A wonderfully atmospheric Eleventh Doctor adventure that fits in seamlessly between Series 5 and 6 of the show.
Goss perfectly captures this TARDIS team, especially newlyweds Amy and Rory.

Set in a remote clinic in 18th century Italy, the trio soon realise that something is a miss as medical procedures feel far advanced for the time period.
I quite d that Rory’s profession felt relevant to this tale.

The narrative is told through a series of letters and memories that helps to make this a real page turner, it helps to flesh out the numerous side characters.

Fans of this era of the show will thoroughly enjoy this novel.24 s Jim C1,604 25

This is a book based on the television series. This one has Matt Smith's Doctor and his companions Amy and Rory. In this one our main characters travel back in time to a place that is dealing with the sick. The problem is that this place is ahead of its time with the way they are dealing with the sick.

I love the concept of this book and it easily fits within this universe. Treatment that is ahead of its time is something that The Doctor would have to deal with it and how does he deal with it. The ethical dilemma he faces as it does cause a ripple in time but it is for a good cause. I also d how this book gives the sick a moment of happiness when everything looks dire. The problem with this book and the reason I did not enjoy it was how the story was told. It was told through letters and journal entries by all the different characters. We had many points of view and it did not work for me. I never got a true sense of our characters as we are viewing them through people's eyes. I especially felt this way for The Doctor and since this universe is about him that is not good. I also felt this way about the antagonist. It felt the author finally at the end realized he never explained what the motivation was for the antagonist and quickly added it.

I know reviewers enjoyed this book but it did not work for me. I think it really believe the reason was because of the execution. If this was told in a linear fashion with just one point of view I would have had a different experience reading this book.24 s Lady Nerd145 72


Oh, James Goss. I expected more from you.
The story was good and atmospheric, but the plot twists were predictable and frustrating.
Also, these characters were NOT Amy, Rory and the Doctor. The Doctor is basically a monster to Rory in this one, and Amy is still in love with The Doctor after marrying Rory. And she says she married Rory because he was this second best guy to the Doctor?
No thanks.a-big-sack-of-nope10 s Mark125

Really not the best Doctor Who novel ever written. It did get marginally better about 100 pages in once a very obvious plot twist was revealed, but only very slightly. Told from the view point of Rory, Amy and a couple of other disposable characters this book tells the story of a French clinic in the 18th century that seems to have developed a cure for TB about 100 years before people even really understand the disease. There were a number of twists in this book and everyone of them as transparent as the last. The method of writing was quite infuriating at times, but this was more a case of the Doctor, Amy and Rory characters in this book seeming to have very little resemblance to the characters in the show. I have read many Doctor Who books before and some of them are so well obsereved of the show that you can easily imagine the characters from the show speaking the dialogue in the book. But that was not the case in this book and it was as though the author had done very little research into the characters he was writting about. I also greatly disd the way that Rory was portrayed in this book. Yes it is often accepted in the show that he sometimes has to play second fiddle to the Doctor and he is sometimes (for lack of a better word) forgotten about from the Doctor and Amy's view point. But there were moments in this book where Amy and the Doctor disregarded him completely and despite the fact it came good in the end, the text leading up to that was not conducive to how it would have been handled in the show. Also there was one very annoying aspect in the conclusion of this book and I don't really want to give much of it away to anyone who hasn't yet read this book but it was as though the author is unaware of what happens to the Doctor in the event that his body is damaged beyond repair.doctor-who9 s Andrew319 13

Within the range of Doctor Who novels, this one's fantastic. Told through letters from the supporting cast and Amy Pond's memories, it details the arrival of the TARDIS crew at a mysterious clinic in 1783, where some very strange methods are being used to cure the patients.

While the story itself is fairly straightforward, the writing style allows for some extra twists and surprises. It also gives us some great insight into the characters' minds, and their thoughts and feelings about one another.

Amy and Rory are portrayed particularly well, and it really is to the series' advantage to have this married couple on board the TARDIS. The Doctor is as enigmatic as ever, and comes across every bit as daft and brilliant and mad on the page as he does on the screen.

The story feels it would fit right in with the TV series. But it's the kind of story that wouldn't work on TV, but only in print. And that's the best kind of Doctor Who book, as far as I'm concerned.doctor-who television-tie-in6 s Lauren Stoolfire3,961 277

Dead of Winter (Doctor Who: New Series Adventures #45) by James Goss takes a bit to really hit its stride, but once it does it gets pretty great. Rory is one of my favorite Doctor Who characters and it was fun to see him get perspective chapters and where his nursing skills get put to use.


historical-fiction media-tie-in mystery ...more6 s laur gluchie338 142

DNF ~ 50%

I wasn't enjoying the story as much as I had hoped to. I feel I would've enjoyed this more if this had been turned into an episode of the show.doctor-who own5 s Nemo ?? (pagesandprozac)919 448



this one was certainly a little bit different. perfect to read in october, a.k.a. Spooky Season, and set out quite a bit differently to the other DW books - part epistolary, part journal, part first-person POV from amy and rory. it also didn't shy away from exploring the doctor's darker side, which i appreciated.4-star doctor-who historical-fiction ...more4 s Daniel Kukwa4,263 102

