This books belongs to that unpleasant subgenre I like to call "Pus Sci-Fi." This branch of literature feels that all aliens must be portrayed as leaking, dripping, and/or spewing slimy mucous. It started in film (thank you very much, Alien!), but I can never quite understand it popularity. Wouldn't slimy aliens be extremely succeptible to dehydration?

Well, you can't say I didn't warn you. And yet you will insist on reading such rubbish.

Personally this book belongs to that unpleasant subgenre I like to call "Not very good". Hopefully Baxendale won't •••• up what looks like being a cracking year of EDAs - Parkin, Orman, Stone, a strong likelihood of a Miles and another Emmerson (especially if he gets his plot sorted this time), also Bucher-Jones collaborating with a newbie, plus two solo newbies, I've liked Rayner on audio, and um, Steve Cole...

Sometimes I think I'm the complete opposite of everyone here. Coldheart is another case in point; I liked it. I thought there was good characterization, with the Doctor being heroic, Fitz wittier than usual and feeling as frustrated as a normal person would be when everything was going wrong, forcing him to say the heck with the Eskoni, and Compassion realizing that she can care about strangers. There were plenty of cliffhangers and death-defying escapes, and a clearly-detailed civilzation, rather than London,Earth, 2000. What's not to like? So what if the Spulver worm was as slimey as the Alien? Been there? Done that? Well, what element of science fiction can Dr.Who possibly avoid, without someone saying, 'That reminds me of Star Trek/Alien/Star Wars/etc. etc?' You can't just discount an author based on a previous book that you didn't like; each has to be given a fair account individually, because not every movie from Steven Spielberg is a masterpiece, and not every episode of Seinfeld is a classic.
So what's so terrible about this book?

OK, you asked for it ;)

First of all, it's boring. I can take just about anything except boredom. People running round tunnels constitutes at least 50% of the book.

And then there are the people. Did you honestly care if they all turned into Slimers or got destroyed with their city? Yes, it's brave to have the Slimers as homicidal maniacs instead of noble victims, yes, it's brave to have the city-dwellers as selfish, religious, slave-owners instead of decent, democracy-loving folks, but unfortunately it left me not caring whether this entire 'civilisation' was wiped off the face of the planet.

I wouldn't say the civilisation was particularly detailed. Male domination? A stubborn religious leader? Slavery? Two groups of people hating each other? God, was there one shred of originality? The only interesting touch was that mute slave-girl - why did she act dumb when she could actually speak? Well, guess what? Baxendale never bothers to tell us!

Then there's the regulars. I didn't notice Fitz being any wittier than usual - all I noticed was that he fell for a woman who promptly died. Just like he has in virtually all his post-Kode stories AND I'M SICK OF IT!

Compassion. The WHOLE POINT about Compassion is that - as Tobin, as Compassion AND as a TARDIS - she is NOT COMPASSIONATE. Hence her name. This woman doesn't give a toss about the DOCTOR - what's she doing hurling herself into an abyss and mangling her interior in a totally futile attempt to rescue a stranger?

And sorry, maybe I'm just not a very generous person, but somehow I don't think that it takes a _particularly_ brilliant grasp of character to portray the Doctor as heroic.

I didn't automatically decide to hate this book because its author bored me almost to death with The Janus Conjunction. I'm prepared to give people second chances - I loved Love and War whilst finding Timewyrm:Revelation completely unreadable; Set Piece is one of my favourites despite regarding The Left-Handed Hummingbird as a tedious mess. Just don't ask me to give Baxendale a THIRD chance - I'll be reading his next book with gritted teeth.

Emily, I'll give you $10 if you read the next Baxendale novel and say you like it! Okay. Difference of opinion here ( as usual), but my dislike of The Blue Angel has taught me not to freak out. Personally, I wasn't bored with the book. Sure, lots of time is spent underground in the ice mines, but I liked it more as a change of pace than downtown London or some other Earth city. Did I care about the inhabitants? I felt a little for Ckeho, and I felt bad for every Eskoni that got eaten. And so what if we never know why Florence never spoke? We can't have every detail laid out for us, so that's up to the individual reader to decide, I guess. I also liked the irony of the city dwellers, who scorned the slimers, were themselves forced out into the desert by a power they couldn't fight. I liked the way the Doctor continued to put his body on the line for a planet he's only just discovered; it was the sort of punishment he usually endures for Earth. I agree that Compassion is starting to be wasted (I'm only as far as The Space Age, at the moment), but characters are supposed to change and grow, aren't they? Who wants a stagnant character through the course of his or her time?
One thing I'll agree 110 %, Emily, are Fitz's girlfriends or the women he meets, who usually die. It's waaay too much, in so short a time, and such loss should have made him as cold as Ace after Love And War, but it hasn't.
I liked it, and you guys didn't. Just another day at Bulletin Brash Reflections.

