Month: March 2021

Wrap-Up: March 2021

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This month has been an absolute whirlwind. I can’t believe it is already over! The months of this year seem to be flying by quickly. Luckily, I’ve been able to find a lot of great books to enjoy this month. I’ve made significant progress toward my reading goal for this year and am on track to beat it if I can manage to keep up this same pace. We’ll see if life continues to allow it to happen. Regardless, I am excited to reflect on my reading journey from this month. So, without further ado… Here is my wrap-up for March 2021!

What I Read

Master Thief/Lesser Evils by Sophie Iles/Simon Guerrier ⭐⭐⭐

These Doctor Who short audio dramas follow the Master during two of his adventures, which are tangentially connected to other outings in the Time Lord Victorious multimedia project. They are both interesting, straightforward stories that I found fun to listen to.

He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not by Carrie Thompson ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is another audio drama from the Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious crossover event. It follows the 8th Doctor as he discovers a world that is different than it should be. The theme of the story is Western, and it is a fun introduction to Brian the Ood.

Amazing Spider-Man: Sins Rising by Nick Spencer ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This collection of Spider-Man comics pits the web crawler against a resurrected Sin Eater. I enjoyed reading it and found the parallels with violence extremists to be interesting.

Amazing Spider-Man: Green Goblin Returns by Nick Spencer ⭐⭐⭐⭐

These comics make up the conclusion to the Sins Rising story line. In them, Spider-Man must decide whether he is willing to let Norman Osborn be cleansed to prevent him from committing future evil acts. It is an interesting moral dilemma that is fairly well executed.

Into the Dark by Claudia Gray ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The first YA entry in the Star Wars: The High Republic multimedia event was a lot of fun to read. It follows the adventures of several Jedi as they get stranded on an ancient space station after the hyperspace disaster. See the full review!

Solaris Seethes by Janet McNulty ⭐⭐

This book had the potential to be a great story. It had an interesting premise and was filled with fun adventures. It followed a group of people determined to find six crystals before they could be merged into a galaxy-dominating super-weapon. Unfortunately, the writing style was quite annoying and difficult to read. See the full review!

The Enemy of My Enemy by Tracy Ann Barnes ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This next story in the Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious event follows the 8th Doctor as he helps the Daleks broker a peace treaty with a race of people who shouldn’t exist. It was a fun story in which the Daleks were incredibly smart and ruthless. See the full review!

Doctor Who Annual 2021 by Paul Laing ⭐⭐⭐

I bought this book for the Time Lord Victorious background information, but it also has diary entries from the characters of Series 12 of Doctor Who that describe each of the episodes. It is a quick, informative read. See the full review!

Incursion by Mitchell Hogan ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I loved this book. It is an interesting fantasy novel with a unique magic system and great characters. It follows a young man as he attempts to pass his trials to become a Knight while grappling with the darkness rising within him. See the full review!

The Knight, The Fool, & The Dead by Steve Cole ⭐⭐⭐

The first novel in the Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious event is a fun read that follows the 10th Doctor as he faces off against the Kotturuh. Can the Doctor defeat Death? Or, more importantly, should he? See the full review!

Monstrous Beauty by Scott Gray ⭐⭐

This comic follows the 9th Doctor and Rose as they explore the Dark Times. The story is a bit rushed, and I was confused about certain aspects of the story and overall timeline. However, it does provide some background info for other parts of Time Lord Victorious. See the full review!

Genex of Halcyon by Joshua Stelling ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book is a beautifully written look into the potential future of mankind. While the story lacks a clear plot and is confusing at times, the world-building and exploration of deep themes is exceptional. See the full review!

Thurmond’s Saga by Robert John MacKenzie ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thurmond is the most unlikely of heroes, but he dreams of becoming a professional adventurer. After being approached by a stranger to complete some odd tasks, he finds himself on the adventure of a lifetime. This is a fun fantasy story that I highly recommend. See the full review!

Shadow Fall by Alexander Freed ⭐⭐⭐

This second book in the Star Wars Alphabet Squadron trilogy is an improvement on the first novel. It delves deeper into the psyches of the characters and explores the impacts that war can have on a person. Full review is coming soon!

