Quatermass' Book Reading Blog...Round Two

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I have - sorry, I was being wilfully opaque and called it by the name of its Illuminatus parody before.

Have you read The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen? If you have, I highly recommend you to get hold of a copy of Anno Dracula, which I've just read, you'll find it interesting. ^^

Book 54...it might be the last one, but is a good one to finish on...

REVIEW: You're Him, Aren't You?: An Autobiography by Paul Darrow


I regret coming to Blake's 7 fairly late in my life. Although I had heard about it a few times earlier, usually through the association of actors who appeared both in Blake's 7 and Doctor Who, I never got around to examining it in-depth. However, I enjoy it, and particularly the character of Avon, a snide computer hacker played by Paul Darrow. Some years ago, Darrow wrote an autobiography, appropriately titled You're Him, Aren't You? He explains that the title comes from being stopped in the street or in a shop and being asked, "You're him, aren't you?"

I haven't read that many autobiographies before. I have read most of Spike Milligan's Adolf Hitler: My Part In His Downfall, not to mention the harrowing Not Without My Daughter and For The Love of a Child by Betty Mahmoody. I guess Michael Palin's diaries could also count as autobiographies. But the king of all autobiographies that I have read is Who On Earth Is Tom Baker? The title says it all, really. And I have to confess, it is hard not to make comparisons. Both Tom Baker (the fourth Doctor Who) and Paul Darrow have been closely identified with a significant role in a British cult science fiction series, and this, sometimes, makes it difficult to get other roles. Darrow even said that he was 'Forever Avon', the title of a documentary on his career as Avon. Both have had extensive acting careers, particularly on the stage. They even belong to a not dissimilar generation, Darrow being born not more than a decade after Baker.

However, reading Darrow's autobiography reveals a world of difference to Tom Baker. Tom Baker is an eccentric, and some of the time, you have to wonder how many of the anecdotes of his life he is making up. Ironically, however, when he drops names, he does so in a good way. Paul Darrow, by contrast, has a relatively normal, if, when you take his acting roles into account, eventful life. Compared to Tom Baker's near-madness, Paul Darrow's anecdotes are, while entertaining, written from a fairly sane viewpoint, although he drops names rather heavily (he even pulls a lampshade hanging on this, although it is as interesting to hear his anecdotes of famous actors as it is to hear Tom Baker's). And Paul Darrow is a island of stability in his personal life, compared to the drinking and three-times marriage of Baker.

Another difference is how they deal with their respective shows. Baker, interestingly, devotes only two and a half chapters (out of twenty) and perhaps a sixth of his book to his time in Doctor Who. Paul Darrow devotes perhaps half of his book to Blake's 7. This is by no means a bad thing, especially for Blake's 7 fans, but I would have been satisfied with more anecdotes from his early days in the theater and maybe his childhood. I dunno whether this is pandering or not to Blake's 7 fans, but I would have loved some more anecdotes not directly related to Blake's 7, or Doctor Who (which takes up a substantial chapter of Darrow's book, not counting a chapter on conventions). Not that I am complaining, mind, I just would have loved a little variety.

There are a number of amusing anecdotes about the filming of the series, and Darrow makes less mistakes about the series than Baker does about his own episodes. Darrow is surprisingly philosophical about the fact that he is permanently associated with Kerr Avon, and takes a fairly positive view, saying in the introduction that "I do not complain. I don't mind being forever Avon."

You're Him, Aren't You? is a very worthy autobiography of an actor's career. Paul Darrow may be forever Avon, but that is, by no means, all that there is to him.


8.5/10

First words: Blake's 7 took four years of my life.

Last words: On the other hand, I might still be alive and you can say, 'You're him, aren't you?'

Sorry? Oh, was that what you meant when you named a book Telemachus Sneezed? Now I get it. I thought, that's a weird name for a book, but it doesn't sound THAT out of character for David Weber. I don't think I have read an Illuminatus book, so that's why I didn't get it. That's not David Weber, is it? Isn't it Tad Williams? *Looks up Wikipedia* No, Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson. Yeesh, looks like pretty weird s***.

