Doctor Who: Royal Blood

Doctor Who: The Glamour Chronicles #1

by Una McCormack

An original adventure tying in to the ninth season of Doctor Who, the spectacular hit series from BBC Television, featuring the new 12th Doctor as played by Peter Capaldi.

“The Grail is a story, a myth! It didn’t exist on your world! It can’t exist here!”

The city-state of Varuz is failing. Duke Aurelian is the last of his line, his capital is crumbling, and the armies of his enemy, Duke Conrad, are poised beyond the mountains to invade. Aurelian is preparing to gamble everything on one last battle. So when a holy man, the Doctor, comes to Varuz from beyond the mountains, Aurelian asks for his blessing in the war.

But all is not what it seems in Varuz. The city-guard have lasers for swords, and the halls are lit by electric candlelight. Aurelian’s beloved wife, Guena, and his most trusted knight, Bernhardt, seem to be plotting to overthrow their Duke, and Clara finds herself drawn into their intrigue...

Will the Doctor stop Aurelian from going to war? Will Clara’s involvement in the plot against the Duke be discovered? Why is Conrad’s ambassador so nervous? And who are the ancient and weary knights who arrive in Varuz claiming to be on a quest for the Holy Grail…?

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Media Tie In, Time Travel, Audiobook

240 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2015

About the author

Una McCormack is a British writer and the author of several Star Trek novels and stories.

Ms. McCormack is a New York Times bestselling author. She has written four Doctor Who novels: The King's Dragon and The Way through the Woods (featuring the Eleventh Doctor, Amy, and Rory); Royal Blood (featuring the Twelfth Doctor and Clara), and Molten Heart (featuring the Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Ryan and Graham). She is also the author of numerous audio dramas for Big Finish Productions.

Reviews

[Mogsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.com/2015/09/19/b...

Today, legions of Whovians are welcoming the Doctor back for another new season of BBC’s science fiction television program Doctor Who. And then there’s yours truly, probably one of the last three people on this earth who hasn’t watched the show yet. I won’t even be able to speak on the matter of how well the books capture the spirit of the series, because I just don’t know. As such, you might be wondering why I’m reading them. To that, I point you to my love of science fiction and fondness for media tie-ins of all kinds.

This is a category of fiction that has come a long way. Media tie-ins and novelizations of movies or television shows have long gotten a bad rap for hardly ever being able to live up to the original source material, but in the last few years I have noticed a definite rise in the quality of stories and writing in this area. Tie-ins aren’t strictly for hardcore fans anymore; many of the books now can stand on their own with lots to offer in terms of plot and characters, providing general audiences with a good reading experience or the perfect jumping-on point for those curious about a media property – folks just like me. I’m definitely interested in the Doctor Who series; a lot of my friends adore this show and I want to find out more. And of course I would never say no to checking out a book.

After much internal deliberation and conflict, I decided to start with Doctor Who: Royal Blood, a story about a falling kingdom, invading armies, and let’s face it, any mention of a “Grail Quest” and you can pretty much guarantee I’m on board. This book begins with the Twelfth Doctor and Clara arriving on an unnamed planet, where they are quickly ushered into the city-state of Varuz to meet its Duke Aurelian and his wife, Lady Guena. All is not well in their kingdom. Their palace is crumbling, the nobles have wondrous electric gadgets but they barely have the power or knowledge (“What, shoot death rays? I shouldn’t think so!”) to work them, and a rival Duke on the other side of the mountains is even now preparing to launch an attack.

Taking him for a holy man, Aurelian asks The Doctor for his blessing in the coming war and refuses to surrender. Meanwhile, everyone else wants to avoid conflict, seizing upon an opportunity to negotiate with the mysterious stranger who shows up at the castle, presumably the ambassador of Conrad, the rival Duke. Aurelian does not take this well when he finds out, throwing poor Clara and the ambassador out of his city which leaves the Doctor behind to hold the fort, so to speak, along with Guena and Bernhardt, Varuz’s most trusted knight. But even that may not be enough though, when a company of thirty warriors shows up, led by a captain claiming to be the great Sir Lancelot. He also claims that he is from Ravenna, and on behalf of his King Arthur, they are on a mission to seek out the most holy of treasures.

For such a slim volume – presumably to appeal to all Doctor Who fans, young and old – I was actually very impressed with the richness of the writing and story. A quick look at Una McCormack’s author page shows that she’s written many other Doctor Who books as well as a few Star Trek titles. She’s clearly no stranger to writing a good tie-in and it shows in her smart pacing of the plot. The story’s construction is solid, has great flow, and is easy to read. I had a moment of confusion early on when I encountered a point-of-view change, where the narrative inexplicably switched from being first-person to third-person (told in Bernhardt and then Clara’s POV, respectively) and it continues on in this fashion for the rest of the novel. It’s a very bizarre decision, one that I wasn’t sure about initially, but it ended up working surprisingly well. It’s worth noting too that even though the Doctor is the series and book’s titular character, his role in this feels more like a supporting character rather than the main protagonist. It wasn’t what I was expecting, but it’s also quite intriguing.

On that note, while we are speaking of bucking expectations I most certainly also found Royal Blood to go against the trend of tie-in books being poorly cobbled together or coming across very “bare-bones.” This book reads like a sci-fi adventure for young adults, with an ambitious plot written into a small package, but is no less enjoyable because of it. I had my doubts before picking it up but I actually ended up liking it a lot. If it was fun for me, I imagine it would be even better for fans of the show, though going in blind likely benefited in some ways as well, since I had no preconceived notions of how a Doctor Who novel should “feel” like. Still, based on the things I’ve heard, I imagine the tone of style of it to be similar to an episode of the show – fast-paced and adventurous, with a good dose of humor.

