The English Way of Death
Written by Gareth Roberts
BBC Books
Out Now. Priced £7.99
The English Way of Death features the Fourth Doctor (as portrayed by Tom Baker) and his companions Romana and K-9. The setting is a hot summer in 1930’s London. The Tardis senses time pollution and the Doctor and friends must locate the source. An unusual senior citizen named Closed and his group of friends seems to be in the middle of it all. The novel also involves a beautiful assassin with royal blood and a man who built his fortune on tins of biscuits who is now living the life of a hermit.
The wealthy and thoroughly unlikeable cookie magnate Hepworth Stackhouse is taking a brief holiday at the insistence of his physician. While Stackworth thinks the expedition is pointless, he and his valet nevertheless take the train to a quiet resort. He does his best to ignore fellow passenger Percy Closed, who is a great fan of the cookies that bear his name. In short order, Mr. Stackworth will be invaded by a seemingly intelligent, conscious vapour known as Zodaal.
The novel has a bit of a cozy mystery feel, thanks in part to Perry Closed’s neighbor Felicia Chater, a mystery writer who is a hopeless romantic and, as she finds out later, quite an adventurer. The Doctor is at his best; he’s charming, witty, and runs about like a man on fire. Most of the characters are great fun; I was a bit bored by the hired assassin, Julia-for a long portion of the book her only function seemed to be to hold a gun on somebody or other. The scenes in which Julia is featured made the pace of the book feel a bit uneven. Still, the majority of the characters are nicely rounded and sometimes downright funny. I recommend this sometimes silly, sometimes frightening, overall quite enjoyable novel specifically to fans of Doctor Number Four.
8/10
Written by James Goss
Published by BBC Books
Out Now. Priced £7.99
“Dead of Winter” is set in 18th Century Italy. It features the eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) and his companions Amy and Rory. The Tardis crashes on a cold, strange beach. The Doctor, Amy, and Rory find themselves at a clinic that was created to treat consumption (tuberculosis). The clinic seems to be a century ahead of its time. The trio tries to figure out the mystery behind the clinic while battling injuries, scrambled memories, and sudden illness. A lonely little girl named Maria, a patient at the clinic, befriends the three. She tells them about the dancing dead and the talking sea, much to the chagrin of the clinic’s doctor and his mysterious, doting wife.
The book tells the story through a series of monologues, letters, and journals. This method creates an intriguing story with multiple points of view. Each chapter reveals little nuggets of information and the other patients of the hotel, including the demanding Mr. Nevil, two sisters, and Prince Boris and his manservant. The reader learns how and why some patients survive and why some don’t. Perhaps the most heartbreaking story is that of little Maria, who diligently writes letters to her mother begging to come home.
I thoroughly enjoyed this unusual method of storytelling in “Dead of Winter”. Even though the plot is revealed bit by bit solely through the characters telling their experiences, the book has an unusually smooth flow. And although pieces are revealed in each chapter, I continued to be surprised at the clever turns in the plot. Author James Goss brilliantly executes this novel in an unusual format. I was captivated from the very start. “Dead of Winter” is definitely a must for the true Whovian’s collection.
10/10
