The Drosten's Curse is a 2015 Doctor Who novel written by A.L. Kennedy. Starting life off as a short story called The Death Pit, Kennedy expanded the story to novel length for publication. The move was called unexpected by some, as they did not expect for Kennedy to take that career path.[1]

The Drosten's Curse
AuthorA.L. Kennedy
LanguageEnglish
SeriesDoctor Who
GenreScience fiction
PublishedJuly 14, 2015 (Crown)
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint (paperback)
Pages368
ISBN9780553419443

The novel received broadly positive reviews from critics, although the praise was not universal.

Synopsis

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When the Doctor arrives at the Fetch Brothers' Golf Sap Hotel, he meets receptionist Bryony in the midst of something alien waking up.

Reception

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The book received overall positive reviews from critics, with Stuart Kelly of The Independent called it, "enjoyable and affecting as any other Kennedy novel" and stated that it captured the feeling of Doctor Who well.[2] The Scotsman called it, "a very human book" and praised the chemistry between Bryony and the bounty hunter.[3] Blogtor Who gave it a 10/10, praising the character development and the chapter flow.[4]

Other reviews were slightly more critical. Nerdist praised the writing, but criticized the narrative and the lack of development for non-Doctor characters.[5] Similarly, Doctor Who TV, who noted the original short story needed more development, called it fun, but often felt it "rambles at time[s]" and "at times, stumble[s] from an overdose on whimsy".[6]

References

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  1. ^ Barnes, Jonathan. "The Time-Traveller's Life". Literary Review.
  2. ^ Kelly, Stuart (July 2, 2015). "Doctor Who: The Drosten's Curse by AL Kennedy, book review". The Independent.
  3. ^ Smith, Aidan. "Book review: Doctor Who - The Drosten's Curse". The Scotsman.
  4. ^ McEwan, Cameron K. (August 8, 2015). "BOOK REVIEW: The Drosten's Curse". Blogtor Who.
  5. ^ Ratcliffe, Amy. "Book Review: DOCTOR WHO: THE DROSTEN'S CURSE by A.L. Kennedy". Nerdist.
  6. ^ Kavanagh-Sproull, Patrick (July 16, 2015). "The Drosten's Curse Review". Doctor Who TV.