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Time Trips
Doctor Who: The Death Pit
Something odd is going on at the Fetch Brothers Golf Spa Hotel. Receptionist Bryony Mailer has noticed a definite tendency towards disappearance amongst the guests. She's tried talking to the manager, she's even tried talking to the owner who lives in one of the best cottages in the grounds, but to no avail. And then a tall, loping remarkably energetic guest (wearing a fetching scarf and floppy hat) appears. The Fourth Doctor thinks he's in Chicago. He knows he's in 1978. And he also knows that if he doesn't do something very clever very soon, matters will get very, very out of hand.
56 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 5, 2013
About the author
A.L. Kennedy
75 books276 followersAlison Louise Kennedy is a Scottish writer of novels, short stories and non-fiction. She is known for a characteristically dark tone, a blending of realism and fantasy, and for her serious approach to her work. She occasionally contributes columns and reviews to UK and European newspapers including the fictional diary of her pet parrot named Charlie.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
January 6, 2016
Well written but lacks excitement.
This is a short story, part of the “Time Trips” collection.
WHO
The Doctor:
The Fourth Doctor
Companions:
Bryony Mailer & Ian Patterson
WHERE & WHEN
Arbroath, Scotland. 1978.
WHAT
The Doctor arrives without intention to a hotel, with a golf course, and soon enough he feels that something is terribly wrong there.
In this adventure, The Doctor was travelling without companions, since it’s set right after the serial The Deadly Assassin, but fate puts in his path, Bryony Mailer, a young recepcionist who works in the hotel, and Ian Patterson, a very curious resident who is way more than he seems.
Certain sports implies risks to the players, but…
…golf?
The Fetch Brothers Golf Spa Hotel offers a golf course where you may not coming out alive!
This is short story very well written, with clever humor, and interesting wacko science fiction concepts that you only can give sense out of them when you’re reading a Doctor Who adventure.
However, I felt that it lacks of enough excitement on its development with a too abrupt ending.
I found out that this short story was extended into a novel by the same author, A.L. Kennedy, under the title The Drosten’s Curse. I have no doubt that the author may noticed the real potential to transform this short story into a full novel, but still the short story was published in any case and I feel that she should decide between restrain herself to have it as just a short story or going all the way to a novel, and then not publishing the short story since I feel like cheated to read what I thought it’d a short story with a proper ending and not a deceptive scheme to make the reader to go and reading a novel that they may not plan and/or want to read.
This is a short story, part of the “Time Trips” collection.
WHO
The Doctor:
The Fourth Doctor
Companions:
Bryony Mailer & Ian Patterson
WHERE & WHEN
Arbroath, Scotland. 1978.
WHAT
The Doctor arrives without intention to a hotel, with a golf course, and soon enough he feels that something is terribly wrong there.
In this adventure, The Doctor was travelling without companions, since it’s set right after the serial The Deadly Assassin, but fate puts in his path, Bryony Mailer, a young recepcionist who works in the hotel, and Ian Patterson, a very curious resident who is way more than he seems.
Certain sports implies risks to the players, but…
…golf?
The Fetch Brothers Golf Spa Hotel offers a golf course where you may not coming out alive!
This is short story very well written, with clever humor, and interesting wacko science fiction concepts that you only can give sense out of them when you’re reading a Doctor Who adventure.
However, I felt that it lacks of enough excitement on its development with a too abrupt ending.
I found out that this short story was extended into a novel by the same author, A.L. Kennedy, under the title The Drosten’s Curse. I have no doubt that the author may noticed the real potential to transform this short story into a full novel, but still the short story was published in any case and I feel that she should decide between restrain herself to have it as just a short story or going all the way to a novel, and then not publishing the short story since I feel like cheated to read what I thought it’d a short story with a proper ending and not a deceptive scheme to make the reader to go and reading a novel that they may not plan and/or want to read.
September 1, 2014
When guests at a golf course start disappearing, Receptionist Bryony Mailer starts investigating. Fortunately for her, she is aided by a scarf-wearing man who thinks he should be in Chicago. Can he put a stop to whatever is happening to the guests? Of course, he can. He's The Doctor... Cue the Fourth Doctor version of the theme music!
This was a Netgalley find.
This somewhat goofy little tale reads like a lost episode from the Tom Baker era of Doctor Who. There's not a whole lot I can reveal of the plot without ruining things. Suffice to say, be careful of the bunker on the 13th hole.
The writing is good, lending a lot of Adams-esque humor to this Fourth Doctor tale. The menace was menacing enough and the characterization of The Doctor was spot on. Bryony and Patterson were both surprisingly well developed for characters in a media tie-in short story.
That's about all I have to say. It was a fun 56 pages and makes me want to watch some old Doctor Who episodes.
This was a Netgalley find.
This somewhat goofy little tale reads like a lost episode from the Tom Baker era of Doctor Who. There's not a whole lot I can reveal of the plot without ruining things. Suffice to say, be careful of the bunker on the 13th hole.
