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Doctor Who: The Glamour Chronicles #3
Doctor Who: Deep Time
An original adventure tying in to the ninth season of Doctor Who, the spectacular hit series from BBC Television, featuring the new 12th Doctor as played by Peter Capaldi.
"I do hope you’re all ready to be terrified!"
The Phaeron disappeared from the universe over a million years ago. They travelled among the stars using roads made from time and space, but left only relics behind. But what actually happened to the Phaeron? Some believe they were they eradicated by a superior force… Others claim they destroyed themselves.
Or were they in fact the victims of an even more hideous fate?
In the far future, humans discover the location of the last Phaeron road – and the Doctor and Clara join the mission to see where the road leads.
Each member of the research team knows exactly what they’re looking for – but only the Doctor knows exactly what they’ll find.
Because only the Doctor knows the true secret of the a monstrous secret so terrible and powerful that it must be buried in the deepest grave imaginable…
"I do hope you’re all ready to be terrified!"
The Phaeron disappeared from the universe over a million years ago. They travelled among the stars using roads made from time and space, but left only relics behind. But what actually happened to the Phaeron? Some believe they were they eradicated by a superior force… Others claim they destroyed themselves.
Or were they in fact the victims of an even more hideous fate?
In the far future, humans discover the location of the last Phaeron road – and the Doctor and Clara join the mission to see where the road leads.
Each member of the research team knows exactly what they’re looking for – but only the Doctor knows exactly what they’ll find.
Because only the Doctor knows the true secret of the a monstrous secret so terrible and powerful that it must be buried in the deepest grave imaginable…
256 pages, Paperback
First published September 8, 2015
About the author
Trevor Baxendale
77 books46 followersTrevor Baxendale is a novelist who has penned several Doctor Who tie-in novels and audio dramas. He lives in Liverpool, England with his wife and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews
October 2, 2015
I'm really glad that the last of this year's otherwise underwhelming bunch of Twelfth Doctor novels finally turned out to be something I could actually, genuinely, enjoy.
This was fun. Proper space exploration, time travel, dangerous situations (and gory deaths!), fun. The guest cast was rather large but pretty well drawn - I got a sense of personality and character with each of them, which doesn't always happen with large casts in short novels. The plot was probably the weakest part of the book - I found myself wishing this whole Glamour Chronicles thing had not been a, well, thing, because I think this could have made a stronger story if it hadn't had to try and tie up some awfully vague loose ends from the other two books.
Also, and perhaps most importantly, this book actually featured Twelve and Clara in significant roles. Seriously, when I read a Doctor Who novel, I want it to have the Doctor in it (and for more than a few brief scenes). Especially when it comes to Twelve. Adorable, glorious, grumpy, excitable, arrogant, delightful Twelve. *wants to cuddle Twelve*
Also, and even more importantly, it even had a character mention Twelve's "lovely curls". Yes, finally an official tie-in book that acknowledges that! And then there was hair-ruffling, too. (I wonder if the author has lurked in places that fangirls inhabit. Because Twelve's hair, and Capaldi's habit of ruffling those glorious curls of his, is a very well-discussed topic. Ahem.)
(I mean, just look at him. This. This is what I mean.)
... right, I should probably restrain myself and get back to reviewing the book instead of gushing over Twelve and/or the utter gorgeousness that is Peter Capaldi.
Clara was perhaps a little, hm, weaker than I'm used to seeing her, but hey, for her the adventures came straight after an exhausting day at work, so there's that. And she handled herself well. And her relationship with the Doctor was good fun. I loved the bit with the hot chocolate!
Also, there was space travel. And time travel. And alien planets. And lots of gory deaths. Did I mention gory deaths? Yeah. (Mind you, one of the people who met a rather gory end miraculously had a weapon pointed at them a few chapter later. Oopsie at editing stage, I guess. Fortunately I didn't come across too many of such issues.)
This was fun. Proper space exploration, time travel, dangerous situations (and gory deaths!), fun. The guest cast was rather large but pretty well drawn - I got a sense of personality and character with each of them, which doesn't always happen with large casts in short novels. The plot was probably the weakest part of the book - I found myself wishing this whole Glamour Chronicles thing had not been a, well, thing, because I think this could have made a stronger story if it hadn't had to try and tie up some awfully vague loose ends from the other two books.
Also, and perhaps most importantly, this book actually featured Twelve and Clara in significant roles. Seriously, when I read a Doctor Who novel, I want it to have the Doctor in it (and for more than a few brief scenes). Especially when it comes to Twelve. Adorable, glorious, grumpy, excitable, arrogant, delightful Twelve. *wants to cuddle Twelve*
Also, and even more importantly, it even had a character mention Twelve's "lovely curls". Yes, finally an official tie-in book that acknowledges that! And then there was hair-ruffling, too. (I wonder if the author has lurked in places that fangirls inhabit. Because Twelve's hair, and Capaldi's habit of ruffling those glorious curls of his, is a very well-discussed topic. Ahem.)
(I mean, just look at him. This. This is what I mean.)
... right, I should probably restrain myself and get back to reviewing the book instead of gushing over Twelve and/or the utter gorgeousness that is Peter Capaldi.
Clara was perhaps a little, hm, weaker than I'm used to seeing her, but hey, for her the adventures came straight after an exhausting day at work, so there's that. And she handled herself well. And her relationship with the Doctor was good fun. I loved the bit with the hot chocolate!
Also, there was space travel. And time travel. And alien planets. And lots of gory deaths. Did I mention gory deaths? Yeah. (Mind you, one of the people who met a rather gory end miraculously had a weapon pointed at them a few chapter later. Oopsie at editing stage, I guess. Fortunately I didn't come across too many of such issues.)
August 28, 2020
Dieser Teil war soo viel besser, als die vorherigen zwei. Es war wieder eine richtige Doctor Geschichte 💙
December 13, 2015
I managed to read this while dealing with family holiday stuff, and finally finished! Thoughts:
Rating: 4 out of 5
Likes:
-interesting characters
-it reads like a DW episode
-fascinating plot
-unexpected ending
-Clara
-women being awesome
-good people fighting bad
-brief moment where the Doctor says he met C.S. Lewis and took him to Narnia (Eeeeeek!)
