Book Meme, Day 9
Jun. 11th, 2018 10:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenak9. Film or tv tie-in.
Most of these I own hail from the late 80s and early 90s and are Star Trek novels; some of said novels have imprinted enough on me to become part of my inner headcanon (Caroline Cowles “The Pandora Principle”, for example, and thus Saavik as half Romulan, with huge issues about it).
Fanfiction has largely, but not entirely supplanted my desire to acquire professional tie-ins. The latest one I bought, just a few weeks ago, was Stephen Moffat’s noveliisation of his big anniversary of Doctor Who special, The Day of the Doctor, motivated by an enthusiastic review I’d seen. And indeed Moffat, in addition to including the “Night of the Doctor” webisode (Trobadora, you might be relieved to know that the potion the Eighth Doctor receives pre regeneration is just a placebo, it’s the Sisterhood of Karn providing a psychological ploy so he gives himself permission to become the War Doctor), also gives us lots of fleshing out and more material. Thus the novel version of the tale includes River Song (turns out she did meet the Tenth Doctor a couple more times post-Library - for him, of course not for River - and was the one to send him on a Zygon quest), and some wonderful and touching Kate Lethbridge-Stewart memories of her father, the Brigadier. Also, while Elizabeth I in the special is basically Queenie from Blackadder, the version from the novel is a smart woman throughout.
Moffat’s writing reflects that this is the Doctor remembering the same events in several (I advisedly do not use the word “three” here) versions, that he’s the same individual at very different stages in his life; that’s true for the tv special itself, but here it’s also conveyed stylistically. Lots of new gags (the Doctor remembers being colourblind in his first two incarnations), and one altered one where the alteration says something about the difference a few years can make. In the tv special, at one point Kate says to Clara, re: why the Brits would never allow the US to get their hands on something enabling time travel - “You’ve seen their movies”. In the novelization published this year, Kate says “you’ve watched their news”.
The book is dedicated to John Hurt, and the descriptions of his voice are one last burst of fannish admiration. Which I share. Numbering issues not withstanding, I’m glad he got to play the Doctor before leaving us. All in all, this particular tie-in is truly a great example of what a media tie-in can be - not limiting itself to repeating what was already said so well but adding depth to the picture.
1. Favorite book from childhood
2. Best Bargain
3. One with a blue cover.
4. Least favorite book by favorite author
5. Doesn't belong to me.
6. The one I always give as a gift.
7. Forgot I owned it.
8. Have more than one copy.
9. Film or TV tie-in.
10. Reminds me of someone I love.
11. Secondhand bookshop gem.
12. I pretend to have read it.
13. Makes me laugh.
14. An old favorite.
15. Favorite fictional father.
16. Can't believe more people haven't read.
17. Future classic.
18. Bought on a recommendation.
19. Still can't stop talking about it.
20. Favorite cover.
21. Summer read.
22. Out of print.
23. Made to read at school.
24. Hooked me into reading.
25. Never finished it.
26. Should have sold more copies.
27. Want to be one of the characters.
28. Bought at my fave independent bookshop.
29. The one I have reread most often.
30. Would save if my house burned down.
Most of these I own hail from the late 80s and early 90s and are Star Trek novels; some of said novels have imprinted enough on me to become part of my inner headcanon (Caroline Cowles “The Pandora Principle”, for example, and thus Saavik as half Romulan, with huge issues about it).
Fanfiction has largely, but not entirely supplanted my desire to acquire professional tie-ins. The latest one I bought, just a few weeks ago, was Stephen Moffat’s noveliisation of his big anniversary of Doctor Who special, The Day of the Doctor, motivated by an enthusiastic review I’d seen. And indeed Moffat, in addition to including the “Night of the Doctor” webisode (Trobadora, you might be relieved to know that the potion the Eighth Doctor receives pre regeneration is just a placebo, it’s the Sisterhood of Karn providing a psychological ploy so he gives himself permission to become the War Doctor), also gives us lots of fleshing out and more material. Thus the novel version of the tale includes River Song (turns out she did meet the Tenth Doctor a couple more times post-Library - for him, of course not for River - and was the one to send him on a Zygon quest), and some wonderful and touching Kate Lethbridge-Stewart memories of her father, the Brigadier. Also, while Elizabeth I in the special is basically Queenie from Blackadder, the version from the novel is a smart woman throughout.
