sabregirl's review against another edition
4.0
The story was great, the book was boring. I dunno how that works out but I just dragged through this book. It worked great for a Fourth Doctor story, but I think the story was too long.
cjdawn236's review against another edition
3.0
While I enjoyed this novel, it wasn’t the kind of book that I couldn’t put down. In fact, it took me longer than expected to read it because I kept setting it down in favor of other novels, but I still came back and still enjoyed the humor and the adventure. I think fans of Doctor Who will enjoy this new Fourth Doctor adventure, especially if you also enjoy authors such as Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett.
You can find my full review on my blog.
You can find my full review on my blog.
prompted_ink's review against another edition
3.0
Great to see a new Tom Baker story with an interesting monster and some neat ideas. Gets bogged down due to the same psychological and cosmic horror elements at play. Those who are more fond of Lovecraft and the Hinchcliffe era will get a lot more out of this.
serafim's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
bleary's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty decent adventure. I guess I was disappointed because I thought someone of Kennedy's calibre would experiment and bring something new to the Whoniverse, but instead she's written a completely standard Fourth Doctor story that is quite good without being especially memorable.
toloveisdestroy's review against another edition
4.0
An enjoyable, well-written tale featuring the 4th Doctor. Full of fun, mystery, and the cheesiness that you would traditionally expect. Overall, worth the time, and sometimes you can judge a book by it's cover.
old_tim's review against another edition
5.0
This was a huge amount of fun.
http://fedpeaches.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-jewel-at-heart-of-universe.html
http://fedpeaches.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-jewel-at-heart-of-universe.html
urlphantomhive's review against another edition
3.0
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
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!
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!
veleda_k's review against another edition
4.0
This book runs the gamut of feeling, going from funny (often hilarious), to suspenseful and gripping, to sad and sweet. These changes never felt jarring to me either.
Any Doctor Who fan is used to hearing, "This is the greatest enemy the Doctor has ever faced!", but in The Drosten's Curse that claim actually seems credible. And like the best Doctor Who stories, it approaches its plot with nuance, requiring a much complex solution than, "find the bad alien, kill the bad alien."
Any Doctor Who fan is used to hearing, "This is the greatest enemy the Doctor has ever faced!", but in The Drosten's Curse that claim actually seems credible. And like the best Doctor Who stories, it approaches its plot with nuance, requiring a much complex solution than, "find the bad alien, kill the bad alien."
b00kr3vi3ws's review against another edition
3.0
It is really painful for a bookworm like me to admit it, but this was my first experience of Doctor Who! I have not read a Doctor Who Novel before and neither have I watched a single episode of the series. Okay, now that the band-aid is off, I also have to admit that my first experience wasn’t that good either. Perhaps I chose the wrong book for my first experience or perhaps this book was not as good as the others… I absolutely have no idea what is the problem here exactly. But yeah, the experience wasn’t what I expected it to be.
In this book, the Doctor sets off to investigate the weird disappearances of golfers at the Fetch Brothers’ Golf Spa & Hotel. The Doctor is quite convinced that the owner of the hotel and her twin grandchildren have something to do with the disappearances. In this installment, he finds Bryony and Putta and they lend their helping hand to the Doctor. What exactly is going on and how will the Doctor deal with it.
I found the character of Doctor Who to be quite eccentric. There was no build up for me and as such I could not really identify with the character. As a result it was really difficult for me to get into the groove of things. Bryony turned out to be the character that I liked the most and felt that she carried the story for me. The plot had quite a bit to offer as well. I liked the way telepathy was infused in the story. The element of humour was scattered through the novel making it easier to get into.
While I wouldn’t suggest Doctor Who newbies to start with this novel, it might bring more for the people who have read and enjoyed the series in the past.
In this book, the Doctor sets off to investigate the weird disappearances of golfers at the Fetch Brothers’ Golf Spa & Hotel. The Doctor is quite convinced that the owner of the hotel and her twin grandchildren have something to do with the disappearances. In this installment, he finds Bryony and Putta and they lend their helping hand to the Doctor. What exactly is going on and how will the Doctor deal with it.
I found the character of Doctor Who to be quite eccentric. There was no build up for me and as such I could not really identify with the character. As a result it was really difficult for me to get into the groove of things. Bryony turned out to be the character that I liked the most and felt that she carried the story for me. The plot had quite a bit to offer as well. I liked the way telepathy was infused in the story. The element of humour was scattered through the novel making it easier to get into.
While I wouldn’t suggest Doctor Who newbies to start with this novel, it might bring more for the people who have read and enjoyed the series in the past.