Summary: The best books in their respective ranges in a long time. The Taint, 8.5/10, Dead Romance 10/10
I haven't done a lot of reviews recently, partially because of being personally busy, but also because I've found so many of the recent batch of Eighth Doctor novels to be a bit boring and samey. I liked Kursaal well enough, but by the time I reached the Face Eater, I felt that I had re-read Kursaal eight or nine times in the past year or so, with just a variation of style here, or a change of focus there. The Taint may have a lot going for it because it is different from the books that have been coming recently from the Eighth Doctor line; I am rather tired of the Earth Colony type stories that were typical of the 1998 output. The Taint also benefits by introducing a character who has the potential to be the best new companion introduced since Bernice Summerfield; and one of the more unique companion characters created to date.
The Taint is close to what one might expect for a 1990s TV episode of the series; it is straight forward, a solid adventure story with good characterization. Setting a story in the 1960s is a good time; and Collier avoids making any joking references to the early days of the series (I think Remembrance of the Daleks did enough of that, after all). In fact, the only in-joke that I saw was an obscure Avengers reference!
The new companion Fitz is a riot; while I don't have as much of a problem with Sam Jones as some people do, she's not an ideal companion for a literary line. He's also a more refreshing male companion than Chris Cwej, as he's far more a Turlough-type character than anything else. He's a promising addition to the line.
I don't think that the Taint is a classic, but it is certainly a solid, enjoyable Doctor Who novel. After the disaster that was The Longest Day (the worst Who novel I read in 1998), Michael Collier has written a novel that is a solid adventure story, and has gotten me excited about the line again.
Dead Romance, however, could very well be a classic. The best post-Dying Days New Adventure, this book exists in its own universe, almost accidentally (but still very strongly) connected to either regular series of books. I couldn't put the book down; I was instantly hooked from very early on, and as Christine Summerfield slowly enters a more and more fantastic world. Told first person through her diary entries, it makes her familiar (like her missing namesake Bernice), and makes the surprises later in the book more and more amazing.
The book is rather sad in many ways -- I think one of the most tragic parts about the Seventh Doctor is that most of his companions have ended up with rather tragic and depressing fates. This book does not reflect well on either the Doctor (who is not-so-obscurely referenced) or the mysterious race of time travellers who can't be named. The various Doctor Who races mentioned are better served by their obscurity, making things more, and not less disturbing by not giving them a name. There are several images in this book -- which I won't list for spoiler reasons here -- that will stick with me for a very long time.
The book doesn't require you to regularly follow the New Adventures line -- I don't, and if anything this book makes me regret not following the line more closely, this book stands alone and should be read by anyone with an interest in Doctor Who fiction and the Doctor Who universe. And while there are many rewards for regular readers of Doctor Who fiction, I think other SF readers could read it as well, for that matter. Fantastic.