All Flesh Is Grass by Una McCormack ⭐⭐⭐

This book is the climax of the Doctor Who Time Lord Victorious event. It is filled with vampires, Daleks, and a fast-paced adventure. Full review is coming soon!

The House In the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I cannot emphasize enough how much I love this book. It follows case worker Linus Baker as he investigates an orphanage that houses children who just happen to also be magical creatures. The character work, pacing, and emotional tone of this book are all fantastic. Full review is coming soon!

Minds of Magnox by Darren Jones (Narrated by Jacob Dudman) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This Doctor Who Time Lord Victorious audiobook follows the 10th Doctor and Brian the Ood when they land on Magnox to find answers to an important question. The Doctor thinks the Minds of Magnox can give him answers, but, as usual, things don’t go the way the doctor has planned. This audiobook is a fun adventure that provides interesting background information on Brian. Full review is coming soon!

Jairus’s Girl by L.R. Hay ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tammie is a young girl living in Israel during the time period of the life of Jesus. This book was written for children to provide a window into Jesus’s life, and it follows Tammie as she witnesses events firsthand. Full review is coming soon!

Final Thoughts

I can’t believe I read 18 books this month! I usually don’t even read that much in a year. I enjoyed a lot of good books, especially a great number of Doctor Who stories. I hope to finish Time Lord Victorious in the coming month or two. Check back tomorrow to see my reading goal for April 2021!

Have you read any of these books? What did you think? Leave a comment and let me know!

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Book Review – Genex of Halcyon

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Summary

The year is 2051, and the world is a very different place. Global warming has caused catastrophic crises throughout the planet, but the technological breakthroughs of the last 30 years have allowed humanity to progress past its old economic systems. People live in relative peace and harmony with all basic needs met. Genetic manipulation has also increased lifespans and given humans otherworldly qualities never seen before. This story follows a group of people as they navigate their day to day lives for the last three days of 2051. It explores the consequences of their choices on their personal relationships and, potentially, the rest of society.

Things I Liked

The writing in this book is beautiful. It is written almost like a narrative poem, and the author does an excellent job of setting up this futuristic world in a breathtaking way. I also loved the exploration of very deep themes in this book. It seemed almost philosophical in nature and tackled a wide range of issues, including death, free will, technology vs. privacy, and the impacts of genetic manipulation, among others. I enjoyed how much this book made me think and how the author painted a picture of an Earth so different yet grounded in the problems we face as a society today.

Things I Didn’t Like

The lyrical writing style, while beautiful, made the book difficult to follow at times. It also seemed that the major focus was on world-building rather than delivery of a solid, interesting plot. It seemed as though the things that happened were occurring only to drive the philosophical discussions rather than to tell a compelling story. I also failed to connect with the characters and didn’t really like any of them.

Final Thoughts

This book was a fascinating take on what the future of Earth and humanity may look like. The author used beautiful writing to organically weave a world that is fascinating while tackling some very deep and timely themes. However, the plot of the story is weak and difficult to follow, with characters that I didn’t really care about. Despite these flaws, I enjoyed the book and rate it 4 out of 5 stars. I recommend it for fans of science fiction that like a more philosophical approach to storytelling.

Book Review – Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious: The Knight, The Fool, And The Dead

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‘So,’ she said, ‘the trick is to spend our days trying to live instead of trying not to die?’

The Knight, The Fool, And The Dead, page 126

There is a lot to like in this short Doctor Who novel. The tenth doctor has traveled to the Dark Times shortly after declaring himself the Time Lord Victorious, a being who has the discretion to write the rules of time as he sees fit. He is also struggling and running away from his own impending demise after being told a prophecy of his impending death/regeneration. During his adventure to this time period, the Doctor quickly runs into the Kotturuh, a species who judges all creatures by their potential contribution to the universe by imposing life spans on them. This removes the immortality all species had at creation, and, in effect, begins the occurrence of ‘natural death.’ The tenth Doctor, along with an Ood assassin, a survivor of the Kotturuh, and a scientist, struggle to determine how to stop the Kotturuh from passing judgement on more planets before death sweeps across the entire universe.

