Subject:      Decalog 3 - review by the Happy Guy
From:         gaffney@iconn.net (Sean Gaffney)
Date:         1996/08/01
Message-Id:   <4tq26a$90h@news.iconn.net>
Organization: i-Conn
Newsgroups:   rec.arts.drwho

Here's the review of perhaps the best Decalog yet - with, as always,
a few exceptions.

SPOILERS for Decalog 3...

I knew as I picked it up that anything co-edited by my man Justin would
be wonderful.  Still, he didn't actually write any of the stories, so there
was always a chance... :-)  Anyway, 1-10, quickfire:

..AND ETERNITY IN AN HOUR - Off to a...morose start.  Good Jo Grant,
but I had my usual 3rd Doctor troubles.  And the plot is the first of several
to be unrelentingly downbeat.  Cheer up, it may never happen.  Oh, right.
6/10.

MOVING ON - Great Sarah, and the plot flows much better.  I loved the
villain, and the bibliography is, of course, wonderful.  This one's really
downbeat as well, though.  Two stories in and it's a Morrissey album. 8/10.

TARNISHED IMAGE - Brilliant characterization, and for this one I'll
forgive the "unhappy" ending, since the style is so excellent.  I particularly
liked the reporter's reaction to the end of all he believes in.  One point off
for a bad tie-in to Moving On.  9/10

PAST RECKONING - well...I know that she's famous in fandom, but this
story was more dull than anything else.  The 5th Doctor and Nyssa were
entirely unnecessary to everything, and I'm skeptical of the Doctor just
standing there and letting her kill herself.  Maybe the others, but not
Peter.  5/10.

UNITed WE FALL - A nice romp, with the Brig coming across the best.
Some of it seems to be an excuse for showing off New York, but it's
written well, so hey, NY, NY!  8/10.

ALIENS AND PREDATORS - There's always one.  In the first Decalog,
it was David Howe's story.  The second one...I don't have on me, but
I'm sure there was one.  And now here's...the story Sean really hated,
Part 3.  Colin Brake becomes another author caught beneath the treads
of Troughton characterization, but I expected that.  The problem is that
*everyone* in this story reacts as if they've got about 3 brain cells.  I
really got annoyed by this story.  2/10.

FEGOVY - grumble...grumble...Sean?  What?  You promised...Yeah, I
know...OK, Fegovy is great.  Yes, it suffers from the Gareth Roberts
style of over-the-top everything, but this fits the 6th Doctor and Mel
*much* better than the 4th and Romana.  The characterization is dead-on.
OK, Gareth, you win this round.  But I'm still dreading The Well-Mannered
War.  8/10.

CONTINUITY ERRORS - The definitive Seventh Doctor story.  So utterly
brilliant in so many ways that I won't ruin it.  Read it and kvell.  10/10.

TIMEVAULT - Pretty good.  The 4th Doc is well done, and I like the
general idea.  The villains seem pretty vague, though, and the heavy
moralising that the Doctor goes through doesn't really fit the Williams
era.  7/10.

ZEITGEIST - Ummm...what happened?  I get the feeling I'd lilke this
story if there was even one more line explainig it.  Yes, I did read the
explanation, but still...oh, Craig makes up for GodEngine, this prose is
excellent.  Turlough in particualr is wonderful.  It's just...HUH? 8/10.

Overall:  Excellent, perhaps the best Decalog so far.  Buy it, if only for
Steven Moffat's story. 8/10.

--Sean Gaffney
--"You git!  I thought you were dead!  Git git git!" - Benny, No Future