A review by ofclumsywords
Doctor Who: Winner Takes All by Jacqueline Rayner
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
I had high hopes at the beginning when reading synopsis of aliens making a video game that would help them fight a war. But I was sadly disappointed.
The writing was terrible and there were just too many plot holes. The end of the book didn’t even tie up the loose ends or explain what the war was about. It just got to the point where the Doctor saved Rose and the Quevvils who made up the video game disappeared. Rose had a small encounter with the Mantodeans, only to say she wasn’t associated with the Quevvils and then went on her merry way, waiting for the Doctor to pick her up. I can’t believe this book topped off at 245 pages with how useless all the content was. The author just made cringey characters like Robert who fell instantly in love with whatever blond he made eye contact with or the “bad guy” who was something out of a 1950’s movie beating up helpless old ladies and stealing lunch money.
The only reason this gets a star is because of the quirkiness. Alien Porcupines and giant Praying Mantis’ at war with each other and a video game that really takes the player into the war must have been the idea of someone other than the author since it was so unique when everything else was not. I wish there was a way to give that person the star and all the credit because otherwise this was terrible. I didn’t even like the way the Doctor or Rose were written. At least the TARDIS was written fine, but its a machine so all you have to do is get the appearance of it right.
The writing was terrible and there were just too many plot holes. The end of the book didn’t even tie up the loose ends or explain what the war was about. It just got to the point where the Doctor saved Rose and the Quevvils who made up the video game disappeared. Rose had a small encounter with the Mantodeans, only to say she wasn’t associated with the Quevvils and then went on her merry way, waiting for the Doctor to pick her up. I can’t believe this book topped off at 245 pages with how useless all the content was. The author just made cringey characters like Robert who fell instantly in love with whatever blond he made eye contact with or the “bad guy” who was something out of a 1950’s movie beating up helpless old ladies and stealing lunch money.
The only reason this gets a star is because of the quirkiness. Alien Porcupines and giant Praying Mantis’ at war with each other and a video game that really takes the player into the war must have been the idea of someone other than the author since it was so unique when everything else was not. I wish there was a way to give that person the star and all the credit because otherwise this was terrible. I didn’t even like the way the Doctor or Rose were written. At least the TARDIS was written fine, but its a machine so all you have to do is get the appearance of it right.