The writing is good, lending a lot of Adams-esque humor to this Fourth Doctor tale. The menace was menacing enough and the characterization of The Doctor was spot on. Bryony and Patterson were both surprisingly well developed for characters in a media tie-in short story.
That's about all I have to say. It was a fun 56 pages and makes me want to watch some old Doctor Who episodes.
May 4, 2015
"Very few species truly understand that actions have consequences. When you destroy something, that isn't an isolated act. Our lives are connected. And other lives are connected to those lives and on and on."
This is a wonderful short novella featuring the Fourth Doctor as he combats a deadly alien who devours people whole-and is hiding in a Scottish golf resort. This was a delightful little story, full of a terrifying enemy and also all the panache and humor that I have come to associate with the 4th Doctor. The characterization was spot on, and I found this a really well-told story, despite it's length.
May 29, 2015
There’s something about the latter, funnier period of Tom Baker’s tenure as ‘Doctor Who’ which lends itself wonderfully to literature. Perhaps it’s because an author gets to make jokes in a science fiction context, whilst having a leading character who is so self-confident and impregnable he manages to be both serious and in on the jokes. Or maybe it’s because the TV script editor for some of that period was Douglas Adams, and so no writer is ever going to feel bashful about aping his style.
Whatever the underlying version, A.L. Kennedy’s short story is a lovely addition to the cannon. It’s smart, funny, assuredly grasps the central character and the world(s) around him and is perfectly suited to the written word rather than television. Focusing as it does on a golf course sand-trap which eats people, I couldn’t help thinking how utterly ridiculous and laughable (not in a good way) this scenario would be on the small screen, but how wonderfully it works here. Okay, maybe the whole tale doesn’t tie together as well as it might have, but I can forgive it that as on a day where I’ve felt quite low – for various reasons – this has given me a respite and definitely cheered me up.
The author has a whole Tom Baker novel coming out later this year, I look forward to devouring it like a sand-trap with an errant golfer.
Whatever the underlying version, A.L. Kennedy’s short story is a lovely addition to the cannon. It’s smart, funny, assuredly grasps the central character and the world(s) around him and is perfectly suited to the written word rather than television. Focusing as it does on a golf course sand-trap which eats people, I couldn’t help thinking how utterly ridiculous and laughable (not in a good way) this scenario would be on the small screen, but how wonderfully it works here. Okay, maybe the whole tale doesn’t tie together as well as it might have, but I can forgive it that as on a day where I’ve felt quite low – for various reasons – this has given me a respite and definitely cheered me up.
The author has a whole Tom Baker novel coming out later this year, I look forward to devouring it like a sand-trap with an errant golfer.
October 22, 2015
The first in a new series of Doctor Who novellas: Time Trips. Written by established authors, presumably not normally associated with Doctor Who fiction. And while I've never heard of A.L. Kennedy before, her Goodreads profile shows a good selection of well-rated books. So far the series is showing at five books and the only author I had heard of before is Trudi Canavan. So, it must just be me.
Each of the books tells the story of a different Doctor, and Kennedy has lucked out with the Fourth: my absolute favourite Doctor (and as we all know – the one, and only, real Doctor). Aiming for Chicago, the Tardis's circuits are playing up again (as they often did for this Doctor) and instead he finds himself at a golf resort in Scotland (probably just as temperate) where a number of guests have mysteriously left without actually checking out. He is though, alone. No companion would presumably place this story somewhere between The Hand of Fear, with Sarah-Jane Smith, and The Face of Evil, where Leela was introduced.
Kennedy has the quirks of the man down to a tee: the quirky attitude, the appearance, the lolloping walk. But it feels slightly hollow. Like a character observed, but not necessarily understood. Maybe the fourth Doctor isn't A.L. Kennedy's one real Doctor? The story is fun though, if quick, as the Doctor, and Bryony, find the alien, save a man's life, there's even a little romance for Bryony. There are though a lot of loose ends. Well more of a big multi-threaded loose end – the gold resort owner, and her two children, aren't explained. They're intriguingly weird (catnip for the Doctor) but the plot keeps dragging him away from them and distracting him. I liked it being left open a little at the end, and I'm hoping that there'll be another story, from A.L. Kennedy, at some point in the future which can explore them some more?
Each of the books tells the story of a different Doctor, and Kennedy has lucked out with the Fourth: my absolute favourite Doctor (and as we all know – the one, and only, real Doctor). Aiming for Chicago, the Tardis's circuits are playing up again (as they often did for this Doctor) and instead he finds himself at a golf resort in Scotland (probably just as temperate) where a number of guests have mysteriously left without actually checking out. He is though, alone. No companion would presumably place this story somewhere between The Hand of Fear, with Sarah-Jane Smith, and The Face of Evil, where Leela was introduced.
