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Doctor Who: New Series Adventures #26
Doctor Who: The Doctor Trap
Sebastiene was human... once. He might look like a nineteenth-century nobleman, but in truth he is a ruthless hunter. He likes nothing more than luring difficult opposition to a planet, then hunting them down for sport. And now he's caught them all - from Zargregs to Moogs, and even the odd Eternal. In fact, Sebastiene is after only one more prize. For this trophy, he knows he is going to need help. He's brought together the finest hunters in the universe to play the most dangerous game for the deadliest quarry of them all. They are hunting for the last of the Time Lords - the Doctor!
256 pages, Hardcover
First published October 23, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
November 29, 2018
The Doctor is the latest target for the Endangered Dangerous Species Society, Sebastiene the leader of the group loves nothing better than to lure difficult opposition to hunt.
It’s an interesting premise and even though it felt slightly similar to another Tenth Doctor novel ‘The Last Dodo’ this one is a lot more complex.
Through a series of deliberate misdirected by The Doctor, both the hunters and reader soon becomes confused on he’s current location.
Both The Doctor and Donna’s characterisation are slightly off, with a convoluted plot I felt that this was essentially to get right.
Considering that Catherine Tate had already appeared in the series 2 years prior to this book bring published, it was really disappointing that the writer didn’t capture the two main characters.
It’s an interesting premise and even though it felt slightly similar to another Tenth Doctor novel ‘The Last Dodo’ this one is a lot more complex.
Through a series of deliberate misdirected by The Doctor, both the hunters and reader soon becomes confused on he’s current location.
Both The Doctor and Donna’s characterisation are slightly off, with a convoluted plot I felt that this was essentially to get right.
Considering that Catherine Tate had already appeared in the series 2 years prior to this book bring published, it was really disappointing that the writer didn’t capture the two main characters.
February 17, 2023
With the news of David Tennant and Catherine Tate returning to Doctor Who for the show’s 60th anniversary, I thought it was a great idea to revisit some of their adventures. This book in particular stood out as a story worth revisiting as I didn’t seem to remember what it was about.
The tenth doctor has his sights set on Sebastiene, the leader of the Endangered Dangerous Species Society. They see the doctor as the last of his race, an interesting target. Not for preserving his species but for hunting him down and killing him as he would make quite the hunting trophy.
This book starts out strong. We’re introduced to the fascinating character of Sebastiene, while the doctor and Donna go to Antarctica to investigate a distress signal. Turns out there’s a creature in the ice that isn’t quite dead yet. While their backs are turned the Tardis gets stolen, supposedly leaving them trapped in the middle of nowhere. But stealing the Tardis isn’t the mysterious thief's only objective. And the doctor’s got something up his sleeve that might make the Endangered Dangerous Species Society reconsider their choice of prey.
The plot has quite a lot of potential but it tries to do a lot in a very short timeframe, aiming to rapidly move the story along by frequently skipping over some things that could have used some more time. Unfortunately, this makes the story a bit harder to follow at times. I think this story could have benefited from being kept a little more simple.
The tenth doctor and Donna are a fantastic combination, there’s no denying their chemistry. This book however doesn’t fully manage to capture the essence of their characters, Donna’s in particular feels like a shadow of her normal self. There are some redeeming qualities to make up for this. Sebastiene is a pretty interesting character, the superior Victorian hunter one loves to hate. The doctor sounds about right most of the time. There’s also a few fun little references in here to TV episodes like The Fires of Pompeii and Planet of the Ood, which are always appreciated.
Overall, it’s a fast-paced story with plenty of twists and a lot of potential. Though it can get a bit confusing at times and Donna in particular doesn’t quite feel like herself.
The tenth doctor has his sights set on Sebastiene, the leader of the Endangered Dangerous Species Society. They see the doctor as the last of his race, an interesting target. Not for preserving his species but for hunting him down and killing him as he would make quite the hunting trophy.
This book starts out strong. We’re introduced to the fascinating character of Sebastiene, while the doctor and Donna go to Antarctica to investigate a distress signal. Turns out there’s a creature in the ice that isn’t quite dead yet. While their backs are turned the Tardis gets stolen, supposedly leaving them trapped in the middle of nowhere. But stealing the Tardis isn’t the mysterious thief's only objective. And the doctor’s got something up his sleeve that might make the Endangered Dangerous Species Society reconsider their choice of prey.
The plot has quite a lot of potential but it tries to do a lot in a very short timeframe, aiming to rapidly move the story along by frequently skipping over some things that could have used some more time. Unfortunately, this makes the story a bit harder to follow at times. I think this story could have benefited from being kept a little more simple.
