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"CLAWS OF THE MACRA – CHOOSE YOUR OWN CRABVENTURE"

Trevor Baxendale’s Claws of the Macra claws its way into the more promising half of the Decide Your Destiny range, offering a fast-paced, intermittently thrilling, and surprisingly ecological choose-your-own-adventure. With a solid opening premise and some genuinely engaging decision points, it almost delivers the kind of interactive excitement the series often struggles to achieve—but ultimately crumbles under the weight of its rushed finale, muddled tone, and squandered monster potential.

GAS, CLAWS, AND CLIFFHANGERS

Rather than launching the story in the TARDIS as most of these books do, Claws of the Macra kicks off with a refreshing change: you’re on a school trip to a gas refinery. It’s not the most glamorous setting, but it grounds the story in a relatable and appropriately industrial atmosphere—perfect for a tale involving sinister gas-guzzling crustaceans. The early pages offer you immediate agency, with a handful of solid choices that actually feel like they matter, plunging you into mystery, peril, and some classic Doctor Who-style tight spots.

The Doctor is written fairly well—flailing, brilliant, and energetic in that Eleventh Doctor way—and his banter is consistent throughout the various branching narratives. The ecological messaging, while clumsily tacked on, gives the plot a commendable bit of moral texture. The Macra, for once, aren’t just mindless monsters; their role in absorbing poisonous gases offers a thin but welcome twist to their usual rampaging. There’s even a decent explanation for their presence here—this is less an invasion than a negotiation.

WHEN THE MACRA BARELY SHOW UP

Unfortunately, this promising premise doesn’t reach its full potential. The Macra may be the title stars, but they’re barely seen—relegated to one fairly exciting attack scene and a closing conversation where they suddenly become humanity’s unlikely pollution partners. It's a bizarre tonal shift, especially considering they were just terrorising schoolchildren.

The real issue lies in the structure. After building up the tension and offering some interesting diversions, the story abruptly rushes to an unsatisfying ending. Amy barely contributes—often sidelined depending on your path—and the final “twist” involving a new professor character is so hastily introduced and resolved that it barely registers. The ending is a damp squib: no real climax, just a vague agreement with deadly crustaceans and the Doctor waving goodbye like it's all perfectly normal.

Some versions of the story wrap up with troubling implications left unexamined—like the fact that the Macra have now formed a "problematic symbiotic relationship" with Earth after traumatising a group of schoolkids. And no one seems to mind. Not even Amy. It’s hard not to feel like the narrative quietly gives up just when it should be ramping up.

📝THE BOTTOM LINE: 6/10

Claws of the Macra is one of the more functional Decide Your Destiny outings, and it deserves credit for an engaging start, meaningful decisions, and a welcome return for a classic monster. But it's let down by minimal monster action, poor pacing in the final stretch, and an ending that feels morally murky and emotionally flat. A decent claw-swipe at greatness that sadly pulls its punches.