Philip Martin (1) (1938–2020)

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/vengeance-on-varos-by-jonathan-dennis-and-philip...

It’s not very good. Sil and Lord Kiv get caught up in a plot to sell dangerously addictive drugs to the people of earth (specifically the “Eurozone”, whose boundaries are not defined). Lots of characterful screeching, but as so often, the plot is just nasty for the sake of being nasty.… (meer)

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2274954.html

It's probably the best of the books from a literary point of view, though this is not a high bar. What's particularly pleasing is that most of the choices actually require some thought and analysis and reward careful consideration of the options; and yest a number of the "correct" options are presented as if you have made the wrong choice with duly impending doom, until you turn to the next section and discover that things actually get better. It has also quite a long pathway to victory. There are a couple of fairly straightforward puzzles which verge on actual relevance to the plot. If you are thinking of sampling these, this might be the one to start with. NB that a crucial early transition, from Section 6 to Section 13, makes No Sense At All.… (meer)

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2249975.html

Like a lot of people I have mixed feelings about Colin Baker's time as Doctor Who. But unlike a lot of people, I rate Mindwarp, with the return of the horrific Sil, and the brutal end (or is it?) to Peri's travels with the Doctor, as the best of the Sixth Doctor stories; I'm not a fan of Vengeance on Varos, where the violence and the absurd bird transformation kill the story for me; and Mission to Magnus is one of the worst Who stories never made, competing in the gutter with The Prison In Space.

Philip Martin has taken the bold step of writing another story for the Sixth Doctor, Peri and Sil which is a sequel to all three of these. I'm happy to report that it's closest in form and content to Mindwarp, with Baker, Briant and Shaban on excellent form, and a particularly impressive guest turn from Dawn Murphy as Cordelia Crozier, daughter of the scientist chap from the previous story. Martin often has a bit of a bitter satirical edge to his work, not always well deployed; maybe age has allowed him to tune his talent more forensically, but whatever the reason, I felt that he had updated Sil to the era of Cameron rather than Thatcher with brutal success, and that most of his rhetorical shots landed firmly on target. The plot is still a bit all over the pace, but this is firmly at the Mindwarp rather than Magnus end of the spectrum for me.… (meer)