A review by bookwyrmknits
Doctor Who: City of Death by James Goss

4.0

I wish Goodreads had half-star ratings, because this is actually a 3.5 star rating. (The reason I rounded up is because of Goss' skill in the actual writing of the text. Had there been typos or other errors I would have rounded down.)

This is not my favorite Doctor Who episode. Not by a LONG shot. The Fourth Doctor (who is featured in this book) is My Doctor, as Whovians reckon things, but this episode has never been a highlight for me. It seems that The Doctor isn't the star of this episode - and the star isn't even his companion, Romana. (Yes, I realize she's also a Time Lord. She's still his companion.) The star of this episode is Paris. And that's not what I enjoy most from Doctor Who episodes.

I have read (well, listened to) another of James Goss' Doctor Who stories, but this is the only one which was a TV episode first. I liked the other one a lot more, because I was able to enjoy it for itself and not with the episode constantly running in my head as background to the story. (Granted, I also liked it because it was narrated by David Tenant.) This one was well written, but had the same issues that the TV episode did. I don't read Doctor Who to read about Paris any more than I watch the show for that reason.

I did enjoy the additional background we see into the other characters, and the humor was lovely. My chief complaint is with the plot, and not the execution.