Share <Embed>

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 2 images

Follow the Author

James Goss

Doctor Who: City of Death Paperback – 1 March 2016

by James Goss (Author), Douglas Adams (Author)

51 ratings

See all formats and editions Hide other formats and editions

Amazon Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$12.99

—

Audible Audiobook, Original recording

"Please retry"

$0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$112.87

$112.86

—

Paperback

"Please retry"

$125.17

$34.41

—

Paperback, 1 March 2016

—

Audio CD, Audiobook, CD, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$46.65

$46.66

—

The Doctor takes Romana for a holiday in Paris - a city which, like a fine wine, has a bouquet all its own. Especially if you visit during one of the vintage years. But the TARDIS takes them to 1979, a table-wine year, a year whose vintage is soured by cracks - not in their wine glasses but in the very fabric of time itself.

Soon the Time Lords are embroiled in an audacious alien scheme which encompasses home-made time machines, the theft of the Mona Lisa, the resurrection of the much-feared Jagaroth race, and the beginning (and quite possibly the end) of all life on Earth.

Aided by British private detective Duggan, whose speciality is thumping people, the Doctor and Romana must thwart the machinations of the suave, mysterious Count Scarlioni - all twelve of him - if the human race has any chance of survival.

But then, the Doctor's holidays tend to turn out a bit like this.

Featuring the Fourth Doctor as played by Tom Baker, City of Death is a novel by James Goss based on the 1979 Doctor Who story written by Douglas Adams under the pen-name David Agnew. City of Death is one of the best-loved serials in the show's 50-year history and was watched by over 16 million viewers when first broadcast.

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

James Goss
73
Paperback
$16.19
James Goss
70
Paperback
9 offers from $17.68

Customers who bought this item also bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

James Goss
73
Paperback
$16.19
James Goss
113
Paperback
$16.19
Gareth Roberts
212
Paperback
$21.14

Start reading Doctor Who: City of Death (Dr Who) on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Product details

Publisher : BBC EBURY (1 March 2016)
Language: : English
Paperback : 320 pages
ISBN-10 : 1849906769
ISBN-13 : 978-1849906760
Dimensions : 12.6 x 2 x 19.8 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 222,341 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 44,420 in Science Fiction (Books)
- 63,871 in Fantasy (Books)

Customer Reviews:
51 ratings

Product description

Book Description

The classic adventure by Douglas Adams, novelized at last by James Goss

About the Author

Douglas Adams (Author)
DOUGLAS ADAMS was born in Cambridge in March 1952. He is best known as the creator of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life as a BBC Radio 4 series. The book went on to be a No. 1 bestseller. He followed this success with The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (1980); Life, The Universe and Everything (1982); So Long and Thanks for all the Fish (1984); Mostly Harmless (1992) and many more. He sold over 15 million books in the UK, the US and Australia. Douglas died unexpectedly in May 2001 at the age of 49.

James Goss (Author)
James Goss has adapted three Doctor Who stories by Douglas Adams for BBC Books (City of Death, The Pirate Planet, and The Krikkitmen). He's also written several original Doctor Who and Torchwood books. His novel #Haterz is in development as a motion picture. He's also written for the stage and the radio.

Customer reviews

5 star		77%
4 star		14%
3 star		6%
2 star		3%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

How are ratings calculated?

Review this product

Write a customer review

Top reviews from other countries

The Keen Reader

City of Death

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 June 2015

Verified Purchase

“The Doctor did some of his best thinking at gunpoint, especially on his way down to a dungeon.”

City of Death was the second story told in Season seventeen of Doctor Who, televised and shown in 1979. The story was written by Douglas Adams, but for various reasons has never to date been novelised (one of five original stories that had not been in the original Target series). This great undertaking has now been carried out by James Goss, who himself has a deep involvement with Doctor Who and the Doctor Who universe. He has written stories for Doctor Who and Torchwood, and has a great affinity for the type of writing that Doctor Who novels require. The original televised story was four episodes, and here James Goss has taken that story and given it whole new levels of layers with backstory, depth of characterisation, introspection and more exposition, which takes the whole story much more broad and deep than it would ever have been able to be, as a Target novel.

Scaroth, the last of the Jagaroth, finds himself in a rather catastrophic explosion when the Jagaroth ship Sephiroth fails on take-off. The British private detective Duggan is in Paris investigating artwork thefts. Count Scarlioni, a man of wealth and power beyond most people’s imagination, forces Professor Kerensky to continue work on his scientific experiments in the cellar of Scarlioni’s château. And the Doctor and Romana II have taken a holiday, travelling to Paris, France in 1979. A city of European culture, great food and wine, and quite a few idiosyncratic people. Unfortunately, the Doctor and Romana, being susceptible to shifts in time fields, soon notice the effects of time distortion, local to Paris. Before long they find themselves (and the Mona Lisa) caught up in a series of events that could affect the whole world.

