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eyreguide's review
4.0
This was a fun short read that tries a little too hard sometimes to be charming and witty, but that attempt to capture the Fourth Doctor's personality and his investigative approach to mysterious occurrences made the story on the whole very enjoyable. The mystery itself is pretty creepy though and I wish the story had more of an atmospherically ominous tone to make the most of the alien threat instead of keeping the tone so whimsical.
Since this is such a short read, I think the author did a great job fleshing out the main characters - Byrony and Patterson were great foils for the Doctor and the other villainous character besides the alien was an interesting touch - he's so outrageously selfish. The ending was a little rushed, but it was overall satisfactory. For fans of the Fourth Doctor especially, I think this is a great little read!
(I received this book from the publisher or author for a fair and honest review. I was not compensated for this review.)
Since this is such a short read, I think the author did a great job fleshing out the main characters - Byrony and Patterson were great foils for the Doctor and the other villainous character besides the alien was an interesting touch - he's so outrageously selfish. The ending was a little rushed, but it was overall satisfactory. For fans of the Fourth Doctor especially, I think this is a great little read!
(I received this book from the publisher or author for a fair and honest review. I was not compensated for this review.)
dantastic's review
3.0
When guests at a golf course start disappearing, Receptionist Bryony Mailer starts investigating. Fortunately for her, she is aided by a scarf-wearing man who thinks he should be in Chicago. Can he put a stop to whatever is happening to the guests? Of course, he can. He's The Doctor... Cue the Fourth Doctor version of the theme music!
This was a Netgalley find.
This somewhat goofy little tale reads like a lost episode from the Tom Baker era of Doctor Who. There's not a whole lot I can reveal of the plot without ruining things. Suffice to say, be careful of the bunker on the 13th hole.
The writing is good, lending a lot of Adams-esque humor to this Fourth Doctor tale. The menace was menacing enough and the characterization of The Doctor was spot on. Bryony and Patterson were both surprisingly well developed for characters in a media tie-in short story.
That's about all I have to say. It was a fun 56 pages and makes me want to watch some old Doctor Who episodes.
This was a Netgalley find.
This somewhat goofy little tale reads like a lost episode from the Tom Baker era of Doctor Who. There's not a whole lot I can reveal of the plot without ruining things. Suffice to say, be careful of the bunker on the 13th hole.
The writing is good, lending a lot of Adams-esque humor to this Fourth Doctor tale. The menace was menacing enough and the characterization of The Doctor was spot on. Bryony and Patterson were both surprisingly well developed for characters in a media tie-in short story.
That's about all I have to say. It was a fun 56 pages and makes me want to watch some old Doctor Who episodes.
beckylej's review
4.0
The wait is almost over! That's right, Whovians, the Doctor is set to return in August. Until then, BBC Books has a great new series of e shorts to tide us over!
A.L. Kennedy's "The Death Pit" lands Doctor number four in the midst of strange goings on at the Fetch Brothers Golf Spa Hotel where guests have been disappearing for quite some time. Junior Day Receptionist Bryony Mailer has noticed the incidents but honestly believed it could be chalked up to boredom. Until today, that is. Today, the Doctor arrives.
Since Doctor Four was my first, it's nice to see him back in action here!
These shorts are perfect little tastes to tide over any Doctor Who fan. Each one is a new little adventure from a great author, and each featuring a different doctor (no particular order to read them in either) - other installments include Nick Harkaway's "Keeping Up With the Joneses" and Cecelia Ahern's "The Bog Warrior" amongst others.
A.L. Kennedy's "The Death Pit" lands Doctor number four in the midst of strange goings on at the Fetch Brothers Golf Spa Hotel where guests have been disappearing for quite some time. Junior Day Receptionist Bryony Mailer has noticed the incidents but honestly believed it could be chalked up to boredom. Until today, that is. Today, the Doctor arrives.
Since Doctor Four was my first, it's nice to see him back in action here!