I enjoyed the fast pace of the book, and it was an easy read. I was able to finish it in a couple hours. However, I do think the shortness of the novel detracted from its ability to tell an excellent story rather than just a good one. I loved learning more about the Kotturuh, and they truly are an interesting foe for the Doctor, especially at the stage of his life during this story. The physical description of them was eery and learning more about how they set lifespans was interesting, if not totally understandable or believable. I also really enjoyed the comedy of Brian, the assassin Ood, and was happy with his appearance in this book since I enjoyed him in previous outings as well. There were hints of depth and greatness sprinkled throughout the book, such as in my favorite quote shown above, but I would have liked more existential musings (especially from the Doctor) given the entire book is about death. The ending, however, sets the Doctor in an interesting place and role, and I’m looking forward to seeing what he does with it in future installments of this multimedia project.

Overall, the book is a good and enjoyable read that is somewhat constrained by its length, lack of depth in approaching a topic such as death, and confusing/unbelievable scientific explanations for the Kotturuh’s abilities. Therefore, I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars.

Update: 2021 Reading Challenge

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As part of starting this blog, I decided to increase my reading goal to 100 books for this year. For the past few years, I have typically averaged between 15 and 30 books per year. So, this new goal is a huge step up from my past reading habits. As of today, I have finished 25 books so far this year, which I consider to be a huge accomplishment. Overall, I’ve enjoyed reading them all, and I’m excited to recap some of my favorites from before I started reviewing my reads on the blog.

Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I really enjoyed this follow up book to Carry On. It was refreshing to see what happens after the hero wins the day, and I liked its exploration of what the ‘chosen one’ does after he is no longer so special. I also loved the LGBT representation in this book. It was a great read to start the year!

The Accursed Kings Series by Maurice Druon

This series is an historical fiction tale describing the fall of the Capetian French dynasty and the beginning of the Hundred Years War. It is a fantastic tale of kings, queens, and nobles filled with intrigue, murder, and political plotting. I started reading the series because I wanted to learn more about French history after learning some details about my own French ancestry. I enjoyed the series immensely as a whole, but some of the books were better than others. The writing style changed abruptly for the last book, and it was a struggle to get through it. It seemed almost superfluous to the story. However, the rest of the series was well done and told a very engaging story while providing interesting info about French history. The books in the series are

  • The Iron King ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • The Strangled Queen ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • The Poisoned Crown ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • The Royal Succession ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • The She Wolf ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • The Lily and the Lion ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • The King Without a Kingdom ⭐⭐⭐

Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I think this was a good first entry to the High Republic crossover event. It set up many characters, and the disaster that starts the book off was interesting. I found the particulars of the disaster and hyperspace to be somewhat confusing, but it didn’t impact my enjoyment of the story. I enjoyed seeing the Jedi order and Republic in action during a different time period, and I am looking forward to seeing how this golden age turns into the corruption of the Senate and deterioration of the Jedi order seen in the prequel movies. The villains were intriguing but not up to par with the threat of the Sith. However, the book made it seemed as if there is still more to them than we know. Overall, I think it was a good introduction to this time period.

A Test of Courage by Justina Ireland

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I loved this book, which was a pleasant surprise. I bought it so I wouldn’t miss out on parts of the High Republic story, but I didn’t expect much from it since it is a children’s book. However, the story was really good and tackled some deep themes well, especially coping with loss and grief. It ended up being my favorite of the first wave of High Republic books. If you were thinking of skipping it…don’t!

He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not by Carrie Thompson

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is one of the first audio dramas in the Time Lord Victorious multimedia event. It is a Western story set on an alien planet. It was fun, and I enjoyed the introduction of Brian the Ood. I didn’t see how it would relate to the overall event at the time, but it sets up some things that become relevant in later stories.

I look forward to seeing what is in store in the next 75 books throughout this year. As always, I will keep you all posted. What are some of your favorite reads so far this year?

