Doctor Who: Plague City

I enjoyed the book. A good story well written. I really liked the subtle nod to Back To The Future film near the end. I would recommend this book to any whovians !

A new Doctor Who novel. Telling an all new story for the Twelfth Doctor, Bill, and Nardole. This hasn't appeared before in any other medium. It runs for two hundred and forty seven pages. And is divided into eighteen chapters. Despite a little bit of very mild adult reference, it's suitable for readers of all ages. As usual with this range, the writing of the Doctor is spot on with dialogue you can imagine Peter Capaldi saying onscreen. This was written before any of Bill's tv episodes had actually aired. Although she does spend a lot of the story asking expository questions, the characterisation, based on what we've now seen, does feel right. The same for Nardole also. The story sees the TARDIS in Edinburgh in 1645. A city in the grip of plague. The night doctor roams the streets, looking for those who will not survive. But people are being haunted. By very strange ghosts. And something lurks beneath the city. Can the Doctor find what's really going on? This is a book of three sections. The first third does some excellent set up. Despite lacking any sense of threat, there is a lot of interesting plot development going on, which keeps you intrigued. It does get strongly into the moral questions that Bill asks the Doctor on tv, leading to some excellent debate between them on certain things that will give the reader pause for thought as well. The supporting characters are also superbly three dimensional. But come the middle, the exact nature of the threat, once revealed, is a bit over familiar in certain respects. And the interest level does slip ever so slightly as a result. It rallies for a decent final third though. Where skilled plotting on behalf of the writer shows through, as it brings in things from early on that turn out to be more important than you might have thought, pulling it all together very well indeed. Also, throughout, there is a great sense of historical setting. So not quite five stars, but there's a lot of good stuff in this one, so it's well worth a read.

brought for my husband who loves Dr Who and loves books.... Couldn't go wrong!

excellent story

The first three episodes of Doctor Who's tenth series have set a consistently high standard, with some solid plots, intriguing concepts and a much-welcome focus on Bill, the new companion. In this regard, 'Plague City' certainly doesn't disappoint, providing another quality adventure for the Doctor, Bill and Nardole. Although we have seen little of this trip on-screen so far, all three characters are captured perfectly with Nardole in particular coming across just as amusing and eccentric as he appears in the TV episodes. Just like the recent episode 'Thin Ice', 'Plague City' utilises its period setting to great effect, creating an incredibly immersive reading experience. The plot itself builds upon a lot of different aspects of the plague, but with a unique sci-fi twist. It is also interesting to see Bill learning more and more about time travel throughout the story (presumably, this is only her second trip back into the past), especially the Doctor's "fixed points" philosophy which is explored in great depth. Overall, a fairly decent Doctor Who adventure, and definitely one of the better entries in the BBC Books range. Not quite outstanding; the plot is slightly convoluted at times, although it is ultimately logical and convincing. Still, an hugely enjoyable read for Doctor Who fans of all ages.

A Good Read, like the Edingburgh, and Mary Kings Close refrences

In taking Bill to visit Edinburgh, the Doctor lands the Tardis in 1645, several centuries early and in the middle of the plague. Worse still the dead do not appear to be staying dead and the city is slowly being infested with ghosts. With a quarantine and a curfew in affect the Tardis crew soon find themselves in trouble and at the heart of the mysterious goings on. It is an auspicious time for the Doctor to arrive. The bubonic plague devastated the city in 1645 and decimated its population. Mary Kings Close particularly suffered and has been the source of ghost stories ever since, culminating in it becoming a ‘ghost walk’ tourist attraction. The area plays a prominent role in the novel which utilises the idea that underground gases caused hallucinations. Of course, all this has been given a more science fiction explanation in the book. The novel addresses a few philosophical issues concerned with travelling with the Doctor. Some of Bill and the Doctor’s conversations echo similar themes to those that arose in the episode ‘Thin Ice’ which aired the week after this was published. This timing is a bit unfortunate as both plots share other similarities. Of the three novels published to coincide with the 2017 series, this is the only one to feature Nardole as a fully-fledged participant throughout. As this also hasn’t happened onscreen for the first few episodes this novel becomes the first thing available to feature Bill and Nardole on an adventure together and substantially interacting. Having the two of them accompanying the Doctor makes for an interesting dynamic that is a bit different from that in the other two novels ‘Plague City’ was published alongside. It’s a dynamic that works quite well and one that we will presumably see more of onscreen. It is a good portrayal of Nardole and matches the performance and idiosyncrasies of character that has been seen in the two Christmas specials he appeared in. It also contains some hints similar to that seen in the programme that suggest that there is something strange about Nardole and the Doctor’s relationship. There’s some nice ideas, some touching moments and a bit of a creepy Lovecraftian influence which make this an entertaining read.

Good book.

Possible Spoilers Starring the twelfth Doctor, Bill, and Nardole! When Bill wanted to go to Edinburgh for Hogmanay, the ever-quirky TARDIS lands them in the city in 1645, at the height of the plague. When someone is about to die, the sinister Plague Doctor always visits. The sick person will not survive the night… For some reason, the plague is extra bad in Edinburgh. Even the Doctor wonders about the sudden worsening of the illness. People are dying far more quickly than they should, with the life sucked out of them, little more than an empty husk… The people who die are returning as ghosts… But for one family, the Plague Doctor visited twice, and the second time he took the body… The epicenter seems to be Mary King’s Close. There is something evil down there in the dark… There are ghost stories today about Mary King’s close. The closing of the neighborhood to prevent the spread of plague has long been controversial. It was said people were entombed with the sick and dead, unable to escape. This book does a great job of taking historical moments and writing adventures around the fact. The reader can feel the drama as people begin to give into despair. The words paint a grim picture of the plague-ridden city, bringing to life the sounds and smells as well as visuals. You actually begin to connect with the well-developed characters! I give the book five stars! Quoth the Raven…

The 12th Doctor is not my all time favorite Doctor, but he is the most unique version and grounded one. Not bad at all.

Our heroic 12th doctor returns in book form , this time with help from Bill & Nardole ! The TARDIS has landed in Edinburgh, Scotland...just not the Edinburgh we know. The year is 1645 and the plaque has struck the town of Edinburgh and anyone who is visited by The Night Doctor is due to die from the plaque and then is the matter of ghosts showing up....chatty ghosts that is. This is just one of the many thing that the doctor and his companions must deal with in this story and try to solve the mystery of these chatty ghosts and why are they here ? What I love about these Doctor Who books is that the authors are able to write it so that you actually hear that doctor and his companions voices in your head as you read. These books are fun and worth reading for anyone who is a whovian !

Yes was good book. Happy to have read it. I like tacos quite a bit. Boo boo bam bam lol

The author got the Doctor, Bill and Nardole just right. The story was a good combination of ghost story, historical postcard and puzzle solving for a Doctor Who adventure. I'm always impressed at the quality of these books considering that they're written by different authors. I wish we had one more tv season with 12, Bill and Nardole. But the books help prolong the fun.