Doctor Who - The Blood Cell

Doo Wee Oooh . . . I'm so excited!!

For those who are new to my blog, I'm a complete nerd and love every minute of my nerdiness (with the slight exception of the pain of long hiatus . . . I'm looking at you Sherlock).

For those familiar with the world of sci-fi and fantasy, particularly that of the British persuasion, it is old news that in just under 2 weeks a new doctor shall be revealed to the world or, at least the rest of him will be revealed. Technically, we've already been introduced to his kidneys.

For the uninitiated, Doctor Who is a long standing British show featuring the Doctor, a timelord from the planet Gallifrey who spends an exorbitant amount of time in the London and Cardiff areas for an alien who can go anywhere in any time.

That said, I love the show.
I love the whimsy and fantasy. I love the sarcasm and wit. I love the way it makes me think, makes me care, and get my brain moving.I even love the way it makes me cry though i'm equally fond of the laughter it brings ( I dare you to go watch Vincent and the Doctor and not cry, go on give it a try worst case scenario you still get to see an episode of Who).

So, as any fan who is eagerly awaiting the season premiere of Peter Capaldi's twelfth doctor, I was ecstatic to be offered the chance to review three brand new Doctor Who novels featuring 12 and Clara.

This also means three reviews for you. Aren't you excited now?

The first book up for review is The Blood Cell by James Goss.

The fact that their prison was inescapable was a point of pride for the governor, now if only he could just get prisoner 428 to stay put.

The premise of The Blood Cell was fascinating. Take one impenetrable prison set on an asteroid. Add disappearing prisoners, a prison head that has a mysterious past, and a prison that is slowly turning against itself before adding a dash of the Doctor in all his new snarky, edgy glory with a healthy dose of pop culture references for good measure.

I think this could have been a good episode in the hands of the right director, however, I had trouble following this novel as a book.

Although The Blood Cell was a Doctor Who novel, the Governor was the main character and through whom readers were allowed entrance into the story. This left the plot feeling jumbled at times as past events tumbled out all wibbly wobbly, and scenes jarred from too descriptive to too much conversation. This narrative really called for the visual back up.

The other drawback with this novel is that with a little tweaking, the novel could have easily become any sci-fi, with the exception of a small handful of scenes, nothing felt distinctly Whovian.

Now, on to the good.

I realize some fans are up in arms about Clara as a companion but, I have become rather fond of the Impossible Girl and this novel only increased my delight. Clara's petitions and picketing were the perfect counter to the Doctor's brooding and, perhaps depression. I laughed out loud at her interactions with the Governor and loved the perfectness of their order.


Also, as I mentioned earlier, I do think this could have been an interesting episode, so for readers who have a good background when it comes to all things Whovian and creating mental landscapes they may be able to fill in the gaps a little better than a mama who's little one is overachieving in the teething department.

3 out of 5 stars

I received this book through Netgallery in exchange for my honest opinion