Review: Doctor Who: Royal Blood by Una McCormack

Title:Doctor Who: Royal Blood
Author: Una McCormack
Source/Format: Blogging for Books, Paperback Review Copy
More Details: Science Fiction
Publisher/Publication Date: Broadway Books, September 8, 2015 

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

“The Grail is a story, a myth! It didn’t exist on your world! It can’t exist here!”

The city-state of Varuz is failing. Duke Aurelian is the last of his line, his capital is crumbling, and the armies of his enemy, Duke Conrad, are poised beyond the mountains to invade. Aurelian is preparing to gamble everything on one last battle. So when a holy man, the Doctor, comes to Varuz from beyond the mountains, Aurelian asks for his blessing in the war.

But all is not what it seems in Varuz. The city-guard have lasers for swords, and the halls are lit by electric candlelight. Aurelian’s beloved wife, Guena, and his most trusted knight, Bernhardt, seem to be plotting to overthrow their Duke, and Clara finds herself drawn into their intrigue...

Will the Doctor stop Aurelian from going to war? Will Clara’s involvement in the plot against the Duke be discovered? Why is Conrad’s ambassador so nervous? And who are the ancient and weary knights who arrive in Varuz claiming to be on a quest for the Holy Grail…?

You know, there is something about the Doctor Who books that keeps me coming back for more. I love the show too so getting Royal Blood was an easy decision. I read this book in a few hours—it was kind of short—but pretty much perfect for what I was looking for. The book opens with the Doctor and Clara landing in a new place, but from the start there was something very odd about the isolated city of Varuz. With its laser swords and electricity, its first appearance is that of a great city but on closer inspection it seemed like the place was crumbling away—it made for an excellent setting. The plot was pretty straight forward as the Doctor and Clara got wrapped up in the conflicts that surrounded Varuz. And in the typical fashion of Doctor Who, they tried to help solve some of the problems to the best of their abilities. The ending was a little sad, but overall, I really enjoyed this book.

This copy of the book was provided by Blogging for Books for this review, thank you! 

Una McCormack is a New York Times bestselling author. She has written two Doctor Who novels featuring the Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory: The King’s Dragon and The Way through the Woods, as well as several audio dramas for Big Finish. She lives in Cambridge with her partner, Matthew, and their daughter, Verity