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Winner Takes All was the third novel in the BBC New Series Adventures series. It was written by Jacqueline Rayner and featured the Ninth Doctor, Rose Tyler, Mickey Smith, and Jackie Tyler.
Publisher's summary[]
Rose and the Doctor return to present-day Earth, and become intrigued by the latest craze — the video game Death to Mantodeans. Is it as harmless as it seems? And why are so many local people going on holiday and never returning?
Meanwhile, on another world, an alien war is raging. The Quevvils need to find a new means of attacking the ruthless Mantodeans. Searching the galaxy for cunning, warlike but gullible allies, they find the ideal soldiers — on Earth.
Will Rose be able to save her family and friends from the alien threat? And can the Doctor play the game to the end — and win?
Plot[]
The Ninth Doctor and Rose Tyler return to the Powell Estate in contemporary London for Rose to visit her mother, Jackie Tyler. Rose learns from Jackie about a local "Percy the Porcupine" scratchcard promotion where winners receive a games console and a holiday. Jackie also mentions that their neighbour, Darren Pye, has been causing trouble. When Rose and the Doctor later encounter Pye assaulting Mrs Desai, the Doctor intervenes. Rose notices Pye has a winning scratchcard. Investigating the "Percy Porcupine" prize booth, the Doctor suspects alien involvement due to its advanced security and peculiar design. They discover that winning a console also grants a "holiday" – which is actually a teleport to an alien world.
The Doctor and Rose visit Mickey Smith, who has won one of the consoles and is engrossed in the game Death to Mantodeans. The Doctor, intrigued by the game's complex puzzles, easily surpasses Mickey's score. Shortly after, Mickey is abducted from his flat by a Quevvil in a Percy Porcupine costume. The Doctor deduces that the Quevvils, a technologically advanced but physically weak species, are monitoring game scores to identify skilled players. These players are then teleported to the planet Toop to remotely control Quevvil bodies and fight their war against the native Mantodeans, believing they are still playing an advanced level of the game. The "holiday" winners are used as "carriers" – human bodies neurologically linked to the Quevvil control system via a disc attached to their foreheads, forced to play the "game" to the death.
Rose discovers Jackie has also won a "holiday" and has disappeared. Panicked, Rose tries to win a holiday scratchcard herself to follow her mother. The Doctor, using a "winning" card Rose acquired from Mrs Burton's friend Dilys (who had given her ticket to Jackie), intends to teleport to Toop with Rose holding his ankle to be transported as well. However, the TARDIS is repelled by a force field around the Mantodean stronghold on Toop, landing them at the Quevvil's general teleport reception area instead. They find numerous human "carriers" in a trance-like state, including young Robert Watson and his mother Daisy Watson.
The Doctor devises a plan: he will play the game to locate the human carriers within the Mantodean stronghold, while Rose, hidden from the Quevvils' initial teleport, will rescue them once he deactivates the lethal consequences of losing the game. Rose uses her mobile phone (which the Doctor has enhanced) to communicate with Mickey back on Earth. Mickey, with the help of local youths Jason Jones, Anil Rawat, and Kevin, gathers multiple game consoles and sets up a command centre in Darren Pye's mother's flat. They begin playing multiple instances of the game to locate and assist the other captive humans, acting as a distraction for the Quevvils.
On Toop, the Doctor, controlling Rose as his "carrier", navigates the game. Rose discovers the body of Johnny Deans, a local youth killed in the game. The Doctor confronts the Quevvil leader, Frinel, about the true nature of the "game". Frinel reveals that the humans are indeed controlling Quevvil bodies and that their deaths in the game are real. Rose, now able to control her own movements to some extent due to the Doctor's modifications to the control system, rescues several captive humans, including Mrs Hall. Darren Pye, who had been teleported to Toop after trying to steal a console, is killed by the Mantodeans.
The Doctor, with Robert's help, manages to disable the lethal feedback mechanism of the game. Mickey, coordinating the efforts on Earth, guides the remaining players to safety. The Doctor and Rose escape the Quevvil base as the Mantodeans, no longer hindered by the Quevvil's mind-controlled forces, launch a full-scale assault. They use the last active teleport scratchcard (Dilys's) to return to the TARDIS, bringing Robert and Daisy Watson with them. Back on Earth, they find Jackie safe in hospital, having been attacked by Darren Pye before he was teleported. The Doctor and Rose depart, leaving Robert and Daisy to readjust to their lives, and Mickey to explain the multiple abandoned game consoles.