Dislikes:
-single quotations 'when people talk' (I like double quotations better, but this wasn't all bad)
-book two in series (I didn't read book one, but this really works as a standalone)
-certain character (won't say who so as to avoid spoilers)
-how short the story seemed, even though it's close to 200 pages
-I DON'T HAVE THE OTHER TWO BOOKS!!!!
Really, I loved this book, enough that I will probably get the others in the series, and look forward to more by this author. Reading this made me believe I was actually watching the show, it was well written, thought-provoking, and entertaining all around!
I'm definitely going to look forward to more Doctor Who books, because if they're all like this then I am seriously missing out.
Thoughts: definitely check this book out, if not outright buy it!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Likes:
-interesting characters
-it reads like a DW episode
-fascinating plot
-unexpected ending
-Clara
-women being awesome
-good people fighting bad
-brief moment where the Doctor says he met C.S. Lewis and took him to Narnia (Eeeeeek!)
Dislikes:
-single quotations 'when people talk' (I like double quotations better, but this wasn't all bad)
-book two in series (I didn't read book one, but this really works as a standalone)
-certain character (won't say who so as to avoid spoilers)
-how short the story seemed, even though it's close to 200 pages
-I DON'T HAVE THE OTHER TWO BOOKS!!!!
Really, I loved this book, enough that I will probably get the others in the series, and look forward to more by this author. Reading this made me believe I was actually watching the show, it was well written, thought-provoking, and entertaining all around!
I'm definitely going to look forward to more Doctor Who books, because if they're all like this then I am seriously missing out.
Thoughts: definitely check this book out, if not outright buy it!
October 19, 2015
3,5
For the most part I loved the story and the second half of the book was brilliant. There was adventure and danger and amazing twists. It is a great read but only if you're willing to forgive the terrible way the Doctor and Clara were portrayed. Especially Clara, she was completely out of character, and I was annoyed about it throughout the book. Other than that, it was much better than the Big Bang Generation. <3
For the most part I loved the story and the second half of the book was brilliant. There was adventure and danger and amazing twists. It is a great read but only if you're willing to forgive the terrible way the Doctor and Clara were portrayed. Especially Clara, she was completely out of character, and I was annoyed about it throughout the book. Other than that, it was much better than the Big Bang Generation. <3
January 6, 2021
(6)
I miss Capaldi! This book was a fun read with an intriguing plot and some cool ideas with some good characterisation.
It had a lot of supporting characters and in a book so short it was hard to get too firm a grip or an attachment to any of them as there introductions and character moments were kept to a minimum. This did mean some of the darker, dramatic moment didn’t have quite the same gut punch as intended.
I feel all books struggle as Capaldi had such a clear character arc in his time on the show that there’s not much to add in the books but overall, a fun read.
I miss Capaldi! This book was a fun read with an intriguing plot and some cool ideas with some good characterisation.
It had a lot of supporting characters and in a book so short it was hard to get too firm a grip or an attachment to any of them as there introductions and character moments were kept to a minimum. This did mean some of the darker, dramatic moment didn’t have quite the same gut punch as intended.
I feel all books struggle as Capaldi had such a clear character arc in his time on the show that there’s not much to add in the books but overall, a fun read.
July 9, 2024
Trevor Baxendale ci regala un'avventura del Dodicesimo Dottore accompagnato da Clara e subito mi viene in mente il volto dell'attore Peter Capaldi, uno dei Doctor Who televisivi che mi sono piaciuti di più assieme naturalmente a quelli interpretati da David Tennant e da Matt Smith.
Il Dottore e Clara stavolta salgono su un'astronave, l'Alexandria, che ha la missione di trovare delle vie temporali che furono utilizzate, in passato, dai Phaeron, degli alieni umanoidi che erano in grado di esistere contemporaneamente al di fuori del tempo e dello spazio e viaggiavano nell'universo utilizzando delle strade di spazio e tempo, una sorta di corridoi spazio temporali. Durante il viaggio entreranno in un wormhole che li porterà in un pianeta morente e, dopo aver faticosamente cercato di non morire di freddo, scopriranno il motivo per cui quel tunnel venne creato dai Phaeron.
Leggere una nuova avventura di Doctor Who è sempre piacevole e devo ammettere che questa mi ha intrattenuto.
Il Dottore e Clara stavolta salgono su un'astronave, l'Alexandria, che ha la missione di trovare delle vie temporali che furono utilizzate, in passato, dai Phaeron, degli alieni umanoidi che erano in grado di esistere contemporaneamente al di fuori del tempo e dello spazio e viaggiavano nell'universo utilizzando delle strade di spazio e tempo, una sorta di corridoi spazio temporali. Durante il viaggio entreranno in un wormhole che li porterà in un pianeta morente e, dopo aver faticosamente cercato di non morire di freddo, scopriranno il motivo per cui quel tunnel venne creato dai Phaeron.
Leggere una nuova avventura di Doctor Who è sempre piacevole e devo ammettere che questa mi ha intrattenuto.
December 10, 2015
It’s a testament to the relative quality of this set of books that I’m holding up a Baxendale book as the best of the three. Baxendale’s never been in the first rank of Who novelists; he’s more in line with Christopher Bulis from the 1990s in that he’ll turn out a solid novel that won’t leave a hole in the schedule. You know exactly what you’ll get from him. Solid, dependable, reliable; he’s an editor’s best friend.
And Deep Time is precisely what you’d expect from a Baxendale book. It’s an old favourite plot of his; a journey through a hostile environment in which some fairly well developed supporting characters die in reasonably inventive and gruesome ways. The big trouble is that this gives the Doctor no-one to play off; there’s no real foil for him here bar Clara and no opposition to provide a big showdown. We’re therefore simply reduced to waiting to see how the Doctor’s going to overcome the next obstacle (because, being the Doctor, he obviously will. Frankly nature’s not bright enough to get close to him). As a result it falls into an old fault of the quest plot and often ends up plodding through an obstacle course instead of being the fabulous adventure a Doctor Who story should be (and which this starts out as), particularly once they make planetfall.
