The Blood Cell Explained

The Blood Cell
Author:James Goss
Series:Doctor Who book:
New Series Adventures
Release Number:52
Subject:Featuring:
Twelfth Doctor
Clara Oswald
Set In:Period between
"Listen" and
"In the Forest of the Night"
Release Date:11 September 2014
Publisher:BBC Books
Pages:256
Isbn:978-1-84990-774-3
Preceded By:Engines of War
Followed By:Silhouette

The Blood Cell is a BBC Books original novel written by James Goss and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Twelfth Doctor and Clara Oswald. The book was released on 11 September 2014 along with Silhouette and The Crawling Terror.[1]

Reviews

The Blood Cell gained generally positive reviews, calling it an "effective chiller".[2] Most of them commented the unusual way of narration from the first-person perspective of the administrator of the prison in which the book is set known as the Governor.[3] [4] More grim and darker tone is also noted. The interaction between the Doctor and the Governor is described as "a good mix and an interesting double act". Goss nailed the bantering love/hate relationship of the Doctor and Clara,[5] capturing the bickering between the pair. Peter Capaldi's Doctor is pretty recognisable, the author captures his "ornery portrayal extremely well", and the Twelfth Doctor's intellect as well as his sarcastic side with the "lashings of the amusing fish-out-of-water Time Lord" is portrayed accurately. As for Clara, Goss "captured her quiet determination well" and was praised for "an absolute hold on the character, really getting inside her head and nailing her characterisation perfectly".

Audiobook

The Blood Cell
Author:James Goss
Audio Read By:Colin McFarlane
Series:Doctor Who
Subject:Featuring:
Twelfth Doctor
Clara Oswald
Publisher:BBC Audio
Pub Date:13 November 2014
Media Type:Audiobook
Audio CD (5 Hours 56 Mins)
Isbn:978-1-910281-73-4

The audio addition to the book was released on 13 November 2014, read by Colin McFarlane who played General Austin Pierce in and guest starred in the Doctor Who episodes "Under the Lake" and "Before the Flood" as Moran.[6] This was the first new series audio to be released since AudioGo went into administration in 2013.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: First 12th Doctor Novels Detailed. 3 June 2014. Doctor Who TV. 12 June 2016.
  2. Web site: The Blood Cell: Can the Doctor Escape?. Jonathan. Appleton. 25 November 2014. Kasterborous. 12 June 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160810002624/http://www.kasterborous.com/2014/11/blood-cell-can-doctor-escape/. 10 August 2016.
  3. Web site: The Blood Cell Review. 1 October 2014. Doctor Who TV. 12 June 2016.
  4. Web site: Review: Doctor Who: Books: The Blood Cell. Paul. Simpson. 10 September 2014 . Sci-Fi Bulletin. 12 June 2016.
  5. Web site: DOCTOR WHO – THE BLOOD CELL. Paul. Mount. Starburst. 12 June 2016.
  6. Book: Doctor Who: The Blood Cell: A 12th Doctor Novel (Dr Who). .