I have read the first two volumes of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, plus the first part of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century (which was reviewed in my previous book-reading blog). Literary dense, but pretty nasty. I much prefer Watchmen and V for Vendetta. Oh, and The Killing Joke. In terms of Alan Moore's work, anyway.

And I have tried to get Anno Dracula through my local library, but they don't have a bloody copy. Well, actually, they do have a copy...but it's in Spanish!! ! I very nearly read Dean Koontz's Frankenstein: Prodigal Son, though.

Yah - there's a strong cult (appropriately!) following for the Illuminatus Trilogy, but I think they're generally considered slightly immature. Worth reading as it is very frequently referenced elsewhere (the "fnords", Eris, golden apples, ewige blumenkraft
, immanentising the eschaton, Malaclypse, the Law of Fives &c. &c.) ^^
Ragnar Danneskjold shows up as "Hagbard Celine".


I was curious until I saw the co-author! That guy has a seriously bad reputation for atrocities committed on the corpse of Dune.

I liked Prelude to Dune: House Atreides and Prelude to Dune: House Harkonnen, so we'll have to agree to disagree on that.

So, 54 books in just under 16 weeks. I dunno how much longer I can keep this up. The problem is not finding the books as much as finding the motivation.

Hi Quatermass, that's a lot of recommandations! Not sure where to start.... maybe start with something easy considering my relatively...ummm...insufficient...English skills What do you think about Harry Potter? I read 1-5 in Chinese when I was younger, so maybe that would be something good to start with? Im actually quite interested in the medical or forensic ones at the moment. Any suggestion for me to start after exams? I get hooked easily by books once I start reading it so better not start during exams period haha, actually, the manga "black jack" you mentioned sounds interesting and easy to read can i get them in the library?

Harry Potter? Well, the 6th and 7th books do get more complex, so maybe reading them in English may not be such a good idea, although really, it's up to you. Try re-reading the first five in English to get a feel for whether or not you'll be able to read the last two.

Unfortunately, Black Jack is not available at either library. The nearest equivalent I found in the library was Osamu Tezuka's Ode to Kirihito, and that's a far darker work than Black Jack. However, the first volume of Monster by Naoki Urasawa is in the library, and although it is a dark story, it is not a particularly overtly gory one.

However, if you're interested in forensics, I can recommend The Casebook of Forensic Detection and A Question of Evidence, both by Colin Evans.

Okay, so book 54 wasn't the last one. So now we come to book 55...

REVIEW: Doctor Who: Business Unusual by Gary Russell

Okay, so I haven't read and reviewed that many Doctor Who books until this point (if I recall, I didn't read and review any in the previous book-reading blog, and I've read and reviewed 4 out of 54 books), which is weird, considering my interest in the program. However, this is partly due to the fact that I have read most of the actual novelisations based on the program, although I haven't read as many of the original novels. This, however, is slowly being rectified, and now, I have read Business Unusual, the untold tale of how Mel met the Doctor...

The Doctor has just thwarted an attempt by the Master and the Usurians to take over the world's economy, but his troubles are only just beginning. His old friend Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart has gone missing while investigating video game company SeneNet, whose technology is way in advance of the late 1980s. The police are assigning him young computer programmer Melanie Bush to deal with the aftermath of his previous adventure, but he doesn't want to meet her, lest it hasten his destiny of becoming the Valeyard. And a young man called Trey Korte is finding that he is developing psychic abilities. All this is connected to a deadly plan by a group of people the Doctor has met before, and who want revenge...

Business Unusual is the second part of a loose trilogy of Doctor Who novels written by Gary Russell. I have thankfully already read the first part, The Scales of Injustice, and so there is no problems knowing who the antagonists are, but even Doctor Who fans unfamiliar with the story might need help understanding the emnity Townsend and the Irish twins have towards the Doctor.

While the story itself is a cracking good yarn, it is clear that it is more of a vehicle to explain how Mel became the Doctor's companion, as the conspiracy, while interesting, is a little reminiscent of previous Doctor Who stories, particularly the unmade story The Nightmare Fair. The presence of the Brigadier seems a little superfluous, there to give the Sixth Doctor the chance to meet him, although there is an excellent scene where the Brigadier is forced to confront a terrible mistake he had made.