Characters[]
- Ninth Doctor
- Rose Tyler
- Mickey Smith
- Jackie Tyler
- Jade
- Revik (Quevvil leader)
- Frinel (Quevvil scientist/game liaison)
- Maureen (Shopkeeper, not Jade's mother)
- Darren Pye
- Mrs Desai (Neighbour)
- Mrs Hall (Neighbour, holiday winner)
- Gerdix (Quevvil guard)
- Robert Watson (Holiday winner)
- Daisy Watson (Holiday winner, Robert's mother)
- Jason Jones (Powell Estate youth)
- Anil Rawat (Powell Estate youth)
- Kevin (Powell Estate youth)
- Dilys (Neighbour, original holiday winner)
- Johnny Deans (Victim on Toop)
- Mr Nkomo (Holiday winner)
- Mrs Nkomo (Holiday winner)
- Mr Snow (Holiday winner)
- Anne (Holiday winner)
- Tim Breeley (Holiday winner)
- Unnamed Japanese girl (Holiday winner)
- Rachel Goldberg (Holiday winner)
- Daniel Goldberg (Holiday winner)
- Mantodeans
Races and Species[]
- Time Lords
- Humans
- Quevvils (Small, porcupine-like bipeds, technologically advanced, physically weak)
- Mantodeans (Large, insectoid species native to Toop)
Locations[]
- Earth (2005/2006)
- United Kingdom
- England
- London
- Powell Estate (Jackie's flat, Mickey's flat, Mrs Pye's flat, surrounding area, shops, Percy Porcupine Booth, Youth Club)
- Local Hospital
- London
- England
- United Kingdom
- Toop (Quevvil planet)
- Quevvil Base/City (Teleport reception, control rooms, game-playing area)
- Mantodean stronghold (Desert pyramid structure, internal maze)
Technology[]
- TARDIS
- Death to Mantodeans Virtual Reality Game system
- VR Helmets & Gloves (Implied by control method)
- Game Consoles (Distributed as prizes)
- Forehead Discs (Control interface for human "carriers")
- Quevvil Control Interfaces (linking VR players to Quevvil bodies/tech)
- Teleportation technology (Quevvil, disguised as holiday prize via scratchcards)
- Quevvil Weaponry & Vehicles (Remotely controlled via VR, quill guns)
- Sonic screwdriver
- Enhanced Mobile phone (Rose's, capable of inter-planetary communication)
Worldbuilding[]
- The Quevvil species relies heavily on technology due to their physical limitations and are engaged in a territorial war with the native Mantodeans of Toop.
- The Quevvils view humans as potentially skilled warriors based on their aptitude for video games, but fail to account for the difference between simulation and reality, or human morality.
- The "Percy the Porcupine" promotion and associated scratchcards are a front for the Quevvil recruitment/abduction scheme.
- Winning a "holiday" via scratchcard results in teleportation to Toop to become a mind-controlled soldier.
- Popular Earth video games and consoles exist, including PlayStations, Xboxes, Grand Theft Auto, Gran Turismo, Sonic the Hedgehog, Resident Evil, and TimeSplitters 2.
- A fictional game titled Bad Wolf is mentioned among Mickey's collection, tying into the series arc.
- Cultural references include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Thunderbirds, the Cookie Monster, Beano, and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
Food and Beverages[]
- Tea
- Milk
- Custard creams
- Teabags
- Can of Coke
- Chocolate bar
- Pickled onions
- Penny sweets
- Chips (Mentioned by Rose)
- Winalot (Mentioned by the Doctor for a hypothetical dog)
- Roman sesterces and a William V £10 coin (Found in Doctor's pocket, not food)
- Damson jam (Recipe mentioned on old magazine)
Story notes[]
- This novel heavily features Mickey Smith and Jackie Tyler, giving them active roles in resolving the alien threat using their everyday skills (gaming, strategy, local knowledge).
- Later paperback reprints featured a modified cover removing the image of Billie Piper as Rose Tyler.
- This story was also released as an ebook available from the Amazon Kindle store.
- The mention of a video game titled Bad Wolf is a significant nod to the overarching plotline of the 2005 series.
Continuity[]
- The story is set shortly after the Doctor and Rose's return to contemporary London, fitting between their off-world adventures.
- Rose reflects on past dangerous encounters, including the Autons (TV: Rose) and the Slitheen (TV: Aliens of London/World War Three, PROSE: The Monsters Inside).
- Rose recalls the Doctor reversing a teleport signal before. (TV: The End of the World)
- Mickey's familiarity with computers and gaming is highlighted.
- The Doctor jokes that the Cookie Monster is an alien from the Clom constellation, a reference later echoed with the Abzorbaloff being from Clom. (TV: Love & Monsters)
- The presence of a game called Bad Wolf in Mickey's collection reinforces the Bad Wolf arc.
- The Doctor mentions having to take down the government "again", implying past interferences.
- Rose mentions the Doctor being a "900-year-old alien".
Editions published outside Britain[]
- Published in Hungary by Gabo in 2006 as A győztes mindent visz (Hardback edition).
- Published in China by New Star Press/Xing Yi Zhe in 2022 as 赢家通吃 (Paperback edition).
Audiobook[]
- An unabridged audiobook edition was produced by RNIB Talking Books in November 2007, read by David Thorpe. (Available to eligible RNIB members).
- An abridged audiobook edition was published by AudioGO (later BBC Audio) read by Camille Coduri. It was released on 5 December 2011.
External links[]
- Template:Tardis Data Core
- Official Publisher's page (Archived/Current) page at Penguin Books
- The Discontinuity Guide to: Winner Takes All (The Whoniverse Guide) at The Whoniverse
- The Cloister Library: Winner Takes All (Fan review site)
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