Time Lord Party Day Two: Review & Giveaway of Dark Horizons by Jenny T. Colgan

September 17, 2013

First off, let me apologize for the lateness of today's post. My desktop computer decided it was going to take the day off and crash. As much as I myself like to take the day off sometimes, I don't appreciate it when my PC decides to do it with absolutely no warning. Thankfully, my brother is generously lending me his laptop for the duration of the party if need be! Three cheers for little brothers, eh? Hopefully nothing more goes wrong this week and I'll be able to publish the party posts in a more timely manner.

Now that I got that out of the way, let the partying begin!

Today I'm giving away from my personal library a book that I absolutely adore -- Dark Horizons by Jenny T. Colgan. It's one of the latest books in the Doctor Who collection that is supposedly geared at young adults, but I think is perfect for anyone! If you would like to enter this giveaway just fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Give the form a bit of time to load, sometimes these things are a bit sluggish! Please read the complete giveaway rules at the bottom of the Rafflecopter form. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at steelergirl83(at)gmail(dot)com! Don't forget, you can still enter to win Last of the Gaderene by Mark Gatiss HERE!

Doctor Who: Dark Horizons
by Jenny T. Colgan
Copyright 2012
BBC Books
ISBN: 9781849904575

The Story:
“Now, you may or may not have noticed, but we appear to be on fire…”

On a windswept northern shore, at the very tip of what will one day become Scotland, the islanders believe the worst they have to fear is a Viking attack. Then the burning comes. They cannot run from it. Water will not stop it. It consumes everything in its path – yet the burned still speak.

The Doctor is just looking for a game on the famous Lewis chess set. Instead he encounters a people under attack from a power they cannot possibly understand. They have no weapons, no strategy and no protection against a fire sent to engulf them all.

Add in some marauding Vikings with very bad timing, a kidnapped princess with a secret of her own and a TARDIS that seems to have developed an inexplicable fear of water, and they all have a battle on their hands. The islanders must take on a ruthless alien force in a world without technology; without communications; without tea that isn’t made out of bark. Still at least they have the Doctor on their side… Don’t they?

A thrilling new adventure starring the Doctor, as played by Matt Smith in the acclaimed Doctor Who series from BBC Television.

My Thoughts:
As a fan of Doctor Who, reading the additional adventures is a great way to supplement one's need for the Doctor between new episodes or when you don't have access to TV. Dark Horizons, one of the newest stories featuring Matt Smith's Doctor is yet another wonderful example of a finely written science fiction book featuring everyone's favorite Time Lord.

This time, the Doctor faces yet another foe on earth who is decimating a small group of islanders as well as Viking ships in surrounding waters. Mysterious flames burn anything that floats above the water -- turtles, ships, men, etc. Only the Doctor knows that the strange burning isn't a sign from the gods. What he doesn't know is how to stop the strange alien race from consuming the island's inhabitants, the wildlife, and quite possibly the entire planet.

From seeing the Viking ship on the front cover and the flaming TARDIS on the back cover alone, I knew this was a book I had to read and I was in no way disappointed. Dark Horizons is one of the most spine-chilling and frightening Doctor Who adventures (and that includes the episodes on TV!) that I've come across. The Arill, is a collective species who need energy to thrive and the best place to get that energy on Earth in the Dark Ages is the human race. Basically, they burn up anything in their path and humans are consumed from the inside out. Needless to say, it's pretty gross stuff.

The Doctor doesn't have a companion in this series but makes friends with some Vikings, Henrik and Princess Freydis as well as little island lad, Luag. The Doctor, as always, is brilliant. A bit brash, a little bit clumsy, and a load of witty always make for an interesting tale and author Jenny Colgan definitely brought that out in this little adventure. Also, something that isn't always present in a Who adventure is romance! For me, this was an added bonus. It doesn't detract from the science-y or intensity of the book in any way, but rather lends more drama. Don't worry, it's not a romance novel. I can safely say, it's a book that even my teenage brother would enjoy.

Dark Horizons is a good story for anyone longing for an escape. While I certainly can think of a few aliens that I like a whole lot more than the Arill, I would be interested in "meeting" them again in a future adventure. Thanks to BBC Books, Jenny Colgan, and TLC Book Tours for another wonderful book.

~ My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars ~

*I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.*

~ To read more about the book or to order a copy of go HERE.

~ Read what other's on the TLC Book Tour are saying about the book HERE.