DOCTOR WHO

‘The Feast of the Drowned’ (2006, BBC Books)

Novel by Stephen Cole

 

Gripping novel featuring the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) and his accomplice Rose Tyler (Billie Piper).

 

Set in present day London and centred around a naval vessel which has become a ghost ship drifting up the (River) Thames.  This mystery will uncover a sinister force...

 

Unread and therefore in outstanding near mint/like new condition throughout.  Rare to find in such good condition these days.

 

 

Details

 

Publisher ‏ : ‎ BBC Book Publishing; Reprint edition (1 Jan. 2006)

Language ‏ : ‎ English

Paperback ‏ : ‎ 250 pages approx.

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1846073030

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1846073038

Best Sellers Rank: 3,452,361 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

2,496 in Doctor Who

8,762 in Film & Television Tie-In

9,242 in Time Travel

Customer reviews: 4.3 out of 5 stars (182 ratings)

 

 

Description

 

Explore the thrilling world of Doctor Who with this paperback edition of "The Feast of the Drowned" by Stephen Cole. This novel, published by BBC Books in 2006, features a gripping narrative filled with action, adventure, drama, and mystery. Join the Doctor and his companions as they encounter ghosts, time travel, and the paranormal on the River Thames in the heart of London. This unabridged edition has 258 pages and is suitable for teenagers and adults alike. Get ready for an exciting journey through time and space with this riveting novel!

 

 

Additional Info (copied from rear)

 

When a naval cruiser sinks in mysterious circumstances in the North Sea, all aboard are lost.  Rose is saddened to learn that the brother of her friend, Keisha, was among the dead.  And yet he appears to them as a ghostly apparition, begging to be saved from the coming feast… the feast of the drowned!

 

As the dead crew’s ghosts haunt loved ones all over London, the Doctor and Rose are drawn into a chilling mystery.  What sank the ship and why?  When the cruiser’s wreckage was towed up the Thames, what sinister force came with it?

 

The river’s dark waters are hiding an even darker secret, as preparations for the feast near their deadly conclusion…

 

Featuring the Tenth Doctor and his accomplice Rose Tyler, as played by David Tennant  and Billie Piper respectively, from the acclaimed hit series from BBC Television.

 

 

Review(s)

 

5.0 out of 5 stars  “Loved it!!!”

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 November 2020

 

I love Doctor Who and it’s even better that it’s Rose and the Tenth Doctor... Great story.  I always felt like they didn’t get to have enough adventures but reading the books in this series really do help. I couldn’t recommend them enough.

 

 

4.0 out of 5 stars  “Terror in the Thames”

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 July 2008

 

An original novel featuring the Tenth Doctor who and his companion Rose Tyler. as usual with these it runs for 248 pages approx., can be read by readers of all ages, and tells an original story, not one based on a TV episode.

 

The regular cast are captured on the printed page well, all the mannerisms of the characters coming across exactly as you would expect.

 

The story involves the loss of a Royal Navy vessel, and relatives of those on board being haunted by their ghosts. but is there more to it than meets the eye?  The whole of London faces a deadly threat from beneath the River Thames... Can The Doctor save the day?

 

Grounded in present day London like so much of the early episodes of the new series, this starts very well with an intriguing set up. whilst it does devolve into a more standard runaround of a story later on, there's some decent stuff here.  Good supporting characters, an old friend of rose's who is strongly characterised thanks to a good subplot about her personal life, and quite an original alien race, who make for some very creepy moments.

 

Not my personal favourite in the range, but definitely an above average entry.

 

 

4.0 out of 5 stars  “Doctor Who with a side order of horror!”

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 April 2015

 

I really enjoyed this book.  It's not just a Doctor Who story, there is lots going on with monsters and ghostly apparitions turning up.  Very creepy, but with a nice dash of horror & chaos thrown into the mix.  Plus some emotional & sad moments here and there along with the Doctors usual antics.  All in all - a top read!

 

 

5.0 out of 5 stars  “SF ghost agent story - well worth spending time on”

Reviewed in Germany on 19 October 2020

 

When Rose visits her old friend Keisha, she meets a friend in mourning, because her brother - also an old acquaintance of Rose - died in a shipping accident. While Rose comforts her grieving friend, the ghost of the deceased suddenly appears in the apartment.

 

A little later, the Doctor and Rose sneak into a secret naval facility to take a look at the wreckage of the sunken ship.  The British adventurers expect the unexpected and sure enough there are surprises.

 

At the same time, more and more members of the missing sailors families are appearing, who are trying to plunge into the Thames to be close to their loved ones...

