I Went to a Marvellous Party

"Invitations from dead men always lead to trouble."

Writer: Justin Richards 

Format: Audio

Released: December 2015

Series: The Diary of River Song 1.02

Featuring: River

Synopsis 

River Song always enjoys a good party, even when she's not entirely sure where or when the party is taking place. But the party she ends up at is one where not everything - or indeed everyone - is what it seems...

Being River, it doesn't take her too long to go exploring, and it doesn't take her too long to get into trouble. The sort of trouble that involves manipulating other civilisations, exploitation, and of course murder.

River is confident she can find the killer. But can she identify them before anyone else - or quite possibly everyone else - gets killed?

Verdict 

I Went to a Marvellous Party was another excellent audio adventure to continue along the first series of The Diary of River Song in great fashion! This really was brilliant from start to finish and to be honest I expected know less once I learned that Justin Richards was the writer. He's a favourite writer of mine and although the title was intriguing and didn't really offer much as to what would happen, I just knew it'd be good. Alex Kingston was once again tremendous and I liked how the dynamic of this adventure was incredibly different to what we got in the first story of the boxset. There was a good reference to The Boundless Sea and I liked how River was thrown into completely different surroundings to what we got last time out. I've been mightily impressed with the boxset thus far and it's proving to be quite the steal as I think it was £16 I paid so at £4 a story, I can't complain. Especially when they've been as good as this so far! After the invitation she received towards the end of the last story, River was quick to turn up at the party of which the location and time period was kept secret. They, whoever they were, didn't want River to know much about where she was headed. All she got was the image of her destination. A spaceship. Quite a big one at that. The interior setting of the story was very good and I loved how there was a murder mystery. It seems a long time since I've done a murder mystery story but it's a premise that I adore and it was told to us here wonderfully well. There were a few twists and turns but the atmosphere was the thing I think I was most impressed with as it was just perfect for a murder mystery story - especially one in space! I like how we got to hear the murder of Jenkins take place prior to the opening titles hitting. Speaking of which, I failed to mention the opening titles in my blog entry yesterday so I think I'll talk about it here. I'm not overly keen on the theme to be honest as I don't think it will become recognisable which is something I think is very important for a theme of a new spinoff series. I hope it grows on me but for now I don't see it happening. It just seems a little too aggressive and powerful for this series. But it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. Back to the story and I thought Spritz was a wonderful character. She had a superb backstory and I loved how River was doing all she could to help her deal with her problems in hiding on the ship, showing the influence the Doctor has had on her. She was disguised extremely well as a robot servant and she was just desperate for help, which she got from River. Just like in the first story, we had nice subtle references to the Doctor from River but when she was in the room that the air was being drained off, she made use of the respiratory bypass system that the Time Lord inside her is responsible for. That was something I didn't expect and pleased me greatly. The return of Bertie was something I didn't anticipate I must admit but I liked it very much. I thought it was good to keep his way of survival from the tomb a secret. The concept of the Rulers of the Universe are pretty daunting but also exciting at the same due to the power they must hold. River wasn't impressed though and after disarming the questionable time bomb, putting a stop to the Rulers control over specific planets, as well as solving the murder mystery, it was quite the positive trip for River Song. Until her husband showed up and she didn't recognise him. Overall, another excellent story with a great lead into the next adventure! 

Rating: 9/10

The Boundless Sea

"Timing never was my strong point."

Writer: Jenny T Colgan

Format: Audio

Released: December 2015

Series: The Diary of River Song 1.01

Featuring: River

Synopsis 

River Song has has more than enough excitement for a while. Deciding the universe - and her husband - can look after themselves, she has immersed herself in early 20th century academia, absorbed in writing archaeological theses.

But when a mysterious tomb is found in a dry, distant land, excitement comes looking for River. 

Can Professor Song stop any more members of the expedition from dying? What deadly secrets lie buried within the crypt? And will British Consul Bertie Potts prove to be a help, or a hindrance?