The tenth doctor and Donna are a fantastic combination, there’s no denying their chemistry. This book however doesn’t fully manage to capture the essence of their characters, Donna’s in particular feels like a shadow of her normal self. There are some redeeming qualities to make up for this. Sebastiene is a pretty interesting character, the superior Victorian hunter one loves to hate. The doctor sounds about right most of the time. There’s also a few fun little references in here to TV episodes like The Fires of Pompeii and Planet of the Ood, which are always appreciated.
Overall, it’s a fast-paced story with plenty of twists and a lot of potential. Though it can get a bit confusing at times and Donna in particular doesn’t quite feel like herself.
November 29, 2025
I understood almost nothing. DOCTOR WHO: THE DOCTOR TRAP makes simple things complicated; plot twists upon plot twists upon plot twists.
January 11, 2016
Of all the New Series Doctor Who books I have read (about 12 or so at this point, I think), this is the least successful. The Doctor Trap is essentially a failed attempt at what could have been a complex and interesting case of "mistaken identity with a twist." It is hampered most by it's length; it is not long enough to provide the detail necessary to the mystery. The need to differentiate the Doctor from his "impostor" overrides any sense of genuine mystery, and creates a lot of undue confusion instead. The initial events of the story are so jumbled that it takes half the book just to get the story rolling, and by then you are already entering the conclusion. The "Doctor trap," a mystery in itself, is bandied around frequently but is dropped so abruptly into the plot that what it truly means turns out to be astoundingly unimportant.
The biggest flaw in the whole narrative is the key element around which the whole thing hinges: It is never entirely clear what the point of the fake is, and since most of Sebastiene's planning relies on a combination of weak logic and megalomania, neither he nor the impostor ever feel like a genuine threat, so the resolution is worth very little in the end. Another particularly irritating element was Donna; usually my favorite companion, she is not characterized well and comes across as selfish and whiny rather than her assertive and compassionate self.
As an audiobook, I was not impressed with Russel Tovey as narrator (although I usually don't mind his work), especially when he attempted to voice Donna, and unfortunately his choice of voice for Sebastiene was one of the reasons I was never able to take him seriously as a villain.
Overall: Weak
*Convoluted and poorly structured plot
*Unconvincing threat
*Poor characterization
*Too short to be effective
*Portrayal of the Doctor hit and miss
Only recommended if you've run out of Who books and desperately need a fix
The biggest flaw in the whole narrative is the key element around which the whole thing hinges: It is never entirely clear what the point of the fake is, and since most of Sebastiene's planning relies on a combination of weak logic and megalomania, neither he nor the impostor ever feel like a genuine threat, so the resolution is worth very little in the end. Another particularly irritating element was Donna; usually my favorite companion, she is not characterized well and comes across as selfish and whiny rather than her assertive and compassionate self.
As an audiobook, I was not impressed with Russel Tovey as narrator (although I usually don't mind his work), especially when he attempted to voice Donna, and unfortunately his choice of voice for Sebastiene was one of the reasons I was never able to take him seriously as a villain.
Overall: Weak
*Convoluted and poorly structured plot
*Unconvincing threat
*Poor characterization
*Too short to be effective
*Portrayal of the Doctor hit and miss
Only recommended if you've run out of Who books and desperately need a fix
October 8, 2019
This review is for the audiobook- not the book/story itself.
Audible categorizes this as "Unabridged Audiobook" but the Publisher's summary clearly calls it "An abridged reading". That is where the problems begin.
While I'm not normally a fan of abridged works, I've listened to other Doctor Who books that were abridged and they were still ok. From very early on it was clear that was not going to be the case this time.
It feels like they abridged it too much and the story is incredibly difficult to follow for much of the book as a result. The skips were confusing and more than once I felt like I was missing a key piece of information that must have been revealed in a segment that was skipped.
Honestly, Russell Tovey's wonderful narration is the only reason I finished listening to this.
Audible categorizes this as "Unabridged Audiobook" but the Publisher's summary clearly calls it "An abridged reading". That is where the problems begin.
While I'm not normally a fan of abridged works, I've listened to other Doctor Who books that were abridged and they were still ok. From very early on it was clear that was not going to be the case this time.
It feels like they abridged it too much and the story is incredibly difficult to follow for much of the book as a result. The skips were confusing and more than once I felt like I was missing a key piece of information that must have been revealed in a segment that was skipped.
Honestly, Russell Tovey's wonderful narration is the only reason I finished listening to this.