In the end, it was probably a good thing that I started with Royal Blood. Released on the same day along with Deep Time by Trevor Baxendale and Big Bang Generation by Gary Russel, it seems Royal Blood is the introductory volume of the three books that make up a series called The Glamour Chronicles, following the Doctor on his adventures across time and space in search for The Glamour, “the most desirable—and dangerous—artifact in the universe.” Whovian or not, the trilogy could be worth a look if that sounds interesting to you. This was my first Doctor Who novel but it most likely won’t be my last, especially if the other two books in the series prove just as easy–and fun–to get into.

[Magdalena aka A Bookaholic Swede · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Doctor and Clara arrive at a planet, visits a city and the people thinks the Doctor is the ambassador from another country that is planning war on them. They have technology in the city that doesn't work properly since the people have forgotten what the gadgets do. Apparently somewhere along the way everyone just forgot how it worked and the new generations just use the things without any real knowledge about it. Then another man shows up, is he the real ambassador, and will the Doctor and Clara stop the war? And what has the Holy Grail to do with it all?

I think my biggest problem with this book is that if feels like the Doctor is hardly in it. That and that it's so short that it lacks depth. It's super easy to read, and that's the bloody problem. It's so easy to read because nothing is every really explained or described. No real explanations for why Conrad wanted to invade the country, just oh they have it coming since they are not a mighty power anymore. And the Quest for the Holy Grail knights that showed up felt like a sidetrack that really just wasn't that necessary and not even that interesting to read about. And, the final explanation for them was like "a bit meh". And, then we get the explanation for what the technology do. And, I still don't understand why no-one thought about for instance write it down to explain to future generations what it is for and the cost to use it and frankly I don't even understand why it was forgotten it the first place.

Also, I not sure I like Clara, I don't dislike her, but I don't love her either. Right now is she also a bit meh for me as a companion. I have yet seen more than the first eps of Doctor who with the Twelfth Doctor, but I like him, he just doesn't do much in this book.

So, if you're looking for a quick read, but don't need any really deep book? Then this one is for you.

Thanks to Random House Crown and Edelweiss for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

[F.R. · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you’re looking for a really good modern ‘Doctor Who’ novel to read, you could do a lot worse than Una McCormack’s ‘The King’s Dragon’. It’s witty, smart and beautifully creates and evokes the futuristic fantasy world of its setting. (I do like Doctor Who stories where the fantasy part of science fantasy is accentuated.) In ‘Royal Blood’ McCormack takes a different Doctor but goes for the same trick, landing the Tardis crew on a planet straight out of a high fantasy novel. This time though the results are much less successful. Whereas ‘The King’s Dragon’ captured the spirit of Doctor Who in a way which was both fun and thoughtful, this is just dull and lifeless. It’s a book which has all the qualities of a slice of strawberry-jam on toast that’s been left cold on a window-sill for a day and a half. Clearly the original idea is good, but everything else is now wrong. The prose is flat, the characterisation undeveloped and the plot is basic in exactly the same way as an estate agent would describe an empty house with no fixtures, fittings or hot water as ‘basic’. In short, it ain’t good. A book I looked forward to, but which disappointed me on nearly every level.

[Jon Arnold · Rating 3 out of 5]

McCormack’s making a habit of placing the Doctor in a fantasy settings; it’s a trait of both her previous books. This time it’s knights, lords and civil war flavoured with Arthurian myth rather than forest monsters or dragons, but the trick of providing SF reasons for fantasy situations remains unchanged.

It’s by far the most disappointing of her Who books; I found myself recalling The Da Vinci Code whilst reading it in the way the story skates giddily from scene to scene, moving the reader on swiftly so they get no chance to think about what’s happening or the sense of it. As a result characterisation, even of the regulars, ranges from sketchy cliché to nearly non-existent non-entity and there’s no time to even begin to care about how the court intrigues resolve themselves. The Doctor and Clara skulk about without making any difference to the outcome and the characters supposedly providing a link to the overarching story just seem grafted on; they too have no real impact on events. That might not be so bad with some ingenious plotting but there’s nothing like that here, events unfold In a straightforward manner without a single twist and not even in a way which conveys tragedy (though the first person narrative sections scattered through the book may be an attempt to convey this). It all comes across as a story the author had already written and grafted the Doctor on to. Which is a shame as the idea of a region which hoarded the technology to rule a world getting just desserts has plenty of potential power. Ultimately though it’s a disappointingly straight plod to a predictable end, passing by without a single memorable moment.

[Ariana · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Originally posted on: The Quirky Book Nerd

As I’m sure you know or can tell, I am a massive fan of Doctor Who, and I find the book series to be so fun, especially when waiting for new episodes. As soon as this particular novel was released, I was immediately intrigued by it. I love stories dealing with politics and conspiracy within a kingdom—particularly anything set in a medieval or medieval-esque time period. Unfortunately, I ended up feeling very disappointed by this novel. While it is a quick and light read, there are many, sometimes glaring, issues that are impossible to ignore.

