Product Description

Every time the lights go out, someone dies...The Tardis lands at an academy for top athletes, all hoping to be chosen for the forthcoming Globe Games. But is one of them driven enough to resort to murder? The Doctor discovers that the students have been hushing up unexplained deaths. Teaming up with a young swimmer called Emma, the Doctor begins to investigate - but he doesn't expect to find a squad of Sontarans invading the academy! As the Sontarans begin their own lethal version of the Globe Games, the Doctor and Emma must find out what's really going on. But the Doctor is captured and forced to take part in the Sontaran Games. Can even a Time Lord survive this deadly contest? Featuring the Doctor as played by David Tennant in the acclaimed hit series from BBC Television.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27756 in Books
• Published on: 2009-02-26
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 112 pages

About the Author
Jacqueline Rayner has written six Doctor Who novels, as well as other science-fiction and children's books. A member of Doctor Who Magazine's 'Time Team', she and three friends have been watching all the Doctor Who programmes ever made in order and are recording their reactions. This has so far taken them over nine years! She lives in Essex with her husband and twin sons.

Customer Reviews

sontaran olympiad
This year's doctor who quick reads novel. If you've not heard of quick reads, then a brief word of explanation. every year several very short books - about one hundred pages of short chapters and large print - are issued on national quick reads day. the aim of these is to get those who don't normally read to try it. since they're short and easy reads they're good things to try if you don't usually have the time or inclination for anything longer or more challenging.

but that doesn't mean those who do can't enjoy them as well.

the range is now in it's fourth year and a doctor who book has been included in the range every year.

this one involves the doctor arriving at a sports training facility to find there have been several mysterious deaths there. he befriends some of the students at the place and they find that it has been taken over by sontarans, aliens familiar to anyone who saw the 2008 season of the show on tv. the sontarans put the doctor and the students through some dangerous tests. can they survive? and what is the sontarans true purpose in being there?

This is definitely a book you can get into quickly and the prose is clear enough such that you won't find it a difficult read. story wise it's not bad. the supporting characters do have a reasonable amount of depth to them, and the plot does develop nicely. There are a few decent revelations to come along the way.

Nothing special, but if you want a good quick read, or a good quick doctor who story, or both, then it's well worth getting.

Readable, brutish and short
Jacqueline Rayner has delivered a another fine Doctor Who novel for the Quick Reads series, aimed at promoting reading and Doctor Who! The Sontarans - the series' third most prolific aliens - are as brutish as ever and their sadistic 'games' will have readers squirming in their seats. The novel is tight and cohesive; there is no excess fat and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. The Tenth Doctor is as energetic and scattergun as ever and his temporary companion Emma sparks well off him. I hope this series continues as it is a great strand of the ever-expanding Doctor Who empire; every library (and every fan) should have a set.

Sontar-Ha!
The latest in the 'quick reads' series, and like its predecessors, is a fast pacing book which can be easily read in a day or as an aide to reading, the latter being primarily the reason for this series of books.
The Doctor is the Doctor, the Sontarans are the Sontarans and the supporting cast are just that - there for support and someone for the Doctor to talk to and show off his cleverness and knowledge.
There is no real depth to the story - in fact the swimming pool mentioned in the text probably has more depth - but the short chapters mean you can read a chapter, go away for half an hour, come back and read another chapter and keep the same pace throughout the day, reading the final chapter just before turning out the light at bedtime. Alternatively, the book can be read to children at bedtime and so send them off into the dreamland worlds of Doctor Who - just make sure they know there is a sofa near by for them to hide behind, if need be!
All in all, a book well worth the money, and a fun read to boot!
Now, where did I put that sonic screwdriver...