There are also a number of massively convenient plot contrivances; just when everyone’s stranded on a planet inhospitable to human life and running out of oxygen and water a timeshift takes them to a point in history they don’t need spacesuits. Then, at the end, when everything’s neatly resolved, the TARDIS suddenly becomes able to transport them off-planet. It wouldn’t be so bad given the resolution of the book’s plot revealing these shifts as deliberate, but if you’re going to save people with such a shift, why then transport them to another severely dangerous place? There might be a handwave about the TARDIS being unable to penetrate timefields but when a ship is crashing on a planet where survival is unlikely the Doctor not letting everyone ride out the crash in the TARDIS frankly makes him look a bit of a suicidal dick, and frankly extremely stupid. The book only lasts as long as it does through authorial fiat rather than because that’s how long the plot needs to be. But it’s at least a recognisable straightforward plot with a struggle for the protagonists to reach a goal, so that’s a pleasant surprise in this trilogy.
Another point in the book’s favour; although the Glamour element of this arc remains understated for much of the book it’s revealed to be driving the story and the author’s at least clear as to what it is and how it fits into the plot. The trouble is the idea really hasn’t merited a trilogy; its sheer fabulousness has been rhapsodised in all the books but its effectiveness has been a different thing entirely. This concept had fine potential; a trilogy of books about people being consumed with greed through the influence of a wondrous artefact, but that potential is rarely glimpsed. Which, given the nature of the Glamour, might actually be appropriate. None of these three books have really had a story to drive the; the courage to actually be about something in the way Borrowed Time or James Goss’s novels are. A solid, if unexciting, ending to a fairly limp trilogy.
And Deep Time is precisely what you’d expect from a Baxendale book. It’s an old favourite plot of his; a journey through a hostile environment in which some fairly well developed supporting characters die in reasonably inventive and gruesome ways. The big trouble is that this gives the Doctor no-one to play off; there’s no real foil for him here bar Clara and no opposition to provide a big showdown. We’re therefore simply reduced to waiting to see how the Doctor’s going to overcome the next obstacle (because, being the Doctor, he obviously will. Frankly nature’s not bright enough to get close to him). As a result it falls into an old fault of the quest plot and often ends up plodding through an obstacle course instead of being the fabulous adventure a Doctor Who story should be (and which this starts out as), particularly once they make planetfall.
There are also a number of massively convenient plot contrivances; just when everyone’s stranded on a planet inhospitable to human life and running out of oxygen and water a timeshift takes them to a point in history they don’t need spacesuits. Then, at the end, when everything’s neatly resolved, the TARDIS suddenly becomes able to transport them off-planet. It wouldn’t be so bad given the resolution of the book’s plot revealing these shifts as deliberate, but if you’re going to save people with such a shift, why then transport them to another severely dangerous place? There might be a handwave about the TARDIS being unable to penetrate timefields but when a ship is crashing on a planet where survival is unlikely the Doctor not letting everyone ride out the crash in the TARDIS frankly makes him look a bit of a suicidal dick, and frankly extremely stupid. The book only lasts as long as it does through authorial fiat rather than because that’s how long the plot needs to be. But it’s at least a recognisable straightforward plot with a struggle for the protagonists to reach a goal, so that’s a pleasant surprise in this trilogy.
Another point in the book’s favour; although the Glamour element of this arc remains understated for much of the book it’s revealed to be driving the story and the author’s at least clear as to what it is and how it fits into the plot. The trouble is the idea really hasn’t merited a trilogy; its sheer fabulousness has been rhapsodised in all the books but its effectiveness has been a different thing entirely. This concept had fine potential; a trilogy of books about people being consumed with greed through the influence of a wondrous artefact, but that potential is rarely glimpsed. Which, given the nature of the Glamour, might actually be appropriate. None of these three books have really had a story to drive the; the courage to actually be about something in the way Borrowed Time or James Goss’s novels are. A solid, if unexciting, ending to a fairly limp trilogy.
December 11, 2015
There’s not that much more to say about ‘Deep Time’ than ‘meh’. The plot is insubstantial, with lots of scrabbling about for no real purpose. Kids TV generally has greater peril than this. The characterization is thin, although there is a gruesome death scene I liked – but if the best you can do to make your characters memorable is to gorily kill them off, then you have problems. The prose is flat, apart from when it departs into nonsensical technobabble – which hardly improves matters. What’s more ‘Deep Time’ confirmed the suspicion I’ve had right through these three books, that the quest for the ‘glamour’ isn’t much to hang one story on, let alone a trio. All three authors have slightly different versions of it, so by the end the threat and the allure of the thing were still too indistinct for me to care one way another. (I did wonder whether since the television programme is up against ‘The X factor’ and follows ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ that something called the ‘glamour’ might be some dig at the rest of Saturday night TV, but there’s no such joined up thinking here.) Even by the standards of novels spun off from TV science fiction shows, this is uninspired and uninspiring stuff.
March 15, 2023
"I do hope you're all ready to be terrified" the tagline asks the reader, though what exactly that is referring to remains a mystery as 𝘋𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 was a rather bland and uneventful read.
Despite only being 250 pages long, a combination of Doctor Who burnout and this book just not being very interesting meant 𝘋𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 took me over a month to complete as I had very little drive to continue reading. Wanting to avoid a DNF, however, I powered on through over the last few days.