Kennedy has the quirks of the man down to a tee: the quirky attitude, the appearance, the lolloping walk. But it feels slightly hollow. Like a character observed, but not necessarily understood. Maybe the fourth Doctor isn't A.L. Kennedy's one real Doctor? The story is fun though, if quick, as the Doctor, and Bryony, find the alien, save a man's life, there's even a little romance for Bryony. There are though a lot of loose ends. Well more of a big multi-threaded loose end – the gold resort owner, and her two children, aren't explained. They're intriguingly weird (catnip for the Doctor) but the plot keeps dragging him away from them and distracting him. I liked it being left open a little at the end, and I'm hoping that there'll be another story, from A.L. Kennedy, at some point in the future which can explore them some more?
December 11, 2013
The following is a fair and honest review in exchange for a free ebook copy of this novella from the publishers, Random House UK & Ebury Publishing on behalf of BBC Digital, requested and received via NetGalley.
This novella is very short, but some of its content makes me feel I'd like to see what else this author can do. I did get thrown out of the tale quite early on by a sentence that was...to put it kindly, poorly phrased, and took me a couple of readings to fathom the writer's intention. Her subsequent description of the Fourth Doctor (as played by Tom Baker), however, thoroughly redeemed the piece in my eyes, and was a delight in itself. To that end, I quote:
"He grinned with rather more teeth than one person should have. He appeared to have been dressed by a committee, possibly a drunk committee: wing collar and something that might once have been a cravat, baggy checked trousers, brown checked waistcoat, long purple velvet frock coat with bulging pockets, raddled shoes... an immense and disreputable scarf with a life of its own..."
Now, doesn't that bring this particular regeneration of the Doctor to mind beautifully? Kennedy continues to draw him with care and accuracy throughout, which is what gets this novella its fourth star when I might otherwise have given it just three.
The adventure itself is fairly usual for the Doctor, though not to say typical. As always, he winds up in a completely different place than he'd intended, while protesting that Arbroath (in Scotland, for those of you unaware) in midsummer isn't really *that* far from Chicago in midwinter. That said, the story loses the fifth star because I felt that it rushed over things it should have explained more clearly, and repeated things it didn't need to; I had the thought "show, don't tell!" more than once during the reading of it. There was also one particular scene I think would have been considered much too gory for the show itself, though obviously it's less so in writing.
Bryony is a well-drawn young character, and Putta is reasonably done, but the twins and their grandmother are inexplicably shallowly sketched for their implied importance to the story, and certain things happen that are either never fully explained or seem to be related but are never referred to again. I think this story would have benefited from being expanded into a full novel rather than rushed through in a novella, but it's entertaining nonetheless. 4 stars.
This novella is very short, but some of its content makes me feel I'd like to see what else this author can do. I did get thrown out of the tale quite early on by a sentence that was...to put it kindly, poorly phrased, and took me a couple of readings to fathom the writer's intention. Her subsequent description of the Fourth Doctor (as played by Tom Baker), however, thoroughly redeemed the piece in my eyes, and was a delight in itself. To that end, I quote:
"He grinned with rather more teeth than one person should have. He appeared to have been dressed by a committee, possibly a drunk committee: wing collar and something that might once have been a cravat, baggy checked trousers, brown checked waistcoat, long purple velvet frock coat with bulging pockets, raddled shoes... an immense and disreputable scarf with a life of its own..."
Now, doesn't that bring this particular regeneration of the Doctor to mind beautifully? Kennedy continues to draw him with care and accuracy throughout, which is what gets this novella its fourth star when I might otherwise have given it just three.
The adventure itself is fairly usual for the Doctor, though not to say typical. As always, he winds up in a completely different place than he'd intended, while protesting that Arbroath (in Scotland, for those of you unaware) in midsummer isn't really *that* far from Chicago in midwinter. That said, the story loses the fifth star because I felt that it rushed over things it should have explained more clearly, and repeated things it didn't need to; I had the thought "show, don't tell!" more than once during the reading of it. There was also one particular scene I think would have been considered much too gory for the show itself, though obviously it's less so in writing.
Bryony is a well-drawn young character, and Putta is reasonably done, but the twins and their grandmother are inexplicably shallowly sketched for their implied importance to the story, and certain things happen that are either never fully explained or seem to be related but are never referred to again. I think this story would have benefited from being expanded into a full novel rather than rushed through in a novella, but it's entertaining nonetheless. 4 stars.
January 16, 2015
I received a copy of this book for free from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. Also posted on my book blog, Rinn Reads.
Just like Doctor Who: Into the Nowhere, this is part of the ‘Time Trips’ series, a sequence of short Doctor Who novellas by different authors and covering different Doctors. This one in particular follows the Fourth Doctor – one I’ve not actually watched in action, but probably the most familiar of the ‘Classic’ Doctors. It has the brilliant Doctor Who trait of combining both funny and scary situations in a unique blend, whilst still being pretty horrifying in parts – and this one really is.
Unlike other Doctor Who books I’ve read so far, there is no companion alongside the Doctor when he lands, meaning we get to experience that initial excitement of someone meeting the Doctor for the first time. Bryony, the someone in question, is a wonderful character in that she surprises even the Doctor. She is ambitious but somehow just got stuck working at the golf club, and her adventures with the Doctor help her to realise that if she wants to achieve her dreams, she needs to go out and do something about them. For such a short story the characters were quite detailed, which really added to my enjoyment of the novella.
