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Doctor Who: New Series Adventures #41
Doctor Who: The King's Dragon
The King's Dragon is the 41st Doctor Who New Series Adventures novel, published on 8 July 2010 by BBC Books and written by Una McCormack. It features the Eleventh Doctor with Amy Pond and Rory Williams as his companions.
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First published January 1, 2010
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About the author
Una McCormack
103 books360 followersUna 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
August 15, 2019
After the lacklustre first batch of NSA’s to feature The Eleventh Doctor, it’s great to see that the new contributors giving the range and much needed boost.
Especially McCormack who’d also write the great Doctor Who: The Way Through the Woods for this TARDIS team.
Her first novel for the series blends the intriguingly medieval fantasy setting firmly into the Doctor Who cannon perfectly.
Dragon-shaped spaceships just seemed to fit.
It’s also the characterisations of this team that really stands out.
Set firmly during the second half of series five, the constant protestations by Rory that his due to get married to Amy in the morning were highly amusing!
Especially McCormack who’d also write the great Doctor Who: The Way Through the Woods for this TARDIS team.
Her first novel for the series blends the intriguingly medieval fantasy setting firmly into the Doctor Who cannon perfectly.
Dragon-shaped spaceships just seemed to fit.
It’s also the characterisations of this team that really stands out.
Set firmly during the second half of series five, the constant protestations by Rory that his due to get married to Amy in the morning were highly amusing!
April 24, 2015
On television, Matt Smith's Doctor didn't utter a single line written by a woman - which makes this contemporaneous novel written by a female author all the more fascinating.
What we have here is The Doctor and his companions stepping into the realm of high fantasy. I’d almost be tempted to call it ‘Doctor Who’ meets ‘Game of Thrones’, as we do have a city under a dubiously positioned King and there are dragons, but everything about this is far more benign than ‘Game of Thrones’. The political machinations do not have anywhere near such a high human cost. What we have instead is a utopia, although it’s a utopia which has gone wrong – as in their wont – and been reimagined by Katie Price; a utopia which – as is their wont– doesn’t do what it says on the tin.
The Doctor takes Amy and Rory to a famously harmonious and welcoming city on a pre-industrial planet, only this city is nowhere near as harmonious or welcoming as its reputation suggests. What’s more all the buildings are covered by gold, a substance which doesn’t exist on this world, and the city’s legendary democracy has been replaced by an interloper King.
The result is a book which feels like a bigger, brighter version of the TV show, a story the TV show would go for on an unlimited budget. The regular characters are well captured, (particularly impressive as McCormick would probably not have seen much of the TV version when she wrote this). Amy – who like all nu-Who companions is far from the scream monkey of old – does particularly well. On TV she’s of course a character with her own sense of agency, but it’s interesting here how much of the plot here gets driven by Amy. Okay, it would no doubt have got to the same point anyway, but her impatience and wilfulness moves it at a pleasingly swift pace.
But what’s really interesting, and what sets it apart from a lot of Doctor Who (and from, let’s be fair most genre TV), is
There’s a lot more I could write about this; how there’s an obvious drug metaphor which is soft-pedalled; how even though it’s very much nu-Who, it echoes back to the great classic series writer Robert Holmes, with his regular tropes of a pair of conmen and The Doctor’s on-going war against bureaucrats; and how there’s a neat Star Trek joke. In short, it’s a fascinating book, one which is true to the TV show whilst pushing it in a slightly other direction. I’m incredibly glad I picked it up.
What we have here is The Doctor and his companions stepping into the realm of high fantasy. I’d almost be tempted to call it ‘Doctor Who’ meets ‘Game of Thrones’, as we do have a city under a dubiously positioned King and there are dragons, but everything about this is far more benign than ‘Game of Thrones’. The political machinations do not have anywhere near such a high human cost. What we have instead is a utopia, although it’s a utopia which has gone wrong – as in their wont – and been reimagined by Katie Price; a utopia which – as is their wont– doesn’t do what it says on the tin.