This book had some nice ideas, but it generally felt like a generic sci-fi by numbers story. A space expedition to discover a lost spaceship near a wormhole is an idea I've seen a million times before - and done a million times better. Rounding out the 12th Doctor's trilogy of Glamour stories, the Glamour elements were definitely the most interesting of the story - even if it didn't appear until the final few chapters and felt as though each book contradicted one another with their interpretations as to what the Glamour is. 𝘙𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 presented the Glamour as a galaxy renowned treasure that could provide whatever the heart desires, 𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘉𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 presented it as an ancient key to a lost temple, and 𝘋𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 presented it as a being from an ancient benevolent species gone rogue. I get that the Glamour can be anything it wants to be, but it becomes a very uninteresting idea when it is too vague and I can't become fascinated by a specific concept. The Glamour allowed for a few exciting twists and turns in the climax of the story, but, before then, felt like an afterthought in an otherwise dull story.
The preceding elements to the Glamour reveal consisted mainly of wandering aimlessly for the largest portion of the story. After their expedition ship begins to crash, the Doctor tells the crew that they are not to use his TARDIS to escape the ship and should instead flee in protective spacesuits... Only to seek to return to the TARDIS once they are on the surface of a nearby planet when the ship has crashed. I don't quite understand why they couldn't have just got into the TARDIS in the first place, and save themselves the trouble of visiting the planet. The wandering around and exploring different environments only served to kill off several of the supporting characters in quick and forgettable ways. There were so many characters in this story, that I completely lost track of who they were. With such similar names and similar roles in the story, almost everyone seemed totally irrelevant and surplus to requirements. The writer, too, clearly also forgot who his characters were as at one point he describes a character pointing a weapon at "Mitch" despite Mitch having died several chapters earlier. Though the 12th Doctor was written much better than in some of his other novels, the TARDIS team were not totally free of this bland characterisation problem as the author's knowledge of Clara didn't seem to expand further than "she's a teacher". The sheer amount of references to Clara being a teacher in this novel was staggering and I wish more of her character could have been explored than this single element.
Though not the worst Doctor Who novel I've read, 𝘋𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 is also far from the best. The Glamour trilogy was overall a very dull and uninteresting set of stories that provided very few memorable or exciting moments. This was no exception and provided an underwhelming end to an already underwhelming arc.
Despite only being 250 pages long, a combination of Doctor Who burnout and this book just not being very interesting meant 𝘋𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 took me over a month to complete as I had very little drive to continue reading. Wanting to avoid a DNF, however, I powered on through over the last few days.
This book had some nice ideas, but it generally felt like a generic sci-fi by numbers story. A space expedition to discover a lost spaceship near a wormhole is an idea I've seen a million times before - and done a million times better. Rounding out the 12th Doctor's trilogy of Glamour stories, the Glamour elements were definitely the most interesting of the story - even if it didn't appear until the final few chapters and felt as though each book contradicted one another with their interpretations as to what the Glamour is. 𝘙𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 presented the Glamour as a galaxy renowned treasure that could provide whatever the heart desires, 𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘉𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 presented it as an ancient key to a lost temple, and 𝘋𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 presented it as a being from an ancient benevolent species gone rogue. I get that the Glamour can be anything it wants to be, but it becomes a very uninteresting idea when it is too vague and I can't become fascinated by a specific concept. The Glamour allowed for a few exciting twists and turns in the climax of the story, but, before then, felt like an afterthought in an otherwise dull story.
The preceding elements to the Glamour reveal consisted mainly of wandering aimlessly for the largest portion of the story. After their expedition ship begins to crash, the Doctor tells the crew that they are not to use his TARDIS to escape the ship and should instead flee in protective spacesuits... Only to seek to return to the TARDIS once they are on the surface of a nearby planet when the ship has crashed. I don't quite understand why they couldn't have just got into the TARDIS in the first place, and save themselves the trouble of visiting the planet. The wandering around and exploring different environments only served to kill off several of the supporting characters in quick and forgettable ways. There were so many characters in this story, that I completely lost track of who they were. With such similar names and similar roles in the story, almost everyone seemed totally irrelevant and surplus to requirements. The writer, too, clearly also forgot who his characters were as at one point he describes a character pointing a weapon at "Mitch" despite Mitch having died several chapters earlier. Though the 12th Doctor was written much better than in some of his other novels, the TARDIS team were not totally free of this bland characterisation problem as the author's knowledge of Clara didn't seem to expand further than "she's a teacher". The sheer amount of references to Clara being a teacher in this novel was staggering and I wish more of her character could have been explored than this single element.
Though not the worst Doctor Who novel I've read, 𝘋𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 is also far from the best. The Glamour trilogy was overall a very dull and uninteresting set of stories that provided very few memorable or exciting moments. This was no exception and provided an underwhelming end to an already underwhelming arc.
November 30, 2015
[I received a copy of this novel through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.]
3 to 3.5 stars
This is the last book in the “Glamour Chronicles” series. I’m glad I seemingly read them in the “right” order, because while they were supposed to be readable in just any order, I don’t think they really are. At least, “Deep Time” should come last, as it brings a conclusion to this whole Glamour thing. A good or a bad thing, depending on how you see it: I felt that this story may have fared better on its own, because the way it tied in with the elusive Glamour was a bit vague. It still worked in the end, though, so that wasn’t too much of an issue, at least.
In any case, it was way, way better than “Big Bang Generation”. Not over the place, and one of those darker Doctor Who stories, where danger feels more real, where people die in gruesome ways.
This time, Twelve and Clara embark on board the Alexandria, a brand new spaceship, in an expedition financed by a rich guy. Pretty much every member of the expedition has their reasons to try and find the mysterious Phaeron Roads, an ancient network of now-collapsed wormholes. At the end of the journey, they hope to find what their heart most desires: a long-lost parent, the money to at last find a place where they can live in peace, the kind of adventure money can’t buy… And within the Glamour Chronicles, doesn’t that ring a bell? After all, from the beginning of this trilogy, it’s been about “wanting”...
The plot was classical, should I say: not very original (expedition gets stranded, time and space go wonky, some people die, the answer comes through what remains of a mysterious ancient race…), but it was enjoyable, with well-timed dark moments. It would've deserved more development, more fleshing out. Like the other novels in the trilogy, it was short, and didn't leave much room for additional details.
