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Doctor Who: Myths and Legends

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Member Reviews

Doctor Who is one of my favorite shows so of course, I requested this one. These stories will capture Doctor Who fans.

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I'm a Doctor Who fan, I'm a mythology fan and I am a also a fan of retellings. What's not to love about this book?
Well known myths with a Whovian twist is the greatest idea I've heard, The stories are so fun and enjoyable that any fan will love them.

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I don't quite know what I love more, Doctor Who or Mythology, but having the opportunity to read myths from the Doctor's world. Many of my students don't enjoy reading, so being able to share shorter stories should be a great way to allow them to get their feet wet. I already know several students who won't be able to wait to get their hands on this!

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Despite rather enjoying the TV series, which I've been watching since before its modern regeneration, this book left me feeling like I'm not really a big enough fan, or paying enough attention. Or, it really is just a bit obscure ;)

The writing style makes me think it's for a slightly younger audience, which would explain a lot. Personally, I found it ok but not quite up to my expectations - which, admittedly, were pretty high giving the meeting of Greek myths and Time Lords.

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For the true Doctor Who fan, this book is a good study on the basic symbolism of the series. Each entry in the book introduces a new villain alongside a new alien race' each side is in a bid for its life and/or its ongoing power.

Also, in each story, an underlying theme presents itself--survival at any and all costs. The question--does survival mean violence, strategy, wisdom, chicanery, luck or, perhaps, a combination of all of these? Reading these tales gives the reader food for thought on just how far our world has come--or has it???

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A great set of fourteen short stories about legends and myths. My daughter is a great fan of Dr. Who and would just love this selection of stories.

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Well, I have to say this did not disappoint! Before I go any further, this was an awesome read! The title is a bit misleading, though. It says, "Myths & Legends" in the title, but reads more like factual or historical tales from alien worlds in the Doctor Who universe. That could have been intentional, but it does feel a bit strange that it did not read as myths or legends of events but rather of actual events themselves.

Additionally, sorry to disappoint those who might have been hopeful that Doctor Who would be the main feature of the novel - he is most certainly not though he is alluded to in some of the tales.

So now that we have those two points down, I'm really excited to talk about the diversity of this book. You'll see so many alien species - known and possibly new (this is my first Who novel, so perhaps some that were foreign to me have appeared before). The book talks vividly about the worlds these aliens come from, what they look like, government, and sometimes social structure! It really is fascinating. Before you know it, you've been sucked into each tale and you want to know more about the alien people's histories, culture, people, and more. That's the one downside to this book, I think. The short tales are so excellently written and vivid in detail, that you're left wanting "more" from each tale and there isn't any.

Some feature information that preludes events in the most recent seasons of Doctor Who and give a bit more background on things that happened in the show, which also ties in beautifully. The Doctor does make some cameos in a tale or two, without being named, so that was also very intriguing because it makes you truly wonder how much he was involved in that we aren't aware of, which is something I am always wondering while watching the show itself. What does he get up to when he is companion-less?

Overall, without giving too much more away I highly recommend adding this collection of Tales from the Doctor's universe, especially if you're wondering about other Alien peoples and events that aren't featured on the show. It is vibrantly written, draws you in, and leaves you wanting more! There is no bumpy transition or gaps based on the format we're used to either, thankfully! I will definitely be picking this up for myself in physical version to add to my bookshelf. I hope you do too.

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If you're looking for an analysis of how these myths and legends fit into the core Doctor Who world/fandom or something like that, you're looking in the wrong place. If you want a review of how much you'd like this collection of short stories even if you're not a hardcore fan, I guess that's where this review would fit. (Note: I have watched some Doctor Who as my siblings are fans, but I'm generally too lazy to follow a TV series. Don't kill me.)

Doctor Who: Myths and Legends is a collection of shorts, mostly based in/around Gallifrey, or at least various Time Lords, that makes for light sci-fi reading. This is probably harsh judgement, based off the fact that I've just finished reading Paula Guran's Swords Against Darkness, but it is what it is: light reading. The stories are short, in some cases, almost simplistic, and some feel as if they end too abruptly. Some background knowledge about the Doctor Who universe is encouraged; I'm guessing that a true fan would decipher what was going on in The Unwanted Gift of Prophecy better than I did.

However, the stories are based on myths (well-known examples include King Midas, Medusa, the Trojan Horse, and Pandora's box; others are a little more obscure), so anyone interested in retellings of myths would probably like these science-fiction spins to those classic tales. Doctor Who fans need not fret - Lord High President Rassilon makes multiple appearances, as does the Doctor, though not in every single story. You will also meet the Daleks and the Weeping Angels.

The stories I enjoyed particularly include The Mondas Touch, The Terrible Manussa, The Angels Of Vengeance, The Jeopardy Of Solar Proximity, and The Multi-Faceted War.

