/5.

A truly delightful creation, and a lovely beginning to both the Auteur and Coloth series. A playful and fun read that is one of the few examples of meta that does not feel cliché or overdone - a solid 5/5, and a new favourite of mine!

There wasn't so much lore being introduced that I felt lost, and yet enough that I felt I had a good grasp on the history, enough to understand the context of how the characters came to be in their situations. And, though I do already feel a good deal of attachment to Maritsa, Callum, and Coloth, what really makes me want to read more is the setting. A library, I think, is a wonderful place to set a series - and a library such is this works both in it's own right, and as a meta-textual commentary on the thoughts of fandoms like ours on the stories found within the universe, as well as stories in general.

The meta nature of the setting marries perfectly with the meta nature of the way this story is told, with humour to boot! The meta feels like it's just a natural part of the setting, a plot device that serves the readers, not just the author's ego. A refreshing idea that works well in both series, and so works well for this story. The jokes didn't always land for me, but overall I still found this story very funny and lighthearted.

But really, what sold me most on this was that the style of the storytelling felt novel. Unusual enough to catch my attention, with the humour and the mystery and the setting selling me on it the rest of the way. This sort of dual story that meets at the end with the narrative swapping between them, but without losing the reader on the way? That takes real mastery of the art of storytelling, and only really works in such a meta environment. It allows the end reveal of who the narrator has been the whole time to land perfectly, drawing the whole thing together in a way that feels truly satisfying - as excellent in ending as it has been all the way through.

A funny, unusual story that serves as an excellent introduction to two series at once, with intriguing mysteries and worldbuilding. An excellent use of meta, and one that really sticks the landing, The Cactus and the Corpse is a 5/5 for me!

A very enjoyable, well-paced episode that far makes up for the previous one. Like episode one, I cannot mark this 5/5 because the animation was really lacking. Power, pity, emotion, soul... this was a powerful study of the Daleks as an idea. Once again, James Goss delivers. 4.5/5

I didn't enjoy this one as much as the previous episode - it wasn't as easy to follow why things were happening, and I felt there wasn't nearly enough build-up to meeting the Sentinel, so it felt like a bit of a let-down. Still, hasn't dampened my excitement to watch the next one too much, and it wasn't all bad - just definitely preferred the previous episode. 3/5

Iris Iris Iris Iris Iris Iris Iris Iris Iris Iris Iris

I love her your honour. A brilliant introduction to a character who has already stolen my heart after only three pages; a wonderful ode to Doctor Who, written from... within Doctor Who! Iris is everything she has been hyped up to be; absolutely enchanting. A smattering of eyeshadow over a bundle of metatextuality and fannish aplomb. Bravo, Magrs!

A well-written story with a refreshing presentation of the Daleks. The way the Daleks could act as a homogenous soldiery mass, but we still had the Daleks the story focused on have different opinions and thoughts, showed a good understanding of what Daleks are, one which I find too many nuwho stories to lack. There was one line in particular about the Archive being just 'one more thing of beauty for them to destroy' that felt especially in touch with the Daleks' motivations and tactics, and the ending was very well done and impactful. Written by a true master of the art of the story, I pronounce this a good, solid thing deserving of it's 4 stars. I am looking forward to continuing this series!