These shorts are perfect little tastes to tide over any Doctor Who fan. Each one is a new little adventure from a great author, and each featuring a different doctor (no particular order to read them in either) - other installments include Nick Harkaway's "Keeping Up With the Joneses" and Cecelia Ahern's "The Bog Warrior" amongst others.
karlou's review
3.0
3.5 stars
A little while ago I reviewed Into the Nowhere by Jenny Colgan which I thoroughly enjoyed and vowed then to read more of the Doctor Who Time Trips series of novellas. The Death Pit is about the Fourth Doctor, Tom Baker or as I grew up in the 70s, "my Doctor". I've not rewatched any of his episodes as an adult so my memories are only those from my childhood and I felt A.L. Kennedy captured the Doctor as I remember him; eccentric, mysterious and fun but also a little scary. The prose here is simply written, it seems to be more of a children's book than Into the Nowhere; this isn't a criticism, I felt it fits well with the classic Who series', from my memories of it growing up it was a children's programme that some adults watched rather than the family show it's widely accepted to be today.
The story is set on Earth in 1978 at the Fetch Brothers Golf Spa Hotel where guests are mysteriously disappearing. Then an enigmatic man turns up who may be able to explain why. The Doctor's one off assistant for this adventure, hotel receptionist Bryony Mailer is a well written, appealing character and the strange hotel guest, Ian remained likeable even after we learn more about the reason for his being there. The antagonists too are pleasingly dark. So in all it was a story I was enjoying...until I reached the conclusion which left me terribly disappointed. After an intriguing build up it was all over too quickly which is probably a drawback of the novella format. Whilst the main mystery was solved there were other loose ends that I just didn't feel were satisfactorily explained. In the end whilst I think there was much to enjoy in The Death Trap unfortunately I just felt too let down by the rushed ending to wholeheartedly recommend it as I'd have liked.
Thank you to the author and publishers for my free copy from Netgalley in return for my honest review.
A little while ago I reviewed Into the Nowhere by Jenny Colgan which I thoroughly enjoyed and vowed then to read more of the Doctor Who Time Trips series of novellas. The Death Pit is about the Fourth Doctor, Tom Baker or as I grew up in the 70s, "my Doctor". I've not rewatched any of his episodes as an adult so my memories are only those from my childhood and I felt A.L. Kennedy captured the Doctor as I remember him; eccentric, mysterious and fun but also a little scary. The prose here is simply written, it seems to be more of a children's book than Into the Nowhere; this isn't a criticism, I felt it fits well with the classic Who series', from my memories of it growing up it was a children's programme that some adults watched rather than the family show it's widely accepted to be today.
The story is set on Earth in 1978 at the Fetch Brothers Golf Spa Hotel where guests are mysteriously disappearing. Then an enigmatic man turns up who may be able to explain why. The Doctor's one off assistant for this adventure, hotel receptionist Bryony Mailer is a well written, appealing character and the strange hotel guest, Ian remained likeable even after we learn more about the reason for his being there. The antagonists too are pleasingly dark. So in all it was a story I was enjoying...until I reached the conclusion which left me terribly disappointed. After an intriguing build up it was all over too quickly which is probably a drawback of the novella format. Whilst the main mystery was solved there were other loose ends that I just didn't feel were satisfactorily explained. In the end whilst I think there was much to enjoy in The Death Trap unfortunately I just felt too let down by the rushed ending to wholeheartedly recommend it as I'd have liked.
Thank you to the author and publishers for my free copy from Netgalley in return for my honest review.
kribu's review
2.0
This was... Okay, I suppose?
I didn't love it; the thing with trying to write funny is that it either works or it doesn't, and in this particular case, the author's sense of whimsical writing and what I like didn't really mesh all that well. It was a problem particularly in the beginning, before the Doctor appeared: I did feel the writing fit the character of the Fourth Doctor well enough.
Four's characterisation was actually the best part of this story / short novella for me; I thought it was fairly spot-on for a relatively short story.