ARC Review – Thurmond’s Saga

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***Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of the book. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***

Summary

This story is a fun coming of age adventure that is set in a medieval fantasy. Thurmond, a peasant boy from a village in the middle of nowhere, dreams of becoming an adventurer. Unfortunately, the Order of adventurers will not accept him because he lacks training and equipment, which leads to him working odd jobs in the city until he gets his big break. One fateful day, Thurmond is approached by a stranger with an opportunity to get the experience he needs, which sets him off on a series of life-changing adventures that give him the opportunity to (maybe) become a professional adventurer himself one day. He faces a series of obstacles, including trolls, goblins, and powerful witches, all of which test his mettle and ideals.

Things I Liked

There is so much to like about this book. The attention to detail about the medieval setting is very good. I learned a lot about the armor and weapons from this time period. Thanks to reading this on my Kindle, I learned a lot of new words, as well. I found the writing and story to be engaging throughout the book. It was easy to follow and full of action until the very end. The romance element was incorporated in a fun way and progressed naturally without overshadowing the rest of the story.

The characters were amusing. I particularly enjoyed the humor of the dwarf and the way Sarah was characterized and utilized in the story. She was just as much the hero as any of the male characters, and I liked that the author showed the internal struggle of the men to accept her as a vital part of the group despite the prevailing attitudes of the time toward women. Thurmond’s adventures also led to him learning important lessons and losing some of his naivete as the story progresses.

Things I Didn’t Like

There wasn’t much I didn’t like about this book. However, the characterization of many of the other characters in the book was a bit one-note, especially the villains. They were portrayed as pretty dumb and prone to having fits of rage or hysteria, which were a bit over the top and almost comical. While this was fun to read, it took away a lot of gravitas the book could have had otherwise.

Wrap-Up

All in all, Thurmond’s Saga is a fun, fast-paced fantasy adventure set in medieval times. It is a great coming of age story for both the main protagonist, Thurmond, and one of his companions, Sarah. The detail of the world-building and structure of the story are easy to follow and understand. While the main villains came off a bit flat, I definitely recommend this adventure to people who enjoy fantasy, magic, and the medieval world. Therefore, I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Book Review – Solaris Seethes

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Goodreads Synopsis

A perfect blend of the epic space adventure made famous by Star Wars, to the fun and wit of Star Trek, and the gritty emotions of Battlestar Galactica. It’s also a perfect cure for those who are tired of sparkling vampires and “My inner goddess.” Every myth has a beginning.

After escaping the destruction of her home planet, Lanyr, with the help of the mysterious Solaris, Rynah must put her faith in an ancient legend. Never one to believe in stories and legends, she is forced to follow the ancient tales of her people: tales that also seem to predict her current situation.

Forced to unite with four unlikely heroes from an unknown planet (the philosopher, the warrior, the lover, the inventor) in order to save the Lanyran people, Rynah and Solaris embark on an adventure that will shatter everything Rynah once believed.

My Review

Solaris Seethes by Janet McNulty follows the adventure of Rynah as she flees the destruction of her world. During her escape, Rynah discovers Solaris, an old spaceship with artificial intelligence crafted by her grandfather. With the help of Solaris, Rynah recruits a crew of individuals from throughout Earth’s history who can help fulfill an ancient prophecy to keep other worlds from the destruction her home has experienced. In a race against a villain hell-bent on the destruction and subjugation of every sector of space, the crew must overcome a myriad of obstacles to find six ancient crystals before they can be brought together to create a superweapon of unimaginable destruction.

I have mixed feelings about this book. The story is interesting and intriguing, but the execution is pretty poor. The first half of the book is full of writing plagued by parenthetical explanations (random parentheses filled with descriptions or facts about the worlds or characters…like this). It was distracting and took me out of the story. A more organic approach to world-building would have been preferred. The writing did improve in the second half of the book if you are able to stick with it for that long. The plot was very repetitive, as well, with the characters constantly running from place to place. Many of the main accomplishments of the characters also fell flat for me because they seemed to come a bit too easy.

The best thing about the book was the character moments that happened in the few lulls in the action. I enjoyed the growth of Brie the most and think her arc was fun to read. Solaris was a star of the book, as well, with her witty and sarcastic personality. I also liked the overall set up of the story and the use of prophecy and mystery throughout the book. However, I don’t think there was enough payoff for the book’s mysteries before it’s end. It felt like this was the first of many books without a story of its own to tell. I prefer each book to have at least some sort of discrete story even if it is part of larger over-arching series plot.

