Original Sin
by Andy Lane
Doctor Who: The New Adventures (39), Doctor Who {non-TV} (Novels — NA Novel)
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I am currently only about two-thirds through this book, but am reviewing it early because I'm getting bored by it and already want to move on.
Original Sin is not one of the best new Adventures, but not one of the worst. It's demonstrative of how the Doctor Who writers agree on a future history that is exactly the opposite of Star Dreck's. It's a nasty milieu, a quasi-dystopia in which an arrogant Earth Empire has brutally dominated (often destroyed) many alien civilizations. While not particularly enjoying their vision, I appreciate it for displaying a much better understanding of human nature than the foolish meliorism of Gene Roddenberry. It's not Roddenberry but it's not Philip K. Dick either.
What's disgusting is not the Earth of show more Lane's future history; it's the prevailing fad among the future human characters. Popular, though not ubiquitous, is a process called "body-beppling" in which humans deliberately have themselves genetically mutated to rememble...whatever they want. One supporting character here has body-beppled himself into an elephant man, while Adjudicator (and eventual new companion) Chris Cwej resembles...well, I say it's a lion, but the characters seem to consider it a teddy-bear. Idiots. I got pretty tired of Cwej stroking his "golden fur."
This wasn't an unpleasant waste of my time, but I'm not sure I'll keep the book, much less re-read it. show less
Original Sin is not one of the best new Adventures, but not one of the worst. It's demonstrative of how the Doctor Who writers agree on a future history that is exactly the opposite of Star Dreck's. It's a nasty milieu, a quasi-dystopia in which an arrogant Earth Empire has brutally dominated (often destroyed) many alien civilizations. While not particularly enjoying their vision, I appreciate it for displaying a much better understanding of human nature than the foolish meliorism of Gene Roddenberry. It's not Roddenberry but it's not Philip K. Dick either.
What's disgusting is not the Earth of show more Lane's future history; it's the prevailing fad among the future human characters. Popular, though not ubiquitous, is a process called "body-beppling" in which humans deliberately have themselves genetically mutated to rememble...whatever they want. One supporting character here has body-beppled himself into an elephant man, while Adjudicator (and eventual new companion) Chris Cwej resembles...well, I say it's a lion, but the characters seem to consider it a teddy-bear. Idiots. I got pretty tired of Cwej stroking his "golden fur."
This wasn't an unpleasant waste of my time, but I'm not sure I'll keep the book, much less re-read it. show less
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2069151.html
Andy Lane has rarely disappointed me, and this New Adventure, introducing new companions Roz Forrester and Chris Cwej, is up to his usual standards, with lots of good ideas - mollusc-like aliens resenting their recent defeat by humanity; a peculiar radiation that induces homicidal psychosis in its victims; a richly imagined array of settings, including a bootleg medical centre in the former church of St James Garlickhythe; and the rather glorious return of an old enemy who has been very active behind the scenes for centuries - all disciplined reasonably well.
Andy Lane has rarely disappointed me, and this New Adventure, introducing new companions Roz Forrester and Chris Cwej, is up to his usual standards, with lots of good ideas - mollusc-like aliens resenting their recent defeat by humanity; a peculiar radiation that induces homicidal psychosis in its victims; a richly imagined array of settings, including a bootleg medical centre in the former church of St James Garlickhythe; and the rather glorious return of an old enemy who has been very active behind the scenes for centuries - all disciplined reasonably well.
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61+ Works 5,306 Members
Andy Lane is a journalist, novelist and TV writer. The first volume of his guide to Babylon 5 has rapidly become the de facto work of reference on the series, and on the strength of it he is currently consulting on a licensed Babylon 5 project. His book The Band Files (written with Paul Simpson) does for Ian Fleming what this book does for J. show more Michael Straczynski. show less
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Has the adaptation
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Original Sin
- Original publication date
- 1995-06-15
- People/Characters
- The Doctor (7th); Bernice Summerfield; Roz Forrester; Chris Cwej; Tobias Vaughn; Provost-Major Beltempest (show all 18); Doc Dantalion; Zebulon Pryce; Fenn Martle; Annie Falvoriss; Olias; Homeless Forsaken Betrayed and Alone; Powerless Friendless and Scattered Through Space; Hater of Humans and Leader of Hith; Hopeless Itinerant Taking the Blame; Dweller in Sorrow Abandoned and Lost; Waiting for Justice and Dreaming of Home; Avenging Injustice and Burning with Ire
- Important places
- Oolis; London, England, UK (Spaceport 5 Overcity); Purgatory [in Original Sin]; Dis
- Epigraph
- 'Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhereThe ceremony of innocence is drowned [ ... ]And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,Slo... (show all)uches towards Bethlehem to be born?'W.B. Yeats, The Second Coming
'We will sing of great crowds excited by work, by pleasure and by riot; we will sing of the multicoloured, polyphonic tides of revolution in the modern capitals; we will sing of the vibrant nightly fervour of arsenals and shi... (show all)pyards blazing with violent electric moons ...Emilio Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, The Manifesto of Futurism - First words
- A cold wind blew orange dust across the landing strip and into Homeless Forsaken's stalked eyes.
- Original language
- English
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- Members
- 189
- Popularity
- 173,135
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.54)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook
- ISBNs
- 2