As well as being well written and developed, there were plenty of fun and humorous moments to keep the reader amused. The Doctor was his manic self, as Tom Baker’s Doctor was, and it was pretty funny imagining him in a shower cap (especially with all that hair!). Overall, a wonderful short adventure for fans of the show, particularly those who would love some more stories involving Four.
Just like Doctor Who: Into the Nowhere, this is part of the ‘Time Trips’ series, a sequence of short Doctor Who novellas by different authors and covering different Doctors. This one in particular follows the Fourth Doctor – one I’ve not actually watched in action, but probably the most familiar of the ‘Classic’ Doctors. It has the brilliant Doctor Who trait of combining both funny and scary situations in a unique blend, whilst still being pretty horrifying in parts – and this one really is.
Unlike other Doctor Who books I’ve read so far, there is no companion alongside the Doctor when he lands, meaning we get to experience that initial excitement of someone meeting the Doctor for the first time. Bryony, the someone in question, is a wonderful character in that she surprises even the Doctor. She is ambitious but somehow just got stuck working at the golf club, and her adventures with the Doctor help her to realise that if she wants to achieve her dreams, she needs to go out and do something about them. For such a short story the characters were quite detailed, which really added to my enjoyment of the novella.
As well as being well written and developed, there were plenty of fun and humorous moments to keep the reader amused. The Doctor was his manic self, as Tom Baker’s Doctor was, and it was pretty funny imagining him in a shower cap (especially with all that hair!). Overall, a wonderful short adventure for fans of the show, particularly those who would love some more stories involving Four.
December 9, 2013
This is the first in a new series of Doctor Who books under the title "Time Trips". It features the Fourth Doctor landing on a golf course in 1978. In terms of chronology to the TV show this is during the short time the Fourth Doctor is travelling by himself, between "The Deadly Assassin" and "The Face of Evil".
The story is essentially about a golf bunker which eats people. It's a bit silly but it kind of works. There's some of the best, most well-rounded characters I've ever seen in a short Who book given to us in Bryony and Patterson. They both seem very real and very Doctor Who-ish at the same time. Everything about this story is good except the basic fact that the monster is a golf bunker which eats people. It just doesn't quite feel like much of an epic story!
The style is brilliant, it really fits well with the Fourth Doctor and feels kind of Douglas Adams-esque. As much as I can kind of imagine it as a TV episode, this works brilliantly in the written form as it delves into the thoughts of the characters, including the Doctor. It's always a challenge to get into the mind of the Doctor and A.L. Kennedy does a good job by not going into too much depth.
All in all this is a great start to the new series and although the monster is good fun it is a little underwhelming. Great fun!
The story is essentially about a golf bunker which eats people. It's a bit silly but it kind of works. There's some of the best, most well-rounded characters I've ever seen in a short Who book given to us in Bryony and Patterson. They both seem very real and very Doctor Who-ish at the same time. Everything about this story is good except the basic fact that the monster is a golf bunker which eats people. It just doesn't quite feel like much of an epic story!
The style is brilliant, it really fits well with the Fourth Doctor and feels kind of Douglas Adams-esque. As much as I can kind of imagine it as a TV episode, this works brilliantly in the written form as it delves into the thoughts of the characters, including the Doctor. It's always a challenge to get into the mind of the Doctor and A.L. Kennedy does a good job by not going into too much depth.
All in all this is a great start to the new series and although the monster is good fun it is a little underwhelming. Great fun!
January 9, 2018
Doctor Who has always been one of my favorite fandoms. My husband watched the first season in 2013, and kept telling me about it. At first, I didn't have too much interest in it. However, we sat down over a weekend and marathoned the first season, and by the end, I was in love. It quickly became one of my favorite obsessions. I've read most of the books now, so I always get excited when I discover one I haven't read. Recently, I discovered one of the few Time Trip books I hadn't read, The Death Pit, and knew I had to get my hands on it. I found it to be just okay.
Don't get me wrong, I did find the book enjoyable at times. It's just that I had one big problem with this. It was extremely cheesy. Now, I know that a lot of the appeal of Doctor Who is its cheesiness. I get that. Usually, that's one of the things I love about Doctor Who. However, this was over the top cheesy. For example, the way a certain character reacts to the golf pit towards the beginning drove me crazy. It was almost like terrible B-movie acting. It really took me out of the story, and made it a lot less enjoyable. It wasn't just that scene either, it happened throughout the book.
There were a couple things I liked about the book though. I liked how the author interpreted the Fourth Doctor. They gave just enough subtle hints that the reader was with Four throughout the book without shoving it in the reader's face. However, even if they wouldn't have given those hints, the reader would have been able to tell because the author wrote Four's personality really well. They captured the little quirks that are significant to Tom Baker's personality perfectly. I haven't watched a lot of episodes with the Fourth Doctor, but this book made me want to watch more. I also liked that we as fans finally got a direct, no beating around the bush answer about why the Doctor is so adverse to using guns.