Overall, this story was fun, fast-paced, and intriguing. However, it was plagued by an annoying writing style, repetitive plot, unearned accomplishments for the characters, and an inability to stand on its own. Therefore, I rate it 2 out of 5 stars. Unfortunately, I will not be reading the rest of this series, but I really did want to like it and found the premise interesting.

Comic Book Review – Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious: Monstrous Beauty

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Monstrous Beauty is a three-part comic that was published in the Doctor Who Magazine as part of the Time Lord Victorious multimedia project. In this comic, we find the 9th doctor and Rose after they accidentally venture into the dark times at the very beginning of creation. Throughout this adventure they face multiple obstacles and encounter new, but ancient, species that seem to have a taste for blood.

I don’t hate this story, but I don’t love it either. The premise is interesting, and we get to see a little more of the dark times and some of the monsters that are supposed to make it so scary. It also did a great job of portraying the 9th doctor and Rose. The dialogue really made me feel like I was watching an episode with the two of them in it. The story also provided a glimpse into what the Gallifreyans were up to at this point in history, which was interesting but also confusingly contradictory to the current canon as outlined in the Timeless Children. For example, the Gallifreyan people we see in this comic clearly have mastered space travel, but their genetics are different from that of the doctor, which I assume means they cannot regenerate yet. However, one the most recent episodes of the show indicated that the first space traveler, Tecteun, was also the person who granted the Time Lords regeneration abilities. So, how can they have advanced space travel but not regeneration? Maybe I just missed some detail that explains this, but I still find it very confusing. Most importantly, the ending of this story was rushed and did not make sense to me at all. I think the story would have been better if it had more issues to flesh out the conflicts and resolutions.

Overall, I came away from this comic feeling underwhelmed and somewhat confused. While certain aspects of it were fun to see (it truly was a delight to see nine and Rose back together), this was clearly a forgettable, filler story to explain how the ninth doctor shows up in other parts of the Time Lord Victorious story. Therefore, I rate it 2 out of 5 stars.

March 2021 Reading List

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Now that March is halfway finished, I’ve decided to set some reading goals for the second half of the month. I’m trying to read more, and I’ve found setting concrete goals helps me consistently increase or maintain the amount of reading I do. So, here goes… By March 31, I plan to read the following titles:

  • Genex of Halcyon by Joshua Stelling (ebook)
  • Thurmond’s Saga by Robert John Mackenzie (ebook)
  • The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (physical copy)
  • Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious: All Flesh is Grass by Una McCormack (physical copy)
  • Star Wars: Shadow Fall by Alexander Freed (physical copy)
  • Star Wars: Victory’s Price by Alexander Freed (physical copy)
  • Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious: The Minds of Magnox by Darren Jones (audiobook)

In case you haven’t noticed, I love Doctor Who and Star Wars. 🙂 Needless to say, I have a pretty busy couple of weeks ahead of me, but I am looking forward to all of these books. Now I just need to make it happen!

How do you make sure you meet your reading goals? I’d love to hear some suggestions!

Book Review – Incursion

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Goodreads Synopsis

An immersive and ambitious new series from the Aurealis Award winning author of A Crucible of Souls.

A corrupted power stirs from beyond the grave.
A sacred order of knights sworn to protect the world from evil.
The Necromancer Queen will rise again.

Seventeen years have passed since the Necromancer Queen Talia was overthrown and slain, and her capital city destroyed by the Knights of the Order of Eternal Vigilance.

Anskar DeVantte, raised in the sacred disciplines of the Order, is now ready to face the brutal initiation trials to become a consecrated knight-sorcerer.

But the further Anskar rises in the ranks the more his faith wavers, and he is beset by harrowing dreams and uncertainty. As troubling powers awaken within him, a schism grows between Anskar and his hallowed Order, and he draws the hungry gaze of the vanquished queen’s fanatical followers.

