Doctor Who: The Darksmith Legacy: The End of Time by Justin Richards

On the Back of the Book

The Krashoks commissioned the Darksmith Collective to to fashion a device that creates life. The Krashoks, after waiting for centuries, have finally had their contract fulfilled. They intend to detonate the Eternity Crystal unless the Doctor can stop them. To make matters worse, Gisella is trapped on boardthe Krashoks' ship. Can the Doctor save Gisella and destroy the Eternity Crystal once and for all?

My Thoughts

This book is a fitting end to the Darksmith Legacy, and as endings go, this one was pretty good. In a way though, I can't help but feel that too much was happening in the short page count. I will admit that the climax had me very confused.

The characters were good, even the ones that were added just for this book. I'm really happy with Gisella's ending, in fact I think that the Doctor Who authors could create a spin off series for her and her friends. The Doctor was brilliant, there's no two ways about it. I have to be honest and say that I wasn't too sure of the Krashoks portrayal. though.

Overall I think this book is marvellous. Forget kids, I'm 20 and I adored the series. I think as long as you're a Doctor Who fan and in particular a Tenth Doctor fan you'll love the whole Legacy.

My Rating

4 stars - A good end to a good series. I loved the plot and the characters but because I got confused I had to mark it down. I mean it is a kids book after all.

• Book summary from the back of the book


• Image from Google

Doctor Who: The Darksmith Legacy: The Planet of Oblivion by Justin Richards

On the Back of the Book

The Planet of Oblivion is where the Darksmiths met their clients. A once pleasant planet with lush jungles, it has now been reduced to a charred and scorched mess. A few surviving inhabitants desperately try to bring the planet back to life, with the help of the Dravidians. But are these technically accomplished insects helping for thei own gain? Will the Doctor get closer to the identity of the Darksmiths mysterious clients?

My Thoughts

I really liked this story. It had a good pace, a nice plot and an interesting cliffhanger.

I did notice a spelling error and that bugged me quite a lot. I feel it's imperitive for childrens books are edited so there isn't a single spelling mistake as it isn't going to help a kid in school.

The characters were so-so. I didn't really sympathise with the crew of Orbit Station 3, even though they were fight ing two battles at once. I found the Dravidians to be pretty transparent. The only characters that I liked were the Doctor and Gisella. This is definitely a plus for the author, if I hadn't liked them, I would've been wondering why I was reading the book in the first place.

Overall the story was better than the characters. I find that this book could be used by parents as a lesson on the destructiveness of fire. It's so much more fun to learn while reading something you enjoy. Extra points for the author for teaching important life lessons.

My Rating

4 stars - A solid story with an important message, all nicely wrapped into a 128 page Doctor Who book. One of my favourite Darksmith Legacy books.

• Book Summary off the back of the book


• Image from Google

Doctor Who: The Darksmith Legacy: The Depths of Despair by Justin Richards

On the Back of the Book

The Doctor has arrived on the planet Flydon Maxima - also known as 'Despair' since the whole planet is flooding. A scientific base has been monitoring the slow melting of the glaciers and their advanced equipment looks to have been created by Varlos, the Darksmith who created the Crystal. But why would Varlos risk saving the planet? And who is the mysterious Gisella?

My Thoughts

This book is easily the best of the series so far. I could see the events of the story unfolding in my head and the pace of it meant that I finished the entire book in under an hour.

The Doctor's companion for the series is introduced in this book and I have to say I quite like her. She has some secrets that could lead to some interesting plot developments. The Doctor is amazing in this book, the author even managed to fit 'allons-y' in, twice!

Overall it's a pretty decent story. It was definitely my favourite at this point in the Darksmith Legacy. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. This series is shaping up to be pretty good.

My Rating

4.5 stars - I've read books that are aimed at an older audience that are more childish. This series is offering a really good story arc and is making kids aware of the damages of Global Warming. That really shouldn't be taken for granted.

• Book summary from the back of the book
• Image from Google

Doctor Who, The Darksmith Legacy: The Dust of Ages by Justin Richards

On the Back of the Book

It is a few years into our future, and there are bases on the moon. A recent survey has shown something unusual, an unknown power source. When a tall, skinny spiky-haired stranger turns up and announces he's from the Bureau of Alien Technology doing a spot check, the survey team know they've found something special. But is this special power source a blessing or a curse?

My Thoughts

First of all I realise that this book is intended for readers younger than myself, however I love Doctor Who so I just had to read this. The book had a fast pace, not surprising since it only had 118 pages but it is the first of 10 part series so this could have easily been the scene setter. It wasn't though and I have to say it's already thrown up some interesting parts.

The characters that were created specifically for this book are really good, but I wasn't always convinced of the Doctor. I couldn't picture him too well and I didn't get David Tennant's voice in my head like I normally do and this disappointed me. I did love the Doctor's ingenuity though and his ability to handle all situations.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to get stuck into book 2. The story was left on a cliffhanger so it's probably for the best if you have all 10 books at home.

I also want to point out the puzzles in the book. It's a nice interactive touch that's really appealing for the age group The Darksmith Legacy is aimed at. The last one in this book had me completely stumped and I'm 20!

My Rating

4 stars - As long as you don't expect a piece of literary genius, this book is awesome. It's perfect for kids to read and even of you aren't a child you should still read it. A definite must for Doctor Who fans everywhere.

• Book summary from the back of the book


• Image from Google