City of Death

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The Doctor takes Romana for a holiday in Paris – a city which, like a fine wine, has a bouquet all its own. Especially if you visit during one of the vintage years. But the TARDIS takes them to 1979, a table-wine year, a year whose vintage is soured by cracks – not in their wine glasses but in the very fabric of time itself.

Soon the Time Lords are embroiled in an audacious alien scheme which encompasses home-made time machines, the theft of the Mona Lisa, the resurrection of the much-feared Jagaroth race, and the beginning (and quite possibly the end) of all life on Earth.

Aided by British private detective Duggan, whose speciality is thumping people, the Doctor and Romana must thwart the machinations of the suave, mysterious Count Scarlioni – all twelve of him – if the human race has any chance of survival.

But then, the Doctor’s holidays tend to turn out a bit like this.

Featuring the Fourth Doctor as played by Tom Baker, City of Death is a novel by James Goss based on the 1979 Doctor Who story written by Douglas Adams under the pen-name David Agnew. City of Death is one of the best-loved serials in the show’s 50-year history and was watched by over 16 million viewers when first broadcast.

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Updated 04/07/2025

Category: Science Fiction, Doctor Who

Release date: May 2015

Douglas Adams

Douglas Adams didn’t just write books—he created entire universes that blur the line between science fiction and satire, turning the most absurd concepts into thoughtful reflections on life, the universe, and everything in between. Best known for his Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, Adams has captivated generations with his wit, his philosophy wrapped in absurdity, and his uncanny ability to make the impossible feel remarkably plausible.

Born in Cambridge, England, in 1952, Adams grew up with an innate curiosity about the world, balanced by a sharp sense of humor. His journey into writing was anything but conventional—he didn’t set out to conquer literature or science fiction; instead, his love for storytelling found an unexpected outlet in the absurdly wonderful, often chaotic, world of radio. It was on BBC Radio 4 where The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was born in 1978 as a radio play, ultimately evolving into one of the most beloved franchises in literary history.

Doctor Who

Doctor Who books have been published from the mid-sixties through to the present day. From 1965 to 1991 the books published were primarily novelised adaptations of broadcast episodes; beginning in 1991 an extensive line of original fiction was launched, the Virgin New Adventures and Virgin Missing Adventures. Since the relaunch of the programme in 2005, a new range of novels have been published by BBC Books, featuring the adventures of the Ninth, Tenth and 11th Doctors. Numerous non-fiction books about the series, including guidebooks and critical studies, have also been published, and a dedicated Doctor Who Magazine with newsstand circulation has been published regularly since 1979. There is also a Doctor Who Adventures magazine published by the BBC. In April 2010 Hub Magazine released a Doctor Who Special (Issue 116) which collected new articles and pieces from various writers associated with both Classic and New Series Doctor Who, including Andrew Cartmel, Paul Magrs, Joseph Lidster, Mark Morris, Simon Clarke and Scott Harrison (who also guest-edited the issue).

Doctor Who consists of 16 total books. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.