The plot was... Okay, I suppose? A bit meh, nothing spectacular but interesting enough to keep me reading. I didn't really care for either Bryony (whom I liked to start with) or Ian/Putta (whom I liked to start with) later on, andI rather think the entire mystery that was built up with the twins was ... um, either the author forgot about it or decided to build up a mystery that she never intended to resolve, and while I sometimes like having some questions unanswered, this was not one of those times; it didn't work for me at all.
Two and a half stars, really, but as I can't unreservedly say "I liked it" about The Death Pit, I'm leaving it at what Goodreads considers the appropriate rating for "it was OK".
I didn't love it; the thing with trying to write funny is that it either works or it doesn't, and in this particular case, the author's sense of whimsical writing and what I like didn't really mesh all that well. It was a problem particularly in the beginning, before the Doctor appeared: I did feel the writing fit the character of the Fourth Doctor well enough.
Four's characterisation was actually the best part of this story / short novella for me; I thought it was fairly spot-on for a relatively short story.
The plot was... Okay, I suppose? A bit meh, nothing spectacular but interesting enough to keep me reading. I didn't really care for either Bryony (whom I liked to start with) or Ian/Putta (whom I liked to start with) later on, and
Two and a half stars, really, but as I can't unreservedly say "I liked it" about The Death Pit, I'm leaving it at what Goodreads considers the appropriate rating for "it was OK".
rinn's review
4.0
I received a copy of this book for free from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. Also posted on my book blog, Rinn Reads.
Just like Doctor Who: Into the Nowhere, this is part of the ‘Time Trips’ series, a sequence of short Doctor Who novellas by different authors and covering different Doctors. This one in particular follows the Fourth Doctor – one I’ve not actually watched in action, but probably the most familiar of the ‘Classic’ Doctors. It has the brilliant Doctor Who trait of combining both funny and scary situations in a unique blend, whilst still being pretty horrifying in parts – and this one really is.
Unlike other Doctor Who books I’ve read so far, there is no companion alongside the Doctor when he lands, meaning we get to experience that initial excitement of someone meeting the Doctor for the first time. Bryony, the someone in question, is a wonderful character in that she surprises even the Doctor. She is ambitious but somehow just got stuck working at the golf club, and her adventures with the Doctor help her to realise that if she wants to achieve her dreams, she needs to go out and do something about them. For such a short story the characters were quite detailed, which really added to my enjoyment of the novella.
As well as being well written and developed, there were plenty of fun and humorous moments to keep the reader amused. The Doctor was his manic self, as Tom Baker’s Doctor was, and it was pretty funny imagining him in a shower cap (especially with all that hair!). Overall, a wonderful short adventure for fans of the show, particularly those who would love some more stories involving Four.
Just like Doctor Who: Into the Nowhere, this is part of the ‘Time Trips’ series, a sequence of short Doctor Who novellas by different authors and covering different Doctors. This one in particular follows the Fourth Doctor – one I’ve not actually watched in action, but probably the most familiar of the ‘Classic’ Doctors. It has the brilliant Doctor Who trait of combining both funny and scary situations in a unique blend, whilst still being pretty horrifying in parts – and this one really is.
Unlike other Doctor Who books I’ve read so far, there is no companion alongside the Doctor when he lands, meaning we get to experience that initial excitement of someone meeting the Doctor for the first time. Bryony, the someone in question, is a wonderful character in that she surprises even the Doctor. She is ambitious but somehow just got stuck working at the golf club, and her adventures with the Doctor help her to realise that if she wants to achieve her dreams, she needs to go out and do something about them. For such a short story the characters were quite detailed, which really added to my enjoyment of the novella.
As well as being well written and developed, there were plenty of fun and humorous moments to keep the reader amused. The Doctor was his manic self, as Tom Baker’s Doctor was, and it was pretty funny imagining him in a shower cap (especially with all that hair!). Overall, a wonderful short adventure for fans of the show, particularly those who would love some more stories involving Four.
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