I found the Doctor more active than in previous books, more “Doctor-like”, with more important screen time, too, and as a result, “Deep Time” felt like an actual TV episode, in spite of the large cast of characters (the large cast had kind of killed Twelve’s presence in “Big Bang Generation”, in my opinion). And speaking of these secondary characters, they were interesting enough; their backgrounds were kept to minimum information, yet it still allowed me to draw a fairly good picture of them (well, alright, Flexx and Cranmer less than the others). I wasn’t too convinced about Clara, though, as she was a bit too… passive to my liking. There were several instances of characters fainting after a time shift, for instance, and she was just a little too often part of the “weak” ones who didn’t wake up fast. I’m not really fond of such devices.
Conclusion: Not an exceptional novel, but one that does well enough as an enjoyable Doctor Who story.
3 to 3.5 stars
This is the last book in the “Glamour Chronicles” series. I’m glad I seemingly read them in the “right” order, because while they were supposed to be readable in just any order, I don’t think they really are. At least, “Deep Time” should come last, as it brings a conclusion to this whole Glamour thing. A good or a bad thing, depending on how you see it: I felt that this story may have fared better on its own, because the way it tied in with the elusive Glamour was a bit vague. It still worked in the end, though, so that wasn’t too much of an issue, at least.
In any case, it was way, way better than “Big Bang Generation”. Not over the place, and one of those darker Doctor Who stories, where danger feels more real, where people die in gruesome ways.
This time, Twelve and Clara embark on board the Alexandria, a brand new spaceship, in an expedition financed by a rich guy. Pretty much every member of the expedition has their reasons to try and find the mysterious Phaeron Roads, an ancient network of now-collapsed wormholes. At the end of the journey, they hope to find what their heart most desires: a long-lost parent, the money to at last find a place where they can live in peace, the kind of adventure money can’t buy… And within the Glamour Chronicles, doesn’t that ring a bell? After all, from the beginning of this trilogy, it’s been about “wanting”...
The plot was classical, should I say: not very original (expedition gets stranded, time and space go wonky, some people die, the answer comes through what remains of a mysterious ancient race…), but it was enjoyable, with well-timed dark moments. It would've deserved more development, more fleshing out. Like the other novels in the trilogy, it was short, and didn't leave much room for additional details.
I found the Doctor more active than in previous books, more “Doctor-like”, with more important screen time, too, and as a result, “Deep Time” felt like an actual TV episode, in spite of the large cast of characters (the large cast had kind of killed Twelve’s presence in “Big Bang Generation”, in my opinion). And speaking of these secondary characters, they were interesting enough; their backgrounds were kept to minimum information, yet it still allowed me to draw a fairly good picture of them (well, alright, Flexx and Cranmer less than the others). I wasn’t too convinced about Clara, though, as she was a bit too… passive to my liking. There were several instances of characters fainting after a time shift, for instance, and she was just a little too often part of the “weak” ones who didn’t wake up fast. I’m not really fond of such devices.
Conclusion: Not an exceptional novel, but one that does well enough as an enjoyable Doctor Who story.
July 7, 2016
I started this book this morning because I woke up early and didn't want to get up yet, and then by the time 9 o'clock came around and I did want to get up, I'd already finished it! I love these Doctor Who stories, they're like watching a longer episode with more detail, and this one did not disappoint. It was fun, with humour and adventure, fast-paced, and yet suspenseful, and a little bit scary, just for good measure. There was horror and sad moments, but they added to the story and gave it motivation, and although they made me angry and sad, they didn't make me dislike the story. So, all in all, an enjoyable story that I would definitely recommend to anyone who loves to watch Doctor Who!
September 27, 2019
The Doctor and Clara join a scientific expedition as they try and discover what happened to the Phaeron.
Probably the strongest of the ‘Glamour Chronicles’ trilogy - but that isn’t saying much!
With this batch of books all being released together, I really wished they had connected better.
I feel that these books would have been much more enjoyable without the lose connection.
Probably the strongest of the ‘Glamour Chronicles’ trilogy - but that isn’t saying much!
With this batch of books all being released together, I really wished they had connected better.
I feel that these books would have been much more enjoyable without the lose connection.
September 3, 2018
Bought my copy in Bratislava.. hooked on this story, it's exciting and I enjoyed it.
April 11, 2022
Ich kenne bessere Bücher. Leider hat mich diese Story etwas enttäuscht, genau in dem Punkt, der mein Grund zum Lesen war. Die Charaktere haben nicht ganz gepasst. Ich fand den Doktor insbesondere nicht sehr passend dargestellt, was natürlich schade ist. Die Handlung und das 'Geheimnis' selbst waren kreativ, die Auflösung am Ende war spannend, jedoch wurde sehr wenig erklärt, meist musste man einfach Dinge hinnehmen. Ich glaube, diese Geschichte würde besser visuell funktionieren, beziehungsweise wenn die Schauspieler:innen den Charakteren mehr Persönlichkeit verleihen, aber so... Das war nicht genug.
December 9, 2018
A quick read and a story I could see being an episode, The Doctor and Clara are on the trail of The Glamour, but that's only a small part of the story. Getting involved in an expedition to discover what happened to a ship called Carthage, they become trapped with the explorers on a planet caught in a temporal distortion. Going backwards in time and separated from the TARDIS, they have to find out what happened, track down The Glamour, and save the explorers. The author, experienced in writing in the Whovian Universe, perfectly portrays the Doctor and Clara, and creates original characters that are real and compelling.
January 3, 2018
This is my personal favorite of the Glamour Chronicles and one of my favorite 12th doctor books, besides The Blood Cell.
If you've read any other Trevor Baxendale stories like Fear of the Dark, you will enjoy Deep Time. All the characters have interesting backgrounds and goals, and the fast, action-packed plot results in a satisfying climax.
7.8 out of 10. You'll have to read Royal Blood and Big Bang Generation first to understand some parts about the Glamour.
If you've read any other Trevor Baxendale stories like Fear of the Dark, you will enjoy Deep Time. All the characters have interesting backgrounds and goals, and the fast, action-packed plot results in a satisfying climax.