Note: I received an e-galley of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Any time I get a chance to read something from Doctor Who, I go for it. I was especially pleased by this selection as I'm always pleased by different mythologies being well-incorporated. The only downside for me was that it felt a bit jilted a at times instead of cohesive and some of the endings felt too abrupt to me. I couldn't, in good consciousness, give it a 4-star rating but I'd definitely give it a 3.5 if I could give half stars. I think if you're a fan of the series, current or past, you'll definitely enjoy this book and you'll enjoy it even more if you've read much mythology. Overall an enjoyable book and I hope the publisher decides to do more in a similar vein.

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I personally thought this was a wonderful book. It was filled with adventures most relating back to the idea of the Time Lord. There were some parts of this book that I thought could have been shorter in length and dragged on a bit, but other than that, it was pure enjoyment and I really liked it.

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I am not sure what this book was supposed to be about, but it seemed really cheaply done. I wouldn't spend any time reading it or give to anyone for a gift.

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This collection of short stories is great for fans of Doctor Who and even for those who are not familiar with the programme. Full of myths and legends, not only from the Time Lords' points of view but also from many of the other aliens and races found in the series. I even found myself rooting for the Sontarans at one point!

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Enjoyable short story selection featuring different incarnations of The Doctor and linked (obviously) by well known Myths and Legends.
Just right for dipping into when you have a spare 10 minutes or so

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I was torn on what to rate this book. As an avid fan of Doctor Who, I would rate it 4 stars. But trying to read it with the mindset of someone who isn't familiar with Doctor who, I would have to take off one or two of those stars.

If you aren't familiar with Doctor Who, this would probably read as a mediocre collection of Sci-fi short stories. Just okay.

BUT. If you are a Doctor Who fan, this book is chalk full of fun retelling of familiar myths and legends set in the Who-universe.

Each story brought something new to a familiar aspect of Doctor Who. We get appearances by the Cybermen, Daleks, Racnoss, Sontarans, etc. Plus there were even a few appearances by the Doctor himself! (although I would have liked more)

It was also fun to see myths & legends from our own world retold with a Doctor Who twist. King Midas, Medusa, Icarus, the Trojan Horse, Pandora's Box, and many more myths are very recognizable, and I really enjoyed reading about how they might have happened in space. :)

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Attention all whovians! If you are a whivian then this is definitely the book for you.
This book gives an indepth background of how the Timelords evolved, their cast system and motivations. The descriptions are in depth and the characters, although unknown, are well developed.
I loved how the book gave the history of almost all the TV episodes. I would love to see these incorporated into the shows as well.

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As the Doctor once said "We are all stories in the end".
Here we examine various retellings of classic Greek Myths through the lens of the Doctor Who universe.
The book has a wonderful mixture of Classic monsters and New. There is fun as seeing which monsters (The Macra) or people (Rassilion) turn up in different stories.
As for our heroic Time Lord, he is relegated to a bit part if at all. These aren't his stories. These is a method of story telling that I like to see in the TV series, what the universe is like when the Doctor isn't there.
The methods of adaptation are great fun too. Ranging from a snake haired woman who turn people into seeming statues to Ice Warriors who have no choice but to fly too close to the Sun.
I highly recommend this book.

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Richard Dinnick’s “Doctor Who: Myths and Legends” is a collection of over a dozen short stories geared for younger readers. They are basically retellings of Greek mythology – Medusa, King Midas, Icarus, Promethus, Pandora, and so on. The quality is a bit varied – I definitely found some of the stories more enjoyable and well-written than others – but none of them are duds! Each story is stand-alone, so you don’t have to read them in order.

There are also quite a few enemies that Whovians will find familiar – Daleks, Sontarans, Cybermen, the Weeping Angels, the Racnoss, even the Master. There is also a strange figure who shows up repeatedly, although never with the same name or face, frequently in the nick of time. Hmm….. wonder who THAT could be!

The focus of the book is not the Doctor but his home planet of Gallifrey. So it is not really a Doctor-centric book. But it’s a great way to pass some time while waiting for the Christmas Special!

I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

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Doctor Who Myths and Legends is a brilliant new Doctor Who short story collection. I liked the different types of story (some were lighter and others more philosophical) and thought they made fantastic scifi retellings of well known myths and legends. A must read for any Doctor Who fan!

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I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

I love Dr. Who, and this series of short stories set in the Whovian universe is sure to offer at least a few that a Whovian will love. I adored some of the stories, some didn't work for me, but that's normal with a series of shorts (for me at least.)

It'd be a great gift for a Who fan who likes to read. :)

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An astonishing peek behind the long hidden histories and myths of the Time Lords. A must for any fan of the Doctor and Sci Fi in general.

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