When The Death Pit wasn't being terribly cheesy, I found myself enjoying it. I really loved A.L. Kennedy's interpretation of the Fourth Doctor. I hope that this author continues to write more Doctor Who stories in the future, even though I had some problems with this one. I think if their writing were to mature just a little bit, they could possibly write a brilliant Doctor Who story about Four. I am excited to do some research to see if there are any other Time Trips Doctor Who books that I may have glanced over, and not read yet.
Don't get me wrong, I did find the book enjoyable at times. It's just that I had one big problem with this. It was extremely cheesy. Now, I know that a lot of the appeal of Doctor Who is its cheesiness. I get that. Usually, that's one of the things I love about Doctor Who. However, this was over the top cheesy. For example, the way a certain character reacts to the golf pit towards the beginning drove me crazy. It was almost like terrible B-movie acting. It really took me out of the story, and made it a lot less enjoyable. It wasn't just that scene either, it happened throughout the book.
There were a couple things I liked about the book though. I liked how the author interpreted the Fourth Doctor. They gave just enough subtle hints that the reader was with Four throughout the book without shoving it in the reader's face. However, even if they wouldn't have given those hints, the reader would have been able to tell because the author wrote Four's personality really well. They captured the little quirks that are significant to Tom Baker's personality perfectly. I haven't watched a lot of episodes with the Fourth Doctor, but this book made me want to watch more. I also liked that we as fans finally got a direct, no beating around the bush answer about why the Doctor is so adverse to using guns.
When The Death Pit wasn't being terribly cheesy, I found myself enjoying it. I really loved A.L. Kennedy's interpretation of the Fourth Doctor. I hope that this author continues to write more Doctor Who stories in the future, even though I had some problems with this one. I think if their writing were to mature just a little bit, they could possibly write a brilliant Doctor Who story about Four. I am excited to do some research to see if there are any other Time Trips Doctor Who books that I may have glanced over, and not read yet.
December 16, 2013
This was... Okay, I suppose?
I didn't love it; the thing with trying to write funny is that it either works or it doesn't, and in this particular case, the author's sense of whimsical writing and what I like didn't really mesh all that well. It was a problem particularly in the beginning, before the Doctor appeared: I did feel the writing fit the character of the Fourth Doctor well enough.
Four's characterisation was actually the best part of this story / short novella for me; I thought it was fairly spot-on for a relatively short story.
The plot was... Okay, I suppose? A bit meh, nothing spectacular but interesting enough to keep me reading. I didn't really care for either Bryony (whom I liked to start with) or Ian/Putta (whom I liked to start with) later on, and
Two and a half stars, really, but as I can't unreservedly say "I liked it" about The Death Pit, I'm leaving it at what Goodreads considers the appropriate rating for "it was OK".
I didn't love it; the thing with trying to write funny is that it either works or it doesn't, and in this particular case, the author's sense of whimsical writing and what I like didn't really mesh all that well. It was a problem particularly in the beginning, before the Doctor appeared: I did feel the writing fit the character of the Fourth Doctor well enough.
Four's characterisation was actually the best part of this story / short novella for me; I thought it was fairly spot-on for a relatively short story.
The plot was... Okay, I suppose? A bit meh, nothing spectacular but interesting enough to keep me reading. I didn't really care for either Bryony (whom I liked to start with) or Ian/Putta (whom I liked to start with) later on, and
Two and a half stars, really, but as I can't unreservedly say "I liked it" about The Death Pit, I'm leaving it at what Goodreads considers the appropriate rating for "it was OK".
July 3, 2016
Enjoyable short trip around the golf course
The fourth Doctor teams up with the receptionist at Fetch's Hotel, in 1978, to defeat the baddie. Thought more would be made of the strange twins, but still thought it was a fun read.
The fourth Doctor teams up with the receptionist at Fetch's Hotel, in 1978, to defeat the baddie. Thought more would be made of the strange twins, but still thought it was a fun read.
April 18, 2019
Interesting read, but I felt the ending was incomplete and that bothers me.
June 11, 2019
Felt like a real Dr. Who episode. A bit strange, a bit wishy-washy-thingy with an open(?) end
July 13, 2015
The following is a fair and honest review in exchange for a free ebook copy of this novella from the publishers, Random House UK & Ebury Publishing on behalf of BBC Digital, requested and received via NetGalley.
This novella is very short, but some of its content makes me feel I'd like to see what else this author can do. I did get thrown out of the tale quite early on by a sentence that was...to put it kindly, poorly phrased, and took me a couple of readings to fathom the writer's intention. Her subsequent description of the Fourth Doctor (as played by Tom Baker), however, thoroughly redeemed the piece in my eyes, and was a delight in itself. To that end, I quote:
"He grinned with rather more teeth than one person should have. He appeared to have been dressed by a committee, possibly a drunk committee: wing collar and something that might once have been a cravat, baggy checked trousers, brown checked waistcoat, long purple velvet frock coat with bulging pockets, raddled shoes... an immense and disreputable scarf with a life of its own..."