Although the plot is weak, and filled with a certain amount of continuity references, it is still exciting enough to cover the gaps. Although I cannot recommend Business Unusual to non-fans per se, I can recommend it to fans as a good story and a cracking yarn.


8/10

First words: There was no rational explanation he could think of- it was simply an impossibility that was possible.

Last words: This was living!

Book 56...

REVIEW: Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days, Volume 1 by Fumino Hayashi, from a story by Gainax

My first review for this current book-reading blog was the 11th volume of the Neon Genesis Evangelion manga by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto. If this turns out to be the last review (I hope not), then that means that this is more or less symmetrical. Start with Evangelion, and end with it. But this is far from Evangelion as you and I know it.

It starts out as another day at school for Shinji Ikari. Woken up by his childhood friend Asuka Langley Soryu, running late for school, it seems like things are fairly normal. Except a new girl turns up at school, the ditzy extrovert Rei Ayanami (yes, you heard me). Shinji finds himself caught in a high school love triangle from hell, but perhaps that may not be the most serious problem in his life. Because he has been dreaming of a giant made of light, and classmate Kaworu Nagisa knows what it is...and what it means for the world...

Angelic Days did not come out of nowhere. Some of the events featured can be seen in part of the infamous 26th episode of the original TV series, where the main characters were recast in a high school comedy like continuity to show Shinji that life, for him, was possible without piloting the Evangelions (the manga was also an adaptation of an Evangelion video game based on these events). Although events in the manga prove otherwise about Shinji not being forever linked to the Evangelion units, it is still a charming extension of the original idea.

That being said, one of the successes of the original anime Neon Genesis Evangelion and its manga adaptation was the dark psychological drama, and the bleak nature of the story. Every character had a story to tell, or several skeletons in their closet. Whereas here, much of that is not present. True, there are hints of a darker side to the story, but most of the story is basically Asuka bickering with Shinji and/or Rei.

Is it enjoyable? To a certain degree, but to be frank, I much prefer the original anime and the manga. This will be an interesting diversion for Evangelion fans, and for those who like high school comedies, but really, I was expecting a little more substance.


6.5/10

First words: So bright...

Last words: Why can't they understand this?

It may be that the above post may be the last one, for various reasons.

why?
***hugsssssssss***

Maybe I was a little hasty. I am currently reading another book which might be the next entry. Whether it is the last remains to be seen. The next book will most likely be Doctor Who: Beautiful Chaos.

Book 57...

REVIEW: Doctor Who: Beautiful Chaos by Gary Russell

I dunno whether you have noticed, but the original Doctor Who novels I have reviewed for this blog are all by Gary Russell. Maybe it is a really strange coincidence, because he hasn't written that many Doctor Who books, 10, which is less compared to, say, Justin Richards, Terrance Dicks, or Christopher Bulis. I know these names mean nothing to you, but they do to a Whovian. But, well, Gary Russell seems to write good Doctor Who books, what else can I say? Well, except to get on with the review...

The Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble return to modern-day Earth so that Donna can visit her concerned mother Sylvia and her delighted grandfather Wilfred Mott. A new electronics craze is sweeping the world, Irish businessman Dara Morgan at the forefront. Wilfred is having a new star named after him, and has an astronomer friend. And new stars are appearing in the sky. The Doctor realises that he knows what is behind this, a malevolent entity he fought over five centuries ago in Italy...

This is a somewhat reminiscent story, in many respects. It certainly borrows elements from Business Unusual, the last Doctor Who novel I reviewed (also by Gary Russell) in that it involves new electronics being used to spearhead a takeover of the world. This is by no means a bad thing, as Beautiful Chaos reads better than Business Unusual. This is also a sequel to the Doctor Who television story The Masque of Mandragora, but also done excellently.

But that is not all that makes this novel excellent. Although set during one of the latest series of Doctor Who, it actually feels more like a television story than a spin-off novel. And, in fact, the story, even given the fact that it is a sequel to a previous story, is actually accessible, I feel, to a newcomer. Why? It's because of the human drama in it.