Well, that Trevor isn't a bad bloke, I've always said so...Eater of Wasps, what a great title! I'm going to ADORE that book, I just know I am...;)

(By the way, do I get my tenner if I SAY I like it, or do I actually have to MEAN it too?)

Yes, characters are supposed to change and grow, but Compassion in Coldheart doesn't do so - she just acts totally out of character, with no explanation (well, not that I remember - it's been a while) and no justification, judging by her past and future stories.

Florence is one of the central mysteries of the book - how many slaves are there? Are they all female? Are they all dumb? If so, why? Surely a slave who can talk is more useful. What threats and torture have been employed to keep the slaves silent? Why isn't there - in this fairly pleasant, 'normal'-seeming society - any anti-slavery movement? (And if there is, where is it?) How do people become enslaved - are they born to it or captured from other tribes? You can't just say it's a 'little detail' and leave it to the reader to decide (well, obviously you can if you're Trevor Baxendale).

I don't think the Doctor usually only puts himself on the line for Earth - it's just that he happens to BE on Earth most of the time. He certainly took plenty of punishment on Androzani, Metebelis Three, Yamaya, Ha'olam...

Well, I think it was Fitz that said that everything wasn't really wrapped up at the end of the book, and the Doctor agreed, but they needed to leave as soon as possible to avoid the Time Lords, so I'd have to assume that had they stayed longer the Doctor could have done something about the slave problem. My guess is that Baxendale didn't count on anyone caring about the slaves, when the city and its people were in more danger.
The Doctor cares the most about Earth, which is as it should be, since there probably aren't as many Thals out there watching his tv series and humans, but he won't settle every problem in it, so why should he solve all of Eskon's problems? Actually, it occurs to me that he had very little contact with an slave element, and might not be aware of it, other than Fitz's experiences.

Having just re-read this I realised I didn't remember a single thing from the first time which probably indicates just how unmemorable it actually was. Very, very traditional and formulaic book.

There was a line in there about how women effectively become outcasts without their family. I assume Florence was a result of that type of situation.

Is it just me or can the cover - like 'Terror of the Vervoids' - be looked at in a somewhat different manner?

You're not alone. I've heard many people make...improper remarks...about that cover.

Hey, I've just noticed that CBC owes me $10! Cos I quite like Eater of Wasps. (See - unoriginial doesn't HAVE to be boring as hell! Pity Baxendale didn't realise this till AFTER he'd inflicted Janus Conjunction and Coldheart on us.)

Well, I think it was Fitz that said that everything wasn't really wrapped up at the end of the book, and the Doctor agreed, but they needed to leave as soon as possible to avoid the Time Lords, so I'd have to assume that had they stayed longer the Doctor could have done something about the slave problem.

Why is saving Compassion from being enslaved so much more important than saving THIS population from being enslaved?

My guess is that Baxendale didn't count on anyone caring about the slaves, when the city and its people were in more danger.

Maybe he just didn't expect us to give a •••• about ANY of his stupid characters. Which I duly don't. Only I'm anti-slavery on PRINCIPLE. The Old Testament God giving explicit instructions on how to sell your daughter into slavery always OUTRAGES me, despite the fact that, if I had a daughter, she'd be up on eBay before the umbilical cord was cut...

The Doctor cares the most about Earth, which is as it should be, since there probably aren't as many Thals out there watching his tv series and humans

I don't think the Doc's actually NOTICED the BBC cameras yet. He can be adorably stupid, bless him.

but he won't settle every problem in it, so why should he solve all of Eskon's problems?

Because he's got strong principles that include not liking slavery?? (Unless it's ROMAN slavery, of course, in which case he wouldn't DREAM of insulting Nero or Caecilius by pointing out what total gits they are.)

The Doctor cares the most about Earth, which is as it should be, since there probably aren't as many Thals out there watching his tv series and humans

I don't think the Doc's actually NOTICED the BBC cameras yet. He can be adorably stupid, bless him.

Of course, Hartnell's 'Incidentally, a Happy Christmas to all of you at home!', Tom's 'Even the sonic screwdriver won't get me out of this one', and Capaldi's Beethoven lecture in Before the Flood raise the possibility that maybe she HAS noticed and is just politely not mentioning them...