Verdict 

The Boundless Sea kicked off the debut series of The Diary of River Song in brilliant fashion! It was a quite brilliant opening audio adventure which really pleased me and after just one adventure I have no doubts that River can hold her own for her own spinoff series. She more than deserves it because the character has so much depth but also because there's an incredible amount of room to play with. Every time we saw River on television, mostly with the Eleventh Doctor, she had been up to something that we had no idea about and that was perfectly highlighted this past Christmas with The Husbands of River Song where we saw River acting as if she wasn't around the Doctor. She wasn't to know she was but we saw how she did go about things when her husband wasn't around, and those gaps continue to be filled with this audio series. I started listening to this just a matter of days after a second series was confirmed so I'm sure the next three adventures will be just as good as this! At least, I hope so. I have every confidence that they will be because Alex Kingston is fantastic and that's exactly what she was here. She plays the role of River so well and it was wonderful to hear her again here in a brand new adventure. Her adventure. She did reference the Doctor magnificently well but other than that, which in itself was subtle, you would not be mistaken for thinking this wasn't Doctor Who. Now that's a good thing when it comes to a spinoff because it proves that you don't need the Doctor to make a great Doctor Who story. Of course it still is Doctor Who but the focus is all about River Song. I like how she was just getting up to her own business studying in the early twentieth century and she actually didn't seem to have any interest in the archaeological finding until someone was reported to have gone missing and possibly dead. She reacted just like the Doctor and after all her travels with him, he's certainly rubbed off some of his attributes on her. The majority setting of inside the tomb was excellent and really did provide an eerily great atmosphere. River seemed at home which I thought was good and I liked the humour she had on her travels there with Bertie. I must admit, I did not see the double cross with him coming which is something I must credit the writer for but I am certainly glad that the series as a whole is going to be interconnected. I think that's the way to go with boxsets like this consisting of four adventures centred around the same character. Prim served as a good enemy and her story was very emotional and River could actually relate to the suffering she had thanks to what Kovarian and the Silence did to her throughout Series 6, and Prim suffered in similar ways. Speaking of suffering, I thought Daphne and later Archie went through quite a bit of it inside the tomb as they were subjected to the saline drones. The concept of them attaching themselves and draining any supply of water was really intriguing and tied in with the title of the adventure really nicely. I also loved how the umbrella title was adhered to as well with River narrating briefly in some parts of the story, particularly at its beginning and end, to illustrate the fact it was from a diary. I really liked that. The plot was really good and I loved how it was all a setup to test River. Who or what is testing River I'm not quite sure but I am looking very forward to finding out. I imagine they'll be pretty powerful! The ending was quite emotional and action packed and it didn't end well for Prim, but River had no other choice. She was playing the game and for now her only objective was to survive. An invitation had been given to her from Bertie before his demise and that takes us nicely into the second story which I now anticipate greatly. Overall, a brilliant beginning and I'm hoping for more of the same! 

Rating: 9/10

The King's Dragon

"This was what happened when you hung around with the Doctor. You started to believe there were monsters in every corridor..."

Writer: Una McCormack

Format: Novel

Released: July 2010

Series: NSA 41

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis 

"They called it Enamour. It turned minds, sold merchandise, and swayed elections. And it did its job far too well..."

In the city-state of Geath, the King lives in a golden hall, and the people want for nothing. Everyone is happy and everyone is rich. Or so it seems.

When the Doctor, Amy and Rory look beneath the surface, they discover a city of secrets. In dark corners, strange creatures are stirring. At the heart of the hall, a great metal dragon oozes gold. Then the Herald appears, demanding the return of her treasure... And next come the gunships. 

The battle for possession of the treasure has begun, and only the Doctor and his friends can save the people of the city from being destroyed in the crossfire of an ancient civil war. But will the King surrender his new-found wealth? Or will he fight to keep it...?

