Who Reviews The King's Dragon by DJ Forrest

Written by Una McCormack

For BBC Books

Published 2010

The Doctor, Rory and Amy are in what appeared throughout the story to be a medieval city bathed in gold. From the city council building dome to the cutlery and clothing of the residents of Gaeth.

At first glance it seemed as if the people wanted for nothing, but unlike the stories of Gaeth, where folks were hospitable beyond measure, these people were suspicious of their neighbours and rarely left their homes, afraid that they would be looted for their treasure.

In the past they were ruled by a councillor, but now, since the last election, they were ruled by Beol – King Beol He was a fearless fighter, although whether that were true, would be tested when two warring aliens appeared, desperate for the gold, kept by the simple folk of Gaeth.

The gold was bewitching, it altered a person’s perception, and before long the residents of Gaeth were unsure if giving up the ‘gold’ to an alien was the right thing to do. It required a little of the Doctor’s timey wimey know how and the device held inside the King’s Dragon to turn the heads of the residents in order to save them from certain death.

It’s an interesting story and one – apart from the alien interaction that you’d expect to find in any medieval storybook. Una plays the characters of the Doctor and companions well and you do have to feel sorry for Rory – he is treated rather roughly by the Doctor – but then in much of the stories read thus far, Rory is the accidental hero much of the time.

Amy is captured perfectly and as she’s often the most adventurous of the three of them, she’s given some great dialogue.

This is a great story and reminds me a lot of certain other aliens throughout Who’s history, from the Gelth to some classic warriors.

Definitely one to put on the ‘Might Read Again’ pile.