Doctor Who: Magic of the Angels by Jacqueline Rayner


Doctor Who: Magic of the Angels
Title : Doctor Who: Magic of the Angels
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : -
Language : English
Format Type : Kindle Edition
Number of Pages : 60
Publication : First published February 2, 2012

'No one from this time will ever see that girl again...'The Doctor, Amy and Rory round off a sight-seeing tour round London with a trip to the theatre. That's when things start to go wrong.The Doctor wonders why so many young girls are going missing from the area. When he sees Sammy Star's amazing magic act, he thinks he knows the answer. Sammy's glamorous assistant disappears at the climax of the act - but this is no stage trick.The Doctor and his friends team up with residents of an old people's home to discover the truth. And together they find themselves face to face with a deadly Weeping Angel.Whatever you do - don't blink!A thrilling all-new adventure featuring the Doctor, Amy and Rory, as played by Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill in the spectacular hit series from BBC Television


Doctor Who: Magic of the Angels Reviews


  • Thibault Busschots

    The eleventh doctor takes Amy and Rory to a magic show. And they quickly realize the magician made his disappearing act a little more realistic by using a Weeping Angel, sending the unsuspecting victims back into time. Now it’s up to the doctor and his companions to put a stop to the disappearances.


    The dynamic between the eleventh doctor and husband and wife companions Amy and Rory is spot on here. It’s a quick read, so this is a very fast paced but also quite straight forward adventure. It’s nothing to go out of your way for, but it’s nonetheless entertaining. And a story about Weeping Angels always fits this Tardis trio like a glove.

  • Jim Ef

    8.6/10
    Come along Ponds!!!

    I really enjoyed this short story, it has the classic Doctor Who pack of action, mystery and comedy. The doctor with his beloved companions are on vacation in London, but of course, where the Doctor is, there's trouble. This time is a magician who uses whipping angels in his act.

    The story is interesting and fast paced and the characters act the way they do in the tv series. I think i liked this even more since it's about the eleventh Doctor whom i absolutely love.

    If you are a Whovian than definitely give this one a go.

  • Jim C

    Actual rating is 3.5 stars.

    This is a quick read that is based on the television series. In this one, we are with Matt Smith's Doctor and with Amy and Rory Pond. They are in the present time having a vacation. Well, if you know this universe that never works out well for our characters.

    Like I said this is a quick read as it can be read in one sitting. When I read a media tie-in novel I hope that the characters resemble themselves. I thought the author did a tremendous job with that aspect. I had no problem visualizing the frantic nature of The Doctor or Amy charging in to the situation or quiet Rory putting others ahead of himself. As for the actual story I enjoyed it as a favorite foe is the nemesis in this book. I thought it was well done and calls back to episodes of the television show. I believe somewhere along the line the Weeping Angels have kind of lost their original intent in the series. Not so in this book as it harkens back to the early days of the Angels.

    I enjoy these quick read books from this universe. They are a nice way to have one more adventure with beloved characters. Also, they help my Goodreads challenge. This one was well done and I recommend it to all Doctor Who fans.

  • Polly Batchelor

    “For some people,being mean to others is the point of their lives.”
    ― Jacqueline Rayner, Doctor Who: Magic of the Angels

  • Maťa

    Asi by si to zaslúžilo o polhviezdičky menej, ale kašlať na to. Už len preto, že mi to krásne pripomenulo časy, keď bol Doctorom Matt. Pretože tie jeho hlášky boli také, aké aj v seriály. Presne ten štýl. Autorka ich vystihla úplne skvelo a ja som si Matta a Pondovcov krásne pripomenula :3

  • Brooklyn Tayla

    This was slightly terrifying, as expected, but really cool.

  • Ken

    As great as The Weeping Angles are, I can't help but feel that they were slightly overused during Smiths era as The Doctor.

    But what I liked about this quick read was that it also focuses on there victims too.
    There's some great nods to previous televised stories and a wonderful Classic Series reference too.

  • ♥ Sandra

    Jeg elsker disse korte Doctor Who bøkene. Magic of the Angels var en flott fortelling, som jeg er veldig glad for at jeg leste. Den var ikke fantastisk, men jeg likte den supergodt.