One of the things that the new Doctor Who series addresses well is the effects that the Doctor's travels have not only on his companions, but also on his companions' family and friends. This is not just a story about the Doctor stopping an alien takeover, but how he relates to Donna Noble and her family. We have family drama, about how Sylvia Noble's abrasiveness masks a genuine concern for Donna and a sadness for the loss of her husband, and how Wilfred Mott looks up to the Doctor.

An excellent Doctor Who novel, it does not overstay its welcome. If anything, it's a little too simple and clear cut, but it is still very excellent, and I can certainly recommend it to non-fans as well.


9/10

First words: It was raining up on the hill, the steady patter-patter-patter hitting the vast golfing umbrella like bullets on tin.

Last words: "Pop in for a cuppa one day."

Book 58, and the second Doctor Who book in a row...

REVIEW: Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale, The Final Chapter by Russell T Davies and Benjamin Cook


It isn't just novelisations and original stories that I like in my fandom for Doctor Who. It's learning about how they made the show. Good making-of books are not that common for Doctor Who. There was two books in the 70's, or rather, two editions of the same book, only looking at the making of two different stories, there was a pretty good one about the beginning of Doctor Who made in the 80's, another one called Doctor Who: Regeneration on the origins of the American TV movie, and finally, Doctor Who: The Inside Story, a good one on the first two years of the revived series. When I was in the UK, I saw a book called Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale. Gobsmacked by what I thought was an absolutely ridiculous price (the equivalent of $80 Australian dollars), I thought, 'sod that'. However, a year later, not only was a new, updated edition coming out in Australia for a cheaper price, but it happened to be around the time that I got book vouchers for my birthday. So, I ordered, and received, my copy of Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale, The Final Chapter.

Russell T Davies is one of those largely responsible for bringing Doctor Who back onto our screens. The creator of Queer as Folk and The Second Coming became Doctor Who's executive producer, script editor, and chief writer for the series starting with its new 2005 season. This book is made up of emails exchanged between Davies and journalist Benjamin Cook, originally meant to be part of a magazine article series, but which became so much more. The original Writer's Tale covered the fourth and final full season produced under Davies' reign, while the new parts of the updated section cover the making of the four 2009 specials that ended his reign, as well as that of David Tennant, the tenth Doctor.

Reading the correspondance is rather enjoyable because of the candid nature of the language involved. One moment, Davies could be complaining about script problems, and the next, he is fantasising about men he would like to date. I have read one criticism that the email correspondance (supplemented with magazine articles and script extracts) is too self-congratulatory, but it has a certain sense of spontaneity that is excellent and compelling, where we see the trials and tribulations of bringing a popular TV series to life almost in real time. We read about the real life illness of Howard Attfield (who played Donna Noble's father, Geoff, in Doctor Who: The Runaway Bride) and how it affected a casting change, bringing in Bernard Cribbins to play Wilfred Mott. We read about David Tennant's mother dying, and later, Tennant suffering a prolapsed disc. We read about how a mistake in shipping to Dubai lead to the damaging of a bus and led to rewrites of Planet of the Dead.

But we also hear of positive things, like the joy Davies feels when a particular bit of casting comes through, or when Cook learns the identity of the Eleventh Doctor, Matt Smith. We read scenes from various episodes that never made it to screen, but which could have been good, like the origins of Davros, or the crowded Shadow Proclamation. Or even of companions and characters who never made it, like Penny (replaced by Donna).

I am reminded, in reading this, of Michael Palin's diaries, the second volume of which I reviewed for this blog. There is a very similar sense of day-to-day things, talking about things ill-considered and wished to be retracted. However, Davies and Cook have a slightly more vital style of writing than Palin, who tends to be, at times, laconic. This is why I like The Writers Tale, The Final Chapter better.

While Doctor Who fans are sure to get the most out of this, if you're interested in a glimpse into the trials and tribulations of making television, you could do worse than this. Much worse. And it is a fascinating glimpse into the world of a writer and showrunner.



9/10

First words: I've been thinking.

Last words: While always thinking of the ones I never wrote.

After a rather successful jaunt at the Lifeline Bookfest, there will be some new books in the next little while. Most of them will be Doctor Who, so I'll break up the monotony with other books. The next book to be reviewed will probably be Blake's 7: Project Avalon (and what a lucky find that was...).