Not the best Who book unfortunately. The story is ok, typical old-school Dr who story, the main characters are likeable but the prose of the book and mainly the inner monologue of the Doctor was very off-putting and just wrong. ( )

I received a free copy from NetGalley
I am a big Doctor Who fan. Mostly through the television series, but I have also read a few of the books. I felt the author really captured the essence of the Doctor in this one. I felt as if it could have been an episode of the series. This book features the Fourth Doctor, who may not be as familiar to fans who recently became aware of the series. But in many ways, the Doctor is always the Doctor, no matter what body he inhabits.

I really enjoyed the heroine of the story, Bryony. She is extremely likable and meshes well into the Doctor's world. The twins, Xavier and Honor, were also a nice touch. They definitely added a creepy element to the story. My one complaint was that the story seemed to go on too long. They definitely could have left out the part with Zandor.

I think people who are Doctor Who fans will enjoy this book. If you are not a fan of Doctor Who or science fiction, you may not enjoy it as much. ( )

Wonderful, humorous, and oddly sweet adventure with the Fourth Doctor and a beleaguered hotel employee, Mrs. Fetch and her odd twin grandchildren, and whatever lives beneath the sand trap on the golf course.

[I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.] ( )

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Perfectly timed with the new season of Doctor Who, I read this new novel featuring the Fourth Doctor as played by Tom Baker. Having never seen any of the original episodes I'm always curious to read about new Doctors, especially since the Fourth Doctor might be the most famous of all.

It 1978, Scotland, and something weird is going on in the Fetch Brothers’ Golf Spa Hotel where golfers are being dragged down bunkers never to be seen again. The Doctor and his new found companions Bryony and Putta think it might have something to do with the somewhat peculiar owner of the Fetch Brothers’ Golf Spa Hotel, Mrs. Fetch and her twin grandchildren. But exactly what is going on?

As Doctor Who novels go, this was one of the weirdest I've read. I'll admit that I'm in no way an expert on Doctor Who, but I enjoy watching the show and reading the stories. And I think this is a novel best suited for people like me, who have had at least some earlier introduction to the series. I wouldn't recommend it for people who are unfamiliar with Doctor Who and who would like to change that. It didn't read like a beginners book, as the Doctor in this novel is quite eccentric and it might take some getting used to it to fully appreciate it.

This being said, a lot was going on all the time, though it still missed the speed and swiftness of an episode of the show. I believe this novel was a bit longer than I'm used to when reading Doctor Who novels, so it might have to do a bit with the length. I liked the fact that Bryony and Putta were special companions, as they were only introduced at the beginning of the story and I didn't feel like I'd missed tons of backstory. They were also great companions as such, giving the story something extra.

And while the writing was really good, I was not such a big fan of the story. I can't put my finger on exactly what it was that wasn't working for me, but I never really felt it and didn't think it was that special. Nevertheless it was an enjoyable Doctor Who novel and I'm glad I read it, if only to add the Fourth Doctor to the list.

Thanks to Blogging For Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!


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The Death Pit was one of the best Time Trips novellas; an engagingly daft premise realised with wry humour in the vein of Douglas Adams. It’s therefore a fairly logical step to ask Kennedy to expand it into a novel and it’s always interesting to see what established writer will make of the chance to tell a full length story in the Who universe.

On the plus side the strengths of the novella are intact; the starting point is a great deal of fun. Kennedy finds a convincing take on Tom Baker’s Doctor that’s true to the character yet very much her own and peoples the story with some excellent eccentrics; Bryony, Patterson, Julia Fetch and the ogrish David Agnew (also a neat in-joke there). The trouble comes with the elongation of a short story into a full-length novel – the material isn’t there to support the expansion. Just when the Doctor and his temporary assistants have solved one problem which could neatly end the story something coincidental happens to prolong events. Despite the wittiness of the prose and the beautifully realised characters the book becomes a chore as it feels like events are simply going in circles until the author’s hit her word count and things can come to an end. There simply isn’t enough story to justify the book’s length (which, uncharitably, is something you can apply to a lot of the Doctor Who stories of the twentieth century run – perhaps it’s an even more accurate tribute than might be apparent). I’d like to see Kennedy having another go at a Who book but this time with a more original tale that might sustain a reader across more than 360 pages. ( )