Winner Takes All (2005) by Jaqueline Rayner is the third of the Doctor Who New Series Adventures novels and stars the Ninth Doctor, Rose Tyler and Mickey Smith. This time, the Doctor takes Rose back home to see her mum, Jackie, only to find all her neighbours are addicted to a strange new scratchcard with even stranger prizes. Why are so many people winning free holidays and never coming back? And why does the second-place prize – a video game called Death to Mantodeans – seem so realistic? The Doctor, Rose and Mickey investigate and find themselves caught up in an alien war, the outcome of which depends entirely on the Doctor’s gaming ability. (Minor spoilers below).
Continue reading →