The Doctor takes Amy and Rory to a famously harmonious and welcoming city on a pre-industrial planet, only this city is nowhere near as harmonious or welcoming as its reputation suggests. What’s more all the buildings are covered by gold, a substance which doesn’t exist on this world, and the city’s legendary democracy has been replaced by an interloper King.
The result is a book which feels like a bigger, brighter version of the TV show, a story the TV show would go for on an unlimited budget. The regular characters are well captured, (particularly impressive as McCormick would probably not have seen much of the TV version when she wrote this). Amy – who like all nu-Who companions is far from the scream monkey of old – does particularly well. On TV she’s of course a character with her own sense of agency, but it’s interesting here how much of the plot here gets driven by Amy. Okay, it would no doubt have got to the same point anyway, but her impatience and wilfulness moves it at a pleasingly swift pace.
But what’s really interesting, and what sets it apart from a lot of Doctor Who (and from, let’s be fair most genre TV), is
There’s a lot more I could write about this; how there’s an obvious drug metaphor which is soft-pedalled; how even though it’s very much nu-Who, it echoes back to the great classic series writer Robert Holmes, with his regular tropes of a pair of conmen and The Doctor’s on-going war against bureaucrats; and how there’s a neat Star Trek joke. In short, it’s a fascinating book, one which is true to the TV show whilst pushing it in a slightly other direction. I’m incredibly glad I picked it up.
March 13, 2011
Definitely the best of the new Who books I've sampled. I loved the old Virgin/BBC 7th & 8th Doctor books, but since the show started up again & the books started being aimed toward 12 year olds, I've mostly avoided them because they make me long for more ambitious days. But after finally seeing the 5th series & feeling full of enthusiasm, I decided to give the books another try. I wanted a book with Rory in it, and chose this one because I enjoyed Una McCormack's ST:DS9 books a lot.
I enjoyed every page of this one. The characterization is perfect - you can hear the actors saying everything, and they had time for emotional reactions and excellent interaction along the way. And the supporting characters are surprisingly multidimensional and thoroughly engaging. The plot wasn't just pointless racing around, it was entertaining and fit exactly Craig Ferguson's line about what makes Doctor Who special - "Intellect & romance over brute force & cynicism."
I'll probably be overly optimistic & try more New Who books & be sadly disappointed again, but this one was a winner! Una McCormack demonstrates that books for younger readers don't have to be books for readers without brains. It looks like she has another one coming up soon, & I'll definitely pick that up too.
I enjoyed every page of this one. The characterization is perfect - you can hear the actors saying everything, and they had time for emotional reactions and excellent interaction along the way. And the supporting characters are surprisingly multidimensional and thoroughly engaging. The plot wasn't just pointless racing around, it was entertaining and fit exactly Craig Ferguson's line about what makes Doctor Who special - "Intellect & romance over brute force & cynicism."
I'll probably be overly optimistic & try more New Who books & be sadly disappointed again, but this one was a winner! Una McCormack demonstrates that books for younger readers don't have to be books for readers without brains. It looks like she has another one coming up soon, & I'll definitely pick that up too.
October 25, 2025
The 150 Prompt Doctor Who Reading Challenge - Third Doctor - 2) UNIT HQ: A book with a strong ensemble cast working together against a larger threat.
This is probably one of the stronger 11th Doctor NSA novels that I've read. It was quite an entertaining story, I've literally sat and read it in one go, in about 90 minutes, so it was quite engaging. Though, I do tend to enjoy Una McCormack's Doctor Who novels.
The characterisation was on point in this novel. It felt very true to character, for the Doctor and Amy and Rory, and it was like I could hear the characters speaking when I read the book. The one off characters in this novel also felt pretty well characterized and distinct, and it was nice to have so many different groups of people wanting different things. Since the new series started, the tie in novels have been targeted at a younger age group than the old 7th Doctor and 8th Doctor BBC / Virgin novels, and they don't tend to feel as complex as the older novels did - not that this novel is particularly complex, but it feels like it was targeted to a slightly older reader than the rest of the novels are. Either way, it was well written, and I enjoyed it.
