A decent story that doesn’t really stand out, but does manage to become a complete and satisfying whole.
The Doctor, Ben and Polly land in an abandoned space hotel. The location has been hired for a “murder game”, where guests will each play a role in a classic murder mystery. But before the game can properly start, it turns out that a real murder has taken place. There are traitors among our group, and an enemy threat is lurking outside…
What really surprised me about this story is that the titular “murder game” was nothing more than early set dressing. The entire thing get cancelled before it even starts! After that, the story becomes a fairly typical base under siege.
But that isn’t a criticism in and of itself! The base might not be all that interesting, but the siege is quite fun. It turns out everything is a plot by the Selachians. An aquatic shark-looking race that have turned into violent conquerors after years of abuse. Secretly, they’re actually more similar to dolphins than sharks, but they’ll probably shoot you if you bring it up.
They’re well-established villains with a clear backstory, some fun characteristic details and a whole lot of threat. You really feel every moment when they show up, because you know our characters wouldn’t stand a chance in a 1 on 1 confrontation. They basically tear through the ship in search of their true goal: A catastrophic bomb developed by two of the hotel guests. The whole scenario feels dire in a gripping way.
But threat and angst are not the only feelings on display. Our main cast also gets plenty to chew on. Especially Ben, who falls in love with a woman named Terri. For the first time, he shortly considers what life would be like outside his own time. What if he didn’t wait for 1964, but settled somewhere else? It’s a touching moment that really does Ben justice, which has been a bit rare up until now. It shows the care and vulnerability behind the loudmouth. Someone who longs for something simple while traveling the stars.
The other main cast also gets something to chew on. Polly gets kidnapped and has to overcome the greatest challenge she has ever faced: work with a computer. The Doctor, meanwhile, tries to turn the tide against the Selachians. And this is where the story is notably a bit weaker. Overall, the Doctor seems a bit too incompetent in this story. He is constantly out of the loop while other character run around and most of the machines he whips up break soon after use. It’s not necessarily out of character, but in most stories up to this point the Doctor seemed more in control. His bumbling often seemed like part of a bigger plan. In this story, he seems more a bit more surface level. Actually failing instead of pretending to. But again, it’s not character ruining in any way. Just noticeable.
Other than that, “The Murder Game” is a perfectly serviceable novel. It is not mind-blowing or world shattering, but it has a solid plot and interesting villains. Maybe it could have done a little more with its main premise, but the story still stands as a great adventure with some good character work for Ben.