In this novel, the Doctor and Clara find themselves in the land of Varuz where tensions are high, war is on the horizon, and secrets are profuse. Aurelian, the duke of Varuz is struggling to keep his city from falling apart completely. His enemy, Duke Conrad, is eager to capture the city for himself, and Aurelian is contemplating making Varuz’s last stand against the waiting army. After The Doctor’s path collides with Duke Aurelian’s men, he is mistaken for a holy man, and he and Clara are taken to the court of the duke. Aurelian is eager to receive The Doctor’s opinion on the decision, and the pair plan to leave as soon as he has given one. But The Doctor and Clara are soon enraptured by the fate of Varuz and the potential treason going on behind-the-scenes.

Even though I finished this novel a few months ago and have spent time thinking through it, I’m still finding the majority of the plot somewhat baffling. I’ll start off by saying that one of the biggest problems pertaining to the actual text itself is the massive amount of typos and grammatical errors. Frankly, I am stunned that they were so prevalent—you can find at least one spelling or sentence structure issue on every single page. It is as if no one bothered to proofread before publishing the book. This ended up being quite distracting, and made the lack of polish of story as a whole even more prominent.

After reading the synopsis of this book, I was very intrigued—it sounded like a story or episode of the show that I would have adored, and I wanted so badly to enjoy it. I love reading the novels about the Twelfth Doctor, especially ones containing Clara as I think she is a strong and intelligent protagonist. The interplay between the two is always enjoyable—they have so much chemistry and make a fantastic pair, balancing each other well. This is what I was hoping to find in this tale of their adventures, but I came out feeling very lukewarm about absolutely everything.

The plot just did not live up to it’s potential, and this could have been such a wonderful one in so many ways. It promised mystery and drama and suspense, but proved to be lacking all three. Too many facts are revealed too rapidly, and then it is essentially a slough to the end. Personally, I think it was a mistake to write this storyline in first-person in general, but even more so because of the character McCormack chose to be the main narrator. This choice ruins all of the enigmatic nature of the plot, the primary element on which it is heavily riding. We also spend a far too short amount of time focusing on The Doctor himself, a pitfall that the novels in this series sometimes run in to.

McCormack’s writing is sufficient, but definitely mediocre and much weaker than I was expecting. There are a number of aspects of the various settings in the novel that are depicted with a reasonable amount of detail, however, the world-building is quite wholly inconsistent. For me, there were times where I found it challenging to imagine what the city of Varuz, and the outside environment in general, looked like. This adds another challenge when trying to become immersed in the world.

I also found the character depiction in this story to be very hit or miss, particularly with the Doctor and Clara. Early on, McCormack does a decent job of replicating the personalities of the characters we already know and love. However, she soon slipped up, and they began to come across the wrong way. Their personalities are in constant instability—one moment things are matching up and then they suddenly talk or act in ways that are completely uncharacteristic of the characters from the show. The side characters in the narrative are, for the most part, very bland and one-dimensional. They are not built up well enough for the reader to feel any sort of connection to them.

While I generally judge these types of books on a bit of a different scale due to the simple and fun nature of them, this particular installment had a greater quantity of weaknesses than I typically find. With this all being said, it is still an interesting enough novel, and makes for a light, quick read. Despite its flaws, the imperfections do not make it so difficult that it is impossible to understand. And while this should not be entirely the job of the reader, one’s imagination and inner editor can easily fill in the gaps and make corrections when needed. As always though, the books from the Doctor Who literature series are always nice to have around when the show is in between seasons.

[adela · Rating 2 out of 5]

that was a bit meh. at least it short and fast-paced

[~Geektastic~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

(I received an ARC of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.)

Sale date September 8, 2015

Published by Broadway Books

Note: Doctor Who novels are rated on their own independent scale.

The Twelfth Doctor and Clara arrive in the kingdom of Varuz, on an unnamed planet, ostensibly on a whim during one of their day trips so Clara can see a “proper castle.” They do indeed get to see a castle, but one very past its prime. Varuz is in decline, the castle cracking and crumbling around its few inhabitants, with only the remnants of the power it once commanded still visible in electric lights and laser-based weaponry that no one really understands. Clara and the Doctor are initially mistaken for ambassadors, as is a third stranger who arrives closely on their heels. Varuz once ruled a vast empire, but reached too far and is now dreading the inevitable invasion from a stronger force across the mountains. The Duke of Varuz refuses to surrender, but a plot to broker peace with the enemy behind his back is brewing within the court, and Clara is pulled into its machinations, resulting in exile with the other mysterious “ambassador.” Things get even more complicated when Lancelot and his knights turn up looking for the Holy Grail…

Una McCormack is a well-respected author of multiple Star Trek tie-in novels, as well as a previous Doctor Who adventure, The King’s Dragon-- which is actually one of my favorite Who novels. Royal Blood retreads some similar elements, with both novels set in a medieval-like world, and both relying on complex political intrigue tangled up with extraterrestrial interlopers (other than the Doctor). Both novels also focus more on the issues of the native world than the alien threat, which is refreshing in contrast to a lot of other Who stories.

But there are differences that also set Blood apart. The narrative is split between the first and third person, and the story is divided between multiple plotlines, especially once the Doctor and Clara are separated early on. In fact, the Doctor is mostly secondary to the overall story, providing guidance and observation, but actually not participating directly very often and leaving most of the action up to Clara and the people of Varuz (Varuzians?). I can’t speak for all of them, but generally Who novels tend to stick to one type of perspective (first or third) and lean on the Doctor’s knowledge a little too much, so this was a nice change of pace. Despite standing a little out of the spotlight, the Doctor in his twelfth incarnation was characterized well, with his “big eyebrows” and knack for being alternately rude and wise. Clara was her usual spunky self, and there were a couple of well-done Veruz characters as well.