This is a great story; it is one that is remembered fondly by all who have seen it since its first broadcast in 1979. It is a wonderful thing now for us to have access to the story in another format; James Goss has done a fantastic job giving us not just the story that Douglas Adams wrote, but a deeper and fuller story which incorporates all its imaginative elements. Amongst other things, the author has filled out the story of the Countess Scarlioni; the antecedents of the Count; the story of Scaroth and his fate; the life and rather horrible end of Professor Kerensky; and the world of Paris in 1979 which only passed us by in glimpses and scenery in the televised story. The author has given us Adams’ wit and sly humour, and added some more of his own. What parts belong to Adams and what parts belong to Goss are seamless; the experience for the reader is one of pure delight.

I got this novelisation and the reading of the novelisation (read by Lalla Ward) in the same parcel, so read the novelisation while listening along to the reading; I found it a thoroughly enjoyable all-round experience, and a great way to revisit this utterly brilliant story; classic Doctor Who, offered to us now in a refreshingly new format. The novelisation is 306 pages, with an Afternote by James Goss which covers the evolution of the novel from the original story.

8 people found this helpful

Alaran

C'est magnifique

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 June 2016

Verified Purchase

This is every bit as majestic as the televised version; which is a massive compliment. The novelisation absolutely captures that incredible style and atmosphere seen onscreen. Witty and fluid with perfectly balanced pacing it is an utter joy to read. Although the style is obviously reminiscent of Douglas Adams it is also apparent that it is the culmination of several authors. Unusually, somehow, the combination of authors that led to the creation of this novelisation form an ideal gestalt that is hugely beneficial to the story.

Taking elements from both David Fisher’s original drafts and Douglas Adams’ rewrites, James Goss produces something slightly different to that seen onscreen. In no way, though, do the various additions and alterations disrupt the storyline. They are consistent with its general feel and if anything they wondrously add to it.

One of the biggest alterations Goss makes is in the very opening. Although events are related as in the television version he puts a slightly new spin on them by making them more comic. It does remove some of the tenseness of the onscreen scene and thus initially feels a tad odd. However, it instils this scene with the élan characteristics of Adams and, as such, provides more of a sense of oneness with the rest of the story.

From that opening scene onwards the reader is constantly exposed to the internal musings of Scaroth. This enriches this already wonderful character and also exposes some elements not as readily apparent onscreen. In the earlier stages of the novelisation Count Scarlioni clearly isn’t fully aware that he is something other than human. He, being the last of Scaroth’s twelve ‘splinters’, seems to have less connection with and awareness of his other selves. He appears to be operating on an inbuilt instinct despite all his plotting and manipulation. As the novel progresses his true nature and intent eventually become apparent to him. The unmasking reveal at the end of the first televised episode is portrayed as the first time that the Count truly sees what he is. Goss also provides an explanation of a much more believable mask that even has a link to one of the Doctor’s recurring alien foes.

Although it is impossible to improve upon Tom Baker’s superlative performance of the Doctor in this story (one of the best performances in Doctor Who), Goss goes to great efforts to develop and enrich every other character, however minor. Harrison and Elena (played onscreen by John Cleese and Eleanor Bron) receive numerous more scenes that really make then characters rather than just guest star appearances, likewise there are more scenes for the clock painting artist Bourget, the Countess actually receives a name and a background as well as the ignorance of her husband’s true nature being better explained, Kerensky receives a similar treatment to explain his motivations, and Romana and Duggan gain a whole night out drinking and enjoying Paris. Even the Parisian bar tender has a slightly larger role. On top of all this Goss also manages to find a place for K-9 in the story. And none of this is at all negatively intrusive to the onscreen version.

Unlike the amazing authors who contributed to this novelisation, I run out of words to express how much I utterly enjoyed reading it. Perhaps I shouldn’t have waited for the paperback to be published so it would on the shelf with the Fourth Doctor Target books. Undoubtedly (salmon or not) one of the best Doctor Who books ever.

2 people found this helpful

TJH1YB1

Whither Williams?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 March 2016