Now, doesn't that bring this particular regeneration of the Doctor to mind beautifully? Kennedy continues to draw him with care and accuracy throughout, which is what gets this novella its fourth star when I might otherwise have given it just three.
The adventure itself is fairly usual for the Doctor, though not to say typical. As always, he winds up in a completely different place than he'd intended, while protesting that Arbroath (in Scotland, for those of you unaware) in midsummer isn't really *that* far from Chicago in midwinter. That said, the story loses the fifth star because I felt that it rushed over things it should have explained more clearly, and repeated things it didn't need to; I had the thought "show, don't tell!" more than once during the reading of it. There was also one particular scene I think would have been considered much too gory for the show itself, though obviously it's less so in writing.
Bryony is a well-drawn young character, and Putta is reasonably done, but the twins and their grandmother are inexplicably shallowly sketched for their implied importance to the story, and certain things happen that are either never fully explained or seem to be related but are never referred to again. I think this story would have benefited from being expanded into a full novel rather than rushed through in a novella, but it's entertaining nonetheless. 4 stars.
This novella is very short, but some of its content makes me feel I'd like to see what else this author can do. I did get thrown out of the tale quite early on by a sentence that was...to put it kindly, poorly phrased, and took me a couple of readings to fathom the writer's intention. Her subsequent description of the Fourth Doctor (as played by Tom Baker), however, thoroughly redeemed the piece in my eyes, and was a delight in itself. To that end, I quote:
"He grinned with rather more teeth than one person should have. He appeared to have been dressed by a committee, possibly a drunk committee: wing collar and something that might once have been a cravat, baggy checked trousers, brown checked waistcoat, long purple velvet frock coat with bulging pockets, raddled shoes... an immense and disreputable scarf with a life of its own..."
Now, doesn't that bring this particular regeneration of the Doctor to mind beautifully? Kennedy continues to draw him with care and accuracy throughout, which is what gets this novella its fourth star when I might otherwise have given it just three.
The adventure itself is fairly usual for the Doctor, though not to say typical. As always, he winds up in a completely different place than he'd intended, while protesting that Arbroath (in Scotland, for those of you unaware) in midsummer isn't really *that* far from Chicago in midwinter. That said, the story loses the fifth star because I felt that it rushed over things it should have explained more clearly, and repeated things it didn't need to; I had the thought "show, don't tell!" more than once during the reading of it. There was also one particular scene I think would have been considered much too gory for the show itself, though obviously it's less so in writing.
Bryony is a well-drawn young character, and Putta is reasonably done, but the twins and their grandmother are inexplicably shallowly sketched for their implied importance to the story, and certain things happen that are either never fully explained or seem to be related but are never referred to again. I think this story would have benefited from being expanded into a full novel rather than rushed through in a novella, but it's entertaining nonetheless. 4 stars.
August 3, 2016
After reading the anniversary e-shorts last year I found I was missing reading a short story monthly (or there abouts) and decided to see what else was out there. That's when I came across the Time Trips series of Doctor Who e-shorts/novellas. This first installment features the fourth doctor, played by Tom Baker, during a period when he doesn't have one of his usual companions with him. He is hoping to land in Chicago in 1978 but doesn't quite get there.
This was definitely not my favourite Doctor Who e-short. I found it had too many elements involved and in the end didn't wrap up all the elements as neatly as I would have liked. In my preference short stories should have only one unexplained supernatural element or more than one that end up coming from the same source not multiple from different sources.
I did enjoy however the little details that were included that made this story particularly about the 4th doctor though such as his hair, outfit, offering Jelly Babies, etc.
This was definitely not my favourite Doctor Who e-short. I found it had too many elements involved and in the end didn't wrap up all the elements as neatly as I would have liked. In my preference short stories should have only one unexplained supernatural element or more than one that end up coming from the same source not multiple from different sources.
I did enjoy however the little details that were included that made this story particularly about the 4th doctor though such as his hair, outfit, offering Jelly Babies, etc.
April 18, 2014
3.5 stars
A little while ago I reviewed Into the Nowhere by Jenny Colgan which I thoroughly enjoyed and vowed then to read more of the Doctor Who Time Trips series of novellas. The Death Pit is about the Fourth Doctor, Tom Baker or as I grew up in the 70s, "my Doctor". I've not rewatched any of his episodes as an adult so my memories are only those from my childhood and I felt A.L. Kennedy captured the Doctor as I remember him; eccentric, mysterious and fun but also a little scary. The prose here is simply written, it seems to be more of a children's book than Into the Nowhere; this isn't a criticism, I felt it fits well with the classic Who series', from my memories of it growing up it was a children's programme that some adults watched rather than the family show it's widely accepted to be today.
