Posted in: BBC, Doctor Who, TV | Tagged: alex kingston, bbc, bbc books, bleeding cool, doctor who, river song, The Ruby's Curse

Doctor Who: Alex Kingston Pens River Song Novel "The Ruby's Curse"

Published Thu, 11 Feb 2021 15:05:44 -0600

by Adi Tantimedh

Comments

Alex Kingston, who played River Song, the fan favourite time-traveling wife of The Doctor on Doctor Who, has written a River Song novel, The Ruby's Curse. River Song was created by showrunner Steven Moffat, a character intended to be meta in a show that's endlessly meta, and Kingston seems to understand this according to the synopsis of her novel The Ruby's Curse.

Doctor Who: Alex Kingston Pens River Song Novel "The Ruby's Curse" — Doctor Who: The Ruby's Curse, cover courtesy of BBC Books

"She's got ice in her heart and kiss on her lips…

1939, New York. Private Eye, Melody Malone, is hired to find a stolen ruby, the Eye of Horus. The ruby might hold the secret to the location of Cleopatra's tomb – but everyone who comes into contact with it dies. Can Melody escape the ruby's curse?

1939, New York. River Song, author of the Melody Malone Mysteries, is forced to find a reality-altering weapon, the Eye of Horus. River doesn't believe in curses – but is she wrong?

From the top-security confines of Stormcage to the barbarism of first-century Egypt, River battles to find the Eye of Horus before its powers are used to transform the universe. To succeed, she must team up with a most unlikely ally – her own fictional alter ego, Melody. And together they must solve another mystery: Is fiction changing into fact – or is fact changing into fiction?"

Asked about writing her first novel set in the Doctor Who universe, Alex Kingston said, "Having absolutely no idea of the journey I would be taking with River Song when I first uttered those words, 'Hello Sweetie,' I cannot begin to express how excited I am to be able to continue not only River but Melody's adventures on the written page. A sassy private detective and a time-traveling archaeologist joining forces to solve a mystery? What's not to love!?"

Albert DePetrillo, publishing director of BBC Books, said: "Working with Alex on this highly original new story has been such a delight, and we couldn't be happier to be publishing her first Doctor Who novel. River Song is such an iconic character, and I think Alex's many fans will be thrilled and amazed with what she's come up with."

The Ruby's Curse is Alex Kingston's first Doctor Who novel. It follows the successful launch of Doctor Who adventures written by actors Tom Baker (Scratchman) featuring the 4th Doctor fighting the Devil and Sophie Aldred (At Childhood's End), featuring the 13th Doctor and an older Ace decades after she left the company of the 7^th Doctor. They also read the audiobook versions, and Kingston is likely to do the same for hers.

Pre-order The Ruby's Curse here ahead of its release on the 20th May 2021.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!