After taking Peri to snap photographs of Cleopatra's barge as it sails down the Nile, the Doctor and his companion set course for their next destination: Rome in the 2nd century AD. Upon landing, however, they find that they've journeyed forward only a few decades and that they have arrived in a Rome with electric lighting and dirigibles floating in the sky. With the Doctor's TARDIS inexplicably cut off from the Eye of Harmony the two scramble to restore the ship's power and unravel the mystery the steam-powered Rome — one which will lead them to one of the Doctor's most dangerous enemies.

With over a dozen novels to his credit, Christopher Bulis ranks as among the most prolific contributors to the various series of Doctor Who novels in the 1990s and 2000s. Reading this book, it's easy to see why. His novel is a brisk work that nicely conveys the larger world in which Bulis sets it. Best of all is his portrayal of the sixth Doctor, which conveys all of the best parts of the character without any of the flaws which made his tenure on the show so controversial. While the plot itself has plenty of formulaic elements, the novel itself is an enjoyable read that will provide many fans of the franchise with a pleasant way to pass the time.

The good news is that it won't take you long to finish.

I've read a lot of Doctor Who stories before, and unfortunately The American Adventures wasn't one of the good ones. They were decent, but since six short stories were cramped into an altogether rather short book, they in the end all fell flat.

None of the stories really stood out for me, either in positive or negative sense. What I did miss though was the feeling this was the Twelfth Doctor. If it wasn't for the cover, I wouldn't have been able to tell.

A shame really. Hope things will be better when the Doctors stays at this side of the pond.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

[I received a copy of this novel through NetGalley.]

This was advertised in the Comics category, so I thought it'd be a comics, but it's actually a collection of short stories. Ah, well.

Not sure what to think about it, really. I found it... just bland, to be honest. On the bright side, none of the stories come with glaring plot holes or annoying sidekicks, but on the other hand, none left me with a lasting impression either.

The main problems here for me are:
- The characterisation of the Doctor. The stories are supposed to feature Capaldi's Doctor; it could be just any generic Doctor, though, the way he acts and is described. I could find no defining feature (even the eyebrows seemed weak!).
- Most of the stories's endings are disappointing: too abrupt, or close to nonexistant. The fifth story, for instance, leaves a lot of things unsaid. The least I expect in a story about an assassin trying to off their target is the assassin's motives, or who's hired them. Here, nothing. It just ends.

"All That Glitters": Forgettable. The plot is OK, but there's are no surprised here, it's all lvery classic, quickly solved, and a bit boring.

"Off the Trail": This one had more of a creepy feeling, the "something's wrong but we don't know yet what" feeling. Still, the "enemy" was done with too quickly.

"Ghosts of New York": Interesting theme, boring execution.

"Taking the Plunge": A bit better. Not complicated, a simple enough plot to follow, but with more oompfh than the previous stories.

"Spectator Sport": I seriously didn't see the point. Tourism on battlefields in different eras is ethically bad. OK. I was more interested anyway in the crime story wrapped in it; however, the latter fizzled and petered out. (See above about this.)

"Base of Operations": Considering its theme, it would have deserved a more complex resolution: I thought of all the stories, this was the most promising, the one with the strongest premise. At the end the Doctor was more like himself, with his determined stance of defending Earth and making sure the enemy's aware of it.

Conclusion: 1.5 stars. I don't recommend it, it is of little interest.