Degrees of Affection

*4.6 Stars*

Scorecard: (Out of 10)
* Quality of Writing - 8
* Pace - 9
* Plot development - 8
* Characters - 10
* Enjoyability - 10
* Insightfulness - 10
* Ease of Reading - 10
* Photos/Illustrations - NA
Final Score: 65/70 = 93%

*WARNING: If you haven't watched Season 7 and don't know who Clara is, first: stop reading this and watch it. Right now. Second, while there is no real spoilers, you won't completely understand the character of Clara nor appreciate how good the characterization is.

*The Gush*

Doctor Who will always hold a special place in my heart because the show brought my brother and I together in ways nothing else ever has. Basically, we have little in common and our conversations were usually brusque, basic, and short. Then he and I discovered the new Doctor Who show at basically the same time and...magic happened. We had our first phone conversation that lasted longer than 10 difficult minutes. We talk over an hour, using the show to bridge to other interests and connecting in ways we never had before. While he is a bigger fan than I (sadly, too many fandoms and not enough time), Doctor Who will always have a special place in my heart and will now always be a part of my life.

For the above reason as well as the book itself, I find myself torn concerning this book as while it centers around grief, I thoroughly had a blast reading this borrowed copy (from said brother of course) and was laughing nearly every paragraph. I had just watched some of the Clara episodes with him and we both loved her snark and how she keeps up with the Doctor. This book showed that wonderfully. I've not laughed that hard and out loud in a while. Expressions like the corridor quickstep, various sarcastic quips and Clara: "You're going to feed liquid anti-depressant to a furious living wormhole that feeds on negative emotions?" Doctor: "Good, aren't' I?" were just brilliant. They were also needed as this is a an intense story. It takes place a day after Kennedy's assassination, so that is referenced but not the focus of the story. Instead, the grief and shock of the people of Dallas and the world takes center stage as it brings an alien presence known as the Shroud onto the Earth as it beasts first on the national grief before inducing personal grief as faces of loved ones people have lost latch on and drain them.

The characters both known and created for the book are spot on, fleshed out, and engaging. The story is extremely interesting and the book is well placed, as well as peppered with a good many allusions from the original Doctor Who series as well as the seasons of the new version. (I can thanks my brother too for any knowledge concerning the first 8 Doctors.) The subject of grief is well handled, making it easy for the reader to understand or even empathize with the characters as they are attacked. The Shroud is an intriguing badie with enough twists and information to fill the pages. The ending was not rushed (and issue often found in media tie-in books); so all in all, a good solid book. One of my favorite parts had to be comparison of clown cars to TARDIS. Why is there a clown car? Read and find out if your curiosity has got the best of you on this spoiler!

*The Rant*

Little here. The writing and structure of this book are solid. My biggest issue was Deaths are talked about and the 'lumps' in the tunnel between the planets are a bit disturbing. Wouldn't have young kids read this book.

*Conclusion*

One of the best media tie-in books I've read. If this is what most Doctor Who books are like, they will be a joy to read.