November 23, 2010
This is my first entry into the Doctor Who novelization universe and I chose this title because Donna is my favorite of the Doctor's companions. I have to say, I was rather disappointed with the book. The story is twisty, turny, and confusing, only working itself out towards the end, which isn't necessarily bad, but there seemed to be little point to the whole thing. To me, it was as though the author was boasting, "Look at how confusing I can make this plot!" without any real effort made to draw the reader in through drama or empathy. My main problem was the characterization of both the Doctor and Donna. Missing was the Doctor's trademark sparkle and energy, as embodied on the show most skillfully by David Tennant; only occasionally did I see glimpses of it in the book and even then it felt flat, the merest sketch of the Doctor's true character. In the book, Donna, that wonderful, acerbic, pragmatic person as portrayed by the talented Catherine Tate, is instead shown as a whiny and rather abusive dullard; certainly not the Donna I know. I have to wonder if the author has even watched the show about which he's writing. I'm not giving up on the Doctor Who novelizations. I just hope the other authors are better at capturing the show's universe than Mr. Simon Messingham.
March 29, 2019
this is the sort of Extreme mind-fuckery that doctor who does so well and even though it was confusing at times that was 101% the point
the amount of plot twists gave me whiplash i s2g to god
the amount of plot twists gave me whiplash i s2g to god
February 8, 2025
2018 52 Book Challenge - 7) An Adventure / Espionage Novel
Throughout most of this book, I was comparing it to another Doctor Who novel, The Last Dodo, which had a very similar plot, and I found this book to be quite lacking compared to that one.
It was a really interesting premise, and I was really excited to read it, but the plot was very convoluted. This would have been fine, some Doctor Who plots can get very twisty, but the characterisations for both the Doctor and Donna just weren't quite right, and it threw the whole book off kilter.
Throughout most of this book, I was comparing it to another Doctor Who novel, The Last Dodo, which had a very similar plot, and I found this book to be quite lacking compared to that one.
It was a really interesting premise, and I was really excited to read it, but the plot was very convoluted. This would have been fine, some Doctor Who plots can get very twisty, but the characterisations for both the Doctor and Donna just weren't quite right, and it threw the whole book off kilter.
September 15, 2013
Докторская ловушка оказалась самой настоящей лохушкой, но добираться до осознания этого факта было довольно забавно. Донну похищают, скучающий от безделья злодейский Себа разворачивает на своей планете охоту на Доктора, по пути создавая докторского двойника – так, чтобы разнообразить очередной дождливый четверг.
Доставило Endangered Dangerous Species Society, готовое загнать Доктора до смерти. Самый сладкий твист на свете – когда не понимаешь, где Доктор, а где двойник, которому внушили, что он и есть настоящий Доктор – имеет место быть 90% времени. Донна даже в заточении дает Себе пинок под зад, да и двери не выдерживают ее совместного с зонтиком напора.
Рассел Тоуви ужасно мил в роли чтеца, его Себастиеннннн (that goes on forever) удивительно выразителен. Донна из него никакая, она звучала как ноющая базарная бабка местами, но не всем же быть Доннами, right?
Странно, но я почему-то была уверена, что книга мне не понравится. И ведь она мне не понравилась, но я пала жертвой обаяния этого сумбура, творившегося на протяжении двух часов, и вполне себе такого сумасбродного злодея. И даже самый старый трюк на свете сработал. Конец – nonononoooo, совсем не в духе Доктора, но разве у нас, читателей, есть выбор?
Не самая лучшая история тандема Донны и Десятого (про предыдущие две я после знатного пинка все же напишу), но однозначно интереснее любой среднестатистической книги вселенной Доктора. И эта история включает в себя потрясающе несносную рыжую женщину, так что позволю себе заметить, что Марта – дура набитая, и любая история с ней не стоит и хлястика истории с Донной.
annikeh.net
Доставило Endangered Dangerous Species Society, готовое загнать Доктора до смерти. Самый сладкий твист на свете – когда не понимаешь, где Доктор, а где двойник, которому внушили, что он и есть настоящий Доктор – имеет место быть 90% времени. Донна даже в заточении дает Себе пинок под зад, да и двери не выдерживают ее совместного с зонтиком напора.
Рассел Тоуви ужасно мил в роли чтеца, его Себастиеннннн (that goes on forever) удивительно выразителен. Донна из него никакая, она звучала как ноющая базарная бабка местами, но не всем же быть Доннами, right?
Странно, но я почему-то была уверена, что книга мне не понравится. И ведь она мне не понравилась, но я пала жертвой обаяния этого сумбура, творившегося на протяжении двух часов, и вполне себе такого сумасбродного злодея. И даже самый старый трюк на свете сработал. Конец – nonononoooo, совсем не в духе Доктора, но разве у нас, читателей, есть выбор?
Не самая лучшая история тандема Донны и Десятого (про предыдущие две я после знатного пинка все же напишу), но однозначно интереснее любой среднестатистической книги вселенной Доктора. И эта история включает в себя потрясающе несносную рыжую женщину, так что позволю себе заметить, что Марта – дура набитая, и любая история с ней не стоит и хлястика истории с Донной.
annikeh.net
September 15, 2016
I really enjoyed this. It actually was really suspenseful from the word go; I didn't know how it would turn out; I was reading on the edge of my seat for the 246 pages. And as I read, an episode played out in my mind of the story. Brilliantly written and loyal to Donna and Ten; I could definitely read their lines in their voices.
