New Eleventh Doctor Books - Out Now!

The end of April saw the release of three new BBC Books continuing the adventures of the Doctor, Amy and Rory. These are The Dead of Winter by James Goss, The Way Through the Woods by Una McCormack and Hunter’s Moon by Paul Finch. Though all three books are good reads and welcome additions to the growing collection of Eleventh Doctor tales for me the pick of the bunch has to be James Goss’s The Dead of Winter…

The charm of this book is the interesting choice of prose, the story is told through different characters in forms of letters, diaries, and memories and in some cases what they didn’t see. This format allows varying opinions of the Doctor and his companions and the events unfolding around them from different points of view.

We are taken to 18th century Italy when the TARDIS crash lands in the opening recollection leaving the memories of its occupants scrambled and in parts forgotten. The setting of the tale is a hospital/rest home for the sick with Doctor Bloom its owner prescribing a sea air medication but something is coming out of the sea… I wont give away any more details as I wouldn’t want to spoil what I think is one of the best of the new series books I have read but I will say there are some lovely twists along the way especially the ending.

The characters are well rounded and there is a great skill in the way their own musings add layers to them and the story. One of these characters is a young child writing home to her Mother, a smart choice allowing the reader a child’s perspective of the situation and helping to heighten the drama and fear aspects.

A cleverly written tale with a fresh approach concluded poignantly – highly recommended.

All three books are available now in all good bookshops.

Grant

Doctor Who: The Dead of Winter – James Goss

‘The Dead are not alone. There is something in the mist and it talks to them.'

In Dr Bloom’s clinic at a remote spot on the Italian coast, at the end of the 18th century, nothing is ever quite what it seems. Maria is a lonely little girl with no one to play with. She writes letters to her mother from the isolated resort where she is staying. She tells of the pale English aristocrats and the mysterious Russian nobles and their attentive servants.

She tells of intrigue and secrets, and she tells of strange faceless figures that rise from the sea. She writes about the enigmatic Mrs Pond who arrives with her husband and her physician, and who will change everything. What she doesn’t tell her mother is the truth that everyone knows and no one says – that the only people who come here do so to die.

Doctor Who: Hunter’s Moon – Paul Finch

‘There's no end to the horror in this place - it's like Hell, and there are devils round every corner.’

Welcome to Leisure Platform 9 – a place where gamblers and villains rub shoulders with socialites and celebrities. Don’t cheat at the games tables, and be careful who you beat. The prize for winning the wrong game is to take part in another, as Rory is about to discover – and the next game could be the death of him.

When Rory is kidnapped by the brutal crime lord Xorg Krauzzen, the Doctor and Amy must go undercover to infiltrate the deadly contest being played out in the ruins of Gorgoror. But how long before Krauzzen realises the Doctor isn’t a vicious mercenary and discovers what Amy is up to? It’s only a matter of time. And time is the one thing Rory and the other fugitives on Gorgoror don’t have.

They are the hunted in a game that can only end in death, and time for everyone is running out…

Doctor Who: The Way Through the Woods – Una McCormack

‘The motorway bends around the woods. So did the old road. So did the Roman road. As long as people have lived here, they've gone out of their way to avoid the woods...’

England, today. Between the housing estate and the motorway lies an ancient wood. The motorway bends to avoid it. Last week, teenager Laura Brown went missing. Tonight, Vicky Caine will miss her bus and take a shortcut through the wood. And she will disappear too. England, 1917. Between the village and the main road lies an ancient wood. The old Roman road bends to avoid it. Tonight Emily Bostock and a man called Rory Williams will go to the woods.

Investigating events in the present day and back in 1917, the Doctor and Amy are desperate to find out what’s happened to Rory. He was supposed to look after Emily – and now they’ve both vanished. Something is waiting in the woods. Something that’s been there for thousands of years. Something that is now waking up...

Three thrilling, all-new adventures featuring the Doctor, Amy and Rory, as played by Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill in the spectacular hit series from BBC Television.