As Anskar pieces together the mysteries of his early life, and begins to understand the malevolent forces gathering in his path, he finds himself with a crucial choice to make:

Remain loyal to the Order’s righteous mission, or control the dark powers growing within him.

Either way, his destiny is steeped in war. The only question is, which side will he be on?

My Review

***Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing a free copy of the book. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***

This book is an excellent example of how good fantasy can be! I was hooked from the very beginning, which outlined the defeat of the necromancer queen by the knights of the Order of Eternal Vigilance and the queen’s promise to eventually return from the dead. From there, the book picks up 16-17 years later and follows two main characters, Carred and Anskar. Carred is the lover and captain of the former queen, who continues to lead a rebellion in the hopes her queen will one day return. Throughout the book, she continues to fight to save her people and culture from the invading knights while struggling to maintain the motivation to do so after so many years of defeat. Most of the book follows Anskar, a teenage boy on the verge of becoming a man. He longs to be the best knight in the Order of Eternal Vigilance. He works hard to pass his trials while attempting to understand his identity and growing power in addition to grappling with a deepening understanding that the Order he has always wanted to be part of may not be all it seems.

There are so many great things about this book it is impossible to include them all in this review. The characters are well-rounded and a great deal of time is spent on building an understanding of them and their inner worlds. Great care is also given to building the world the characters inhabit. The author is very good at describing different aspects of the societies involved in the story, including the religious, political, and economic realities the characters must face. I also found the magic system in this world to be unique and intriguing and am looking forward to learning more about it in future books. I liked how the author presented the world-building information as if the reader was learning the information along with Anskar throughout the novel.

As for the topics and themes in the book, there are a lot. Some of my favorites were the tackling of racism, the exploration of the impact of oppression on indigenous people and their culture, and the highlighting of the hypocritical nature of many leaders and religious figures. I was also pleased to find some bisexual representation in the book. Most of all, I loved the way the author explored moralistic relativism and the shift of Anskar’s thinking from the black and white of conventional moral reasoning to more of a post-conventional moral rationale. A lot of fantasy novels have a clear picture of who is good and evil. By the end of the novel, I was honestly questioning whose side to be on.

There is not a lot I didn’t like about this book, but I do have two criticisms. First, the book was slow and wordy at times, especially in the initial third of the book. However, that was offset for me by the characterization and world-building that occurred. Second, I was able to predict the big twist from almost the beginning of the book. The author gave a lot of hints and clues throughout the novel, and I picked up on them very early on, which made the ending somewhat less impactful. Although, I was proud of myself for figuring it out. So, it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the novel that much overall.

Overall, I give Incursion 4 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it to fans of fantasy because of its great characterization, world-building, and use of interesting themes.

Book Review – Doctor Who The Official Annual 2021

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Goodreads Synopsis

The must-have gift for Doctor Who fans of all ages!

Join the Doctor for a brand new adventure in the TARDIS! Jam packed with activities, puzzles, stories and so much more, this beautifully illustrated annual will entertain fans for hours.

My Review

So, I bought this for the Time Lord Victorious tie-in information, but I read the entire book. It is filled with information about Series 12 of Doctor Who and provides diary entries from the cast that describe each episode. The book also has games and quizzes throughout, which showed me I need to re-watch this series of the show because I didn’t do so great on the quizzes. I learned some things from the book that I never knew, such as the reason for the TARDIS console having six sides. Overall, the book was filled with interesting info about the most recent series, but keep in mind the book is targeted for a younger audience.

As for the Time Lord Victorious part of the book, it was fun to read because it was written as if Melody Malone (AKA River Song) wrote it for a newspaper. The information provided a glimpse into the dark times and set up the overall narrative for the entire project. However, I found nothing here that I hadn’t already pieced together from the other media available. I would not consider this required reading for the Time Lord Victorious story.

This annual was a short, fun read that provided details about series 12 of Doctor Who, games, quizzes, and a setup of the Time Lord Victorious with descriptions of its key players. It was an enjoyable, but unnecessary, read. Therefore, I rate it 3 out of 5 stars. I recommend it for anyone wanting a refresher on series 12 without actually watching it. Children also may especially enjoy this book because of the games and puzzles it contains.