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A review by kapellosaur
Doctor Who: At Childhood's End by Sophie Aldred, Stephen Cole, Mike Tucker
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
I listened to this in Audio Book form, and Sophie Aldred's reading of it was superb. She nailed Thirteen's voice, and did convincing impressions of Seven, and Thirteen's companions.
I found the story itself a bit flat. The best bits were the small parts set in 1990, documenting the event that leads to Ace leaving the Doctor's company. There was some nice nods to other continuities in that, and there was some nice conflict, which the rest of the book lacked. At no point did I worry about the lives of anybody in the novel. The Doctor, Ace, and Thirteen's companions were all obviously untouchable, and I didn't care about any of the secondary characters enough to have any sense of peril for them.
I liked that this tied up some of Ace's loose ends, thoughthe central conflict between her and the Doctor didn't really feel like it reached any kind of resolution. There was a nod to it, but given how much deliberating went on in the narrative about it, I expected something more concrete—again, a difficult promise to fulfil given how unknowable the Doctor must be by necessity.
Overall, a fun enough romp, especially if you happen to like both Ace and Thirteen's companions, but only really half a book if you're just here for one or the other set of characters.
I found the story itself a bit flat. The best bits were the small parts set in 1990, documenting the event that leads to Ace leaving the Doctor's company. There was some nice nods to other continuities in that, and there was some nice conflict, which the rest of the book lacked. At no point did I worry about the lives of anybody in the novel. The Doctor, Ace, and Thirteen's companions were all obviously untouchable, and I didn't care about any of the secondary characters enough to have any sense of peril for them.
I liked that this tied up some of Ace's loose ends, though
Overall, a fun enough romp, especially if you happen to like both Ace and Thirteen's companions, but only really half a book if you're just here for one or the other set of characters.