James Goss comes up trumps once again. After his fantastic "Torchwood" novels comes his first "Doctor Who" novel...which is an absolute triumph of character. Goss captures the Doctor, Amy & Rory with astonishing precision & depth. The story is told in first person letters and remembrances, and the historical setting makes for a colourful backdrop, without being intrusive or too heavy. This is a dark, historical fairy tale...and I blazed through this book in three hours. A positive triumph.
doctor-who4 s Jennifer1,785 54

This felt interminable. The setting was very promising: a crash finds Amy, Rory and the Doctor (although not quite themselves) at an ahead of its time European sanatorium in the 18th Century. Even in the 21st Century we still to think of going to the seaside as a cure and the sea here is effecting miraculous improvements in the motley collection of guests/patients with TB. Even before anyone thought fresh air, rest and good food might help. Yes, there's something fishy going on! We've got a story!

Unfortunately the execution was dire - the book was 3 times as long as it should have been (oh my goodness are we only on disc 3 of 6?), the characterisations of Rory and the Doctor were off (when, because of the personality switching, it needed to be spot on) and the relationship between the two men was worse. The format of the book alternated between "What Amy remembered" (or forgot, as appropriate - that was quite a nice touch), Dr Bloom's journal, The Story of Rory (impossible to hear without repeating aloud 'The Storwy of Worwy'), letters from Mr. Neville (a pompous English gentleman and MP) and A Letter from Maria - a little French girl left behind by her mother and wiz an outRAGEous accent worthy of Monty Python and the Holy Grail or 'Allo 'Allo. Maria writes countless letters to her mother each day... there's a point to this in the end but patience has run out by that stage. It never really works when someone unconnected with the Doctor Who series narrates although Clare Corbett does do quite a nice job of Amy's Scottish accent and manner.

The worst aspect of the book (aside from realising we hadn't registered how the Doctor had fixed the problem or what had happened to key characters - kind of crucial!) was the scattering of self conscious 'up to date' references to Jedward and the . These alone would doom the book's chances of ever becoming classic Doctor Who. I am barely in touch enough with popular culture myself to just about get them and this is a 2011 book.

There were some nice reflective quotes on life with the Doctor and James Goss wrote one of the Doctor Who's I've particularly enjoyed, so quite a surprise to find this so ghastly. We felt having a party to celebrate the thing being over!audiobooks fiction read-20113 s Kandice1,615 341

This story is told through letters, journal entries and memories, so the point of view is continually changing. It took quite a lot of pages to get used to the narrative. Longer than it should have, I thought. Then about halfway through the book something is revealed that makes you want to go back and re-read the first half. Kudos to Goss for this twist, I just wish he could have delivered it in a more straightforward way.

This was definitely a proper Doctor story. He is the reluctant hero, who at times seems to be almost cruel. Later when we look back we see that his possible cruelty is simply kindness that we were unable to see or understand at the time. Smith's 11th Doctor was captured on the page perfectly. I doubted at first, but that middle of the book twist solidified Goss' handle on the character.

Amy and Rory were equally presented as themselves. I was torn, though, because despite getting their characters and personalities correct, Goss made a few continuity errors that I found almost unforgivable as a Who-vian. For instance, he has Rory remembering an interaction with Amy's father. WTF? And the memory occurred (supposedly) when they were adults. I didn't misunderstand, either, because I went back and read the surrounding pages to be certain this wasn't some of the witchery involved in the plot twist. Nope. Just poor research, editing, whatever. There were a few other notable discrepancies as well, but I'll leave it at one example.

The "alien" in this novel was equally Doctor worthy. Often we encounter "other" and see it as evil, out to destroy the planet or race, when in reality they are simply too alien for us to understand their motives. Thank goodness the Doctor understands for us and explains it all.

Overall it was an enjoyable read with a great twist.3 s Robert Schneider84 2

First off let me say that I have never books told through "journal entries" so it was with some trepidation that I started this book after reading some of the . This book did not change my opinion of stories told in this way. The book was slow to start and seemed to be there purely for the plot twist that was obvious from a mile away. The biggest problem I had was one this style of story all shares, Dull and very static. How can you foster a sense of danger or even of urgency if the characters are able to stop and write letter or journal entry every 10 minutes? Saying that I sure would have to have had the stationary concession here. 3 s Allen114

This one is almost a four stars for me but it felt it went ion for a bit too long. I did how the story is presented, It's atmospheric and quite eerie, One thing that does bother me that this adventures takes place between Series 5 and Series 6 but all the characters less except from Rory seems all mid-Series 5, in the end it pretty predictable.3 s K1,018 4

-????????
Contains spoilers

I’m so sorry to say this. But it felt a first draft.
The obvious plots and background characters going through the motions before the writer goes back through and puts in details. the first base coat of color in a painting. someone gave him a very brief summary of the 11th Doctor and his companions and told them to write a book.