Verified Purchase

Quite probably the most eagerly awaited Original Doctor Who TV Tie-in novel of all time, "City of Death" flatters to deceive. Author James Goss tries hard but often falls short of recreating Douglas Adams' unique style of writing, resorting to abstract and surreal waffle at times when Adams would have gone off at a tangent which then somehow seamlessly worked its way back into the on-going narrative. But then "City of Death" isn't exactly a Douglas Adams story. The inclusion of Adams' name in the book's title is a bit of an insult to Graham Williams - with whom Adams co-wrote the final TV script - and David Fisher - who outlined the original storyline - and seems to be nothing more than a shameless attempt to latch onto the Douglas Adams "legend". What is frequently overlooked is the fact that much of "City of Death"'s reputation has been garnered in recent years, particularly after Adams' shockingly early demise and his subsequent elevation to cultural sainthood, generally by people who are too young to have seen and appreciated the original on TV in late 1979, including Mr.Goss despite his claims. At the time, "City of Death" was simply the best story of the 1979/80 series, not a particularly difficult achievement considering the competition and the fact that the standard of Doctor Who stories had been on the slide since "The Talons of Weng-Chiang" in 1977. It is frequently lauded for its witticisms, of which there are many, but I wonder if it would be so highly praised if "The Myth Makers" still survived or if "The Romans" had been made in colour? And it's difficult to claim the novel is the wittiest TV tie-in ever written when compared to those produced by Donald Cotton, Eric Saward and Robert Holmes. On the whole, however, a much appreciated addition to my collection of Doctor Who TV tie-in novels, even if it does mean I've had to rebuild my special Tardis-shaped bookcase to accomodate its larger size. Now, how about "The Pirate Planet" and maybe "Resurrection of the Daleks" and "Revelation of the Daleks" to complete the set?

4 people found this helpful

The Keen Reader

City of Death

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 June 2015

Verified Purchase

“The Doctor did some of his best thinking at gunpoint, especially on his way down to a dungeon.”

City of Death was the second story told in Season seventeen of Doctor Who, televised and shown in 1979. The story was written by Douglas Adams, but for various reasons has never to date been novelised (one of five original stories that had not been in the original Target series). This great undertaking has now been carried out by James Goss, who himself has a deep involvement with Doctor Who and the Doctor Who universe. He has written stories for Doctor Who and Torchwood, and has a great affinity for the type of writing that Doctor Who novels require. The original televised story was four episodes, and here James Goss has taken that story and given it whole new levels of layers with backstory, depth of characterisation, introspection and more exposition, which takes the whole story much more broad and deep than it would ever have been able to be, as a Target novel.

Scaroth, the last of the Jagaroth, finds himself in a rather catastrophic explosion when the Jagaroth ship Sephiroth fails on take-off. The British private detective Duggan is in Paris investigating artwork thefts. Count Scarlioni, a man of wealth and power beyond most people’s imagination, forces Professor Kerensky to continue work on his scientific experiments in the cellar of Scarlioni’s château. And the Doctor and Romana II have taken a holiday, travelling to Paris, France in 1979. A city of European culture, great food and wine, and quite a few idiosyncratic people. Unfortunately, the Doctor and Romana, being susceptible to shifts in time fields, soon notice the effects of time distortion, local to Paris. Before long they find themselves (and the Mona Lisa) caught up in a series of events that could affect the whole world.

This is a great story; it is one that is remembered fondly by all who have seen it since its first broadcast in 1979. It is a wonderful thing now for us to have access to the story in another format; James Goss has done a fantastic job giving us not just the story that Douglas Adams wrote, but a deeper and fuller story which incorporates all its imaginative elements. Amongst other things, the author has filled out the story of the Countess Scarlioni; the antecedents of the Count; the story of Scaroth and his fate; the life and rather horrible end of Professor Kerensky; and the world of Paris in 1979 which only passed us by in glimpses and scenery in the televised story. The author has given us Adams’ wit and sly humour, and added some more of his own. What parts belong to Adams and what parts belong to Goss are seamless; the experience for the reader is one of pure delight.

This audio of the novelisation of City of Death is read by Lalla Ward, who played Romana II in the original story, and who now does a fantastic job in bringing the story to life in this audio format. Lalla Ward’s refined tones bring the voicing of the characters of the story, as well as the narration to life for the listener. She plays the wit and humour of the story perfectly; the characterisation of the Doctor’s booming voice carries his grin with it; the sardonic Count; the fragile Countess; the brutal Hermann; the frightened Kerensky; the blunt Duggan; all are given their own nuances.

I got the novelisation and this reading of the novelisation in the same parcel, so read the novelisation while listening along to the reading; I found it a thoroughly enjoyable all-round experience, and a great way to revisit this utterly brilliant story; classic Doctor Who, offered to us now in a refreshingly new format. This audio of the novelisation is in a box set, of 8 cds, with a running time of 9 hours 45 minutes.

4 people found this helpful

Masterful version

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 September 2017

Verified Purchase

It's been a while since I've sat and watched City of Death and so I did what any normal Doctor Who fan would do and read this whilst watching the DVD over the course of a week. The book is a pure treat. James has done a great job in giving us flashes of Adams's literary humour and done the impossible job of making this novelisation as much fun to read as the TV show is to watch.

See all reviews

Follow the Author

Similar authors to follow

Doctor Who: City of Death Paperback – 1 March 2016

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Customers who bought this item also bought

Product details

Product description

Book Description

About the Author

Customer reviews

Review this product

Top review from Australia

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries