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1outside's review against another edition
5.0
An exceptional short Who story which would definitely make a great (modern day) episode of the TV show proper.
authorjbr's review against another edition
2.0
The story itself isn't bad, it's just basically pointless. The entire plot of the story is based on figuring out what the reader should be able to figure out in the first few sentences. And there's really no suspense, because everything that is presented already has an answer. The characters are interesting, but not enough to carry the story. I don't need a mysterious plot to keep me interested if the writing/story is good enough, but this just wasn't.
wayfaring_witch's review against another edition
4.0
2018 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge - A book set on a different planet
thoroughlymodernreviewer's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
3.5
Imagine a universe filled with good Daleks. A fundamentally incorrect idea, right? And yet that’s exactly where the Seventh Doctor and Ace find themselves in Malorie Blackman’s “The Ripple Effect”. For what it is, it’s fun enough. But the pacing’s a bit wonky and I’m not sure the characters (Seven, in particular) feel entirely screen-accurate. But the central idea is so good that it does a lot of the heavy lifting all on its own.
The idea of good Daleks is one Doctor Who often flirts with, and Blackman takes it to its natural conclusion here. I only wish she could’ve delved even further into this world. It’s the perfect set up for a two-part Doctor Who extravaganza. So, being confined to a 10k-ish word short story almost feels like a disservice to such an idea. And that awkward pacing is definitely felt. It takes ages for the story to get going, and then it ends almost as quickly as it began. It’s a fun ride, to be sure. But an uneven one.
The idea of good Daleks is one Doctor Who often flirts with, and Blackman takes it to its natural conclusion here. I only wish she could’ve delved even further into this world. It’s the perfect set up for a two-part Doctor Who extravaganza. So, being confined to a 10k-ish word short story almost feels like a disservice to such an idea. And that awkward pacing is definitely felt. It takes ages for the story to get going, and then it ends almost as quickly as it began. It’s a fun ride, to be sure. But an uneven one.
hjswinford's review against another edition
4.0
A pocket universe in which Daleks are friendly!? No way! I liked this one because 1.) Ace and 2.) Ace challenged the Doctor and his seemingly inbred dislike of the Daleks. If the little story could have done more with this challenge, it might have earned 5 stars. As it is, though, it was a fun adventure.
ronald_schoedel's review against another edition
5.0
Maybe my favorite of the shorts so far. I wasn’t familiar with her work until this novella, but the engaging story and quality of writing has put me onto Ms Blackman’s work.
plants_and_bees's review against another edition
3.0
*3.5 stars
Finally!! A story with the daleks! That absolutely made this story get extra points!
It was an interesting plot and only had no more than a handful of cheesy sentences (way less than the other ones in this series so far)
I definitely enjoyed this one.
Finally!! A story with the daleks! That absolutely made this story get extra points!
It was an interesting plot and only had no more than a handful of cheesy sentences (way less than the other ones in this series so far)
I definitely enjoyed this one.
iphigenie72's review against another edition
4.0
The Doctor and Ace are visiting and alternate timeline where the Daleks are a force for good. I liked the concept of good Daleks, I'm not a big fan of them, I always feel like the stories come back to being the same in the end, but here it felt new and unexplored. A really good short.
tardislibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
I actually really liked this one!
SPOILERS BELOW
Daleks, being NICE?? Yeah, mental that was! Sorry, Ace. Even I was on the Doctor's side when he said all needed to be righted. Who knows what else had been messed up in the universe??
SPOILERS BELOW
Daleks, being NICE?? Yeah, mental that was! Sorry, Ace. Even I was on the Doctor's side when he said all needed to be righted. Who knows what else had been messed up in the universe??