An exciting Doctor-Who story with some secret agent stylings, wonderfully delivered. Highly recommended.

 

 

4.0 out of 5 stars  “One of the Lord of Time’s most spooky outings to date”

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 August 2010

 

Water is essential for all life, yet it can also be the great enemy of man and beast (unless you’re a fish!).  It can isolate, suffocate and even crush your bones.  Ultimately becoming a peaceful final resting place.  No wonder there is a sub-genre of horror based around the sea ranging from sharks (Jaws) to ghost ships.

 

So this story provides a great backdrop for the original enemy in this book.  It is frightening and prickles the imagination.  I would love to go on but I don’t want to spoil this terrifying story for you.  Needless to say, it’s definitely worth a read!

 

 

5.0 out of 5 stars  “A feast indeed”

Reviewed in the United States on 29 December 2007

 

Having read more Doctor Who novels than I care to admit, I'd say that this one is the best new series novel to date (winter 2007). Many of the books rank as "Just OK," but this one kept me engaged from start to end. No plot dead zones. No passages I wanted to skip. Plenty of sharp dialog, creepy aliens, and even a nifty crash between a tug and a barge. Ooh, what fun!

 

Like other new series novels, it's a relatively quick read, with a fairly straight-forward plot. Unlike many of the new series novels, it avoids being silly or overly light. Stephen Cole keeps the story tightly paced, from the cliffhanger opening of a sailor caught on a sinking ship to the final scene. Some of the authors don't know how to handle the tenth Doctor--either focusing too much on Tenant's manic energy and self-aggrandisement, or going completely flat--but Cole strikes a balance. There are the funny Doctor moments (including a weird and poorly-timed outburst about a ship Jack Dusty), but he also is fiercely intelligent, rude, caring, a bit frightening, and alien, a quality often missing from the new series books.

 

If you enjoy the new series, there's much to enjoy here. The story captures the feel and characterizations of the show, focusing as much on personal stories as the science fiction. While our heroes are trying to stop the eponymous Feast of the Drowned, Rose has to deal with the repercussions of events that happened during her "lost" year away from home. This emotional side story feeds a clever device at the heart of the narrative: love becomes a trap in an alien plot. Feast is stuck in current-day London (the Doctor seems to have trouble getting off Earth these days), but we're taken on a lively tour that starts at the Powell Estate and wanders through laboratories, a dry dock, tunnels under the city, and even the Thames. As the characters split up and go on their individual adventures, they are always connected by the central plot device.

 

It's the promise of the occasional gem like the Feast of the Drowned that keeps me coming back for more...

21 people found this helpful

 

 

4.0 out of 5 stars  "Feast" yourself on this creepy tale of ghosts and sea monsters

Reviewed in the United States on 23 July 2016

 

Ever since the relaunch in 2005, I've been a fan of Doctor Who (and have later gone back to watch the classic series as well). And when I discovered there were a ton of novels based on the show as well, I knew I had to check them out. All of them have different writers, and all of them vary in degrees of quality. But all of them still capture the spirit of the show; playing out like actual episodes, while being able to utilize things that would be extremely difficult to create on the show (in terms of special effects).

 

Set during the time of the Tenth Doctor and Rose, a naval cruiser sinks under mysterious circumstances in the North Sea, and all aboard are lost. Rose is saddened to learn that the brother of her friend, Keisha, was among the dead....and then he suddenly appears to them as a ghostly apparition, begging to be saved from a coming "feast of the drowned". As the dead crew haunts loved ones all over London, our duo must figure out just what exactly sank the ship....and what sinister force came with it....

 

These books are pretty much targeted at fans of Doctor Who, as there's plenty of references to various episodes of the show, so the writing pretty much expects you to already know who the Doctor and Rose are, what the TARDIS is, and so on. These books pretty much play out like a professionally published fan fiction, and all the main characters behave and sound like they would on the show proper. This time around, we're introduced to an interesting, original villain who uses people's love and affection to lure more humans to their deaths. This ties in greatly to a just-as-interesting and compelling subplot, in which Rose visits some of her close family and friends again--finding out more about what happened during the time that she left Earth for a year, and discovering just how much her once-normal life has changed--for better or worse. It's an issue that was touched upon time and again on the show, but never to this close degree, and it serves as a reminder of why Rose Tyler was such a popular companion. She's the normal, but adventurous girl who brought a sense of down-to-Earth realism to such a strange universe.

 

Overall, this is an effectively creepy story, with a ton of suspenseful build up that leads to a literal explosive climax, and a showcase of Rose unlocking her inner superhero. Any fan of the Tyler family will enjoy this.

One person found this helpful