This is probably one of the stronger 11th Doctor NSA novels that I've read. It was quite an entertaining story, I've literally sat and read it in one go, in about 90 minutes, so it was quite engaging. Though, I do tend to enjoy Una McCormack's Doctor Who novels.
The characterisation was on point in this novel. It felt very true to character, for the Doctor and Amy and Rory, and it was like I could hear the characters speaking when I read the book. The one off characters in this novel also felt pretty well characterized and distinct, and it was nice to have so many different groups of people wanting different things. Since the new series started, the tie in novels have been targeted at a younger age group than the old 7th Doctor and 8th Doctor BBC / Virgin novels, and they don't tend to feel as complex as the older novels did - not that this novel is particularly complex, but it feels like it was targeted to a slightly older reader than the rest of the novels are. Either way, it was well written, and I enjoyed it.
December 28, 2021
I haven't read a Dr Who novel before. It was fun to go on an adventure with the Doctor, Amy, and Rory again.
January 11, 2016
5-star Who.
Doctor Who adventures are not “Great Literature” by any means, but they sure are fun! There is nothing better than a few hours travelling with the Doctor to distant times and places to help me cope with the real world. To successfully create a good Who novel, you just need a few simple elements:
1. Select a time: Past, Present or Future
2. Select a place: Earth, outer space or foreign planet
3. Add companions, either travelling in the TARDIS or picked up temporarily during the course of the episode (or in this case, volume)
4. Add threat: alien attack or invasion, time-continuum related conundrums, bad humans using technology (or aliens) to their own ends, or arriving in a hostile time/place
5. And, of course, add some incarnation of the Doctor
Ok, so The King’s Dragon uses this formula: present, foreign planet, travelling companions Amy and Rory, 11th Doctor and . And it uses it well, adding enough twists to make it feel less like a paint-by-numbers than many of the Who novels out there.
The Doctor, Amy and Rory arrive on a distant world, home to the city of Geath (I’m unsure of the spelling as this was an audiobook, but it’s pronounced ghee-ahth). Geath is a pre-industrial, democratic city with a centuries-long history of peace and a reputation for hospitality and enlightenment. But something unusual has happened in the city since the Doctor’s last visit. A 12,000-year-old republic has suddenly embraced a king. A once sociable community is silent and subdued behind locked doors. And a golden dragon sits in pride of place in the king’s court- on a world in which gold doesn’t exist.
So, needless to say, it’s up to the Doctor and his intrepid companions to solve the mystery and save the day. Nothing new there, but that’s just how I like it. There are some particularly interesting twists in this tale, especially when the true identity of the “gold” is revealed and the situation becomes about much more than simply rampant greed or a troubled political structure.
Some reviewers have complained that a story like this could have been accomplished by simply travelling to Earth’s past, but this is a ridiculous complaint for a couple of reasons. First of all, no city on Earth has a 12,000 year history, much less a 12,000 year reign of peace . Secondly, gold exists on Earth, so where would the mystery be? Duh.
Anyway, this was a strong entry in the 11th Doctor’s foray into print.
Overall: 5 stars
• The Doctor, Amy and Rory are characterized perfectly in their speech and mannerisms
• The plot is engrossing and the pacing is spot-on
• The blending of pre-industrial limitations and alien technology (and the implications of such an interaction) were interesting and mostly believable
• Narrator of the audio book was clear and engaging
• Several really great supporting characters
Doctor Who adventures are not “Great Literature” by any means, but they sure are fun! There is nothing better than a few hours travelling with the Doctor to distant times and places to help me cope with the real world. To successfully create a good Who novel, you just need a few simple elements:
1. Select a time: Past, Present or Future
2. Select a place: Earth, outer space or foreign planet
3. Add companions, either travelling in the TARDIS or picked up temporarily during the course of the episode (or in this case, volume)
4. Add threat: alien attack or invasion, time-continuum related conundrums, bad humans using technology (or aliens) to their own ends, or arriving in a hostile time/place
5. And, of course, add some incarnation of the Doctor
Ok, so The King’s Dragon uses this formula: present, foreign planet, travelling companions Amy and Rory, 11th Doctor and . And it uses it well, adding enough twists to make it feel less like a paint-by-numbers than many of the Who novels out there.
