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Doctor Who: The Ruby’s Curse

Doctor Who: The Ruby’s Curse

  • Downloads：9452
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-02-28 00:16:46
  • Update Date：2025-09-24
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Alex Kingston
  • ISBN：1785947141
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

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？

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Reviews

T。 Freya Taylor ，

A brilliantly written adventure in time and space， revolving around my personal favourite time period， ancient Egypt。 It was written so well in character of River Song， I could imagine Alex Kingston herself was reading it aloud！ Would highly recommend。

Cynik ，

best if you're up to date enough on watching Doctor Who to where the Doctor is a woman - this story takes place in that timeframe。 best if you're up to date enough on watching Doctor Who to where the Doctor is a woman - this story takes place in that timeframe。 。。。more

Loey Dinh ，

It turned out to be much better than I'd expected。 The last half was filled with suprises and （quite） smart twists。An easy read if you don't mind first person narrative or quite a few parentheses， extra adjectives。 It turned out to be much better than I'd expected。 The last half was filled with suprises and （quite） smart twists。An easy read if you don't mind first person narrative or quite a few parentheses， extra adjectives。 。。。more

Evan Cunningham ，

That Was Fantastic！This Story Was Amazing， All Of The Twists And Turns Were Shocking And The Cameos Were Great！My Only Complaint Is That The Pacing Was Off。 Whole Sections Of The Book Dragged And Then The Ending Felt Slightly Rushed。 Besides That， However， It Was An Amazing Book！

Leigh ，

The Ruby's Curse is a pulp murder mystery with a Whovian twist。 What may be most unique about it -- among murder mysteries， that is -- is that it was written， at least in part， by Alex Kingston， better known to Doctor Who fans as River Song herself。There's little point in discussing the plot of this novel -- it's as quirky， ridiculous， and pomp as any Doctor Who episode。 If you enjoy the antics of the show， you won't be put off by the pacing or twists of this book。 I will， however， discuss the w The Ruby's Curse is a pulp murder mystery with a Whovian twist。 What may be most unique about it -- among murder mysteries， that is -- is that it was written， at least in part， by Alex Kingston， better known to Doctor Who fans as River Song herself。There's little point in discussing the plot of this novel -- it's as quirky， ridiculous， and pomp as any Doctor Who episode。 If you enjoy the antics of the show， you won't be put off by the pacing or twists of this book。 I will， however， discuss the writing itself: it's。。。alright。 It's certainly better than I expected， and better than most tie-in novels I've read for other shows and games in the past。 But I think it fell into dangerous waters by splitting the story between Melody Malone and River Song， because at least for me， the first several chapters/POV sections we actually get for Melody Malone were a slough to get through。 There was so little "living in the story" and so much "telling you what happened in 5 sentences or less" every paragraph， and it remained this way until River discovered the edited manuscript further along in the book。 The River Song POV was much more polished in comparison， and I'd have rather read that the entire way through the book than go back and forth the way The Ruby's Curse did。 HOWEVER！ It still wasn't bad。 Yes， some of the twists were predictable。 Yes， there were layers upon layers upon layers of time and dimension travel。 Yes， there was a talking cat at one point。 Yes， you probably do need a healthy understanding of the River Song arc in Doctor Who before you read this book to enjoy it to its fullest。 But， as a Doctor Who fan myself （。。。well， some seasons）， I was still entertained throughout most of this novel。 And I appreciated the blink-or-you'll-miss-it reference to River discovering the existence of the 13th Doctor's。。。shall we say changes？ 😉**STAR BREAKDOWN**Cover: ★★★★☆Story: ★★★☆☆Characters: ★★★☆☆Would I Reread？: EhhhhhhWould I Buy？: NoOverall Star Rating: ★★★☆☆**PLAYLIST**-Like Someone in Love by Bill Evans -'Round Midnight by Thelonious Monk-Autumn Leaves by Chet Baker-Melody Pond by Murray Gold 。。。more

Lily ，

I love Alex and， as I knew I would， loved this book。 River is such a fun character both on screen and in print， and I’d literally read Alex Kingston’s grocery list :）

