Doctor Who: Apollo 23

When I first looked at this book, and read the other reviews that had been posted, I could see that the overall impression wasn't all that favorable. So did I take what they had said and skip over this one? Not at all. The story itself was actually pretty good, even if the beginning is a bit shaky at first, and there were several moments that I was strongly reminded of the episode "Waters of Mars." The author did a splendid job keeping the characterization of Amy and the Doctor true to form, and there were some instances that actually did make me laugh out loud (which led to several strange looks from the other students in my art class.) The ending, which I won't spoil here, felt a bit rushed to me, and there were some gaps in storytelling that could have been tidied up a bit better, but overall, a good Who read.

James Albrecht did a great job narrating this book, with good timing and a solid range of emotion apparent in his voice. Best of all, he was one of the few readers of the Eleventh Doctor's stories (that I've listened to, that is) that actually got Amy's Scottish accent right! There are several accents that were prevalent throughout this story, and Albrecht did a great Scottish accent, and wasn't too far off on the majority of the American accented characters either. The only thing that really got to me though, was that while he had a very fine British accent, he didn't really pick up too many of the inflections and cadences that make Matt Smith's portrayal of the Doctor so amazing and fun. Despite that, I did find myself rather enjoying the story and performance. As a whole, I'd say that Apollo 23 was a enjoyable read/listen, especially if you're into secret bases, alien invasions, or just a bunch of Doctor Who related silliness. If I could, I'd give it 3.5 stars, however, the rating system only goes in whole numbers, it seems, so 3 stars it is.

The story was average and might have been a bit more interesting had the reader been up to it. The American accents employed were simply dreadful (be prepared for the mispronunciation of words such as "schedule"). Not worth the purchase price.

Most of the Dr. Who books are god awful. This one is a little better then some of the other Dr. Who Books. If you are desperate for a Dr. Who story, I would consider this one. If you are not, go find a better book.

It was an okay story. It seemed to borrow a little too much from some of the old D.W. stories in some places. Without giving too much away the underlying US military conspiracy that forms the basis for the story smacks of severe lack of reality. And the placement in the story in the timeline of D.W. doesn't make a ton of sense either. However, overall it does stand alone as a decent story.

Oh, and the "Texas Accent" was brutal. Thank goodness it wasn't throughout the whole story. Just be ready for it…