The Doctor, Amy and Rory arrive on a distant world, home to the city of Geath (I’m unsure of the spelling as this was an audiobook, but it’s pronounced ghee-ahth). Geath is a pre-industrial, democratic city with a centuries-long history of peace and a reputation for hospitality and enlightenment. But something unusual has happened in the city since the Doctor’s last visit. A 12,000-year-old republic has suddenly embraced a king. A once sociable community is silent and subdued behind locked doors. And a golden dragon sits in pride of place in the king’s court- on a world in which gold doesn’t exist.
So, needless to say, it’s up to the Doctor and his intrepid companions to solve the mystery and save the day. Nothing new there, but that’s just how I like it. There are some particularly interesting twists in this tale, especially when the true identity of the “gold” is revealed and the situation becomes about much more than simply rampant greed or a troubled political structure.
Some reviewers have complained that a story like this could have been accomplished by simply travelling to Earth’s past, but this is a ridiculous complaint for a couple of reasons. First of all, no city on Earth has a 12,000 year history, much less a 12,000 year reign of peace . Secondly, gold exists on Earth, so where would the mystery be? Duh.
Anyway, this was a strong entry in the 11th Doctor’s foray into print.
Overall: 5 stars
• The Doctor, Amy and Rory are characterized perfectly in their speech and mannerisms
• The plot is engrossing and the pacing is spot-on
• The blending of pre-industrial limitations and alien technology (and the implications of such an interaction) were interesting and mostly believable
• Narrator of the audio book was clear and engaging
• Several really great supporting characters
September 14, 2012
I don't know why this wasn't an exciting story, but it never got me enthusiastic. It's about a world seduce with a metal called Enamour and the repercussions this love for "gold" has on it's citizens; an old race comes back to get the metal and maybe there will be a war about it or not. I don't think the author got the voice of the 11th Doctor right and I know she's able too because she got it right in "The Way Through the Wood" (and I warmly recommend that one), it's just most of the time when The Doctor was talking I could see the 10th and I had to remind me this was an 11th Doctor story. Not a lot goes on with Amy and Rory, they almost seem like extras in this story. I think if you can only afford one DW book then you should pass on this one.
April 26, 2020
Average Doctor Who adventure that captures The Doctor, Amy and Rory well. I particularly liked the subtle reference to Star Trek.
January 17, 2011
It is VERY difficult to get me to enjoy a Doctor Who novel with a heavy fantasy base…it’s simply not my cup of tea. That said, it’s as if Ms. McCormack had read that in my mind and took it as a challenge. Dragon-shaped spaceships, medieval-looking civilizations founded on rational debate and mutual compromise…thrown upside down by two con-men, an addictive substance to end all addictive substances (with another bit of dark psychological analysis thrown in for good measure), and a galactic conflict that places this medieval world smack dab in the middle of some deadly crossfire.
In terms of ruritanian-flavoured futurism, this is the adoptive child of 1978’s "The Androids of Tara", and it’s just as successful. The reader becomes just as frustrated and worried about the situation as the TARDIS crew trying to how to resolve the situation…and reading to the end in order to see how the Doctor will save the world once again makes for some breathtaking material. This is Doctor Who as Phillip Pullman might imagine…and it’s a very satisfying adventure.
In terms of ruritanian-flavoured futurism, this is the adoptive child of 1978’s "The Androids of Tara", and it’s just as successful. The reader becomes just as frustrated and worried about the situation as the TARDIS crew trying to how to resolve the situation…and reading to the end in order to see how the Doctor will save the world once again makes for some breathtaking material. This is Doctor Who as Phillip Pullman might imagine…and it’s a very satisfying adventure.