The story is set on Earth in 1978 at the Fetch Brothers Golf Spa Hotel where guests are mysteriously disappearing. Then an enigmatic man turns up who may be able to explain why. The Doctor's one off assistant for this adventure, hotel receptionist Bryony Mailer is a well written, appealing character and the strange hotel guest, Ian remained likeable even after we learn more about the reason for his being there. The antagonists too are pleasingly dark. So in all it was a story I was enjoying...until I reached the conclusion which left me terribly disappointed. After an intriguing build up it was all over too quickly which is probably a drawback of the novella format. Whilst the main mystery was solved there were other loose ends that I just didn't feel were satisfactorily explained. In the end whilst I think there was much to enjoy in The Death Trap unfortunately I just felt too let down by the rushed ending to wholeheartedly recommend it as I'd have liked.
Thank you to the author and publishers for my free copy from Netgalley in return for my honest review.
A little while ago I reviewed Into the Nowhere by Jenny Colgan which I thoroughly enjoyed and vowed then to read more of the Doctor Who Time Trips series of novellas. The Death Pit is about the Fourth Doctor, Tom Baker or as I grew up in the 70s, "my Doctor". I've not rewatched any of his episodes as an adult so my memories are only those from my childhood and I felt A.L. Kennedy captured the Doctor as I remember him; eccentric, mysterious and fun but also a little scary. The prose here is simply written, it seems to be more of a children's book than Into the Nowhere; this isn't a criticism, I felt it fits well with the classic Who series', from my memories of it growing up it was a children's programme that some adults watched rather than the family show it's widely accepted to be today.
The story is set on Earth in 1978 at the Fetch Brothers Golf Spa Hotel where guests are mysteriously disappearing. Then an enigmatic man turns up who may be able to explain why. The Doctor's one off assistant for this adventure, hotel receptionist Bryony Mailer is a well written, appealing character and the strange hotel guest, Ian remained likeable even after we learn more about the reason for his being there. The antagonists too are pleasingly dark. So in all it was a story I was enjoying...until I reached the conclusion which left me terribly disappointed. After an intriguing build up it was all over too quickly which is probably a drawback of the novella format. Whilst the main mystery was solved there were other loose ends that I just didn't feel were satisfactorily explained. In the end whilst I think there was much to enjoy in The Death Trap unfortunately I just felt too let down by the rushed ending to wholeheartedly recommend it as I'd have liked.
Thank you to the author and publishers for my free copy from Netgalley in return for my honest review.
February 19, 2016
Nachdem ich mich im letzten Jahr durch einen Freund für Doctor Who begeistern konnte und ich mir so alle aktuellen Staffeln der BBC-Serie angesehen habe, wollte ich mich auch literarisch mit dem Doctor beschäftigen. Da mir der aktuelle zwölfte Doctor nicht so sehr zusagt wie die vorherigen drei Inkarnationen und zu diesen so gut wie kein Roman im eBook-Format erschienen ist, habe ich mich an dieser Nebenreihe von verschiedenen Autoren versucht, die aus Nebengeschichten mit verschiedenen Doktoren besteht, wobei ein Band aus einer Geschichte mit einem Doctor besteht - in diesem Fall dem vierten Doctor.
In Die Todesgrube habe ich mich gleich zu Hause gefühlt. Man startet mitten im Geschehen, ohne große Einleitung, es ähnelt gewohnt einer Folge Doctor Who. Der Doctor ist in dieser Geschichte auch kein Protagonist, sondern vielmehr der Mentor, der in der Not hilft. Sämtliche Charaktere sind eigen und markant beschrieben, was sie unterhaltsam macht. In Kombination mit dem üblichen Mysterium, das nach und nach mit interessanten Wendungen allmählich gelöst wird, bietet dieses Werk gute Unterhaltung für kurze Zeit.
In Die Todesgrube habe ich mich gleich zu Hause gefühlt. Man startet mitten im Geschehen, ohne große Einleitung, es ähnelt gewohnt einer Folge Doctor Who. Der Doctor ist in dieser Geschichte auch kein Protagonist, sondern vielmehr der Mentor, der in der Not hilft. Sämtliche Charaktere sind eigen und markant beschrieben, was sie unterhaltsam macht. In Kombination mit dem üblichen Mysterium, das nach und nach mit interessanten Wendungen allmählich gelöst wird, bietet dieses Werk gute Unterhaltung für kurze Zeit.
February 12, 2014
This was a fun short read that tries a little too hard sometimes to be charming and witty, but that attempt to capture the Fourth Doctor's personality and his investigative approach to mysterious occurrences made the story on the whole very enjoyable. The mystery itself is pretty creepy though and I wish the story had more of an atmospherically ominous tone to make the most of the alien threat instead of keeping the tone so whimsical.
Since this is such a short read, I think the author did a great job fleshing out the main characters - Byrony and Patterson were great foils for the Doctor and the other villainous character besides the alien was an interesting touch - he's so outrageously selfish. The ending was a little rushed, but it was overall satisfactory. For fans of the Fourth Doctor especially, I think this is a great little read!
(I received this book from the publisher or author for a fair and honest review. I was not compensated for this review.)
Since this is such a short read, I think the author did a great job fleshing out the main characters - Byrony and Patterson were great foils for the Doctor and the other villainous character besides the alien was an interesting touch - he's so outrageously selfish. The ending was a little rushed, but it was overall satisfactory. For fans of the Fourth Doctor especially, I think this is a great little read!