I didn’t see Rory, or Amy, or the Doctor. I saw vague copies of them. They didn’t feel familiar.
These were characters I did not know. And the chapter titles, what even was that?
Also,The Doctor can be mindless when it comes to his companions but he is never, ever intentionally unkind. That crosses one of his most basic rules.

He was unkind to Rory in this book. No no no. So unkind. He called him Roger and was inside his head without his permission and he dismissed him and joked about his importance and refused to rescue him. Just, no. The more I think about it the more upset I get I didn’t mean to start ranting but now I’m going to, sorry.

Amy treating Rory the second Best to the doctor? The doctor calling Rory her pet, saying he would rather she had picked a dog. Or a cat. No no and no.

There were only two things I think this one nailed. One is that one sentence when Amy says it’s the Doctor has spent 100 years loving each emotion but even that quote is ruined by the first part, where she states that it’s sometimes he has no emotion. She’s with the 11th Doctor. One of the most expressive, childish, and emotional reincarnations of the Doctor. What is this?
The second is how he tries to keep himself away from the creature for the creatures own sake.

also what’s the bit about comparing her life with Rory and the doctor to a Ryan Reynolds camping trip?
Also the bit about the banana. The doctor travels with human companions because he knows they’re human and that they make mistakes.

We know at this point in the story Rory hasn’t been traveling with them very long and doesn’t know much about how he can affect history and other planets,. The doctor would never, ever go off on a companion for being human. For simply making a mistake.
Even Rory refers to himself as meaning “just a banana skin on the ground” to the doctor.
Another quote from this incorrect book “And Rory has to come last.” Nope. Before 14 other things that aren’t as pertinent?

I’m not special. Rory, in this book I completely understand why you feel that way. He often treated K9 better then this.
And at this point in the story I’m pretty sure Amy doesn’t have parents yet Rory shares a memory of eating sandwiches with her father?

You think that anyone who has seen at least one season of Doctor Who would know what happens when the Doctor gets fatally wounded. But no. He was killed by a shot to the head. No regeneration, not even an attempt. The Doctor can’t be killed this, as the only way to kill a Timelord is to kill them while they’re regenerating. This was horrible.2 s Amy3 2

At first, I wanted to give this book two and a half stars...the beginning was a bit confusing and seemed to drag on much longer than it should until they revealed a plot twist which made me want to go back and re-read the first 100 pages. The way the chapters were set up (character point of view through diary entries and letters) seemed unrealistic as they recalled every detail to dialogue or inflection. the different style threw me off at first, but I shrugged it off and moved on. About halfway through the book, when you start to realize what's going on, the story becomes quite emotional and dramatic. It was one of the more serious stories I've read involving the Eleventh Doctor and reminded me a lot of "The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People" episodes of season 6. It had a lot of familiar themes involving alternate versions of the main characters as well as the whole amnesia storyline that opened the book. Even though the story itself is probably worthy enough for a tv episode, the characterizations of the main trio seemed off. I never understood why they seemed so angry at each other and their reaction didn't fit what I've come to know on tv. In the beginning, I wanted to give this book two and a half stars and then I wanted to give this book almost four stars by the end because I d the story a little more than some of the other quicker Doctor Who tie-in books, but it had too many mistakes for me to completely enjoy it. 2 s Leslie17

At first I was really happy we get to see rorys perspective, but it just turns into this bitter hate for the doctor, and even a little bit for Amy. he just has such low self esteem that its really off-putting. Someone Amy would never love someone that has self esteem as low as the rory written in this book. I know he's often overshadowed by the doctor on the show, and for a while it feels their love is one sided, but he never questions it. When she has the transmitter in her hand from the episode about the silence, and we can't see her but they can still hear her, the doctor says it isn't really her and that she can't hear him and rory says she is always here, and she can always hear me. (Which ironically is what the doctor says to river in this seasons finale). So I just feel they took a good opportunity to show Rory's perspective, and instead made us hate him for being so negative and hard on himself and everyone around him.2 s Inga171

Gestrandet in der Vergangenheit, am Strand einer Tuberkulose-Klinik. Kein Ausweg, irgendetwas Unheimliches geht vor sich und dein Gehirn erinnert sich einfach nicht daran, was passiert ist und wer du bist. Keine besonders angenehme Vorstellung.
Eine ganz gute Handlung, wobei ich die Art der Erzählung mit einem Wechsel von Briefen, Tagebucheinträgen und Gedanken zu Teilen fragwürdig finde. Leichte Plotholes dabei also. Die Darstellung der Charaktere ist definitiv besser, hier fokussiert auf die Imperfektion der Personen im Gegensatz dazu wie sie wahrgenommen werden, schon spannend, aber sehr negativ. Möglicherweise bin ich einfach nicht so ein Fan der geschriebenen DW stories?
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