April 16, 2025
"The King's Dragon" is a decent story. It doesn't particularly stand out to me, but there's nothing in it that makes it terrible. The only flaw I'd say it has is that the characters can sometimes seem different than how they act in the show, but I'll excuse that because this was written when season 5 came out so we didn't know the full extent to their characters and personalities. I'm sure this would be a very entertaining book for a younger reader.
January 4, 2018
I cannot believe the first book I read in 2018 was a Doctor Who novel I’m selling to Half Priced Books.
September 10, 2013
I really enjoyed this. It's definitely one of the best of the 11th Doctor novels I've read. There are Doctor Who novels that are good because they seem like they could be episodes and then there are Doctor Who novels that are good because they work really well as novels. This was good as a novel. Amy, Rory and the Doctor were all characterised well. But the thing that really made this was the characters that were unique to the setting. Everyone had proper motivations and revelations and the more you learned about their past the different perceptions you had about it. The setting was lovely, an alien world that had been at peace for 12,000 years, though not as idyllic as the doctor had believed. It was nice to see an alien world without technology and reminded me a lot of 70s who (but with a bigger budget).
The thing that impressed me the most about this novel though was that the Doctor wasn't the one who saved everyone. He made a few speeches but overall he just enabled the people to do what they did best and save themselves. He gave them the means but they did all the hard work. It was also LOVELY to see a first contact situation where BOTH heads were women. I don't think I've ever seen that before though I've seen the reverse countless times.
I also had to wonder that it was set in the Vale of Evesh and had to wonder if that was shorthand for the vale of Evesham. Which made me giggle as that's where I went to high school. Definitely one I'd recommend.
The thing that impressed me the most about this novel though was that the Doctor wasn't the one who saved everyone. He made a few speeches but overall he just enabled the people to do what they did best and save themselves. He gave them the means but they did all the hard work. It was also LOVELY to see a first contact situation where BOTH heads were women. I don't think I've ever seen that before though I've seen the reverse countless times.
I also had to wonder that it was set in the Vale of Evesh and had to wonder if that was shorthand for the vale of Evesham. Which made me giggle as that's where I went to high school. Definitely one I'd recommend.
March 20, 2013
This is a must read book for any Doctor Who fan. Reading this book will not ruin any episodes or give any spoilers for the rest of the series. This story presumably takes place after Vampires in Venice, since Rory and Amy are not married yet (Rory keeps using that excuse to try to get himself out of Gealth jail... More on that later. ). The Doctor takes the engaged couple to Gealth, a preindustrial planet, but all is not as the Doctor remembers. The whole city is enamored by a golden metal called, well, Enamour. The Doctor knows that the metal can drive people mad, so he tries to tell the king to return it to wherever they found it. During their stay in Gealth, the city comes under attack by another city that wants the Enamour, too. This makes the people suspicious of the Doctor, Amy, and Rory, so they are jailed. They escape this predicament and solve the problem with the Enamour in true Doctor Who style! Will not dissapoint!
November 21, 2014
This book really shouldn't have worked. The primary deus ex machina is a gold-like metal that apparently has the power to reproduce itself when worked _and_ warp people's minds with avarice. But, the characters were fun, and the setup was well done, and the warring alien antagonists were sufficiently unique (and entertainingly differentiated) that the net effect was 3-star goodness.
It's not the greatest of Doctor Who stories, but it'll scratch that itch between new episodes.
As an aside, I bought this from the now-defunct Audiogo website, which was a wonderful source of reasonably-priced Doctor Who books in downloadable format. Hopefully they will be replaced with someone equally dedicated to BBC Audiobooks and non-proprietary, non-DRM formats.
Recommended.
It's not the greatest of Doctor Who stories, but it'll scratch that itch between new episodes.
As an aside, I bought this from the now-defunct Audiogo website, which was a wonderful source of reasonably-priced Doctor Who books in downloadable format. Hopefully they will be replaced with someone equally dedicated to BBC Audiobooks and non-proprietary, non-DRM formats.
Recommended.