  • Trae Stratton

    Breezy read. Worth the plunge especially if you like the Weeping Angels. I would have probably given this three stars, but I found the bitter-sweet ending so stunning that it was worth a star by itself. I have to add, it was such a left turn that I still can’t believe the Guardians of all things Doctor Who approved it.

  • Helen Hnin

    Short but enjoyable.

    The trio was having fun. (And getting kicked out of so many places because of the Doctor.) They tried to watch "Sammy Star, Master of Magic" show in a theater, and found out that a weeping angel is in the middle of it all.

  • Natalia

    Magic and Weeping Angels. Frightening and cool at the same time, but still too short!

  • Galy

    Such an amazing Doctor Who short story.

    In this one we follow the Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory as they visit London. They go to a magic show and then they discover a Weaping Angel... Meanwhile lots of girls are missing.

    I loved it! I thought it wouldn't be that good but it was. The fact that it has the Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory and Weaping Angels may have helped a lot. Those three are like my favorite group and the Weaping Angels are my favorite Doctor Who monster (I didn't even realised I had one). It is all so wibbly wobbly timey wimey.

    I recommend it a lot if you like Doctor Who and you miss these three.

  • John Naylor

    Even as a Whovian I don't know what to expect when The Doctor is translated onto a page. This was a reasonable attempt at a Doctor story.

    The characterisations of The Eleventh Doctor and Amy were good. Rory didn't seem like the same character we grew to love though.

    The story itself is one that has some good ideas but lacked the space to expand upon them. The supporting characters outshone The Doctor in the end.

    It is a quick read and one that other fans might enjoy. As a fan I felt it was lacking. I feel I could overanalyse a plot point too much as it felt very plotty wotty timely wimey holey woley.

  • Paul Baldowski

    A Quick Read can easily just slip by in a single sitting. At the end, you might feel the urge to go out and read more of an author, or you might be inspired to read another and another. A Quick Read done well provides a somewhat self contained tale that has a distinct beginning, middle and an end - and presents them with style, energy, enthusiasm, engagement... one or another, several or all.

    Somewhere in the mix, 'Magic of the Angels' tells a self-contained tale with all the necessary elements, but fails to satisfy with depth and leaves the reader wanting without the hunger to seek out more from the same source.

    Having read other books in the Quick Read series for 2012, I have seen how you can achieve some interesting things in a very limited page count. Jacqueline Rayner doesn't quite pull it off here. The Doctor, Amy and Rory seem right enough, with just enough character to match the expectation of a fan reader or young Whovian. However, perhaps a little too much fan service and rolling out of familiar series tropes makes for a distraction rather than an essential dollop of colour.

    I enjoyed the basic plot, but felt that the human villain of the piece might have been given more background to better sell the reader on his intentions. His callouse indifference to the fate of his victims in the pursuit of his own selfish purpose would have benefited from a deeper sence of his hurt or battered vision of the world.

    The author makes great use of the abilities of the Weeping Angel, drawing in elements from all appearance of the monster in the series, but fails to provide motivation or thorough explanation. The story fails to explain why the Weeping Angel chooses to submit to external control or feeds with such limited quantities. The canny Angels have survived for so long for a reason, yet this one seems dulled by captivity and indifferent to the possibilities of escape presented by the situation.

    The familiar time travelling characters work well enough together and we get the expected division of companions from the Time Lord for hi-jinx and a threat of sudden and premature demise. I can't pick holes in the essentials of the story, or indeed have any wish to try, but the end result left me feeling mildly unsatisfied. Everything hung together, but it felt thin, like using one of those vacuum-sealed micro-tubs of strawberry jam to spread across a whole piece of steaming toast. You get a hint of flavour, but not enough.

    I went in for the whole luxurious Belgian chocolate experience and came away with a thinly coated, store own branded, diet wafer snack. Quick Read, by all means - but, that shouldn't mean skimping on the story.

  • Gretchen

    This is the first Doctor Who novel(la?) I've read. It was enjoyable enough for an evening distraction. The plot was predictable, but not uninteresting. The characters (the Doctor, Amy, and Rory) acted a bit out-of-character at times, which was slightly disappointing as each has been so well established in the television series, but the intrinsic spirit of each character was retained. The overall story was very brief, making it great for a one-sitting read, but keeping it from delving too far into the storyline or emotions and motivations of the characters.

