Dominion

[Original blog post on Tumblr: December 9th, 2015]

Some highlights of the last EDA I’ve read (Dominion).

This isn’t exactly a review, more like some sort of retroactive liveblogging, since I took these screens while reading, along with my reactions. As usual, this is full of spoilers.

This isn’t a bad book, but I’m also quite sure it isn’t a good book either. It’s a bit awkwardly written in places, it sidelines Sam for the whole duration of the plot, and while some ideas do work very well, some others fall a bit flat. Also, after a few memorable first scenes, nothing much happens during fifty pages or so. But it contains some pretty impressive ideas, too, and nuggets of brilliant dialogues or situations among the rest. What’s bland is really bland, but what’s good is really good. I’m not even sure how to rate it, so I might come back and change this note later. 6/10

Continuity notes on Fitz’s hair?

I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing.

Oh, so this happens right after the last line of Revolution Man, then.

Hadn’t he heard the Cloister Bell in the previous book? I might be wrong.

Hmmmmm

Yeah, Sam is probably in Silent Hill by now

What the heLL IS HAPPENING TO THE TARDIS

Oh I don’t know Fitz maybe that was “QUICKLY OR YOU’LL SINK”

This is so surreal and bonkers, I absolutely love this scene.

The mental image of Eight yelling like that is funnier than I expected.

And now he’s scolding a dead alien dragonfly for being on Earth. Oh my God.

EIGHT STOP BEING ADORABLE THIS INSTANT

Meanwhile Fitz is still as clumsy as usual

I TAKE IT BACK YOU ARE BOTH GIGANTIC CLUMSY DORKS

Well Björn, isn’t it obvious, he wants to talk to the pigs.

The fact that you aren’t dealing with it very well was an easy guess since you were talking to pigs ten seconds earlier.

I’m cackling

I’m picturing this like a bigger version of the Siege Mode.

IS THIS THE THING ALL OF A SUDDEN

DOCTOR NO

ACTUALLY THIS ISN’T THE THING THIS IS MORE LIKE ALIEN

Woah there Fitz you might need to slow down

YOU CAN. YOU DID IT IN THE PREVIOUS BOOK.

Or maybe he won’t pick the gun because he has flashbacks of what happened the last time he did. Hmmmm. Makes sense. Forget I said anything.

Oooh this is interesting.

“a hot orangey thing”

Seven chapters later, we’ll finally know what happened to Sam.

Oooooh this is cool.

THIS IS SO COOL.

Meanwhile Eight is locked up somewhERE AND THIS ISN’T COOL AT ALL

GET HIM OUT OF HERE BEFORE HE GOES ALL SEEING I AGAIN

Ooooh so Sam is where the alien dragonfly thing was from, then.

I love this damn place and I love all this imagery, guys; if only the rest of the book was as creative as this all the time.

Also, here, have some strange vaguely frog-like aliens.

“Might”? “MIGHT BE A PROBLEM” ?

Professor Nagle, you might find him cool and handsome, but as soon as he’ll open his mouth and start saying nonsense you’ll probably like him a lot less

Predictable isn’t the word I would have used but I get your point.

Mayday mayday now Eight is starting to talk to cushions geT HIM THE HELL OUT OF THIS F█CKING ROOM

Fitz no

I don’t.

Meanwhile Sam is befriending one of the strange aliens.

Probably the best quote in the whole book to be honest

I can’t stop laughing at this mental image of a screaming dirigible

Oh so this place is so far underground that its inhabitants don’t even know what a planet is. Interesting.

And the strange vaguely frog-like aliens are more like ants, then.

Oh my f█cking god

The terrible orange spider-like things that lay eggs inside of other things are called Ruins and somehow I approve

ASDFGHJKLASDFGHJKL

ASDFGHJ

AQZS

DID THAT REALLY HAPPEN

IT DID

BEST SENTENCE IN THE BOOK EVERYONE CAN GO HOME

“They looked straight out of pulp SF”

Fitz no

Hmmmmm. A really, really big planet then?

Really? Kerstin has landed inside the TARDIS instead of the Dominion?! How lucky is that?!

Oh no I just want to hug him and rock back and forth again, this happens to me way too often in these books

YES GOOD PROFESSOR NAGLE IS CHANNELLING MY EXACT REACTION

Meanwhile Fitz gets an instant update on the plot.

...FITZ NO

Oh wow he’s helping them fight the Ruins with his lighter?!

Meanwhile the butterflies from the Butterfly Room are teaching Kerstin how to open the TARDIS doors?!

Oh nooooo

THE RUINS ARE FLAMMABLE GOOD NEWS

YES EVEN BETTER HE FOUND SAM

“Probably”

“PROBABLY”

FITZ NO

Dodged a bullet there.

I know I shouldn’t laugh but here we are.

Oh noooo happy bouncy Eight help

Meanwhile Fitz gets to be a hero for once!

...before the Doctor steals his thunder, of course.

Also Fitz was actually bracing himself for a second happy-you’re-alive kiss for a second there, oh my god.

Fitz you still managed to save them from the Ruins, that’s already impressive.

AWWW EVERYBODY GETS A HUG

!!! Wait, is the Dominion in a universe entirely made of caves?!

Oooooh this is a nice twist. And it was on the cover, too, but I still didn’t see it coming. Pretty cool.

“A SEVERE CASE OF TARDIS-FACE”

EVERYBODY GETS A KISS TOO

Fitz no

I’m cackling again

My sequel sense is tingling.

I’ve said this a dozen times over the course of this book but Fitz no

Poor Kerstin, though.

(This post seems a bit more enthusiastic than the 6/10 would suggest, but I’m only screening the bits I liked, and unfortunately most of the book wasn’t as cool. Oh well)