September 30, 2022
With body-doubles, identity crisis' and a planet made-up of fabricated zones this is one of the more confusing Doctor Who novels.
Narrative leaps and reveals made the first 1/2 slightly difficult to follow.
The treatment of Donna is also somewhat cruel and her emotional defeat seemed out of character too.
Narrative leaps and reveals made the first 1/2 slightly difficult to follow.
The treatment of Donna is also somewhat cruel and her emotional defeat seemed out of character too.
May 11, 2020
Baris was a fan...probably the BIGGEST fan. After all, how many of those "every day" fans would actually have a second heart transplanted in next to the first so they could be that much closer to the actual Doctor. And...Baris' day starts off great. After all, he is going to actually meet the REAL Doctor. But Planet 1 and the SEDS (spoilers!!!) have other ideas and Baris' day is about to become a lot more deadly.
Simon Messingham has written a fun adventure of the 10th Doctor and Donna. But be careful...this is a well thought out and convoluted story (of the best kind) and you will find your self continually going.."Ah Ha!!!...oh...wait...What?" from the first few pages until the final last words, Messingham has created a story that would have played so well on the TV screen with twists and turns and typical David Tennent foolishness. And...honestly? I'm still not sure Who is Who at the end...LOL.
Fun Read...!!!
Simon Messingham has written a fun adventure of the 10th Doctor and Donna. But be careful...this is a well thought out and convoluted story (of the best kind) and you will find your self continually going.."Ah Ha!!!...oh...wait...What?" from the first few pages until the final last words, Messingham has created a story that would have played so well on the TV screen with twists and turns and typical David Tennent foolishness. And...honestly? I'm still not sure Who is Who at the end...LOL.
Fun Read...!!!
June 16, 2024
Fun adventure, dragged a bit in places but love the doctor and Donna
January 22, 2024
An interesting premise, but just lacking a wee bit in the execution, imho. I found the storyline a bit too convoluted and this detracted from the overall ease of readability for me. Furthermore, this one lacked the charm of some of the other original Doctor Who novels I’ve read. On reflection, one of the reasons for this is that the way the characters of Donna Noble and the Doctor were written didn’t feel as authentic - there were not as many of those moments that I could effortlessly imagine as a scene in the TV series, being performed by the actors (in this case, Tennant and Tate).
July 7, 2019
That's a twist! That's... that's very twisty.
The sheer amount of whiplash I get from this story though. I often had to go "wait!" and re-read a few of the previous pages.
The sheer amount of whiplash I get from this story though. I often had to go "wait!" and re-read a few of the previous pages.
September 7, 2022
What a waste of time... This story tries so hard to be clever... it does not stop doing somersaults to prove it to you... oh my lord...
It's about this allmighty dude called Sebastiene who used to hunt down dangerous aliens as a hobby. The last piece of his collection would be the Time Lord, ofcourse. So... he captures the Doctor and puts him into his private museum? No, just kidding, the story is not that rational. Instead Sebastiene lures the Doctor and Donna onto his planet, teleports Donna into a prison hotel, teleports the Doctor into a hunting zone, and lets 20 other hunters loose. Yeah. Instead of teleporting the Doctor into his private museum, he teleports him into a hunting zone for other hunters. Sebastiene does not even go hunt him personally although he wants the Doctor for his private collection of SELF CAUGHT aliens! Sorry, I wish this would make sense, but it doesn't. Especially since a Doctor Doppelganger (who was created by Sebastiene for no good reason) accidentally gets teleported into the hunting zone while the real Doctor ends up drinking tea with Sebastiene. So, yes, the creator of the Doppelganger can't even tell him apart from the Original! Boy, oh boy... next time you create the perfect Double just give him a little birthmark on the neck or something, that'd make everything easier...
The worst part of the story is this Doppelganger, a big crazy fan who Sebastiene completely transformed into the Doctor (even his DNA! like wtf?!). There is no need for this Doppelganger to be in the story at all. Later in the book there is an explanation which is him being the bait for Donna, but it makes no sense, since Donna gets teleported into her prison hotel anyway. So the Doppelganger is there just to trick the reader every couple of pages into thinking he might actually be the Doctor - yes, no, maybe - but for what? Suspense? Sorry, no, it's just annoying. Also the timing for introducing a Doctor Doppelganger is really bad when you think about the series 4 finale with the human Doctor. Big facepalm!
So we have the annoying "Who is real, who is fake?" part of the book, we have the part where Donna gets insane in her prison hotel, the part where robots are mean, the part where hunters do their stupid hunting routines, and the part where the term "Doctor Trap" gets mentioned way too often.