7.8 out of 10. You'll have to read Royal Blood and Big Bang Generation first to understand some parts about the Glamour.
September 11, 2017
Závěrečný díl Kronik Půvabu byl pro mě asi nejslabší. V podstatě tam šlo jen o velkou adventure výpravu skrze červí díru a moc se toho nestalo. Na druhou stranu je tam alespoň Capaldi a bavilo mě to.
3.5/5*
3.5/5*
November 24, 2017
Amazing conclusion to the Glamour chronicles. Truely sci-fi in every single page. Who loves Doctor Who, deffinitely will love also Deep Time.
January 22, 2021
This was a really nice and brisk read. Like most good doctor who it established in interesting and (mostly) likable side cast and put them (Plus my favourite Doctor and companion) and put them into a cool nifty Sci-Fi concept and have them try to survive it. the writing was well done and the story kept my interest. A good read for any dr who fans.
September 12, 2017
See my other reviews at Never Enough Books
Long ago, the Phaeron were a race of explorers; travelling through the stars via roads made from time and space. And then one day, a million years ago, they mysteriously disappeared – leaving only a handful of relics behind.
What happened to the Phaeron is a mystery that has been debated for years. Yet when the last of the Phaeron “roads” is discovered, the mystery could finally have an answer. A human crew is on their way and the Doctor and Clara have joined the voyage.
Every person on the crew believes they know what awaits them, but only the Doctor truly knows what they will find.
I admit, dear Readers, to being a Doctor Who fan for quite some time. I remember watching the old episodes on my local public television station and being thrilled by the new episodes as they have aired.
Alas after 50 plus years, Doctor Who has become a bit formulaic and unfortunately Deep Time succumbs to that pitfall. The plot follows what many episodes and novels have done – the current Doctor and companion join a human crew who are on some kind of mission to some mysterious new place. Some time during the journey a catastrophe of some sort happens, placing the crew in danger. The Doctor saves the day, or at least points out what needs to be done and someone else does it. Repeat – sometimes ad nauseum – until the final climax where everything is wrapped up.
The basic premise behind Deep Time is something that’s been done before but the resolution to the final problem was a new twist. I was a bit disappointed with characterization, especially with the Doctor and Clara; who I found out of character at times. The rest of the human crew were interesting however and I found myself liking several of them.
Deep Time is supposedly part of a series and is the third and final book. I didn’t know this but that didn’t detract from my reading enjoyment. The thread that ties the three books together is so minor a point it fades in to the background.
This is a book for fans of the series Doctor Who. Those who don’t have at least some knowledge of the series will likely not enjoy this book. Those who DO know the series should at least give this one a try, if only as a way to spend time with old friends.
Long ago, the Phaeron were a race of explorers; travelling through the stars via roads made from time and space. And then one day, a million years ago, they mysteriously disappeared – leaving only a handful of relics behind.
What happened to the Phaeron is a mystery that has been debated for years. Yet when the last of the Phaeron “roads” is discovered, the mystery could finally have an answer. A human crew is on their way and the Doctor and Clara have joined the voyage.
Every person on the crew believes they know what awaits them, but only the Doctor truly knows what they will find.
I admit, dear Readers, to being a Doctor Who fan for quite some time. I remember watching the old episodes on my local public television station and being thrilled by the new episodes as they have aired.
Alas after 50 plus years, Doctor Who has become a bit formulaic and unfortunately Deep Time succumbs to that pitfall. The plot follows what many episodes and novels have done – the current Doctor and companion join a human crew who are on some kind of mission to some mysterious new place. Some time during the journey a catastrophe of some sort happens, placing the crew in danger. The Doctor saves the day, or at least points out what needs to be done and someone else does it. Repeat – sometimes ad nauseum – until the final climax where everything is wrapped up.
The basic premise behind Deep Time is something that’s been done before but the resolution to the final problem was a new twist. I was a bit disappointed with characterization, especially with the Doctor and Clara; who I found out of character at times. The rest of the human crew were interesting however and I found myself liking several of them.
Deep Time is supposedly part of a series and is the third and final book. I didn’t know this but that didn’t detract from my reading enjoyment. The thread that ties the three books together is so minor a point it fades in to the background.
This is a book for fans of the series Doctor Who. Those who don’t have at least some knowledge of the series will likely not enjoy this book. Those who DO know the series should at least give this one a try, if only as a way to spend time with old friends.
March 22, 2016
3.5 stars
This particular Doctor Who novel brought to mind episodes such as "The Satin Pit" or even "Hide." The characterizations of the Doctor and Clara (which I personally find to be the most important part of these types of books) worked pretty well. There wasn't a whole lot that screamed out their television personalities to me, but nothing in them that seemed contrary to them, either. There were also several minor characters, who I amazingly was able to keep all straight and several who I ended up genuinely liking and caring about.
The plot was interesting, although sometimes it dragged a little bit and the writing could feel a little clunky at times.
One thing I did find a little annoying was that this year's batch of Doctor Who books are all part of a story thread titled "The Glamour Chronicles," but they didn't seem to be ordered in books 1, 2, and 3, so I basically just had to guess and pick one. While I think this is because the books are technically able to stand on their own, I really wanted to read them in order, and I think this book ended up being the last one. :P
This is the fourth Doctor Who novel that I read, and it was probably the most serious out of them all, since it involves several character deaths. It also has more instances of language (d**n and h***) than the others I had read. I wouldn't say the amount of language was overwhelming, but it was present.
However, despite these complaints, Deep Time was an entertaining read, and hopefully I'll be able to read the other books in this "series."
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
This particular Doctor Who novel brought to mind episodes such as "The Satin Pit" or even "Hide." The characterizations of the Doctor and Clara (which I personally find to be the most important part of these types of books) worked pretty well. There wasn't a whole lot that screamed out their television personalities to me, but nothing in them that seemed contrary to them, either. There were also several minor characters, who I amazingly was able to keep all straight and several who I ended up genuinely liking and caring about.
The plot was interesting, although sometimes it dragged a little bit and the writing could feel a little clunky at times.