Moffat’s writing reflects that this is the Doctor remembering the same events in several (I advisedly do not use the word “three” here) versions, that he’s the same individual at very different stages in his life; that’s true for the tv special itself, but here it’s also conveyed stylistically. Lots of new gags (the Doctor remembers being colourblind in his first two incarnations), and one altered one where the alteration says something about the difference a few years can make. In the tv special, at one point Kate says to Clara, re: why the Brits would never allow the US to get their hands on something enabling time travel - “You’ve seen their movies”. In the novelization published this year, Kate says “you’ve watched their news”.
The book is dedicated to John Hurt, and the descriptions of his voice are one last burst of fannish admiration. Which I share. Numbering issues not withstanding, I’m glad he got to play the Doctor before leaving us. All in all, this particular tie-in is truly a great example of what a media tie-in can be - not limiting itself to repeating what was already said so well but adding depth to the picture.
1. Favorite book from childhood
2. Best Bargain
3. One with a blue cover.
4. Least favorite book by favorite author
5. Doesn't belong to me.
6. The one I always give as a gift.
7. Forgot I owned it.
8. Have more than one copy.
9. Film or TV tie-in.
10. Reminds me of someone I love.
11. Secondhand bookshop gem.
12. I pretend to have read it.
13. Makes me laugh.
14. An old favorite.
15. Favorite fictional father.
16. Can't believe more people haven't read.
17. Future classic.
18. Bought on a recommendation.
19. Still can't stop talking about it.
20. Favorite cover.
21. Summer read.
22. Out of print.
23. Made to read at school.
24. Hooked me into reading.
25. Never finished it.
26. Should have sold more copies.
27. Want to be one of the characters.
28. Bought at my fave independent bookshop.
29. The one I have reread most often.
30. Would save if my house burned down.
no subject
Date: 2018-06-11 09:26 pm (UTC)*snickers* Excellent.
In the tv special, at one point Kate says to Clara, re: why the Brits would never allow the US to get their hands on something enabling time travel - “You’ve seen their movies”. In the novelization published this year, Kate says “you’ve watched their news”.
*hollow laugh*
no subject
Date: 2018-06-13 07:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-06-12 09:43 am (UTC)The section where the different incarnations go through the events of the Tower, seeing it differently through different eyes was one of my favourite parts. It was really good at showing that it wasn't three different characters, but rather the same character reliving the day three times. I also loved the joke about Peter Cushing's cameo in Rogue One :D
no subject
Date: 2018-06-13 06:59 am (UTC)It was really good at showing that it wasn't three different characters, but rather the same character reliving the day three times.
Yes, that was striking, and something you really can do only in a novel as opposed to on screen.
no subject
Date: 2018-06-12 01:53 pm (UTC)Wow, that takes me back. I was reading so many tie-in novels before it became easy to find TOS fanfic on the web! (I went looking back in the 90s, but everything was still mostly in zines at the time.) Half Romulan Saavik is something I completely take for granted, too.
The Moffat novelisation sounds interesting. I'm not a fan of the way the anniversary special ended, but I liked a lot of it before that. Maybe I'll have to bite the bullet and read it, after all. After series 10 I'm feeling a lot more charitable towards those of Moffat's tropes that I dislike.
the potion the Eighth Doctor receives pre regeneration is just a placebo, it’s the Sisterhood of Karn providing a psychological ploy so he gives himself permission to become the War Doctor
Oh, that is indeed good to hear. Damn, I wish we could have had more of the Eighth Doctor on screen; he was really awesome in that webisode.
Also, while Elizabeth I in the special is basically Queenie from Blackadder, the version from the novel is a smart woman throughout.
That makes me happy.
“you’ve watched their news”
Haha, that is ... yeah. Depressing but spot on.
no subject
Date: 2018-06-13 06:56 am (UTC)What I thought. Really a case of "laugh not to cry".
Fanzines: I remember them, too. But by the time I got around to them, the internet and fanfiction on same were definitely a thing for me, so I only have relatively few.