There were a couple of weak points, mostly due to a key character being overlooked by the Doctor (highly unlikely, in the context) and a somewhat perfunctory ending. The alternating narratives were one of the strengths of the book, building suspense and interest with the contrast, so it was unfortunate that much of the suspense was undermined by a lackluster “reveal” in the last act.

Royal Blood appears to be the beginning of a new direction—or perhaps just an experiment—for Who novels, as it is part of a short run series called The Glamour Chronicles. It appears that the Chronicles will be a trilogy, rounded out by Deep Time by Trevor Baxendale and Big Bang Generation by Gary Russell. The novels featuring the Twelfth Doctor have thus far been released in batches of three, so it makes sense to release three interrelated novels at once; how strong their ties are to each other or what the effects will be on future Who novels will remain to be seen. There has also been some speculation as to whether they will connect to the technology of The Glamour Chase (also by Gary Russell, 2010) and Ghosts of India (Mark Morris, 2008), but so far I can’t say, as I haven’t read them. Yet.

Overall: 5 Who stars

•The Doctor and Clara are both characterized well

•The plot is strong, if a little scattered, and the structure makes it more interesting

•The threat comes more from internal than external sources, so the “aliens” are a bit tangential and the “Grail” story is less a part of the story and more a set-up for the other two books in the series

•Most of the (named) secondary characters were well done and gave the story the necessary depth to make us care about the fate of Varuz

(Cross-posted at BookLikes: http://atroskity.booklikes.com/post/1...)

[Melda · Rating 5 out of 5]

<3

[Brooklyn Tayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely another favourite Doctor Who novelisation. I thought Clara and 12 were portrayed so perfectly and that the historical elements were woven throughout the story so well :)

[Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5/5

Doctor Who is an amazing force that has swept into thousands of people's hearts worldwide. To be honest, Doctor Who, in both its show and its novel mediums, is fairly new to me, but I have been curious about this adventurous, galaxy traveling man for some time. One of my sisters has a deep love for this show and eventually convinced me to give it a try. Now, I have seen several episodes but honestly wanted to try Doctor Who out in book form. So . . . here I am! Royal Blood seemed extremely fascinating because of its given premise and high-tech medieval atmosphere, and I decided to start here. The setting and delicate details of Varuz were as breath-taking as they were despairing. Even though this majestic land was only words on a page, I felt as if I was witnessing Varuz's strange, warped city-state for myself right alongside the Doctor. The idea alone of a decaying, ancient civilization riddled with advanced technology was enough to keep me going.

Una McCormack had a rich writing style that pleasantly surprised me. The beginning of Royal Blood made me feel as if I was reading a poetic work, and McCormack clearly has the capability of taking on sentences as if they each have a beauty of their own. On top of that, what really made this novel unique was the split narrative. One moment I was reading in third person about Clara or the Doctor, and the next I was reading from the perspective of Bernhardt, a trusted friend and knight of Duke Aurelian. I feel as though this gave the story a much needed element of diversity so that the audience was kept interested. The length of this novel also worked as an advantage, even though it would have been nice if certain elements were slightly fleshed out in greater detail. The short length is able to keep younger readers interested, while a slightly older audience will feel as if they still read a worthy story.

As a newcomer to the Doctor Who world, I feel as though I have learned quite a bit. The characters were fairly developed, and I love the relationship between Clara and the Doctor himself. Hardcore fans of Doctor Who, especially the twelfth Doctor, are sure to devour this story while new ones will have the chance to fall in love with this crazy and clever duo for the first time. Even if you're not a huge fan of this series, I would definitely give this book I try. It unexpectedly exceeded all of my expectations, and left me desperately wanting to watch more of the television series!

Please note that I received a free copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

You can see reviews like this one and more at: http://knightingalereviews.blogspot.com/.

[Joshua Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have seen a lot of reviewers saying this is their first Doctor Who novel. If you haven't read Doctor Who yet, I recommend that you start with a different author.

I love Doctor Who (the show, the novels, and even the video games) but some of the chosen authors just don't seem to get it. This review is more about the author than the book itself.

First, although this is my first time reading Una McCormick. Based on my experience with this novel, McCormick doesn't seem to really have a grasp on how Peter Capaldi's version of the Doctor behaves, (up until the end with the hugs) and it seems as if this is more of a Clara story than a Doctor story. Extra star for all the Clara action. I absolutely love the impossible girl. Just make it clear for those that do not like Clara.

Second, the grammatical errors are too many to count. Comma splices are scattered throughout every page, and there are numerous misspellings and words that are not necessary. There are too many adjectives, that have the same meaning, to explain a single object or person in the same sentence, and then she doesn't seem to know the difference between the words 'this, that, then, and there,' followed by her constant misuse of 'you, your, and you're.'

And last, the placement of the characters in some scenes change with out warning. One moment a character is in the back of a room, the next he may be in the front of the room being helped up from a bow when we are never informed he moved. Also, the story telling point of view changes from third person to first person too frequently, and in awkward places. It doesn't feel like a natural flow for the story.

The publisher should really have the proofreaders do their job. I had to keep putting it down because the errors were frustrating.

