Customer Reviews
Rory Rory tell us a story - By: Binro The Heretic, 20 Nov 2007 
With the glut of Doctor Who related merchandise that fills the shelves these days there are inevitably high & low points. Never mind the lows though, this is a definite high! Apart from the dodgy sketch of Rose on the front cover this is a high quality offering from Panini books & deserves the positive reviews given here. The only possible criticism is the artwork but the contents & layout are top drawer. Story-wise, highlights are Mark Gatiss' 'Cuckoo Spit', the tale of a lonely boy whose life is shaken-up by The Doctor & Rose & 'Gravestone House', a creepy mystery which shows that things aren't always what they seem; reminiscent of that master of teenage fiction, Robert Westall. Never preachy but always leaving the reader with something to ponder, these stories should be treasured.
Doctor Who rules - By: Mrs. C. A. Degg, 15 Mar 2007 
Bought this annual for our daughter as a Christmas present, but son aged five loves it as does dad, (age not given).
All three members of the family love it, as it is pure bubblegum reading for all.
The puzzles are quite entertaining & keep the little one amused for a while, which on Boxing Day you need the time to yourself (well if putting on a buffet dinner is called that).
Good value for money? well don't all annuals go on sale after Christmas at less than half price, & yes we all complain but Christmas wouldn't be christmas for children without them would it?
Ignore the Annual - get the Storybook! - By: dogbarkssome, 19 Jan 2007 Having produced the excellent official 2006 Annual the makers of Doctor Who Magazine have seen the BBC snatch the license back, with the result that the 2007 Doctor Who Annual is an appalling mess for all but the youngest children. Thankfully this 'Storybook' fills the gapin quality, with seven text stories, one comic strip, & absoutely no cheap filler puzzles, crosswords, etc! While obviously suitable for children the stories are still fun for older readers, & Steven Moffat's 'Corner of the Eye'in particular is worth the price of the volume alone. Not only this, but practically every page is illustrated with glorious full-colour artwork (rather than the now-standard photoshop illustrations). Unless you have a child with reading problems, ignore the Doctor Who Annual & get this brilliant Storybook instead.
Fantastic! As good as the 70s Annuals! - By: J. Webb, 26 Oct 2006 I loved this 'storybook', it reminded me of the old 70s/80s Tom Baker/Peter Davidson annuals I had as a Who-obsessed eight year-old (in the mid 80s), all great stories with spooky if random artwork. Amazingly,in an annual the prose stories are actually good, & the comic strip is the weakest thing on offer! Great fun.
Fantastic! - By: Sebastian J. Brook, 21 Aug 2006 Where do you start with a book like this? Maybe with Alister Pearson's eye-catching front cover painting of the 10th Doctor & Rose (worth the £7.99 alone). It has 7 stories written by the finest Doctor Who writers around. It has illustrations that bring an already fantastic set of stories to life And to top it off, it can all be yours for under a tenner! (Thats Ten Pounds to our overseas cousins).
Mark Gatiss's 'Cuckoos Spit', is writtenin the style of a diary entry. An imaginative & experimental style that works so well for the story. It's dark, eery & gripping with some great one-liners. Daryl Joyce's illustrations accompany the story & help add to the eerie-ness.
Gareth Robert's 'The Cat Came Back', could easily be made into a TV adventure with so many strands of classic who, & some great continuity thrownin for good measure. Illustrated by Martin Geraghty, whose work weaves nicely into the story, with poignant moments brought to life with his illustrative genius.
Tom MacRae's offering, is 'Once upon a Time', which right from the get-go, draws you into the storyline,in a warm "Mr Kipling" manner. Viewers of 'Rise of the Cybermen' / 'The Age of Steel' will be surprised at how different this story & its style is. Such is MacRae's talent, that you are left wanting to know what his next Doctor Who project could be with great excitement. Illustrations are by Adrian Salmon, who's amazing linear style, compliments it perfectly.
Justin Richard's story is 'Gravestone House', full of mystery & intrigue. The bitin the graveyard was chilling & very classic who! Andy Walker provides the illustrations, adding dramatic visualisation to the storyin your minds eye.
Robert Shearman's story is the intriguingly titled 'Untitled'. Here, Shearman captures the relationship & dialogue between The 10th Doctor & Rose, perfectly. The story itself is typical of Shearman's work, it consists of a tight, well-paced & imaginative storyline, that will make you think twice before going to an art gallery ever again. Illustrations are by Brian Williamson, who uses focus to really bring the subjects to life.
Next up is Nicholas Briggs's story 'No One Died', which starts off with a very tongue-in-cheek nod to some 1960's (off air) Doctor Who history. A mystery, is the current that runs through this story, & one that keeps your interest from the beginning. Briggs obviously paid attention to the Poirot's & Miss Marple's of yester-year, as his ability to tell this particular mystery was faultless. One wishes Briggs was aroundin the Tom Baker era, as the story would have also fitted nicely as a 4th Doctor & Sarah Jane Smith adventure. Illustrations were by Ben Wilsher, whose work is a fine accompanyment that could easily translate to an animated version of the story. BBC - if you are listening - make this a WebCast please!
Finally we have Steven Moffat's 'Corner of the Eye', which is very cleverly writtenin the style of an instant message conversation. Without giving too much away, its quite a dark story, with an almost sombre tone that makes you think about it for a good while after reading it. The end is quite creepy, & leaves you looking over your shoulder. Brilliant! Daryl Joyce captures the dark, shadowy feel of the story with intelligence & sheer talent. Moffat is a genius!
There is also a comic strip called 'Opera of Doom' written by Jonathan Morris, & pencil art by Martin Geraghty. Its perfectly situatedin the middle of the book, as a breather between stories. The story itself is setin Venice, & has a great would-be, pre-titles sequence.
Overall, you will notice an overly positive review of the book, but thats because the book,in simple terms, is utterly brilliant! It's wonderfully presented, from the front cover to the back page, & is full of treats that every Doctor Who fan will enjoy. Kudos to Clayton Hickman who's DWM experience is brought to usein the editing of this masterpiece.
Why only 5 stars Amazon? This deserves a 10!
