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Doctor Who: Decide Your Destiny #13
Claws of the Macra
A BBC Books adventure book based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It lets you join the Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond on their travels through time and space in the TARDIS and influence the story with your decisions.
144 pages, Paperback
First published April 29, 2010
5 people are currently reading
172 people want to read
About the author
Trevor Baxendale
84 books48 followersTrevor Baxendale is a novelist who has penned several Doctor Who tie-in novels and audio dramas. He lives in Liverpool, England with his wife and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 11, 2025
I got this book as a kid, but I never read it since I wasn't much of a reader back then. I think I would've gotten more of a thrill out of it if I had, and I can definitely see why the decide your destiny format would've appealed to kids and help get them hooked on reading.
Even with that consideration in mind, the story is really short no matter which path you take (mine took around 20-30 minutes) and since the tie-in website is no longer active, these books lose any hope of being timeless reads. I wish it had all been self-contained.
The mixed paths also create some plot holes. In mine, the Doctor was able to fend off the first Macra with the Sonic, but then later on he has to go through multiple settings to find it. I also met a Macra up close and the Doctor identified it, before later encountering another and asking what it was even though I should've already known.
So yeah, it might have been fun as a kid, but looking at it as an outright book, it's very short and has a lot of inconsistencies and isn't evergreen since the website required is already gone.
Even with that consideration in mind, the story is really short no matter which path you take (mine took around 20-30 minutes) and since the tie-in website is no longer active, these books lose any hope of being timeless reads. I wish it had all been self-contained.
The mixed paths also create some plot holes. In mine, the Doctor was able to fend off the first Macra with the Sonic, but then later on he has to go through multiple settings to find it. I also met a Macra up close and the Doctor identified it, before later encountering another and asking what it was even though I should've already known.
So yeah, it might have been fun as a kid, but looking at it as an outright book, it's very short and has a lot of inconsistencies and isn't evergreen since the website required is already gone.
December 18, 2017
I personally love doctor who! And who doesn't love a "decide your own adventure" book?! It being a children's book I knew I wasn't going in for the wording of the book, but rather the fun. It took me back to the "Goosebump" choose your own adventure books that I used to read constantly when I was young. I had a blast just continuously going through and picking different outcomes. It is exactly what you expect out of a children's doctor who choose your own adventure book.
January 30, 2019
I’ll probably read this multiple times for the different stories. But for the one I read it was short and ok. It wasn’t terrible but at the same time it was just ok
March 30, 2023
Relieved my childhood obsession with choose your own adventure books with this one… nothing special but still fun :)
January 10, 2017
I want to let people know that you can still read this book without the online content (now gone). I looked through every page and there is always another page to go to instead of online content when making a choice! I will now be giving this to my nephew to read.
July 5, 2015
I did not like this book. It is definitely a child book.
Many years ago (at least 20) I read a Doctor Who book that was written in this "you decide your destiny" format. It was great. So when I saw there were newer books written in this format I bought everyone I could get my hands on. What a waste of money.
In the old book us realize how hard the life of the Doctor is since when you make a wrong decision you die. You the need to go bak a step or several steps to live through to the end of the book. You really felt the pressure of getting through the adventure alive.
This book is nothing like that. It a very short book and whatever choice you make you will easily get through to a happy ending.I read through the story several time using different choices and the choices made no major difference in the final outcome. Basically making the right choices makes this book a short read and making the wrong choices makes the book a slightly longer read.
Many years ago (at least 20) I read a Doctor Who book that was written in this "you decide your destiny" format. It was great. So when I saw there were newer books written in this format I bought everyone I could get my hands on. What a waste of money.
In the old book us realize how hard the life of the Doctor is since when you make a wrong decision you die. You the need to go bak a step or several steps to live through to the end of the book. You really felt the pressure of getting through the adventure alive.
This book is nothing like that. It a very short book and whatever choice you make you will easily get through to a happy ending.I read through the story several time using different choices and the choices made no major difference in the final outcome. Basically making the right choices makes this book a short read and making the wrong choices makes the book a slightly longer read.
