Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
 A fun read - probably 3.5 stars June 3, 2008
Having been completely sucked into the new Doctor Who (both 9th and 10th Doctors) I now find myself devouring everything I can get my hands on. The novel tie-ins all seem to be written for an all-ages audience; not terribly sophisticated writing, but entertaining.
I thought this one was a decent example; a fine start with a good handle on the characters and nice dialogue. The middle section of the book requires much suspension of disbelief as the Doctor gets himself thrown to the lions in the colliseum and enacts a spectacular escape, but the final third of the book is where the story really takes off. With the Doctor in peril Rose rises to the occasion and deals with some genuinely thought-provoking issues - I'm trying to not spell out the plot points, but she faces some interesting conundrums and I enjoyed the way in which things played out.
Rose in Rome... May 29, 2008
One of the many reasons I love this novel is I happen to love Roman history. I also happen to love Doctor Who, science fiction, and the tenth Doctor. I also like Rose and found their visit to ancient Rome a delight. It seems that they have found a statue of Rose in a modern museum, a 2000 year old statue, and they realize that the TARDIS will soon be making a stop there, so why not go now? So off they go. But, of course, they find themselves in a trap of their own design. For the Doctor tumbles across a hideous truth, a truth that could screw up history and maybe, just maybe, get Rose killed.
 Not So Great December 22, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I really wasn't expecting much in terms of quality when I bought this book; fan fictions can often be quite painful to get through in terms of plot, characterization, and style.
In many ways, I wasn't disappointed. I found that the characters were mere cardboard cut-outs of how they are portrayed in the shows, the plot was a bit see-through, and the quality of the prose was very, very bad. When I got to a description of Trajan's column, and the author used the term "a sort of temple thing at the bottom," I really wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.
Unless you've a spare hour or two to waste on mindless... very mindless... "entertainment", I'd not recommend this one at all.
 Don't get your hopes up December 1, 2007
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I have several issues with this novel:
--There was more focus on Rome than the Doctor and Rose
--The Doctor was wearing a toga. It may sound like something silly to get upset over, but the Doctor is always in his suit in Doctor Who and not having him in is suit, just made the story seem all that more unreal.
--Major issues supposedly had no solution, but the reader knows the TARDIS is the solution. The author doesn't even consider the TARDIS as a solution when it's obvious to us that the TARDIS can easily fix this problem
--There was a jump in the plot that was handled very poorly and thus came off as confusing and poor writing
--This novel is mediocre fan fiction, not up to par for a Doctor Who episode and just passing for an okay novel
--There were only one or two interesting action parts; however, the villain had potential that was never lived up to
--There was meant to be suspense through most of the novel, but I never felt it
--I don't want to give away the novel so I'll say it like this: Rose is alone with someone who they haven't figured out is a bad guy (even though it is pretty obvious that he is) and something bad is going to happen to Rose that she just figures out before/while it's happening. The reader figured out this plot point a few chapters ago
--The author greatly underestimates the reader's ability to figure out her plot
--The bottom line is that this novel wasn't that interesting, especially when you're expecting a Doctor Who quality episode piece of work
If you don't have very high standards for a Doctor Who novel and just want something to read, then by all means read this novel, but don't get your hopes up
When in Rome... October 27, 2007
Another great Doctor Who story! You start off this adventures within the first couple of pages thanks to Mickey's discovery! And it takes you for a topsy-turvy time travel ride. It has it slow moments but overall, this is one great adventure with the Doctor and his Rose.
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