The Blood Cell

The Blood Cell
AuthorJames Goss
SeriesDoctor Who book:
New Series Adventures
Release number
52
SubjectFeaturing:
Twelfth Doctor
Clara Oswald
Set inPeriod between
"Listen" and
"In the Forest of the Night"
PublisherBBC Books
Publication date
11 September 2014
Pages256
ISBN978-1-84990-774-3
Preceded byEngines of War 
Followed bySilhouette 

The Blood Cell is a BBC Books original novel written by James Goss and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Twelfth Doctor and Clara Oswald. The book was released on 11 September 2014 along with Silhouette and The Crawling Terror.[1]

Reviews

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The Blood Cell gained generally positive reviews, calling it an "effective chiller".[2] Most of them commented the unusual way of narration from the first-person perspective of the administrator of the prison in which the book is set known as the Governor.[2][3][4] More grim and darker tone is also noted.[2][4] The interaction between the Doctor and the Governor is described as "a good mix and an interesting double act".[3] Goss nailed the bantering love/hate relationship of the Doctor and Clara,[5] capturing the bickering between the pair.[4] Peter Capaldi's Doctor is pretty recognisable,[5] the author captures his "ornery portrayal extremely well",[2] and the Twelfth Doctor's intellect as well as his sarcastic side with the "lashings of the amusing fish-out-of-water Time Lord" is portrayed accurately.[3] As for Clara, Goss "captured her quiet determination well"[2] and was praised for "an absolute hold on the character, really getting inside her head and nailing her characterisation perfectly".[3]

Audiobook

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The Blood Cell
AuthorJames Goss
Audio read byColin McFarlane
SeriesDoctor Who
SubjectFeaturing:
Twelfth Doctor
Clara Oswald
PublisherBBC Audio
Publication date
13 November 2014
Media typeAudiobook
Audio CD (5 Hours 56 Mins)
ISBN978-1-910281-73-4

The audio addition to the book was released on 13 November 2014, read by Colin McFarlane who played General Austin Pierce in Torchwood: Children of Earth and guest starred in the Doctor Who episodes "Under the Lake" and "Before the Flood" as Moran.[6] This was the first new series audio to be released since AudioGo went into administration in 2013.

References

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  1. ^ "First 12th Doctor Novels Detailed". Doctor Who TV. 3 June 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e Appleton, Jonathan (25 November 2014). "The Blood Cell: Can the Doctor Escape?". Kasterborous. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d "The Blood Cell Review". Doctor Who TV. 1 October 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  4. ^ a b c Simpson, Paul (10 September 2014). "Review: Doctor Who: Books: The Blood Cell". Sci-Fi Bulletin. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  5. ^ a b Mount, Paul. "DOCTOR WHO – THE BLOOD CELL". Starburst. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  6. ^ Doctor Who: The Blood Cell: A 12th Doctor Novel (Dr Who). ASIN 1910281735.
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