Idk man, this book was annoying and boring and every character was unlikeable (at one point Sebastiene just randomly kicks Donna's knee and for the rest of the book she has a wounded knee, like wtf was that for?!). But what made the big Whovian in me kinda mad was how easy it was in this book to create the PERFECT Doctor duplicate! They were exactly the same, even the same DNA (which is weird cause Sebastiene makes DNA scans to tell Original and Fake apart which clearly doesn't work cause as Sebastiene himself said: their DNA is the same, argh!!). Just to quote the eleventh Doctor: "You can't just cook yourself a Time Lord!". And I stay with that.
It's about this allmighty dude called Sebastiene who used to hunt down dangerous aliens as a hobby. The last piece of his collection would be the Time Lord, ofcourse. So... he captures the Doctor and puts him into his private museum? No, just kidding, the story is not that rational. Instead Sebastiene lures the Doctor and Donna onto his planet, teleports Donna into a prison hotel, teleports the Doctor into a hunting zone, and lets 20 other hunters loose. Yeah. Instead of teleporting the Doctor into his private museum, he teleports him into a hunting zone for other hunters. Sebastiene does not even go hunt him personally although he wants the Doctor for his private collection of SELF CAUGHT aliens! Sorry, I wish this would make sense, but it doesn't. Especially since a Doctor Doppelganger (who was created by Sebastiene for no good reason) accidentally gets teleported into the hunting zone while the real Doctor ends up drinking tea with Sebastiene. So, yes, the creator of the Doppelganger can't even tell him apart from the Original! Boy, oh boy... next time you create the perfect Double just give him a little birthmark on the neck or something, that'd make everything easier...
The worst part of the story is this Doppelganger, a big crazy fan who Sebastiene completely transformed into the Doctor (even his DNA! like wtf?!). There is no need for this Doppelganger to be in the story at all. Later in the book there is an explanation which is him being the bait for Donna, but it makes no sense, since Donna gets teleported into her prison hotel anyway. So the Doppelganger is there just to trick the reader every couple of pages into thinking he might actually be the Doctor - yes, no, maybe - but for what? Suspense? Sorry, no, it's just annoying. Also the timing for introducing a Doctor Doppelganger is really bad when you think about the series 4 finale with the human Doctor. Big facepalm!
So we have the annoying "Who is real, who is fake?" part of the book, we have the part where Donna gets insane in her prison hotel, the part where robots are mean, the part where hunters do their stupid hunting routines, and the part where the term "Doctor Trap" gets mentioned way too often.
Idk man, this book was annoying and boring and every character was unlikeable (at one point Sebastiene just randomly kicks Donna's knee and for the rest of the book she has a wounded knee, like wtf was that for?!). But what made the big Whovian in me kinda mad was how easy it was in this book to create the PERFECT Doctor duplicate! They were exactly the same, even the same DNA (which is weird cause Sebastiene makes DNA scans to tell Original and Fake apart which clearly doesn't work cause as Sebastiene himself said: their DNA is the same, argh!!). Just to quote the eleventh Doctor: "You can't just cook yourself a Time Lord!". And I stay with that.
November 20, 2008
"Excitement, tension, the thrill of the chase, these were a few of his favourite things." - The Doctor Trap, p. 187
Sebastiene is physically flawless, incredibly powerful and more than a little bit maniacal. As the ruler of Planet 1, Sebastiene has everything he could ever want, but that will never be enough. He's taken to hunting down alien species, the more dangerous the better. For his ultimate prize, however, Sebastiene must enlist the help of the Endangered Dangerous Species Society, a group of the most ruthless hunters in the galaxy. Sebastiene wants to add the most dangerous being in the universe to his collection: the Doctor, the last of the Time Lords.
Sebastiene uses a genetic copy of the Doctor, a man named Baris, to steal the TARDIS and kidnap Donna. The doppelganger lures the Doctor to Planet 1, but it doesn't take long for the Doctor to turn the tables on his twin. He manages to switch places with Baris, which only complicates matters. Now he has to save Donna, recover the TARDIS and keep the hunters from killing Baris. Can the Doctor escape Sebastiene's trap or will Sebastiene find himself in a trap of the Doctor's design?
The Doctor Trap is an action-packed story filled with twists and turns, alternating between confusing and clever. Sebastiene was an interesting villain but I felt that the story would have been stronger without the final twist; it felt rather anticlimactic compared to earlier revelations.
This is one of the first novels to feature Donna Noble as the Doctor's companion. While they spend most of the story separated (one of my personal pet peeves with the Doctor Who novels), there are some nice moments of Doctor/Donna banter that the show's fans came to expect during Series 4.
