Product Description

The human race stands at a worrying political crossroads. UNIT is up to its ears in alien sightings, reporting of UFOs and threats from other worlds - and for good reason - the devil goblins from Neptune have landed.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #338903 in Books
• Published on: 1997-06-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Customer Reviews

More Quatermass than X-Files
I can understand that younger reviewers might not know about Quatermass, which was a predecessor of Doctor Who on the BBC. It had similar elements, and this book has a lot of Quatermassine influences. It felt like an authentic entry in the "Whoniverse" from the period in which it is set, and as somebody who grew up with Pertwee's tenure as Doctor, it reminded me of the real 1970s, not just the series. It was nice to see UNIT from a different point of view, and I felt that links to the final Quatermass story had actually added something. It might even have made a decent TV adaptation!

Leave Liz alone!
When I saw the title of this novel, I thought "How Naff!". However, this novel is far better than the title suggests. There are obvious parallels with the X-files, it's true, but then UNIT was devised to deal with X-files style incidents.

For those who feel there are too many Liz Shaw novels, ask yourself this: Are there too many novels, or too few TV episodes? Four stories was not sufficient to explore the potential of this feisty Cambridge scientist.

The same is true of the UNIT regulars. Remember, there were plans to give them their own series in the 70s. The Brig, Benton, Yates, and (yes) even Cpl Bell could all be developed further. Potentially, Cpl Bell could be a Captain by the time of Battlefield, and head of a communications section.

So yes I enjoyed this book, more than I wanted to. And having read more by the same authors, feel that they should be encouraged.

Bravo!

Run-of-the-mill X Files parody
If you are enthralled by the incredibly shallow X Files, then you'll lap this up. Once again a writer [in this case two] tries to make the UNIT regulars more interesting by developing their characters and hurling them head first into the plot. The fact is, with the exception of the Brigadier, the UNIT regulars will never be interesting whatever a writer does with them. They were two dimensional extras on screen and have even less dimensions on the page. One also wonders how long Liz Shaw was with UNIT for. This is the umpteenth Liz adventure, which is now beginning to push the bounds of credibility. Well at least there was no Corporal Bell - or if there was I missed her. No doubt once writers get bored of Liz and Jo, we'll discover that she travelled with the Doctor for a while. Another minor character who can be shamelessly developed. Maybe she'll even get her own spin-off series of books? Rant over. Devil Goblins is a moderate read with no surprises, oh apart from the scenes in Cambridge, or was that another of the countless Liz adventures?