Yessenia ，

SPOILERS （ not really ） IT WAS FANTASTIC！ River Song has always been my favorite character on Doctor Who 。 Her journey and her story was phenomenal， insane ， beautiful， and heart wrenching all in one 。 I’d always wished they had done a spin off show of her adventures。 But alas - even if we don’t have the show 。 We have this and it is wonderfully delicious ！ Reading this book written by the glamorous and outstanding Alex Kingston was such a joy ！ I love the twists in the mystery ， the incorporat SPOILERS （ not really ） IT WAS FANTASTIC！ River Song has always been my favorite character on Doctor Who 。 Her journey and her story was phenomenal， insane ， beautiful， and heart wrenching all in one 。 I’d always wished they had done a spin off show of her adventures。 But alas - even if we don’t have the show 。 We have this and it is wonderfully delicious ！ Reading this book written by the glamorous and outstanding Alex Kingston was such a joy ！ I love the twists in the mystery ， the incorporations of both melody and River。 I loved how the book read as if River truly had written it 。 The whole moments when River mentions her love ones just melted my heart。 There was so much to love about the books and there was never a dull moment 。 The book kept me guessing 。 And of course I was always curious if a Special someone would pop up， making me pay close attention to each word 。 I wish there was more books 。 Seriously it ended perfectly but too soon。 If Alex ever feels like she can continue the story， she has my full support 。 It really is a great read ！ 。。。more

Veronica Rosazza Prin ，

English belowUno spin-off del tutto canon all’altezza di ogni aspettativa。Alex Kingston e Jacqueline Rayner hanno riportato in vita uno dei personaggi preferiti della serie BBC Doctor Who， nonché l’alterego che abbiamo conosciuto in uno degli episodi più sentiti dai fan。 River Song e Melody Malone sono le protagoniste di un intreccio misterioso， che porta il lettore attraverso il tempo e lo spazio。Ambientato un po’ nella New York del 1939， un po’ nella prigione di Stormcage negli anni Cinque English belowUno spin-off del tutto canon all’altezza di ogni aspettativa。Alex Kingston e Jacqueline Rayner hanno riportato in vita uno dei personaggi preferiti della serie BBC Doctor Who， nonché l’alterego che abbiamo conosciuto in uno degli episodi più sentiti dai fan。 River Song e Melody Malone sono le protagoniste di un intreccio misterioso， che porta il lettore attraverso il tempo e lo spazio。Ambientato un po’ nella New York del 1939， un po’ nella prigione di Stormcage negli anni Cinquemila， un po’ nell’antico Egitto e un po’… Spoiler！Un giallo fantascientifico difficile da seguire per chi non conosce la serie televisiva， ma un intrigante capolavoro per chiunque conosca il Dottore （e River， ovviamente）。Parliamo della tramaRiver Song， volontariamente rinchiusa （o， in questo caso， “in ritiro”） nella prigione spaziale di Stormcage， è intenta a scrivere il suo nuovo romanzo della serie “I misteri di Melody Malone”: l’investigatore privato viene incaricata di ritrovare un rubino che è stato rubato， the Eye of Horus。 Non si tratta， però， di un rubino qualsiasi: si dice infatti che lo stesso fosse appartenuto a Cleopatra in persona e che un messaggio codificato potrebbe consentire di ritrovare il luogo di sepoltura della faraona。Rinchiusa nella cella 426， River si mette per caso in contatto con un altro prigioniero: Ventrion。 Quest’ultimo si appassiona particolarmente all’ultima avventura di Melody Malone poiché la maledizione che sembra colpire chiunque entri in possesso dell’Occhio di Horus gli ricorda il motivo per cui lui stesso si trova imprigionato。 E a ragione， sostiene Ventrion。Non racconterò， in questa recensione， il perché Ventrion ritenesse opportuno il suo ritrovarsi a Stormage （di nuovo， spoiler！）， ma vi dirò che ci sono altre persone interessate alle sue vicende。Così， River e il suo nuovo compagno si immergono in un’avventura， in pieno stile Doctor Who， tra tempo e spazio。 E forse qualcosa di più。Consigliato！A completely canon spin-off that lives up to all expectations。Alex Kingston and Jacqueline Rayner have brought back to life one of the favorite characters of the BBC b>Doctor Who series， as well as the alter ego we met in one of the most heartfelt episodes for the fans。 River Song and Melody Malone are the protagonists of a mysterious intertwining， which takes the reader through time and space。Set a bit in New York in 1939， a bit in Stormcage prison in the 5000s， a bit in ancient Egypt and a bit 。。。 Spoiler！A science fiction mystery difficult to follow for those unfamiliar with the television series， but an intriguing masterpiece for anyone who knows the Doctor （and River， of course）。Let's talk about the plotRiver Song， voluntarily locked up （or， in this case， "in retreat"） in the Stormcage space prison， is intent on writing her new novel in the series "The Mysteries of Melody Malone": someone asked the private investigator to find a ruby that was stolen， the Eye of Horus。 However， this is not just any ruby: it is said that it belonged to Cleopatra herself and that an encoded message could make it possible to find the burial place of the pharaoh。Locked up in cell 426， River accidentally makes contact with another prisoner: Ventrion。 The latter is particularly passionate about Melody Malone's latest adventure: the curse that seems to strike anyone who comes into possession of the Eye of Horus reminds him of why he himself is imprisoned。 And with good reason， says Ventrion。I'm not going to talk about why Ventrion thought it was appropriate for him to be in Stormage （again， spoiler！）， but I will tell you that there are other people interested in his affairs。Thus， River and his new partner immerse themselves in an adventure between time and space， in full Doctor Who style。 And maybe something more。Recommended！ 。。。more