Sebastiene is physically flawless, incredibly powerful and more than a little bit maniacal. As the ruler of Planet 1, Sebastiene has everything he could ever want, but that will never be enough. He's taken to hunting down alien species, the more dangerous the better. For his ultimate prize, however, Sebastiene must enlist the help of the Endangered Dangerous Species Society, a group of the most ruthless hunters in the galaxy. Sebastiene wants to add the most dangerous being in the universe to his collection: the Doctor, the last of the Time Lords.
Sebastiene uses a genetic copy of the Doctor, a man named Baris, to steal the TARDIS and kidnap Donna. The doppelganger lures the Doctor to Planet 1, but it doesn't take long for the Doctor to turn the tables on his twin. He manages to switch places with Baris, which only complicates matters. Now he has to save Donna, recover the TARDIS and keep the hunters from killing Baris. Can the Doctor escape Sebastiene's trap or will Sebastiene find himself in a trap of the Doctor's design?
The Doctor Trap is an action-packed story filled with twists and turns, alternating between confusing and clever. Sebastiene was an interesting villain but I felt that the story would have been stronger without the final twist; it felt rather anticlimactic compared to earlier revelations.
This is one of the first novels to feature Donna Noble as the Doctor's companion. While they spend most of the story separated (one of my personal pet peeves with the Doctor Who novels), there are some nice moments of Doctor/Donna banter that the show's fans came to expect during Series 4.
April 26, 2010
It's safe to say that most of the new range of BBC-published DW novels are, well, bland. That's why I normally only listen to the audio versions -- a good reader can breathe life into a bland story (or at least make it worth my time). The good news is that The Doctor Trap is actually a strong story, and Russell Tovey does a good job in reading it. This one features a clever conundrum and just about achieves page-turner status. I enjoyed the puzzle, and the Doctor's predicament was well-paced and suitably tense; not to mention occasionally hilarious. That being said, the story loses points for Lack of Donna. (Can someone point out some story in this series that actually does the companion justice? I've not found it yet.) Curiously, the other thing I'd take points off the audio for is the choppy editing. I know the book needs to be abridged, but I couldn't help feel I was missing some critical information. This is especially true in the final climax -- in the audio at least, the resolution seems completely pulled from thin air. Russell Tovey wins points back for his exceptional voice work for the primary villain - Sebastiene. Unlike some other reviewers, I found his Donna to be better than his Doctor, but audio can be subjective in that regard. All in all, a solid and entertaining listen as long as you don't want something that's Donna-centric. The story would probably flow better if you read the actual book; yet Tovey's Sebastiene is absolutely worth a listen.
July 23, 2014
My actual rating is 1.5 stars and the reason I bumped up my rating the half star is the author did a good job with the Doctor and Donna portrayals.
This is a novel based on the television series. This can be categorized as Doctor Who mixed with the story The Most Dangerous Game and throw in a switched identity theme. A ruler of a planet organizes a big game hunt and the Doctor is the game that is being hunted and the Doctor has to use his wits to survive.
I liked the concept of this book. The problem was the author was too cute with it. He portrayed ideas throughout the book but then he would have the characters attempt to outthink them. It got to a point with the characters that they were being so clever that in reality they were being moronic and all this dancing around what was in front of them just fell flat. IMO the author tried to be too clever and witty. Another problem was Donna's role. She had a minor role in this book and basically was delegated to being a damsel in distress.
I have read a handful of these books and I have to say this is probably the one I disliked the most. I would pass on this one.
This is a novel based on the television series. This can be categorized as Doctor Who mixed with the story The Most Dangerous Game and throw in a switched identity theme. A ruler of a planet organizes a big game hunt and the Doctor is the game that is being hunted and the Doctor has to use his wits to survive.
I liked the concept of this book. The problem was the author was too cute with it. He portrayed ideas throughout the book but then he would have the characters attempt to outthink them. It got to a point with the characters that they were being so clever that in reality they were being moronic and all this dancing around what was in front of them just fell flat. IMO the author tried to be too clever and witty. Another problem was Donna's role. She had a minor role in this book and basically was delegated to being a damsel in distress.
I have read a handful of these books and I have to say this is probably the one I disliked the most. I would pass on this one.
May 8, 2017
First Doctor Who book I have read. I'm really confused. Possibly the fact that the audiobook is abridged didn't help (I found this out after I began). It seems from the other reviews that lots of others were confused too though. Perhaps there's somewhere else better to start?
August 7, 2016
1.5 stars. Half a star up from a complete disaster just because I liked the characterization of Donna in this one. Everything else? What a frickin' muddled mess. I guess the author was trying to be clever but in the end, the whole thing was just one big confusing... mess.
December 23, 2023
I... literally don't know what this book is
July 11, 2024
What have I just experienced???
Out of the few Doctor Who books I've read, this one's been the worst so far. It's such a serious letdown.