[Ally Web · Rating 2 out of 5]

My beginning thoughts on this book weren’t great. Royal Blood was my first Doctor Who book; I was trying to keep myself busy while waiting for the season premiere this weekend. I felt like the characters were a little off. Clara and Twelve didn’t really fit their characters on the show. I didn’t like how it switched between characters either; It would take me a few sentences to realize it changed the point of views. I also thought the story was incomplete and that it could have gone much deeper. I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters. The Doctor was barely in the story, which was also a letdown. It wasn’t so awful that I couldn’t finish it, but it didn’t even get close to my expectations. I thought it would be better seeing as Una McCormack has written a lot of Star Trek books. I believe her other books were good, but she shouldn’t write Doctor Who. I was very disappointed in this book 2/5

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Obviously my thoughts are my own.

[C.T. Yen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first BBC Doctor Who book and I love it!

The Doctor and Clara are funny, and the story is interesting, including laser swords (not the Star Wars kind) and communication gadgets.

A war is coming to the city between the mountain and the sea, and a group of knights looking for the Grail... :)

[Ken · Rating 2 out of 5]

McCormack’s again splices the world of Doctor Who in a medieval setting, but unlike The King’s Dragon - this one didn’t really hit the mark.

It’s the first of a trilogy that launches the quest for The Glamour Chronicles, a mini series that is massively underwhelming.

Twelve and Clara are well captured but this type of story suits Smiths incarnation better...

[Aidan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Going into 𝘙𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥, I was excited to see Una McCormack's name on it as she has written some great stories for Big Finish but, disappointingly, this is perhaps the first *bad* book I've come across as I continue to read more 𝘋𝘰𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘞𝘩𝘰 books. While there were elements I enjoyed, these were few and far between in a story that is otherwise boring, predictable, and aimless.

To begin with some positivity, the premise of a society that has long since forgotten how to use its technology is an intriguing one. A society that has regressed to medieval traditions as they no longer understand the technology around them. They have electricity and devices, but don't even understand the concept of electricity. It's not like finding a gadget and not knowing how to turn it on, they wouldn't even understand what turning it on means. I did like this premise and, when utilised, made for interesting scenes. Furthermore, Clara was by far the standout lead here as her scenes were always the most interesting at any given time - my highlight being her determination in climbing the mountain with Emfil and the conversations that followed. Emfil was also interesting and I liked his similarity to The Collector from 𝘎𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘹𝘺. I hope he reappears later in The Glamour Chronicles trilogy.

Aside from these positives, however, there is little else I enjoyed. The story itself mostly meandered throughout the plot, seemingly making itself up as it went along. The first five chapters are dedicated to endless back and forth politics and diplomacy, with talks of ambassadors and wanting to prevent war. There is only so much of this I can read before being mindlessly bored. I was glad when this finally ended, though the plotline it was replaced with was entirely random. Sir Lancelot and the Knights of the Round Table show up on their quest to find the Holy Grail... Okay? Why? Who actually were these knights? None of this was actually ever explained and their entire presence in the story seemed added in at the last moment. Especially as a big deal is made of them leaving the city, only to return a short while later then leaving the planet for good. While good attempts were made at world building, I never warmed nor cared about either opposing army. Aurelian, Guena, and Conrad were all generic and uninspired leaving me completely neutral on whether the war should or should not happen. The occasional narration from Bernhardt tried to side the reader with the city of Varuz, but Conrad's eventual victory and conquer of the city was totally shrugged off. Why spend so many chapters brokering peace talks and resisting invasion, only for said invasion to be welcomed and casually accepted?

Many of the books I have read since entering a reading era have coincidentally been told from switching perspectives. Many have taken the format of alternating between first person then third person for every other chapter. These have all enhanced the storytelling in one way or another by truly utilising the prose format to tell stories in unique and captivating ways. However 𝘙𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 simply seemed indecisive as to what perspective to tell the story from. One paragraph would be written in first person from Bernhardt, then the next would be third person about Clara, then the next would be about the Doctor, then the next about Lancelot. This created a very whiplash sense where it jumped around the story a lot as a film would cut between scenes and locations. This did not work in book form for me as I prefer to commit to one strand of story per chapter. One chapter could be the quest, then the next in the city, then the next with Conrad, and so on, but having many of these plot threads contained within the same chapter just made it messy. I also don't understand why Bernhardt was the only character to tell the story from his perspective as none of his opinions ever mattered or added to the story. If the story was to be told from his perspective, it *ALL* should have been - not just the occasional paragraph.

As for the Glamour itself, this is my first introduction to the concept. I am aware it has appeared in previous BBC New Series novels with the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors, but I will get to these eventually. 𝘙𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘭 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥 did a good job of explaining what it is to first time readers and setting up this trilogy for further exploration. That being said, the explanation at hand made the later twist immediately predictable. As soon as the Doctor mentioned how one could possess the Glamour (the greatest treasure in the universe) without even knowing it - all the while it drained your life force and energy, I immediately knew that Lancelot himself was the Glamour. A tired and weary army searching for hundreds of years for an item they can't find? Well they must have it already. And seeing as they all admire Lancelot, yet are constantly tired, then he must be the Glamour. The twist reveal later on that this was correct came as no surprise. Though I am interested to see how the Glamour reappears later on.

Overall, a very dull and uninteresting entry into the 12th Doctor novels range. I'd recommend it only for completionists or those already acquainted with the Glamour as there is little else of value here. While the Twelfth Doctor may be my favourite incarnation, even he wasn't enough to carry this story and this was very nearly a DNF for me.