Laura ，

3。5To be clear， if you're not already a fan of Doctor Who， you're unlikely to enjoy this book。 It's definitely a book for Whovians。 My favorite bits were the places where the story called back to previous Doctor Who episodes and River Song escapades。If I weren't a DW fan， I probably wouldn't have enjoyed this book much。 But， I loved the voices of River and Melody Malone， and I would absolutely read more books like this。 3。5To be clear， if you're not already a fan of Doctor Who， you're unlikely to enjoy this book。 It's definitely a book for Whovians。 My favorite bits were the places where the story called back to previous Doctor Who episodes and River Song escapades。If I weren't a DW fan， I probably wouldn't have enjoyed this book much。 But， I loved the voices of River and Melody Malone， and I would absolutely read more books like this。 。。。more

Rafael Morais ，

I like it

Mini Book Chats ，

I loved this so much！ It’s kind of all over the place but so is River Song so that checks 😁 I laughed so hard at the good reads reference！ You will need a base I understanding of River Songs time line to follow but if you have that I highly recommend the audio book 💕

Gary ，

A good story， it's only 275 pages but it feels longer。There's a lot of back and forth which can get a bit confusing for a minute。Well worth a read though。 I recommend it to fans of Sci fi or detective fiction。 A good story， it's only 275 pages but it feels longer。There's a lot of back and forth which can get a bit confusing for a minute。Well worth a read though。 I recommend it to fans of Sci fi or detective fiction。 。。。more

Diana ，

Like with other books featuring characters we’ve met on screen it was a little odd getting into River’s head but it was still so much fun。 And not like anything else。

Karrah ，

I haven’t devoured a book in a single sitting for a long time， but this one was 100% worth still being awake at 2。30 am！ A book about Melody Malone inside a book about River Song… perfection！ The Ruby’s Curse is such a great twisty， timey ride！ Just when you think you have the case solved， you don’t （trust me）。 Just when you think you have finally made sense of it all， the cat starts talking and where did Phil come from？？ The constant backwards and forwards in the timeline， and the morphing of w I haven’t devoured a book in a single sitting for a long time， but this one was 100% worth still being awake at 2。30 am！ A book about Melody Malone inside a book about River Song… perfection！ The Ruby’s Curse is such a great twisty， timey ride！ Just when you think you have the case solved， you don’t （trust me）。 Just when you think you have finally made sense of it all， the cat starts talking and where did Phil come from？？ The constant backwards and forwards in the timeline， and the morphing of what is River’s life and what is Melody’s story blends together for a fun， high-energy， sometimes-confusing adventure！ The book does suffer slightly from poor editing。 I noticed a handful of typos and grammatical errors， which is unfortunate。 Although they obviously don’t ruin the story in any way， I do find them distracting and it sad that closer attention wasn’t paid。 All in all， I enjoyed this adventure immensely。 If you love Doctor Who， especially River Song， then this definitely needs to be on your reading list。 。。。more

Elizabeth ，

What a wonder to have an inside look at River Song， Stormcage， AND Melody Malone！ I truly can’t say anything without getting too excited and divulging - “Spoilers！” - but I could see and hear Alex Kingston in every page of this adventure！ It’s a wonder River Song didn’t get her own spin-off or that Alex Kingston doesn’t write for Doctor Who herself！

Letti ，

I loved it！

April ，

No spoilers， just love for River Song 💋 4。5 stars

Laura ，

I hope there's another one soon。 I hope there's another one soon。 。。。more

Garrett ，

This Doctor Who outing， written by Alex Kingston， our River Song， is appropriately mindbending and perfectly balanced between the "real" world of River Song and the fictional， still-being-written as this novel progresses world of Melody Malone， the hard-boiled P。I。 introduced during the late part of the 11th Doctor+Ponds era。 It's a fun， quick read which dips toes into the Whoniverse without tying the story to deep Who mythos。 Recommended to any fans of Who， 10th Doctor forward。 This Doctor Who outing， written by Alex Kingston， our River Song， is appropriately mindbending and perfectly balanced between the "real" world of River Song and the fictional， still-being-written as this novel progresses world of Melody Malone， the hard-boiled P。I。 introduced during the late part of the 11th Doctor+Ponds era。 It's a fun， quick read which dips toes into the Whoniverse without tying the story to deep Who mythos。 Recommended to any fans of Who， 10th Doctor forward。 。。。more

Dawn ，

River。。。and Melody。。。so much fun

Lucy ，

My uncle got me this for Christmas knowing I liked Doctor Who。 What he did not know， was that River Song's my favourite character。This book was great！ Timey-wimey confusing in places but still amazing， and the essence of River is really captured！I couldn't put it down！ My uncle got me this for Christmas knowing I liked Doctor Who。 What he did not know， was that River Song's my favourite character。This book was great！ Timey-wimey confusing in places but still amazing， and the essence of River is really captured！I couldn't put it down！ 。。。more

Angela Shaw ，

Very entertaining。 It's nice to hear more from River Song！ Very entertaining。 It's nice to hear more from River Song！ 。。。more

Shannon Ryan ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I turned on the spoilers code for this review just in River’s honor。 This book was a blast。 There’s no River without Alex Kingston and this book is proof of that。

Aylin ，

Great Book， fantastically written。

Annie ，

It was really hard to get started on this one。 It was confusing with the two scenes happening at the same time， but it all comes together in the end。 The ending was pretty good。 Very trippy， but clever how everything worked out。 There were a lot of funny lines and good scenes in there。 All good fun！

Grace Bridges ，

River Song is writing a novel， and as one might expect， it doesn't quite happen in the right order。 I adored the running theme of a writer's relationship to story。"But goodness， writing is /hard/。 No， that's not quite it - /being allowed/ to write is hard。 No one lets you alone！ You're always there， typing away， get-at-able。。。by the end of a week somehow you've only written six words and two of them are 'Chapter One'。"But River has a quiet room she can retreat to， so she breaks into her jail cel River Song is writing a novel， and as one might expect， it doesn't quite happen in the right order。 I adored the running theme of a writer's relationship to story。"But goodness， writing is /hard/。 No， that's not quite it - /being allowed/ to write is hard。 No one lets you alone！ You're always there， typing away， get-at-able。。。by the end of a week somehow you've only written six words and two of them are 'Chapter One'。"But River has a quiet room she can retreat to， so she breaks into her jail cell at Stormcage and starts to write。 Stormcage， however， is not as quiet as she wished， and she's interrupted before she can finish:"My book！ Damn it。。。Acquaintances have told me of painful things they've experienced。。。none of them is anywhere near as painful as a writer losing a nearly-completed work-in-progress。 OK， so I'd just been saved from almost certain death， but this really put a dampener on the day。"Her novel continues to be instrumental in her own story， including when she receives a published edition of it。。。without having written the ending yet。 There are delightful commentaries on the nature of fiction， some lovely familiar faces as cameos sprinkled throughout， and plenty of the good old timey wimey。A great collaboration between longtime DW novelist Jacqueline Rayner， and Alex Kingston， River Song herself。 Fantastic voice， lots of surprises， and more chunky than the DW mini-novels and anthologies I've been working through lately。 Very satisfying。 。。。more

Ellen ，

I had been tracking this book since 2020， and eagerly awaited it’s publication in May 2021。 As multiple people have already stated， if you love River Song， you’ll probably love this book。 I did think that there would be more of （view spoiler）[the Doctor。 And I was a little confused because at the end， when River heard Thirteen's voice。。。 It should have been Eleven， or even Twelve。 This was inconsistent and bothered me because it was never explained。 （hide spoiler）] Spoilers， sweetie。It was also I had been tracking this book since 2020， and eagerly awaited it’s publication in May 2021。 As multiple people have already stated， if you love River Song， you’ll probably love this book。 I did think that there would be more of （view spoiler）[the Doctor。 And I was a little confused because at the end， when River heard Thirteen's voice。。。 It should have been Eleven， or even Twelve。 This was inconsistent and bothered me because it was never explained。 （hide spoiler）] Spoilers， sweetie。It was also wordy。 There were parts that weren't smooth and didn't flow well。 Perhaps if it had gone through one more revision。 Especially towards the end。 I was just kind of waiting for this big climax and I don't feel like I got it。The beginning had me hooked， the middle left me excited for more， and by the end I was just waiting for it to be over。["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]> 。。。more

Mollie ，

4 ⭐️‘s （Great）。

Aingeal Stone ，

Wow， what a ride！

Maja ，

The writing style is so simple that it’s a little bit difficult to follow at some points。 The characterisation also seems weirdly off at some points。 Aside from that， it was easy to read with a compelling mystery。 You actually get caught up in trying to solve the mystery yourself because there are so many layers of meta that you feel like you could be a character。 I will sell my soul for me River and 13 interactions even if it is just one paragraph of psychic connections。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Doctor Who: The Ruby’s Curse

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Doctor Who: The Ruby’s Curse&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Doctor Who: The Ruby’s Curse&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0