The premise is very interesting and maybe that was the issue - I expected too much of it. I hoped for some darker & deeper plot (there is so much you could do with the idea of people hunting other living beings, after all). But this book is just... not it. It's super confusing and I feel like it would have been possible to pull this off, but the author wanted to be too clever and it lost them.
There were just so many absurd situations that broke all the laws of logic and common sense. Plus, the story is just boring. I mean, the Doctor isn't even the main character (at least he doesn't feel like one). And Donna appeared quite late in the book, too. Which is another upsetting thing because Donna & Ten is my favourite duo, and in this book they both were rather useless? Especially Donna as she was really degraded to the role of the damsel in distress.
And I didn't really understand the point of the Doctor's doppelganger? Was he there only to confuse the readers? Well, if that's the case they succeeded, alright. The villain was supposed to be smart, too, but I couldn't really see it? Maybe I read something wrong (since 80% of the book was just me being confused all the time), but he was quite easily fooled and not that intimidating? I mean, come on, the wasp from Agatha Christie episode felt more like a threat than him?? Donna and the Doctor's personalities were also a bit off, I think.
Anyways, if I were you, I'd skip this one. Not worth the time or the money.
Out of the few Doctor Who books I've read, this one's been the worst so far. It's such a serious letdown.
The premise is very interesting and maybe that was the issue - I expected too much of it. I hoped for some darker & deeper plot (there is so much you could do with the idea of people hunting other living beings, after all). But this book is just... not it. It's super confusing and I feel like it would have been possible to pull this off, but the author wanted to be too clever and it lost them.
There were just so many absurd situations that broke all the laws of logic and common sense. Plus, the story is just boring. I mean, the Doctor isn't even the main character (at least he doesn't feel like one). And Donna appeared quite late in the book, too. Which is another upsetting thing because Donna & Ten is my favourite duo, and in this book they both were rather useless? Especially Donna as she was really degraded to the role of the damsel in distress.
And I didn't really understand the point of the Doctor's doppelganger? Was he there only to confuse the readers? Well, if that's the case they succeeded, alright. The villain was supposed to be smart, too, but I couldn't really see it? Maybe I read something wrong (since 80% of the book was just me being confused all the time), but he was quite easily fooled and not that intimidating? I mean, come on, the wasp from Agatha Christie episode felt more like a threat than him?? Donna and the Doctor's personalities were also a bit off, I think.
Anyways, if I were you, I'd skip this one. Not worth the time or the money.
November 30, 2020
地球からの救援信号を受信し、ターディスで急行したドクターとドナ。南極大陸に宇宙船が墜落したというが、ドクターとドナが外に出ている間にセバスティアンというターディスのキーをもった若者がターディスに乗り込み、移動させてしまう。実はこの救難信号自体がドクターを狩猟ゾーンに引き込むための罠だった。ドナは偽ドクターに導かれドクターと引き離される。偽ドクターの名はバリスといい、見た目だけでなくDNAレベルでもドクターを完璧にコピーして心臓も二つ持っていた。セバスティアンの計画の第一協力者だ。暗殺者集団がセバスティアンが支配するプラネット1に呼び寄せられ、プラネット1の高度なテクノロジーを褒賞としたドクター狩りゲームが開始する。プラネット1の狩猟ゾーンで意識を取り戻したドクターは直前の記憶を失っていた。確かなことは自分がドクターでドナを助けに行かなくてはならないということだけ。そんなドクターに暗殺者が襲いかかる。
バリスになりすましたドクター。正体がばれないようにドナとターディスの場所を探りながら、自分の身代わりに狩猟ゾーンにいるバリスのことも暗殺者から守るというなかなか大忙しのドクター。セバスティアンの召使いロボット達に何度も怪しまれ、その度に縛りつけられて拷問まがいの尋問を受けて、今度こそバレたかもと何度もハラハラさせられているうちに今度は正体バラしても信じてもらえないという複雑怪奇なことに。
ドクターを本当に欲しがっていたのはプラネット1自体だったので、そこが判明するまでややこしいのなんのって。バリスは実はドクターの大ファンで彼なりにセバスティアンの裏をかいてドクターを守ろうとしていたという超健気くん。最後はドクターが止めるのを振り切ってセバスティアンを助けにプラネット1に戻っていったけど、プラネット1に彼が取り込まれたりしないのか。もし、取り込まれたらプラネット1はドクターの熱狂ファンと化してどこまでもドクターにつきまとってきそうだ。
バリスになりすましたドクター。正体がばれないようにドナとターディスの場所を探りながら、自分の身代わりに狩猟ゾーンにいるバリスのことも暗殺者から守るというなかなか大忙しのドクター。セバスティアンの召使いロボット達に何度も怪しまれ、その度に縛りつけられて拷問まがいの尋問を受けて、今度こそバレたかもと何度もハラハラさせられているうちに今度は正体バラしても信じてもらえないという複雑怪奇なことに。
ドクターを本当に欲しがっていたのはプラネット1自体だったので、そこが判明するまでややこしいのなんのって。バリスは実はドクターの大ファンで彼なりにセバスティアンの裏をかいてドクターを守ろうとしていたという超健気くん。最後はドクターが止めるのを振り切ってセバスティアンを助けにプラネット1に戻っていったけど、プラネット1に彼が取り込まれたりしないのか。もし、取り込まれたらプラネット1はドクターの熱狂ファンと化してどこまでもドクターにつきまとってきそうだ。
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 30, 2025
What did I just read?
