Here are some comments about books I've read recently:

The Sands of Time by Justin Richards (8/10)

Pyramids of Mars is one of my favorite Doctor Who stories, and I'm also very fond of Peter Davison's time as the Doctor. I was concerned that this book might be using too much of the past -- and it rides the line fairly close -- but fortunately The Sands of Time takes the best of Pyramids of Mars and also mixes it with the best of early Season 20. Nyssa sure gets abused in these Season 20 MAs though, when you look at both Sands of Time and Goth Opera.

The Devil Goblins From Neptune by Keith Topping & Martin Day (7.5/10)

The title is delightful, and the book is a lot of fun, but there is something that didn't quite hit all the points for me. This book is a satire of a Jon Pertwee book (and his era) than a story that naturally fit into the series, even one that takes a 1990s look back at it. It makes for a lot of good jokes, but I'm still unsure if it makes for a good Doctor Who novel. It is not the seventies you would expect a Pertwee story to take place in -- it is a seventies you expect a McCoy story to take place in. ( Compare the sixties of An Unearthly Child or War Machines with the sixties of Remembrance of the Daleks, or the fifties of Delta and the Bannermen and you'll have an idea of what I'm talking about.)

I enjoyed the characterization of the Third Doctor -- which was spot on. I'm not quite sure if the attempt to flesh out Mike Yates character was successful, but Liz and the other UNIT regulars worked out better. I suspect I will like Keith & Martin's upcoming The Hollow Men more, since it will be with the Seventh Doctor.

Business Unusual by Gary Russell (8/10)

The Sixth Doctor and Mel are probably the most maligned Doctor and the most maligned companion in the shows history, so one would expect to think that they wouldn't work well in print, but both Millennial Rites and now Business Unusual manage to exceed what we saw on the screen in Terror of the Vervoids It recognizes a potential in Mel that was only shown in the original outline of the character, a character who is intellegent and enthusiastic. It is a bit indulgent on the fan side -- with the Brigadier returning to meet the Sixth Doctor, as well as introducing Mel, but that's part of the fun of reading one of Gary Russell's Doctor Who novels.

Kursaal by Peter Anghelides (9/10)

As the first 8th Doctor BBC book with a price in US dollars, I'm sure there will be quite a few Americans who will pick this up as their first BBC Book. Fortunately, this is an ideal book for the job. Both the Eighth Doctor and Sam have never been portrayed better in print, and the story is classic Doctor Who story. Unlike the recent vampire novels that have been set in the modern day, Peter Anghelides sets his werewolf story on an entertainment planet, a typical Doctor Who environment. The supporting characters -- Kadijk in particular -- are all well put across on the page as well. As the first 8th Doctor book to not include a returning character or alien from the Original Series, it is reassuring to see this Doctor and companion stand in a story where there aren't all of the elements from the past being used to support the story. Definitely a good place to start with the BBC Books.