Read
December 4, 2010http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1511517.html
Starts by hinting that it may be a Doctor Who version of Beowulf (main setting is the small city of Geath, ruled by Beol) but goes in quite a different direction - ending up with a nod or two towards Star Trek with a running subtext of sardonic political commentary. This will all be above the heads of the age group who are the main audience for this series of books, but their parents will enjoy it all the same.
Starts by hinting that it may be a Doctor Who version of Beowulf (main setting is the small city of Geath, ruled by Beol) but goes in quite a different direction - ending up with a nod or two towards Star Trek with a running subtext of sardonic political commentary. This will all be above the heads of the age group who are the main audience for this series of books, but their parents will enjoy it all the same.
April 23, 2013
This book was so annoying. The Doctor, Amy, and Rory were not written as themselves. They did and said things the actual characters would never say or do. The plot would get really suspenseful, then be completely boring in multiple places. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME READING THIS BOOK, NO MATTER HOW MUCH OF A WHOVIAN YOU ARE!!!!!!!!!
March 5, 2017
Not as good as some of the others. The whole Enamour idea didn't work for me...yes, it's a metaphor, but still.
February 22, 2021
The Doctor quotes J.R.R Tolkien now. Quoting J.R.R Tolkien is cool.
November 12, 2021
I like this book, though probably mainly because it's a scathing critique of colonialism, classism, and focusing on the needs of the elite at the expense of everybody else (if you think I'm exaggerating, I've included some quotes below, modified only to try to prevent spoilers). It also has a (metal) dragon though, which I think we can all agree is pretty awesome.
To be honest, the characterisation isn't quite what I hoped for, but it's not bad, and the non-canon characters are interesting and fairly well done. The plot isn't super unique or anything, but I do like the end. All in all, it's a fine book, but doesn't really stand out (save for the political commentary). I'd say give it a read if you want to hear the doctor say fuck colonialism, or just wanna read a fun doctor who book, but if you're looking for something showstoppingly incredible, then maybe give it a pass.
---
Potentially spoiler-y quotes:
"‘I put it to you,’ said [Character], sitting down on the floor in front of them, ‘that city-state republicanism is a fine and admirable thing – provided you have the good fortune to be born in one of the cities. However,’ [they] held up a finger, ‘should you have the bad luck to be born out in the country, life is not nearly so good.'" (94)
"‘Amy,’ the Doctor said gently, ‘when they looked down on [Planet] from their huge and staggeringly well-equipped ships, weren’t they able to see at the same time that there was nothing on this world to equal their technology? Couldn’t they see that there was nothing here that could be used as a defence [sic] against their firepower? Perhaps they thought all of these people didn’t matter enough to treat fairly? Did they [...] think they could come and take whatever they wanted? I hate that. Hate it.’" (122)
"'[Character] may be a few rungs up the ladder from the great mass of servants, but [they're] by no means at the top.’
Amy thought about this. She thought about [Character]’s pitilessness, the casual cruelty with which she had been seized and used. She thought about the strident music and the dead sound of despair at the heart of it. Was that also part of [Character]'s song? ‘You know,’ Amy said slowly, ‘I think those extra few rungs make all the difference.’" (111)
---
TL;DR: Una McCormack came here for two things: to write about dragons and criticize nationalism. And there's only one dragon in this book.
To be honest, the characterisation isn't quite what I hoped for, but it's not bad, and the non-canon characters are interesting and fairly well done. The plot isn't super unique or anything, but I do like the end. All in all, it's a fine book, but doesn't really stand out (save for the political commentary). I'd say give it a read if you want to hear the doctor say fuck colonialism, or just wanna read a fun doctor who book, but if you're looking for something showstoppingly incredible, then maybe give it a pass.