[Vendea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skvělá Doctorovská jednohubka se starobylým nádechem. Tak to mám ráda. Navíc se mi líbila i zápletka točící se kolem Svatého grálu.

4/5*

[Jodi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Von allen drei Büchern mit und um Doctor Who landet dieses auf Platz drei. Nicht, dass es unsagbar schlecht wäre, aber es ist irgendwo in der Nähe angesiedelt. Man merkt, dass es ein Drehbuch ist, das nicht verwendet worden ist. Das war bei anderen Büchern auch schon der Fall, aber McCormack schafft es einfach nicht, aus dem Drehbuch ein _Buch_ zu machen. Es ist enorm dialoglastig, bei sehr geringer Handlung. Details fehlen, die Tiefe in die Geschichte gebracht hätten und auch die Charaktere sind total austauschbar. Anstatt der Doctor und Clara hätten es auch zwei ganz andere Figuren sein können, die hier mitspielen. Das Schlimmste waren die Sprünge. Bei einem Film oder einer Serie wird viel Information über das Bild vermittelt. Das klappt bei einem Buch nur durch Worte. Die fehlen hier ganz und gar. Da sind wir erst an einem Ort und -schwupps- plötzlich sind drei Wochen vergangen und wir sind woanders. Oder erst sind die Figuren auf Pferden reitend, dann -schwupps- umarmen sie sich. Das Buch wimmelt von solchen Löchern. Als Fanfiction wäre das noch durchgegangen, aber wenn ich dafür Geld ausgebe, dann erwarte ich auch etwas mehr als eine Fanfiction. Auch Fragen werden nicht beantwortet. So gerät aus irgendeinem Grund ein Gebäude in Flammen, -schwupps- brennt die ganze Stadt (dachte, die hätten mit Steinen gebaut - angeblich also nicht) und was geschieht mit den Menschen und Flüchtlingen darin? Keine Ahnung. Wird nicht erwähnt. Ist nicht wichtig. Hauptsache, das Liebespaar flieht auf Nimmerwiedersehen irgendwohin. Ach ja, der Schurke dieses Buches klang gar nicht so schurkig, sondern sehr rational und logisch. Ich wäre ihm gefolgt und nicht diesem Haufen von Kleinkindern, die angeblich die Helden sein sollen.

[Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn’t thrilled. I sure plenty will like it. But it wasn’t my cuppa.

1 - narration of the dr.
I’ve mentioned elsewhere, are they even trying with the accent? And his personality is way muted. The rest of the characters are ok I just felt the Dr. fell flat.

2 - King Arthur retelling
Ok, so I had high hopes. I continued to have high hopes as the key players were introduced. But there is so much repetition and woe-is me. I just kept getting distracted and tuning the narrator out. I feel like a more condensed version closer to 2/3 hrs instead of nearly 5.5 hrs would have played much better and gotten a solid 3 from me. But as is, it just felt too long.

Credit to the narrator, the pacing helped counter some of the parts that seemed to drag. And I loved the old man narrator voice. It made me desperately want to really like the story as a whole.

Credit to the author, the story wasn’t bad. The elements are there and mostly work. The writing was good, just needs some tuning up from my perspective.

[John Loyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

The twelfth Doctor and Clara come to Varuz. The Doctor is mistaken for an ambassador, then for a holy man. The Duke was expecting an ambassador from Conrad who has gathered an army and is on his way conquering Varuz. Shortly after that another visitor comes and is also taken to be the ambassador. He’s just a collector coming there looking for the Glamour. He and Clara get banished from Varuz shortly before a band of knights on a quest for the Grail show up. Lancelot is charismatic and gets the local knights to follow him on his quest. The Duke allows it because morale had been low and this seems to be bringing them together.

It was halfway through the book before the Doctor and Clara were doing anything except trying to broker peace. I didn’t think they she really be interfering in world politics. That’s beyond their usual scope. It was a fast read, and pretty much like a TV episode. Four stars.

[Deyse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before Royal Blood I had never read any of the DW books published, so I was a bit weary of how well the characters would translate to the writing format and if it would be possible to have the same feel as the tv show. After reading it I think that it isn't possible to translate the tone of the show entirely BUT it still is an enjoyable experience. The Doctor and Clara didn't translated exactly for me - there was just times where they would say or do something that I would scratch my head and be like "hmm, I don't think they would actually do that this way and/or say this".

What did bothered me was the start, this book has more than one POV. One is on third person and it usually follows Clara, the other is on first person and follows a character that we don't know who it's at the start and until I figure that out these passages didn't made any sense. Even so I did laughed at some passages and found the overall plot pretty doctor-ish, on its crazyness and twists.

I found this city, Varuz, so interesting. They are kind of a medieval setting but also have the most star-wars like weapons and other magical objects that we have to figure out how ended up being develop on that society and the reveal on this subject was really cool and interesting. We also have, about half into the book, the Holy Grail plot when that happened I couldn't help but remember of episodes as the one with Robin Hood, but these knights aren't as fun as Robin so be warmed - still, at first I thought "what the hell" but they ended up tying nicely with the rest of the story and giving sense to the plot on the most unusual way, as it always is with the Doctor.

If you have a curiosity to check the DW books as well as I had I would definitely recommend to start from here, for me it worked and I can't wait to pick up the next book on the Glamour Chronicles series.