There are so many problems with it on an elementary level.
- The personalities of the characters were ridiculously off. This book either started as an 11th Doctor and Amy novel and later the names were switched or the author wanted to write for that pair and had been told to work with the 10th Doctor and Donna instead.
- The plot definitely hadn't been checked by a proofreader or editor because it was all over the place.
- The appearances rate for characters were also off. The book was basically about the villain with the Doctor and Donna as side characters. If I want to read an original story I choose one, with a Doctor Who novel I want the Doctor and the companion.
- Despite the overwhelming amount of pages the villain appears on he managed to stay a one dimensional, textbook narcissists clown. 0% entertainment, 100% annoyance.
- The story tries to be mysterious and clever but only manages to be annoying and predictable.
- And yet again another author who doesn't get the first rule of writing: show do not tell.
This story tried so hard to copy Steven Moffat's style of writing that it managed to bring out all the negative aspects of it. I guess those who love that will enjoy this one too. I personally wouldn't recommend for anyone to spend either money or time on this one.
There are so many problems with it on an elementary level.
- The personalities of the characters were ridiculously off. This book either started as an 11th Doctor and Amy novel and later the names were switched or the author wanted to write for that pair and had been told to work with the 10th Doctor and Donna instead.
- The plot definitely hadn't been checked by a proofreader or editor because it was all over the place.
- The appearances rate for characters were also off. The book was basically about the villain with the Doctor and Donna as side characters. If I want to read an original story I choose one, with a Doctor Who novel I want the Doctor and the companion.
- Despite the overwhelming amount of pages the villain appears on he managed to stay a one dimensional, textbook narcissists clown. 0% entertainment, 100% annoyance.
- The story tries to be mysterious and clever but only manages to be annoying and predictable.
- And yet again another author who doesn't get the first rule of writing: show do not tell.
This story tried so hard to copy Steven Moffat's style of writing that it managed to bring out all the negative aspects of it. I guess those who love that will enjoy this one too. I personally wouldn't recommend for anyone to spend either money or time on this one.
August 1, 2021
Wasn't really that into this one. The whole ~main character is being hunted by a rich weirdo~ trope doesn't generally appeal to me though so I'm not necessarily surprised by that. The whole thing with the Doctor and the guy who was his 'biggest fan' was pretty interesting but overall I really wish Donna had more to do in this one. Also I'm not entirely sure whether I think the audiobook narrator deciding to give the main villain almost the exact same voice as Pegasus from the English YuGiOh dub was a plus or minus to me personally. On the one hand it definitely fits but on the other hand it's such an annoying voice to have to listen to for an extended period of time ^_^;
December 20, 2017
Starts off with a straightforward enough premise - "The Most Dangerous Game" starring the Tenth Doctor - but quickly becomes focused on surprise twists and games of manipulation rather than the hunt. It's fun for the most part, but there are so many last-minute twists in later chapters that it's hard to believe they were really planned from the beginning, and not just thrown in there for the heck of it. Still, it works out OK in the end. (B)
June 8, 2024
Read this on a cruise (thanks Cunard library!!) to pass time when not wanting to do sports, or when travel companion was sick. Or when I was a little under the weather.
It was a bit confusing to start with, and sometimes the author's need to constantly 'test' which Doctor was THE Doctor got a bit annoying. It could have been done slightly differently. But overall, it was a fun romp in time for me and I enjoyed getting a bit of Donna in my life again.
It was a bit confusing to start with, and sometimes the author's need to constantly 'test' which Doctor was THE Doctor got a bit annoying. It could have been done slightly differently. But overall, it was a fun romp in time for me and I enjoyed getting a bit of Donna in my life again.
September 5, 2018
Just because this is a Doctor Who book, there is no excuse for clumsy timelines! What is up with jumping forward and backwards – and sideways! First we are told the new system will take over in 2:47 hours, then it’s the next morning, and there is still 6:40 minutes to go! And then it’s the middle of the night again – but only for one paragraph, and then it is back to – when?
January 12, 2025
Wow, that story had some turns, I found it such a page turner towards the end. Donna was a bit more mouthy than usually, and what is with the hate for Bracknell? The IMT and planet 1 addition to the lore even through novelisation was very interesting. Including a twist right up to the end really caricatured this book.
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