The Art of Death

The Art of Death is told from the viewpoint of a woman named Penelope. Her job at the Horizon Gallery is to keep visitors from staring at a strange portion of the sky called 'the Paradox' longer than is good for them. The gallery contains works of art based on the Paradox even though looking at it too long can make the viewer insane or blind (insanity appears to be the more common consequence).

Penelope keeps meeting the 11th Doctor or one of his two companions, Army Pond and Rory Williams, during her long life. They're not exactly happy meetings because a deadly creature keeps showing up. (My conscience tells me I shouldn't think that the first two victims left the world a slightly better place after they were gone.)

I was considering the story nicely creepy when something happened that I really hated. I later changed my mind back to positive feelings for this adventure. ( )

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1888281.html

another winner, with the excellent Raquel Cassidy (who played Matt Smith's boss in Party Animals and the leader of both the Gangers and their human antagonists in The Rebel Flesh / The Almost People) telling the story in first person: she is art gallery custodian Penelope, showing off the indescribable Paradox to the masses, and developing a peculiar relationship both with it and with the three strange travellers who turn up at different times. I felt it borrowed a bit from Dan Simmons' Hyperion but perhaps did it better. Strongly recommended. ( )