One thing I did find a little annoying was that this year's batch of Doctor Who books are all part of a story thread titled "The Glamour Chronicles," but they didn't seem to be ordered in books 1, 2, and 3, so I basically just had to guess and pick one. While I think this is because the books are technically able to stand on their own, I really wanted to read them in order, and I think this book ended up being the last one. :P
This is the fourth Doctor Who novel that I read, and it was probably the most serious out of them all, since it involves several character deaths. It also has more instances of language (d**n and h***) than the others I had read. I wouldn't say the amount of language was overwhelming, but it was present.
However, despite these complaints, Deep Time was an entertaining read, and hopefully I'll be able to read the other books in this "series."
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
October 27, 2015
I've loved all of Baxendale's Doctor Who books and this one was no different. As part of their mission to track down the mysterious Glamour, the Twelfth Doctor and Clara join the crew of the exploratory ship the Alexandria. They crew are following the last Phareon road, a wormhole created by an ancient, mysterious race.
For Doctor Who, this is pretty hard sci-fi. It features dangerous and gritty space travel, time fluctuations, an alien planet and a fair bit of pretty up to date psychics. This may put off some people but I thought it worked really well. For me it felt quite like the Alien-prequel film, Prometheus, with a similar atmosphere and mission, although the crew here are considerably more competent and likable than the crew of Prometheus.
The Doctor and Clara are well portrayed here, especially Clara. Baxendale really manages to get inside her head, something you can't do on TV, and it works wonderfully. What really makes the book are the other members of the crew. There's an element of Firefly about many of the characters, which is definitely no bad thing. Ray Balfour, the billionaire funding the mission, is fairly typical of sci-fi books whereas 'astrogator' Jem is considerably less so. Together the crew feel like real people with real histories and goals.
In summary, I loved it. There's no way that all Doctor Who should be such hard science-fiction but on occasion it's great. For me, this felt like a high-budget TV episode, which is exactly what you want from a Doctor Who book.
For Doctor Who, this is pretty hard sci-fi. It features dangerous and gritty space travel, time fluctuations, an alien planet and a fair bit of pretty up to date psychics. This may put off some people but I thought it worked really well. For me it felt quite like the Alien-prequel film, Prometheus, with a similar atmosphere and mission, although the crew here are considerably more competent and likable than the crew of Prometheus.
The Doctor and Clara are well portrayed here, especially Clara. Baxendale really manages to get inside her head, something you can't do on TV, and it works wonderfully. What really makes the book are the other members of the crew. There's an element of Firefly about many of the characters, which is definitely no bad thing. Ray Balfour, the billionaire funding the mission, is fairly typical of sci-fi books whereas 'astrogator' Jem is considerably less so. Together the crew feel like real people with real histories and goals.
In summary, I loved it. There's no way that all Doctor Who should be such hard science-fiction but on occasion it's great. For me, this felt like a high-budget TV episode, which is exactly what you want from a Doctor Who book.
November 13, 2015
3.5 stars. I liked this! It had a slow start and featured a horrific original character, but the plot was thrilling, intense and abounded with scary monsters.
Plus, the Doctor made Clara hot chocolate. *the Whouffle shipper in me a.k.a my entire being grins* Got to love it.
I really appreciated the large cast of original characters in this novel - with the exception of Marco. MARCO. *shudders* He was supposed to be terrible, but it was too much. I wanted to sew his mouth shut and lock him in a closet forever.
The characters in general all had distinct personalities, and many of them met with unfortunate demises thanks to scary creatures. That's always fun.
The Doctor and Clara themselves were true to their characters for the most part. Clara could have been written better, but the Doctor/Companion interactions seemed true to the show, and they had some cute moments.
Unfortunately, this was book 3 in a trilogy... nice job in reading this one first, Kass. *rolls eyes* I don't feel like I really missed anything important by reading this one first, but just putting that out there.
Overall: Lots of action, gory character deaths, plus more Doctor and Clara Oswald. This was a good pick for my first Doctor Who novel!
I was sent a copy of this book by BloggingForBooks in exchange for an honest review.*
(*Speaking of which - guys. They sent me a physical book. Physical. Book. To me. FOR FREE. I know this happens all the time, but I'm still excited about it. Go sign up, guys. ^_^)
Plus, the Doctor made Clara hot chocolate. *the Whouffle shipper in me a.k.a my entire being grins* Got to love it.
I really appreciated the large cast of original characters in this novel - with the exception of Marco. MARCO. *shudders* He was supposed to be terrible, but it was too much. I wanted to sew his mouth shut and lock him in a closet forever.
The characters in general all had distinct personalities, and many of them met with unfortunate demises thanks to scary creatures. That's always fun.
The Doctor and Clara themselves were true to their characters for the most part. Clara could have been written better, but the Doctor/Companion interactions seemed true to the show, and they had some cute moments.
Unfortunately, this was book 3 in a trilogy... nice job in reading this one first, Kass. *rolls eyes* I don't feel like I really missed anything important by reading this one first, but just putting that out there.
Overall: Lots of action, gory character deaths, plus more Doctor and Clara Oswald. This was a good pick for my first Doctor Who novel!
I was sent a copy of this book by BloggingForBooks in exchange for an honest review.*
(*Speaking of which - guys. They sent me a physical book. Physical. Book. To me. FOR FREE. I know this happens all the time, but I'm still excited about it. Go sign up, guys. ^_^)
September 12, 2015
This was a strong Dr. Who story. A new ship, the Alexandria has been launched. On board the crew, run and hosted by the exceedingly wealthy "captain" and owner of this brand new ship, pops the Doctor, and Clara. The Doctor feels he might be needed.
Dr. Tippy, an archaeologist of sorts, found a dig site with relics which has led them thus far. This ship's mission is to go into a Phaeron Road. The Phaeron's were responsible for mapping black holes, or wormholes. The problem is, this race is gone. They might have died destroying these wormholes, or they might have been wiped out by another race who felt that they were a threat, the Time Lord's history on this is a bit cloudy. Something else much more sinister could have befallen them.
