All Happening In Sci-Fi Land...

Well, it has been a busy busy few months for science fiction. Equally it has been a busy few months for me, Sassy.

In terms of my life, this is because I have been taking exams (preliminary examinations AKA prelims. Basically the Scottish equivalent of mocks). Stressy for me. Also, living in the wild, dangerous and wooly-jumper-clad realms of Scotchland, I have been shuddering at the frozen conditions in many many layers - BRR!

But me and my sad, cold lil life are not the subject of this post - SCIFI IS! And if you are here because you're a scifi fan, I'm assuming you're gonna know what I'm talking about. SO here are my thoughts on the latest news in the land of geek.

First, what else can I talk about, but the ABSOLUTELY EPIC End of Time?! Have to say, Part 1 on Christmas Day left me slightly cold. For one thing it was enormously laugh-light, and what I wanted to see was some classic Tenth Doctor, before he left us forever. I wanted laughs, a Doctor/Donna scene, and a general bit of "Allons-y!" Aside from the Comedy Gold of mischevious Minnie's wandering hand, End of Time did not deliver. Part 2 was slightly better, with a fantastic Wilf/Doctor repartee, and the immortal words (which I am sure are gonna end up on a t-shirt):

Wilf: God Bless the Cactuses!

The Doctor: It's Cacti.

Vinvocci: That's Racist!!

LOL. Loved seeing Gallifrey, and squealed out loud at the little mention of the disgraced Time Lords being punished as Weeping Angels - a fantastic touch which seriously has me wanting more details. How? Why? How again! Again squealed I, at the mention of Rassilon - though I don't watch much classic Who, I know who Rassilon is, and loved that touch for the older fans.

Now, comes the controversial part: The Goodbye Scene. From what I've heard from other Who fans, people seem to be separated into two camps: Loved and Hated. Well sorry haters but I loved it BIG TIME! I thought it was a fantastic farewell to the Doctor, to David Tennant himself, to Russell T Davies, AND to all the wonderful characters who (presumably) we wont be seeing in Series 5/ 1/ 31/ Whatever. Just 3 problems with that:

1. What exactly happened to Tom Milligan?! Martha/ Mickey... They're actually a cute looking couple but just ... huh? Did Tom die? Killed as in crossfire while Martha worked for Torchwood? 'Cause as I recall in Children of Earth, Gwen told Jack that Martha was "On her Honeymoon" but with Tom, or Mickey? Was Tom just dumped in favour of a man who understood the world of the Doctor...? Confuzzled.

2. Jenny should have been there! I know the Doctor thought she died, but supposedly he can "sense" other Time Lords about the place... he should've said goodbye to his Daughter before he regenerated.

3. Rose. Loved seeing her. Loved seeing Jackie. Didn't love the look. Liked the touch of the Boom Town Scarf, but the makeup artist screwed up - this was pre-Doctor Rose, all pink lippy and spidery eyelashes... But those are my only qualms, Other than that the goodbyes were perfect.

In terms of that last line? What a heartbreaker! OHH Doctor, I don't want you to go either... *Sob*

Moving on to a happier note: Dreamland - an Animated Doctor Who Adventure. Liked the storyline, because I find Roswell and the Fifties and all that interesting. Animation? Crap. Someone writing in to Doctor Who magazine said that she was "completely blown away" and that "the visual effects were stunning (a giant leap from the Infinite Quest)". Have to disagree on that front. The animation had the look of a Playstation 1 game, and the movement of the character's limbs were embarrassing to watch. Additionally, the Viperox bug eyes pissed me off INSANELY with the constant popping - considering their supposedly super-sensitive hearing (though, I observed, only super-sensitive when it suited the plot) you would think that pop would have annoyed them too! in terms of the animation, I think the Infinite Quest did the job far better. The excellent script redeemed this, as it had all the classic, happy Tenth Doctor which was almost totally missing from Waters of Mars and End of Time. A keeper for that reason, and that reason only.

Lastly: a note on Doctor Who audiobooks. I received an audiobook for Christmas - The Day of the Troll. I expected to enjoy it, but not to LOVE it as I did. I think this is because I know that there will be no more Tenth Doctor, and I'm keen to soak up every adventure featuring him that there is. The adventures read by David Tennant himself are, to be honest, the only ones I'm interested in, simply because I don't think anyone could be the Doctor better. I love his sexy Scottish burr, I love that he can shift from accent to accent and I just love these stories! ( Love you DT!!)

They're a great idea to get hold of if you're already missing Ten, or you just feel that there is too long a wait between now and New Who in the Spring. Doctor Who titles (as read by David Tennant) are:

The Resurrection Casket (Abridged), by Justin Richards

The Stone Rose (Abridged), by Jacqueline Rayner

The Feast of the Drowned (Abridged), by Stephen Cole

Pest Control, by Peter Anghelides (Specifically written for audio)

The Day of the Troll, by Simon Messingham (Specifically written for audio)

The Last Voyage, by Dan Abnett (Specifically written for audio)

Of those 6 titles I own 4, and am hoping to have all of them soon - Seriously, I must be earning the BBC millions from all my shameless plugs! Just one more... The Specials Box Set looks lush! Think I know what to spend my Xmas money on!

Well, I've rattled on enough! Keep the Blue Light Flashing!

Sassy xx