I must have made all the wrong choices. The book was over in 10 minutes for me. ( )

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2274954.html

The story starts with "you" inheriting K9 from the late Sarah Jane Smith, in the year 2056; you then join forces with Drax from The Armageddon Factor, helping the Doctor to defeat Omega who is threatening to destroy the universe by taking over a nuclear research facility for his own ends. Obviously a lot of elements recycled from TV stories which Martin co-wrote with Bob Baker, and it's actually rather well done - a somewhat improvised team ("you", Drax and K9) trying to rescue the Doctor and thwart Omega. The options for success do tend to be the last in the list for each page, with only two exceptions. But on the whole the "correct" choices are fairly signalled. There are a couple of anagram puzzles which are not terribly well integrated into the plot. ( )

A quick cheap paperback written to cash in on two unique mid-1980s American phenomena -- the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books, and "Doctor Who". This confirms my view that Americans simply don't 'get' Doctor Who!

"Search" is authored (in the loosest sense of the word) by David Martin, who wrote several Doctor Who TV adventures in the '70s.

It also makes no sense. From Los Angeles in the year 2056 (why?), to a space lab called "FERN" (indeed), to the return of villains from two different Martin-penned Doctor Who serials (all the better with which to lure first-time readers, no doubt), "Search" is a boring and confusing muddle.

The Doctor is hardly to be seen, there's hardly any decision-making to be had, and the story only has one successful conclusion.

Basically, as both a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure, and as a Doctor Who story, "Search for the Doctor" fails gloriously. It's easy to see why they didn't print too many more of these. And why copies are so hard to find. ( )