Review originally posted here.

[Luke Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the first time the BBC New Series Doctor Who adventures released a series of connecting novels, all involving a mysterious artifact. In this novel the 12th Doctor and Clara Oswald arrive in the crumbling city if Varuz and become involved in the politics and mystery of the land.

Una McCormack writes the 12th Doctor with such skill that it's hard to believe that this is her first time writing for him. Funny, caring, sarcastic and genuinely done with everything the 12th Doctor here is one of the best written portrayals of the character I've ever read. The Doctor joins a quest to find the holy grail and the mystery itself is intriguing and sets up the next novels well without leaving any characters in this novel unresolved.

Clara Oswald here is written just as fantastically as the Doctor, intelligent, caring, sassy and controling. Clara finds herself caught up in some political intrigue and tries to stop an invasion. Much like on TV Clara takes on much of what she thinks the Doctor will do, not stoping for a second to doubt if she can or not.

The Knights that are searching for the holy grail are an interesting concept, knights that have spent thousands of years searching for something that they know nothing about, but existing only to find it. The conclusion feels like something from a TV episode and McCormack paints an interesting picture of Clara sat on a hillside at sunset watching a battle take place, a scene that I wish we saw on TV.

All in all this an interesting and fun read that saw the Doctor and Clara at their best, together and apart.

[Kribu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. I'm sure it's a book that will appeal to a lot of people, and it's objectively not bad or anything, but it just didn't work for me on ... well, pretty much any level, other than perhaps the opening bit (or the bit of opening with Clara and the Doctor).

Characterisation was okay-ish - Clara more so than the Doctor, who, while he wasn't "off" as such, I felt was reduced to a smallish set of "these are the characteristics of Twelve" (probably not helped by how little he was in it) - but frankly the whole thing just bored me, I wasn't a fan of the writing style, I didn't grow to care about the guest cast (who were in it an awful lot more than Clara or especially the Doctor) and I am not a huge fan of pseudo-mediaeval stuff even at the best of times, so... Yeah. Probably in my three least favourite New Who tie-in books, and I can't say they've all been shining jewels.

(Also, I'm so tired of alien pseudo-mediaeval worlds being populated not just with carbon copies of any random unoriginal European historical fantasy settings ever but also with people there having names like Conrad and Bernhardt and Mikhail. Ridiculously small complaint, perhaps, but eh. I'm just a tad annoyed, I guess, since I actually bought the book twice, buying also the Kindle version when I realised I didn't have the patience to wait for my preordered-months-ago hardbacks to get to me.)

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the best Doctor Who book I've ever read. No crazy alien monsters, and Clara is not exactly my favorite companion. However, Twelve is my favorite Doctor ever, and the author made his personality really shine throughout the novel. Am I biased? Clearly. But it's Doctor Who... you know what kind of people you're dealing with. :)

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure why this one of the three is getting such poor reviews. It's not a masterpiece, but it's not horrible. My biggest complaint is that, if it's supposed to be Barnhart writing down what happened, it shouldn't switch to the third person to keep up with Clara...

[Natalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Doctor Who book was so good! I was highly impressed with how well written it was (with the exception of a couple word errors, but I could be mistaken.) I was definitely caught off guard with a couple of things. But definitely a great read. :)

[Gabriel Mero · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was interesting, I just felt that the author's characterizations of Clara and the Doctor were off -- especially Clara.

[Alex Hagood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary
Doctor Who: Royal Blood is the first book in the Glamour Chronicles, the tale of the Doctor and Clara’s journey to find the most valuable and dangerous relic in the universe. The first part of the journey brings them to the dying country of Varuz, a country on the verge of war with its neighbors. The Doctor and Clara become unexpectedly entangled in affairs, and things get complicated when Lancelot and knights of Camelot arrive seeking the Holy Grail. When the Doctor and Clara are separated, they have to work together towards the same goal without being able to communicate. All is not as it seems in Varuz, and the Doctor wants answers.

The Plot
The plot of the novel is the main driving force. The characters are pretty static characters and you aren’t really expected to look for character growth. It’s a fast-paced novel as the Doctor and Clara become more and more entangled in the mysteries of Varuz, and its technology that comes seemingly without a price. Then throw in Lancelot and Camelot knights to the mix and you have a story that feels like it wasn’t sure what it wanted to be. It wasn’t a Doctor Who meets King Arthur story, but it also was…and with the story McCormack was telling it just didn’t work.

The Style
The novel is written in third person narration - told by one of the characters, Bernhardt, as he reflects upon and remembers this series of events. The narration switches between Bernhardt in the present talking about the events of the past and the past events being told as if they are presently happening. Both are seemingly happening at the same time, and so the author switches between both. And this is where the style falls apart a little bit for me.

McCormack would be talking in the past as present, with the Doctor and Clara and company as the events are happening in one paragraph, then in the next paragraph switch to Bernhardt’s present self reflecting on the events that led to the fall of Varuz without giving the reader any indication that a switch was occurring. This became quickly disorienting and left me needing to pause and reread paragraphs because I had to readjust to where McCormack had taken me. Only to have to re-readjust in the next paragraph as we went back to the events of the story being told as if they were presently happening. The split just didn’t work for me and I wish that McCormack had picked to either write the events as they were happening OR write it as Bernhardt writing his memories, and the stories he gathered, about the fall of Varuz and the involvement of The Doctor.