Each crew member, each person on board the Alexandria has a strong reason for going on this mission. They each have a dream or purpose that has pushed them to explore this at great risk. Are they really doing this of their own volition, or is something bigger and more compelling controlling them? In all his 2,000 years, the Doctor hasn't had this kind of adventure.
I really enjoyed this well paced, nicely written book. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to others who enjoy Doctor Who. The cover is also very nice! My copy of this book came from Blogging For Books in exchange for my honest review and nothing else.
Dr. Tippy, an archaeologist of sorts, found a dig site with relics which has led them thus far. This ship's mission is to go into a Phaeron Road. The Phaeron's were responsible for mapping black holes, or wormholes. The problem is, this race is gone. They might have died destroying these wormholes, or they might have been wiped out by another race who felt that they were a threat, the Time Lord's history on this is a bit cloudy. Something else much more sinister could have befallen them.
Each crew member, each person on board the Alexandria has a strong reason for going on this mission. They each have a dream or purpose that has pushed them to explore this at great risk. Are they really doing this of their own volition, or is something bigger and more compelling controlling them? In all his 2,000 years, the Doctor hasn't had this kind of adventure.
I really enjoyed this well paced, nicely written book. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to others who enjoy Doctor Who. The cover is also very nice! My copy of this book came from Blogging For Books in exchange for my honest review and nothing else.
September 14, 2020
Deep Time has pretty strong ratings to start out with, but oh my word this was fantastic. It’s definitely one of those books that aren’t for the lighthearted though, a lot of death follows this one and theories that lead slightly to a religious standpoint which I didn’t know how to feel about.... the thing is that everything in history is laced with religion and based off the Bible. You just have to figure out where to draw the line.
Anyways, the characters we were introduced to were actually able to grow quite substantially despite having less than 300 pages to do so. I particularly enjoyed Jem. Doctor Who has played a lot with the concept of falling to your ruin due to succumbing to the one thing you want more than anything else. But the Glamour Chronicles takes it to a dangerous level that past stories haven’t.
I also really loved Clara in this! Several reviews said that her character didn’t shine in this instance, but I thought she did pretty well given the circumstances she was in. This was definitely a story that leaves you thinking a while afterwards.
Anyways, the characters we were introduced to were actually able to grow quite substantially despite having less than 300 pages to do so. I particularly enjoyed Jem. Doctor Who has played a lot with the concept of falling to your ruin due to succumbing to the one thing you want more than anything else. But the Glamour Chronicles takes it to a dangerous level that past stories haven’t.
I also really loved Clara in this! Several reviews said that her character didn’t shine in this instance, but I thought she did pretty well given the circumstances she was in. This was definitely a story that leaves you thinking a while afterwards.
February 1, 2016
I wish this would have been my first Doctor Who book. I loved Trevor Baxendale's storytelling from page one. I was almost relieved when I was met with The Doctor and Clara. Their personalities were perfect; I had no issue believing it was them. I found myself chuckling at their bickering more than a few times. Reading 'Deep Time' was almost like watching an episode on TV! It really sent me for a ride. I am happy I read 'Royal Blood' first as it did have a tie-in with this book. It was a small tie-in but it was there nonetheless. I loved the idea of the Phaeron. It would be a great storyline to bring to the show in my opinion. I enjoyed all the characters, Jem being my favorite. This was a fantastic read and I'm looking forward to reading more of Trevor Baxendale's stories in the future. 5/5
September 11, 2015
First off I want to comment on the amazingly done cover. The cover really pulls the reader in and immediately lets any potential reader know which Doctor the book is on and who is companion will be. A lot of the Doctor who books don't tell the reader which Doctor or which companion until the reader begins the book.
I really liked how the book did not waste time getting the Doctor involved nor did it ever have a slow spot. This is a fast paced book that has twists, turns, and zigzags written into the plot and story line that keeps the reader guessing and turning every page as fast as he or she can.
I would recommend this book to any Doctor Who fan. For more on this book check out my full review at: http://misty103.hubpages.com/hub/Doct...
I was sent this book for free for only my honest review of this book
I really liked how the book did not waste time getting the Doctor involved nor did it ever have a slow spot. This is a fast paced book that has twists, turns, and zigzags written into the plot and story line that keeps the reader guessing and turning every page as fast as he or she can.
I would recommend this book to any Doctor Who fan. For more on this book check out my full review at: http://misty103.hubpages.com/hub/Doct...
I was sent this book for free for only my honest review of this book
September 29, 2015
This was a very enjoyable DW novel! I loved how the author captured the characteristics of the Doctor (as portrayed by Peter Capaldi) and Clara. I felt as though I were watching a new episode, that's how realistic it was.
The adventure was interesting and I loved the whole concept of the book. It did get a little confusing, but so do the episodes sometimes, but overall I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend Deep Time to all Whovians.
I received a complimentary copy of this book to review. I was asked to give my honest opinion of the book - which I have done.
The adventure was interesting and I loved the whole concept of the book. It did get a little confusing, but so do the episodes sometimes, but overall I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend Deep Time to all Whovians.
I received a complimentary copy of this book to review. I was asked to give my honest opinion of the book - which I have done.
September 21, 2015
The bar for doctor who books has been set exceptionally high especially after Beautiful Chaos. This is a good solid sci fi story, it had pretty much everything you think of from a spaceship in distress story. I just wasn't amazed by it, it felt a little by the numbers and was predictable with no real shocks. The writer has superbly written the Doctor and Clara and the dialogue between the two is similar to the latter episodes of capaldi's first series as the Doctor. I'm hoping the conclusion to the glamour chronicles fairs better.
March 10, 2016
The story starts off very compelling with an interesting set of characters. It really feels like a proper Doctor Who story. Then the story takes a turn, surprisingly for the better as the tone and mood shift in a delightfully thrilling direction. My only complaint is with the last third of the book. It still stays enjoyable, but I didn't feel that the actions that one or two characters' take were fully explained. Still a good story.
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