"The Stealers of Dreams" by Steve Lyons

The problem with this novel is that there's too much book for the plot. You could lose the entire middle third of it, and it would still make sense. I mean, the prologue tells you what the problem is already: or at least, which of two possible problems it is. Or maybe I just felt annoyed that the book felt like a cheap soapbox, with the "you've got to have fiction in your life!" theme, treated shallowly with a two-paragraph McGuffin rather than more deeply. I mean, "Happiness Patrol" was silly with the Candyman and all, and was soapboxing for the Blues, but you could kind of believe in a dictator who wanted to force people not to be sad...

Not that I'm saying this was badly written. The details were fine, Rose and Jack and the Doctor (and Inspector Waller) were fine. But... I do like a bit more plot with my characterisation, thank you.