Overall Thoughts
Overall, I thought that Doctor Who: Royal Blood was a decent start to the Glamour Chronicles. It did an alright job of introducing the idea of the Glamour, at least as far as establishing how it works and that it is the most dangerous artifact in the universe. Readers who are already familiar with Peter Capaldi’s Doctor and Jenna Coleman’s Clara will hear the characters and can see them acting in ways that their TV incarnations would have.

Readers who are approaching this looking for a more traditional Doctor Who story - where the Doctor arrives in a chaotic situation and uses their advanced knowledge to save the day, or keep things on track - will be sorely disappointed. This is another weakness of this particular Doctor Who story -the Doctor almost becomes a background character. He’s there to provide information when it’s needed, but most of his contributions to the discussion are just repeating that Lancelot and the Holy Grail don’t exist and can’t exist. He acts and feels like Capaldi’s Doctor, but he also isn’t given enough room to fully be the Doctor.

Did I enjoy the novel? Enough to finish it without it leaving an awful taste in my mouth. Is it a book I’ll go back to as a “need to reread” Doctor Who book? Not at all. Between the typos (a topic I didn’t begin to touch, but there were numerous typos throughout the book, several of which cause me to stumble and I had to pause to figure out what was intended or what word was missing) and the overall bland nature of the plot and characters, I likely won’t be rushing back to this book, particularly compared to other Doctor Who novels.

[Lhreader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Il XII Dottore e Clara si ritrovano al centro di un momento critico della storia di un mondo lontano, come loro solito, e nel cercare di risolvere la situazione trattano temi che fanno parte della natura umana. Questa volta è la ricerca di un sogno, di un ideale per cui vale la pena combattere: sotto forma di "Glamour", "Sacro Graal", o una patria in decadenza.
Questo è l'aspetto che più mi piace della serie televisiva, e l'ho apprezzato anche nel libro.

Ciò che invece non mi ha entusiasmato è che assomiglia troppo ad un episodio.
Manca l'introspezione tipica dei romanzi, le loro descrizioni degli ambienti e delle vicende. Sembrava veramente che la scena si svolgesse davanti ai miei occhi, ma nel senso che andava quasi talmente veloce da non lasciarmi il tempo di immaginare i paesaggi e i personaggi di questo mondo alieno.

A proposito di personaggi: anche questi sono una pecca del libro, a mio parere.
Adoro il carattere di Clara, e non seguirei la serie se non mi intrigasse il personaggio del Dottore. Per quanto fossero i protagonisti (almeno in teoria), erano forse i meno sviluppati. Sembrava quasi che fossero stati trascurati perchè "tanto li conosciamo già". Un vero peccato, dato che penso siano una miniera d'oro per quanto riguarda analisi psicologica e antropologica.
I personaggi più complessi, paradossalmente, sono quelli che si vedono di meno: Mikhail e Conrad. Abbiamo l'opportunità di scoprirli un po' meglio solo negli ultimi capitoli, e si rivelano essere i migliori. Decisamente meno piatti e bidimensionali rispetto al Dottore.

Ultimo difettuccio: ci sarebbero non pochi errori di battitura da correggere. Non disturbano troppo la lettura, ma ad una persona pignola come me danno fastidio.

Nel complesso, comunque, una storia che incuriosisce e coinvolge: 180 pagine per esplorare un nuovo angolino dell'universo di Doctor Who.

[Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

On some unknown planet, the technology exists only in one city…

Starring the 12th Doctor and Clara Oswald

Possible Spoilers

The TARDIS lands on a planet which is never named in the story. The Doctor and Clara walk down to a strange city.

Going by the costumes worn by the inhabitants, the planet is still in medieval times. Yet there are electric lights and the knights carry laser swords! There is something about the numerous gems that decorate the clothing and tapestries that has the Doctor perplexed.

The Doctor and Clara are mistaken for an ambassador that Duke Aurelian of Varuz is expecting. The planet is divided, and outside of the city, the lands are ruled by someone else.

Then the knights of Lancelot arrive on a quest for the Holy Grail!

I liked the storyline and the characters were developed well. Except for one guy, Lord Bernhardt. I am not quite sure what to make of him. There are chapters that jump into first-person accounts by Bernhardt. I’m far from sure that they add anything to the story. It probably wouldn’t harm the storyline to skip Bernhardt's first-person accounts. Just saying.

I give the book three stars. Una McCormick—not your best work, I have read another Doctor Who story you wrote, and this one doesn’t match the other one. IMHO

Quoth the Raven…

[Maja · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s not very often that I read one of these Doctor Who books and feel that an expansive narrative has been established. They’re too short for authors to fit anything in that feels substantial and are limited by the canon. This book, however, felt like a proper sweeping epic. While I will say that the world itself felt small, the characters were fleshed out enough to have their own voices and there was some good characterisation of Clara and the Doctor. This tripped up a little in some places but not enough to throw me off the plot. The plot itself was wonderfully crafted and tied off nicely with little details coming back at the end. I also really liked how subversive of a typical Doctor Who plot it was with the ending not exactly being happy. This coincided with a good amount of class based discussion and relevant discourse which came together to make this conclusion feel very similar to the fires of Pompeii. I do wish we saw a little more of these characters as they sometimes felt a little 2D but I will once again blame that on the scope that the BBC gives their authors rather than the author themselves. My only other complaint was that I’m starting to miss fan service based fan novels. 13 porbably had too many of these but I miss them!