Doctor Who The Blood Cell Book Review

Doctor Who: The Blood Cell

James Goss

Rating (out of 5): 5

Genre: Science Fiction

Release Date: September 9, 2014

Series: Doctor Who 

Profanity: Mild

Violence: Mild

Sexual Content: None 

Age Recommendation: 15 +

Author Information: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/james-goss/




Summary:

"Release the Doctor - or the killing will start." 

An asteroid in the furthest reaches of space - the most secure prison for the most dangerous of criminals. The Governor is responsible for the worst fraudsters and the cruelest murderers. So he's certainly not impressed by the arrival of the man they're calling the most dangerous criminal in the quadrant. Or, as he prefers to be known, the Doctor.

What does impress the Governor is the way the new prisoner immediately sets about trying to escape. And keeps trying. Finally, he sends for the Doctor and asks him why? But the answer surprises even the Governor. And then there's the threat - unless the Governor listens to the Doctor, a lot of people will die.

Who is the Doctor and what's he really doing here? Why does he want to help the Governor? And who is the young woman who comes every day to visit him, only to be turned away by the guards?

When the killing finally starts, the Governor begins to get his answers...

Review:

The first thing to capture my attention about The Blood Cell was the blurb on the front cover promising death if the Doctor wasn't released. It was all I needed to want to dive headfirst into the story to see where the story would take me. From the blurb to the last line The Blood Cell had me hooked, so hooked that I read the entire book in one sitting.


This Doctor Who story is told from a different point of view than most of the Doctor Who books I've come across. It's written in first person from a man simply known as "the Governor." While I was reading I was reminded of when I listened to the Doctor Who Audio book Dead Air (read by David Tennant). The first person narrative is pulled off through the clever use of it being a journal of what had happened, which is similar to the recorded narrative of Dead Air. This takes some of the focus off of the Doctor in the beginning of the story, but because of the nature of the prison and my curiosity to find out more about the Governor I didn't mind. 

James Goss did an excellent job writing both the Doctor and Clara. He masterfully incorporated the 12th Doctor into the story and I loved getting to see more of one of my favorite Doctors. Clara is brilliant in her parts as well, easily stepping into each new situation with the Doctor. As with all the Doctor Who books I've read recently featuring Clara I'd love to see more of her but for this story she fit just fine. The other characters in this book were also well written and interesting. I found myself really liking a few, and really disliking others. The Governor interested me from the very beginning and I truly enjoyed getting to know him and his back story.

The Blood Cell is a little darker than most of the Doctor Who books, but this doesn't at all take away from it's enjoyment. It balances the dark with the Doctor's quirky and often laugh out loud funny reactions to situations and people. Can anyone say sonic spoon?

Overall I was very pleased with The Blood Cell. It was a great chance to get to see more of 12 and Clara as well as give me an entertaining read between DW episodes. I'd recommend it to anyone in need of a good Doctor Who fix.

Note: I received an electronic copy of this book from Netgalley for my fair and honest review which I have stated above.

~Dawn