Posted in: BBC, Doctor Who, TV | Tagged: alex kingston, bbc, bctv daily dispatch, books, doctor who, river song, science fiction, The Ruby's Curse

Doctor Who: Alex Kingston Reads Excerpt From Her River Song Novel

Alex Kingston has written a novel featuring River Song, the character from Doctor Who. The Ruby's Curse is now out in print, ebook and audiobook, and BBC Books has shared an excerpt along with a video of Kingston reading it. Doctor Who is the gift that keeps on giving. The best characters attract fans with their intrigue, mystique, charisma, and endless potential for story. River Song, created by showrunner Stephen Moffat, is one such character with a huge fan following.

Doctor Who: The Ruby's Curse is a stylish sci-fi noir adventure featuring private detective Melody Malone and legendary time-travelling archaeologist River Song, the author and creator of Melody. And in this story, the two of them… team up? It's all very meta as Doctor Who often gets.

"She's got ice in her heart and a 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 but everyone who comes into contact with it dies. 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?"

You can read part of the first chapter of Doctor Who: The Ruby's Curse below:

Chapter One

Stormcage, ad 5147

20 seconds

The next obstacle was my favourite. I've never quite understood why a laser maze is considered a top-tier deterrent when a laser wall would be much more effective. But I'm not complaining. I've never felt more like a superhero than when I danced across the floor, deflecting each incoming beam with a hand mirror. Up above! Down low! Never too slow!

. . . and rest.

10 seconds

Two directions. The first leading straight to the staff area. Everything's run from there. I've considered making a detour before – turn off the defences, make a few discreet alterations to my file, maybe schedule myself a mani-pedi – but it's difficult, even for me, to get in without loss of life, and that could make a gal unpopular around here. I'd have to take the other direction.

There's a children's game in which you need to drop marbles through holes. The aim is to line up different holes to create an unobstructed path downwards, and bye-bye marble. Stormcage has something similar. The doors all need to align to enable you to get to your chosen location. Each corridor is accessible once a day only. Trouble is, you can only see the first door. If you mistime, if one of the others is out of place . . .

You can read the rest of the excerpt on the official Doctor Who website.

Doctor Who: The Ruby's Curse is now available for order.

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