(I received this book from the publisher or author for a fair and honest review. I was not compensated for this review.)
February 5, 2016
The wait is almost over! That's right, Whovians, the Doctor is set to return in August. Until then, BBC Books has a great new series of e shorts to tide us over!
A.L. Kennedy's "The Death Pit" lands Doctor number four in the midst of strange goings on at the Fetch Brothers Golf Spa Hotel where guests have been disappearing for quite some time. Junior Day Receptionist Bryony Mailer has noticed the incidents but honestly believed it could be chalked up to boredom. Until today, that is. Today, the Doctor arrives.
Since Doctor Four was my first, it's nice to see him back in action here!
These shorts are perfect little tastes to tide over any Doctor Who fan. Each one is a new little adventure from a great author, and each featuring a different doctor (no particular order to read them in either) - other installments include Nick Harkaway's "Keeping Up With the Joneses" and Cecelia Ahern's "The Bog Warrior" amongst others.
A.L. Kennedy's "The Death Pit" lands Doctor number four in the midst of strange goings on at the Fetch Brothers Golf Spa Hotel where guests have been disappearing for quite some time. Junior Day Receptionist Bryony Mailer has noticed the incidents but honestly believed it could be chalked up to boredom. Until today, that is. Today, the Doctor arrives.
Since Doctor Four was my first, it's nice to see him back in action here!
These shorts are perfect little tastes to tide over any Doctor Who fan. Each one is a new little adventure from a great author, and each featuring a different doctor (no particular order to read them in either) - other installments include Nick Harkaway's "Keeping Up With the Joneses" and Cecelia Ahern's "The Bog Warrior" amongst others.
August 7, 2014
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Something was going wrong on a golf course. People were disappearing and no one was really noticing when The Doctor showed up.
I thought the author was able to capture the humor and floppy whimsy of the fourth doctor. I was surprised he didn't actually show up in the story until page twelve and then it was only for a few paragraphs. He didn't reappear for another seven pages. Considering how short the story was I thought it was weird he was not in it for almost a third of the book.
The climax and resolution were both a little abrupt and I am not entirely sure the problem was really solved. Also there were plot points brought up throughout the story that were not completely explained. The story felt incomplete.
Something was going wrong on a golf course. People were disappearing and no one was really noticing when The Doctor showed up.
I thought the author was able to capture the humor and floppy whimsy of the fourth doctor. I was surprised he didn't actually show up in the story until page twelve and then it was only for a few paragraphs. He didn't reappear for another seven pages. Considering how short the story was I thought it was weird he was not in it for almost a third of the book.
The climax and resolution were both a little abrupt and I am not entirely sure the problem was really solved. Also there were plot points brought up throughout the story that were not completely explained. The story felt incomplete.
November 21, 2014
A little disappointed by this. It seemed such a great idea to let acclaimed literary writers loose on the world of Doctor Who... But the reality doesn't quite live up to the dream. While there are some nice touches, and some typically witty A.L. Kennedy turns of phrase, the plot is flimsy even by usual Who tie-in standards and at times the Doctor just doesn't ring true. Not exactly bad, but not great either. Not sure I'll be dipping into this series again.
Read
January 29, 2014Why?
May be one of the worst books I have ever read. The writer has no idea of Doctor Who, or even how to write a gripping short story. I made it to the end, but my brain shut down, and my eyes glazed over during the last quarter of the tale. Makes me question pre-ordering the other "Time Trip" tales.
May be one of the worst books I have ever read. The writer has no idea of Doctor Who, or even how to write a gripping short story. I made it to the end, but my brain shut down, and my eyes glazed over during the last quarter of the tale. Makes me question pre-ordering the other "Time Trip" tales.
July 10, 2014
I was very surprised to discover this little gem in the Kindle store, as I've never heard of the 'Time Trips' series before. It's a very short read, but a fun one. The local characters are perhaps a bit oversimplified, but the Fourth Doctor was true to his character and that made the whole jaunt lots of fun. This story was simple, but not juvenile (as many of the modern Who books tend to be).
October 15, 2014
Good book. Very much captures the spirit of the Fourth Doctor era, with a bit of the current series thrown in for good measure... The only thing is, it doesn't entirely explain all of what's going on. (And while I'm at it, since Into the Nowhere seemed a little in the middle of things too, I'm wondering if there's some big, overall story that's running in the background...)
December 22, 2013
good starting book for the series, well written and the characterisation of the fourth doctor is pretty good, seems like there is more to come from this story, seemed to end with a few questions unanswered
January 2, 2014
Started very strong, but didn't hold out quite for me. By that, I mean the story, not the writing (which is gorgeous).
January 25, 2014
Check out my full review here -
http://le-grande-codex.blogspot.in/20...
http://le-grande-codex.blogspot.in/20...
May 22, 2014
"I've been without me, before me, and after me, but I wouldn't be without the universe."
August 6, 2014
So... Where is the ending? There was something going on with the twins. They were very obviously... errr... something? I don't like unfinished books.
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