April 27, 2015
Yes, believe it or not; I'm done. (And I DID say it was light reading, did I not? ;) )
Though I admit I just followed where my choices led me in the story, when I would have normally read through all possible choices.
Also, there was supposed to be an online interactive thing as well that goes together with the book, but when I went to the url, it said that the Decide Your Destiny part has been discontinued, so that's a bummer.
But yeah, I found that this was a children's book anyway too, so no surprises that I finished it in record time.
The choices didn't go forward in the book as most decide-your-own-stories do; this one goes back and forth, which can be a wee bit tiresome after a while. Either way though, like I said, this makes for decent light reading.
Though I admit I just followed where my choices led me in the story, when I would have normally read through all possible choices.
Also, there was supposed to be an online interactive thing as well that goes together with the book, but when I went to the url, it said that the Decide Your Destiny part has been discontinued, so that's a bummer.
But yeah, I found that this was a children's book anyway too, so no surprises that I finished it in record time.
The choices didn't go forward in the book as most decide-your-own-stories do; this one goes back and forth, which can be a wee bit tiresome after a while. Either way though, like I said, this makes for decent light reading.
August 8, 2015
This one was a little better in terms of me choosing what I would do. Also it's with 11 and Amy so that's the best. I love that a villain from the 2nd Doctor was used :). I actually remembered it so that was classic Whovian. It was kind of a funny read because it's definitely geared toward young children but in my ending the Doctor had to unfortunately terminate the lives of these Macra to save Earth but he invited me to travel with him and Amy. Other endings included me just returning to the rest of my group so at least I proved myself worthy enough to become a companion. Doctor Who nerdiness for life
September 19, 2016
Trevor Baxendale, “Claws of the Macra: Decide Your Destiny; Doctor Who” (London: Penguin, 2010)
Multiple varying story liens and conclusions. Not all of them satisfying. [Spoiler: neither 'you' nor the main protagonists die]
Entry 10 – Pipes in the cave resemble the original novel “Doctor Who and the Daleks” (1963)
Entry 59 – Amy: “'I have a really bad feeling about this...'” (echos Star Wars quote)
Entry 61 - “'Decide your own destiny, eh?' the Doctor nods approvingly.
Entry 140 – Error, in bold “If Professor Greif as good as he seems?” Should be “Is Professor Greif as good as he seems?”
Multiple varying story liens and conclusions. Not all of them satisfying. [Spoiler: neither 'you' nor the main protagonists die]
Entry 10 – Pipes in the cave resemble the original novel “Doctor Who and the Daleks” (1963)
Entry 59 – Amy: “'I have a really bad feeling about this...'” (echos Star Wars quote)
Entry 61 - “'Decide your own destiny, eh?' the Doctor nods approvingly.
Entry 140 – Error, in bold “If Professor Greif as good as he seems?” Should be “Is Professor Greif as good as he seems?”
December 10, 2013
The Doctor faces... an evil crab race...
I did not thin this Decide Your Destiny novel was as good as the other one I read. The Doctor was not in it as much, there was less action, and the few times I read it, there were no bad endings. over all not a bad book for a very young Doctor Who fan, but not really good for young adult or adult readers.
I did not thin this Decide Your Destiny novel was as good as the other one I read. The Doctor was not in it as much, there was less action, and the few times I read it, there were no bad endings. over all not a bad book for a very young Doctor Who fan, but not really good for young adult or adult readers.
May 24, 2013
this was another cute choose your own destiny book featuring the doctor. just like the last one, it took me about 30-40 minutes to read.
November 22, 2013
I love Choose Your Own Adventure books. I love Doctor Who. What could be better?
February 1, 2016
good as the movie tho
December 3, 2025
Meh. Lots of inconsistencies. Killed all the aliens in 2 endings, made a deal with them in 1 ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2011
This was fun :)It was fun to choose the way the story went. I enjoyed reading it!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews