Doctor Who: The Blood Cell: A Novel

"Blood Cell" is the first of the New Series Adventures to feature the 12th Doctor and Clara. The series has been around since 2005, opening with the 9th Doctor and Rose. Author James Goss previously wrote an 11th Doctor novel called  Doctor Who: Dead Of Winter , a creepy mystery set in a French hospital. This one is set in outer space, but is no less creepy.The story is told in first-person narration, from the point of view of the governor of an asteroid prison (in the States, you'd call him the "Warden", and if that reminds you of  The Shawshank Redemption , you're not far off). One of his inmates is the Doctor, who's been imprisoned for horrible crimes against humanity. This means that it takes a while for the Doctor to assume center stage in the novel, and even longer for Clara to join the plot.However, if you have the patience to wait for the Doctor and Clara to join the story, you're in for a very clever ride. The prison is under attack from within; inmates go missing, the Governor's second-in-command seems to have a hidden agenda, and escalating power failures threaten the survival of everyone on board. The Governor soon realizes that he's not exactly in charge, and soon the body count begins to pile up.This book was written, obviously, before we had any 12th Doctor stories on TV. However, Goss appears to have been well-briefed on what the plans were for the current TV season. The Doctor sounds quite a bit like Peter Capaldi, and Clara mentions Danny Pink a couple of times. The Doctor and Clara have the same enjoyably insulting rapport with one another that they have on TV, and of course Clara gets a pretty meaty role in the story's resolution.And don't forget the Governor. As the narrator, this is "his" story. We come to learn quite a lot about his past, how he came to be in charge of an isolated asteroid prison, and why he has such awkward relationships with most of the prison staffers and inmates. Because we're seeing things entirely through someone else's perspective, it's a delight to watch the Doctor progress from "Prisoner 428", to the eventual hero, in the Governor's eyes.While there's a high body count in the novel, and while the concept behind the book's principal monster is a bit grisly, this one is aimed primarily at the YA crowd, so its not overly graphic. The writing is, as I said, quite clever. This is definitely one of the better books published during the 9-year-history of the New Series Adventures.

I've read this one twice now. The whole thing is written in first person perspective, narrated by the warden of a prison so remote, so secure, so important that it's just called The Prison. He's interviewing a new prisoner, who of course we all recognize very quickly as the Twelfth Doctor. At first, it seems like a fairly straightforward story -- the Doctor has gotten himself arrested for a horrible crime that he did not commit as part of some overarching plan to investigate something inside the prison, and has to escape and/or make his point clear -- but as we wait and follow along we see it is not as simple as that. We gradually learn more about the prison, about the mysterious Level Seven that for some reason (we'll learn the reason later, of course) has its own propulsion system, about why systems have been breaking down increasingly aboard the prison, and that the Doctor and Clara (who keeps visiting but isn't allowed in) have discovered something immensely important that the warden needs to know.But one thing kept puzzling me. Why was it called The Blood Cell? Such a melodramatic name, and two-thirds in it still didn't seem like we'd find out.And then we did find out. Oh lord. We found out. This one I'm quite happy to have as *book*, rather than a TV show. It would be the stuff of nightmares. Fortunately, the warden is unable to bring himself to really describe in detail what he's seeing there. So yeah. And that bit came when I figured most of the loose ends had been tied. It's a good book, and I highly recommend it.

I am a longtime fan of the show, having watched most of the classic episodes, all of the new episodes, and even listened to many of the Big Finish radio dramas. I found this novel to be a very good addition to the Doctor Who universe. Everything that makes Doctor Who so entertaining is present here in this novel: a creepy monster, mystery, action and suspense, witty dialogue, humor, and horror. The author does a very good job of conveying through dialogue the personalities of the Twelfth Doctor and his companion Clara, something a lot of writers don't always manage to pull off. In fact, I found the banter between all the characters very amusing. The book is interesting in that it is written from a first person perspective from the viewpoint of the prison warden who has incarcerated the Doctor, or prisoner 428. That might put off some readers, I suppose, but I enjoyed it. I found this to be a quick and entertaining read. Actually, I read it in one evening, and my interest didn't flag at any time. The show would do well to adapt this into an episode.

The 12th Doctor is in prison. The dying has already started. No one is safe from the mysterious danger lurking in this place of utter hopelessness.I've been a fan of the Doctor since I was a child. This is the first novel I've read of his adventures. While not as terrifying for me as the Silence or Weeping Angels, this story still served to not only give a few good scares, but shine a light on the evils men do.

By far my favorite Doctor Who novel so far. This story is told in a much different fashion than the other novels. It is told through a first person perspective. The Governor of the Prison is our narrator. We follow him as he meets Prisoner 428, who insists on being called the Doctor, and the typical harrowing events that follow our favorite Time Lord. Clara, while still a fun character, is almost relegated to a secondary companion as the Governor flips between being the Doctor's companion and his enemy. With some slight political mechanizations to the story, this is Doctor Who at its best: interesting characters, mysterious dangers, unfriendly faces, and a lot of running. James Goss has outdone himself with this fantastic story.

I loved this story, it's writers angle from the wardens perspective, the hopelessness and base under seize are very well explored. I'd like to see this one on screen

Gift