Book Review: Doctor Who - The Stones of Blood

Before proceeding with this review, it's worth clarifying The Stones of Blood is a Doctor Who story I've had no prior experience with. A lot of the Target novelizations I've read up to now are for episodes I’ve seen time and time again, so there's a notable amount of prior interpretation I was able to carry over into my readings of those novels. In Stones of Blood's case though, this is a Classic-Who story from Tom Baker's fifth season on the show; one in which I've never seen before.  These types of situations always excite me because it allows me to really work off the novelizations descriptions and writing to construct the story.

Originally airing in 1978, The Stones of Blood was a four-part story which was released weekly from the 28th of October to 18th of November. The novelization, much like it's the original script was written by David Fisher. Fisher was known for his contributions as screenwriter to some key episodes from Season 16, 17 and 18 of the long running Sci-Fi show. The novelization was part of a batch of Target books released back in September 2022.

The narrative of The Stones of Blood follows the 4th incarnation of The Doctor and his current companion Romana a fellow Time Lord from Gallifrey. The running arch of the season this story is featured in follows the duo's quest to collect pieces of the Key to Time for the White Guardian.  At this point in the story, they have already collected two prior pieces and their tracking device locates the third piece in Cornwall in the 1970's.  The TARDIS lands in Boscombe Moor in which The Doctor comes to meet archeologist Professor Amelia Rumford and her colleague Vivien Fey.  It's through them The Doctor comes to learn about mysterious Nine Travellers standing stones and sinister Druid cult which worships a deity known as Cailleach. As the Doctor and Romana attempt to unravel the local mysteries behind the stones and the local cult, a far deadlier threat stalks the moors in search of blood and the pair and their new friends have to act quick if they to are to survive.

As far as stories go, I really enjoyed the structure and progression of The Stones of Blood.  It utilizes its setup in a very clever fashion by keeping the reader embedded in the mystery being set up.  There's a lot of horror-esque inspiration in the story which helps give it all the necessary beats when it comes to tension and build up. Despite feeling like a natural fit in a horror series, the story is well constructed to accommodate all the typical Sci-Fi flair that is accustomed to the world of Doctor Who. It's worth recognizing too that the story does juggle a fair few plot beats but it does it in a way that complements each other cohesively, it's a really tight narrative on all accounts.

What also makes this book work on top of the smartly constructed narrative is its tone and pacing.  This feels like a quintessential 4th Doctor story on all fronts because it balances out the gothic-horror vibe with The Doctor's levity and humor.  The 4th Doctor is known for his eccentric and carefree approach to the calamities he finds himself in and it's his quick wit that helps keep the story progressing at a great pace and in a way that engages the reader thoroughly from beginning to end.

The Stones of Blood is a great story on nearly every front. It constructs a captivating story with a really in-depth mystery to support it.  Its plot beats are complemented with a wonderfully witty collection of dialogue and writing behind its characters and sequences. If the book is this good, I am rather excited to sit down one day and watch the original episodes.