A very quick read and a great way to introduce people to the world of Doctor Who. ( )

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1897537.html

One of the very short "quick reads" novels, less than 100 pages, with the Tenth Doctor investigating mysterious deaths at an athletics training camp which has become the latest front in the Sontaran/Rutan war. Surprisingly high death toll among the characters (shades of Fang Rock, perhaps). Decently constructed, but I do wonder if these books reach their target audience. ( )

This is another Doctor Who novelisation featuring the Doctor in his Tenth incarnation but without a companion. This book is part of the Quick Reads range; a national campaign done as part of World Book Day, Quick Reads are bite-sized books by bestselling writers and celebrities. They are ideal for regular readers wanting a short, fast read, and for those who have lost the reading habit or find reading tough. There's been a Doctor Who book every year of the campaign and this is the one for this year.

I found it to be a very quick read indeed, not just because it's short - only 112 pages - but it's also quite pacey. It takes place over about 24 hours. As the title indicates, the baddies this time are the Sontarans and they appear at a sports academy where the students are training for the Globe Games. However, the Sontarans decide to put their own deadly spin on it.

I'm not a big fan of the Sontarans, mostly because there's so little variety possible with them. This book was quite well written and it certainly started off very well, but I found the ending to be a bit disappointing and unsurprising. I do think it was better than Made of Steel, the other Quick Reads book I've read. ( )

This was an ok read. I found the language was very simplistic but that was intentional because it is in the quick read initiative to get people reading. I was not bothered by that because the story was good although it did not have a lot of depth. The only thing that bothered me was the portrayal of the Doctor, he seemed to be really weak and didn't have a clue on how to solve the situation. The supporting characters seemed to have a bigger role in trying to defeat the aliens and the Doctor was unsure. This would not be bad if the book was unconnected to anything, but the book is written tto complement the tv programme and I felt that it contradicted the Doctors personality and strengths on the programme. ( )