Shroud of Sorrow

Doctor Who: New Series Adventures, Book 51

By: Tommy Donbavand

Narrated by: Frances Barber

23 November, 1963. It is the day after John F. Kennedy's assassination - and the faces of the dead are everywhere.

PC Reg Cranfield sees his late father in the mists along Totter's Lane. Reporter Mae Callon sees her grandmother in a coffee stain on her desk. FBI Special Agent Warren Skeet finds his long-dead partner staring back at him from raindrops on a window pane. Then the faces begin to talk, and scream... and push through into our world.

As the alien Shroud begins to feast on the grief of a world in mourning, can the Doctor dig deep enough into his own sorrow to save mankind?

A thrilling new adventure from the spectacular BBC series, starring Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman.

©2013 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2013 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Okay story, mixed opinion on the narrator

Would you try another book from Tommy Donbavand and/or Frances Barber?

The story has its good points--Donbavand has a good feeling for the Matt Smith doctor--but the clowns who cure people are really a bit silly. Also, Clara keeps sounding like Amy Pond--maybe the book was started with one companion in mind, then when there was a new one, only the name was changed? The narrator does a really good job with Matt Smith--and I have found that most of the novels with his doctor do not--but the Texas/Southern accents are torture to listen to! Lord! Just painful. And since the novel is set in Dallas, Texas on the day JFK is shot, this is not a small problem.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Frances Barber?

I would if she did not have to do American accents!

Bad accents, uninspired story line.

Bad accents, uninspired story line. Hard to stay interested. Had to finish three hours early.

Couldn't finish it

What did you like best about Shroud of Sorrow? What did you like least?

The story had potential but the narration was so poor that I was unable to finish the story.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator's attempt at a Texan accent was incredibly poor. It was distracting enough that I couldn't even finish the story.

Companion Who? Could have worked, but didn't

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I think people who are major Moffat fans or enjoy Clara as a character might like it. Also people who don't think clowns are inherently creepy.

What could Tommy Donbavand have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

I think putting more limitations on what the shroud is and better defining its nature would help. Faces of the dead appearing are a good creepy who element, but when they can turn up in anything, water, mud, scars, etc. the overpowering nature and omnipresence makes the resolution anticlimactic and the Shroud as a concept harder to buy. Maybe if they only appeared in water, or in a place where a death had recently occurred, but this doesn't really work for me.
He also could have worked a bit more to breathe life into a forgettable character.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

The pacing was alright, and the narration kept up with it.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

This book felt intriguing, but the more I thought about it the less rewarding it was.

Any additional comments?

I was a good few minutes into this before I stopped wondering were Rory was and realized the companion wasn't Amy. I'm going to avoid most Clara stories in the future and wait for a companion with more staying power.

Weak story and distracting voice acting

Weak story and distracting voice acting.

Weak story and distracting voice acting.

Weak story and distracting voice acting.

Too corny, even for the Doctor.

What disappointed you about Shroud of Sorrow?

Frances Barber is a great actress, but she can't do a Texas accent. It was very distracting listening to her try.

What was most disappointing about Tommy Donbavand’s story?

The story was not very well developed. The premise of the JFK assassination was flimsy, not much about it in the story. Not sure I can explain without spoilers sweetie; but clowns on another planet?

What didn’t you like about Frances Barber’s performance?

She does all the British accented characters very well, she just needs to stay away from Texas accents.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Overall I was disappointed in the story.

Not really that great . . .

After reading some other comments, I finally worked up the courage to share my opinion on this one, as I tend to get a bit self conscious sharing negative feedback, but it seems pretty obvious that the issues I had with it seem pretty universal . . .

The problem with the voice acting is that the reader has very little or no experiance with an American accent . . . For me it was most noticeable in the overcompansation of rhoticity . . . I facepalmed when "Grandma" was pronounced "Grand-mar" and got lucky that I happened to be reading along in one of the 1920s flashbacks because there is no way I would have known the reader was trying to say "calf" and "calves" when they were pronounced as "carf" and "carves" . . . That aside though, I think the voice actor did an *OK* job all things considered in regards to the book as a whole . . . The accents just *really* pulled me out of the story when they came up . . .

The second issue I had with this was that both the plot of the story and the writing just seemd really flat. The moment that really pulled me out of the story though was the introduction of the clowns . . . It was just ridiculous and that was the moment when I stopped taking the story seriously . . . I actually questioned for a while, and still do somewhat, if the book was intended for grade school children . . . The concept of the monster was pretty cool and actually had some potential, but the way it was written, I really had to power through the second half of the book to finish it and sadly I don't think I would reccomend it to any Dr Who fans looking for a good book . . .

Worst Doctor Story EVER

I couldn't even be bothered finishing this one. I have purchased over 70 doctor who audios and this was the worst one ever. Francis Barber is not a good narrator...her American accent is hideous- involves shouting and really OTT accent. Story is boring and repetitive. The writer seems to want to take the Doctor and Clara's relationship somewhere other than what is in the TV series (constant bickering, and I wanted to slap Clara) Waste of money. Don't do it.