    This is not a story that will keep you up late into the night turning pages, but it's enjoyable in the way that re-runs of a much loved series are enjoyable; they may not cover new ground, but they let you play within the world of beloved characters a bit longer.

  • Suset

    This book was awesome!!!!!!

    This book was the first doctor who book I've ever read, and I'm glad I picked this one. I enjoyed this book so much, I made sure to get more of them, for, I am a major whovian. the only thing I didn't like about this book was that it was a bit short, but that's not an excuse for not liking the book, and anyway, it was a quick-read. it was funny and I could tell the author knew what they were writing and that they definitely have watched doctor who. if an 11 year-old girl likes this book, then so should everyone else, adults and kids like me.


  • Katja

    Eleven, Amy, Rory and a Weeping Angel - how could I have resisted? Well written and gripping this book gave me two evenings of reading pleasure. I have to admit, however, that the ending was not a surprise and turned out to be pretty much what I expected - which is always a bit disappointing in a Doctor Who story, at least for me.
    The characters are spot on, though; I could hear them in my head and enjoyed myself immensely.
    This one will surely stay on my Kindle for a long time.

  • [ J o ]

    [Short review from memory to remind myself of my thoughts before I re-read and re-review]

    (Definite re-read, but the previous of the series first. Initial memories: decent DW story with good writing. No idea on plot.)

  • Laura

    I love the Quick Reads. I found this one to be quite entertaining.

  • Vera

    The Weeping Angels are one of my favourite villains, so I loved this book. I seriously read it in 1 hour, because it was so awesome.

  • Robyn Cain

    I read this book in about 2 hours, while trying to figure out what to read next. It was SO enjoyable and it felt like a gift of a new episode with my favorite Doctor and Amy & Rory.

  • Stefan Grieve

    Fun adventure, where the author gets the characters mostly right. I think at first the references to other adventures are rewarding, then become oversaturated. There is a thoughtful criticism of reality TV and the care of the elderly I appreciated. A major thing about the angel was not explained which was a bit frustrating. The time travel elements were well done and clever. The story seemed to be for a bit of a younger audience than the prime one for the TV show at parts.

    Not all of it works quite like magic, but it's an entertaining enough show while it lasts.

  • Sophie

    I always see Doctor Who books on the shelves when I'm book hunting. I fancied a snappy read so thought I'd try one with the Weeping Angels; my favourite bad guys from the Doctor Who re-boot. The book was actioned packed and just what I was after for a quick read. I didn't think it was well written though, as it relied heavily on the reader having been introduced to the Weeping Angels before (either through other books in the series or the TV show). I still enjoyed it though.

  • Mars G.

    I did enjoy this little "quick read" but it was obviously targeted at a younger audience, which isn't exactly what I was expecting (but that's on me)! I enjoyed the little call backs to other doctors and fan theories contained therein, and I found it to be a really fun and cute little story, but I wish it could have been more substantial. Either way, it was enjoyable as long as you keep in mind it's probably aimed at young ones.

  • mary (ferrari's version)

    My first 11th Doctor book! I liked the idea, the execution was alright, but the writing is quite bad, though I expected this from Jacqueline Rayner after "The Stone Rose" which I also gave 3 stars. If you want a good Doctor Who book, I'd recommend
    Doctor Who: The Clockwise Man

  • Frank

    This story would make a good episode of Dr Who. It gets a bit confusing at the end but then it wouldn't be Dr Who if it wasn't sometimes! Such is Science Fiction! I like the way it references past events in the Dr's past which helps paint a mental picture for the reader and, as the reader will be a Dr Who fan, this book is easy to visualise! Overall a good quick read! :-)

  • Nikki

    Oh, I love the Doctor and I love the Weeping angels so much.
    The angels are definitely my favorite villains from Doctor Who and I can never get enough of them. They are fascinating beings that I would like to read about as much as possible.
    This is a quick fun read that I want all Doctor Who fans to read, if you haven’t already.
    Whatever you do - don’t blink!