---
Potentially spoiler-y quotes:
"‘I put it to you,’ said [Character], sitting down on the floor in front of them, ‘that city-state republicanism is a fine and admirable thing – provided you have the good fortune to be born in one of the cities. However,’ [they] held up a finger, ‘should you have the bad luck to be born out in the country, life is not nearly so good.'" (94)
"‘Amy,’ the Doctor said gently, ‘when they looked down on [Planet] from their huge and staggeringly well-equipped ships, weren’t they able to see at the same time that there was nothing on this world to equal their technology? Couldn’t they see that there was nothing here that could be used as a defence [sic] against their firepower? Perhaps they thought all of these people didn’t matter enough to treat fairly? Did they [...] think they could come and take whatever they wanted? I hate that. Hate it.’" (122)
"'[Character] may be a few rungs up the ladder from the great mass of servants, but [they're] by no means at the top.’
Amy thought about this. She thought about [Character]’s pitilessness, the casual cruelty with which she had been seized and used. She thought about the strident music and the dead sound of despair at the heart of it. Was that also part of [Character]'s song? ‘You know,’ Amy said slowly, ‘I think those extra few rungs make all the difference.’" (111)
---
TL;DR: Una McCormack came here for two things: to write about dragons and criticize nationalism. And there's only one dragon in this book.
March 15, 2021
This was a unexpectedly well written sci-fi novel. When I pick up a Doctor Who book, I anticipate a rather cheeky and superficial a story that reflects more of the screenplay approach. And although I could visualize the Doctor, Rory, and Amy from the BBC series, the cast still demonstrated full characters and personalities. I am currently washing the 11th doctor on video, so this certainly enhanced my mental picture of the protagonists.
The plot of the story is multi-faceted with various alien and human elements all trying to claim gold-like element called Enamour which is a hypnotic element of craving that has been introduced to a very peaceful land. The struggles for power and the desire to control the Enamour makes for a very interesting plot.
I am a Doctor Who fan and I think the "whovian" community will appreciate this novel. For those not familiar with Doctor Who I would not recommend this as your first read. There are many nuances, inside vocabulary, and strange quarks of the 11th Doctors threaded throughout the text. It may be best to watch a few Doctor Who videos to familiarize yourself with the culture of the Time Lord and the many regenerations of his character. This book is obviously about the 11th Doctor which means there were 10 before him and there are now two after him. The ongoing saga of the TARDIS and the many companions of the Doctor involve many years of production and publication. However, with a little video time and some familiarization with a story, it is not hard to gain enough insight to appreciate this sci-fi classic.
The plot of the story is multi-faceted with various alien and human elements all trying to claim gold-like element called Enamour which is a hypnotic element of craving that has been introduced to a very peaceful land. The struggles for power and the desire to control the Enamour makes for a very interesting plot.
I am a Doctor Who fan and I think the "whovian" community will appreciate this novel. For those not familiar with Doctor Who I would not recommend this as your first read. There are many nuances, inside vocabulary, and strange quarks of the 11th Doctors threaded throughout the text. It may be best to watch a few Doctor Who videos to familiarize yourself with the culture of the Time Lord and the many regenerations of his character. This book is obviously about the 11th Doctor which means there were 10 before him and there are now two after him. The ongoing saga of the TARDIS and the many companions of the Doctor involve many years of production and publication. However, with a little video time and some familiarization with a story, it is not hard to gain enough insight to appreciate this sci-fi classic.
September 8, 2025
"Who there is going to listen to a tale about a king and a dragon?"
There are lots of little self-referential nods in this book, like it's never taking itself too seriously which I appreciate. The only point at which the comedy veers off the rails a bit for me is the Douglas Adams-esque scene toward the end where I can sort of see what it's going for, but it just feels a bit too jarring tonally.
The logistics of precisely how the enamour works and its relationship to the aliens, and the limitations of its power are all left quite vague and that I think was the biggest obstacle for me in really getting invested. There's a lot of similarities between this book and the later Doctor Who novel McCormack wrote, Caged, with both incorporating a world who've not had first contact with aliens before, and exploring the theme of communication, but on balance I would recommend that book over this one, as for me it handles those themes better and overall just tells a more coherent story.
There are lots of little self-referential nods in this book, like it's never taking itself too seriously which I appreciate. The only point at which the comedy veers off the rails a bit for me is the Douglas Adams-esque scene toward the end where I can sort of see what it's going for, but it just feels a bit too jarring tonally.
The logistics of precisely how the enamour works and its relationship to the aliens, and the limitations of its power are all left quite vague and that I think was the biggest obstacle for me in really getting invested. There's a lot of similarities between this book and the later Doctor Who novel McCormack wrote, Caged, with both incorporating a world who've not had first contact with aliens before, and exploring the theme of communication, but on balance I would recommend that book over this one, as for me it handles those themes better and overall just tells a more coherent story.
April 11, 2018
“Help is what the Doctor does. Help is what the Doctor is.”
A Medieval world, a dragon that’s gold corrupts people, an ancient alien war; this story is a little Hobbit, a little Beowulf, but all Doctor Who.
The story was intriguing, and kept me interested throughout. The depiction of the characters were flawless, and really felt like it could have been a series 5 episode. And, like the best DW stories, it had important moral/ethical messages (“We don’t have to agree with what they’ve done… We just have to understand.”)
To me, this book worked on all levels, and I would definitely recommend it if you find yourself missing the early part of the 11th Doctor’s era.
A Medieval world, a dragon that’s gold corrupts people, an ancient alien war; this story is a little Hobbit, a little Beowulf, but all Doctor Who.
The story was intriguing, and kept me interested throughout. The depiction of the characters were flawless, and really felt like it could have been a series 5 episode. And, like the best DW stories, it had important moral/ethical messages (“We don’t have to agree with what they’ve done… We just have to understand.”)
To me, this book worked on all levels, and I would definitely recommend it if you find yourself missing the early part of the 11th Doctor’s era.
January 10, 2019
This 11th Doctor story fits well in Matt Smith's first series. That said, I don't think I ever engaged that much with the story. I think the Doctor, Amy, and Rory characterizations are spot on - and there are interesting characters and situations in this book. But for whatever reason, the last 1/3 of the book I just plodded through. Maybe it would have been better as an episode than a book, because there is a lot of visual things going on with dragons and guardians and etc. But I'd say there are probably better ones out there, but if you're borrowing this from a friend or a library, it's not a bad read.
September 24, 2023
Let's be clear, this isn't Shakespeare. It was fun and silly, with a decent plotline and occasional narrative surprises. A few literary pitfalls were successfully avoided, a few were not.
It stank of writing to a deadline, and feels as if it could have gone a few more rounds of editing. Cliches abound in a way that suggests they made it in unchanged from the first draft.
It's pulp, but it's fun pulp.
It stank of writing to a deadline, and feels as if it could have gone a few more rounds of editing. Cliches abound in a way that suggests they made it in unchanged from the first draft.
It's pulp, but it's fun pulp.
April 16, 2022
Concept was a great idea but not enough for a full story - 3*
I liked the concept of enamour and the medieval styled city which was a republic and forced into a kingdom. I just don't feel like there was a full story there - perhaps because the villain wasn't the big bad we were expecting.
I'm always grateful for the Doctor Who series as it helps me out of my inevitable book slumps.
I liked the concept of enamour and the medieval styled city which was a republic and forced into a kingdom. I just don't feel like there was a full story there - perhaps because the villain wasn't the big bad we were expecting.
I'm always grateful for the Doctor Who series as it helps me out of my inevitable book slumps.
June 30, 2020
Somewhat drawn-out, like an old four-parter told over six episodes. Nonetheless, McCormack tells a steady tale amidst the obligatory befriendings, betrayals and plot-twisting volte-faces. The support cast has some depth and the Doctor, Rory and Amy are spot-on. Nick Briggs reads well.
August 14, 2024
During reading it felt like I was watching episode with 11th Doctor, Amy and Rory, it was really nice . The pages flew by very quickly, but I don't know the ending was mediocre for me, though I was having fun!
August 25, 2017
4.5 stars
December 28, 2018
"Plan?"
"I bet it's so brilliant I could see my own face in it." :D
"I bet it's so brilliant I could see my own face in it." :D
July 28, 2023
Dr Who and friends time travel adventures...
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