Verdict 

The King's Dragon was an absolutely brilliant novel and it really was one that I loved from start to finish. I went into this one with a blank slate, other than title, as I knew nothing about it and I even stopped myself from reading the synopsis. I'm not sure why as I usually do read the synopsis of a novel but I guess the excitement in me prevented me from doing so. As seems to be the case with most of my novel blog entries, I read most of this on the train to and from Cwmbran. It was the same route as my usual trips to mid Wales, but I got off some two hours earlier than usual for a football match for my beloved Port Talbot Town. We won 2-1 in an epic game and add to that the entertainment of this novel on the 90 minute journey each way, and I was one happy chap. I just loved the fantasy element of everything that was going on and I don't think that theme ever went away which was just marvellous. I mean, we had Kings. We had storytelling. We even had Dragons! It was all the ingredients for a perfect novel and credit must go to Una McCormack for following through and achieving a full marks rating. This has instantly become my favourite Eleventh Doctor novel, overtaking The Forgotten Army. I thought the characterisation of all three of the TARDIS trio was outstanding and it really added so much to the story. I think this is the best Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor has been captured in prose of what I've read so far so that was really great and it was also brilliant to see Amy captured exactly as she is in the televised format. Her daring confidence shone through extremely brightly. Rory had a really good story with his immediate liking of Hilthe and given that this story is set during Series 5, something that was also importantly captured brilliantly, I think it's good that he played a big role as I would argue that he didn't really get that during his first series as companion until The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang. Hilthe was a very good character and as aforementioned, she got on pleasantly with Rory and it was good how he got friendly with her, given that she was one of very few not to be affected by the Enamour present in Geath. The city-state setting was brilliant throughout and it really was presented as almost Doctor Who's take of a fairytale. It was really good. King Beol was a great character and I loved how he had come to believe his own publicity and even the stories of the Teller about acquiring the Dragon, something he had himself instructed to be set up! It was just wonderful. The whole fantastical atmosphere was magnificent. There were good references to The Eleventh Hour, The Beast Below, The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone and The Vampires of Venice and I liked how things were still pretty new for Rory as companion. That was another element I really liked about the story. The concept of Enamour was really intriguing and I didn't think it was too dissimilar to the Glamour which appeared in the recent Twelfth Doctor novel adventures. It attached to your subconscious and along with the emotional amplifier, something which annoyed the Doctor, it was an extremely powerful tool in manipulation, sometimes without people even realising. I particularly enjoyed the moments where the Doctor ordered his companions to empty their pockets. The dilemma of who to give the Enamour to was interesting and I enjoyed the claims of both the Regulator and the Herald. The latter would of course be quire aggressive but the former would actually cause a death which disgusted the Doctor. His demanding to be rid of protocol 619 was excellent. The way the debate was settled was very good with the late introduction of two great characters in Anwa and Camba. The way Hilthe and Beol were both won over by the words of the Doctor was fantastic and I think now they'll be united in ensuring Geath remains the incredible city it once was. A nice relationship seems to have blossomed late on in the novel. Overall, just a wonderful read. Truly brilliant. Fun, a great plot and superb characters.

Rating: 10/10

The Twilight Kingdom

"His curiosity is his weakness, and he knows it."

Writer: Will Shindler

Format: Audio

Released: March 2004

Series: Main Range 55

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Charley, C'rizz

Synopsis 

The blood of innocents has been spilt - a terrible sequence of events has been set in motion. The forces of darkness are on the move.

Deep underground, an army of light prepares itself for the oncoming war.

The Doctor's used to winning. Stumbling in, reading the face of the enemy, and then beating the odds... but what if this time he's got it wrong? Charley and C'rizz think he has.

Stripped of all that is familiar, just who is the Doctor? Major Koth thinks he knows.

Lost among the dark caverns of an unknown world, has the Doctor finally met his match?

Verdict 

The Twilight Kingdom was a bit of a mixed bag of an audio adventure and although it was a huge improvement on the previous The Natural History of Fear story in the Main Range, I was rather disappointed that I wasn't able to award it a higher rating. Now some people might think what I have awarded is good but to me anything that I award this number or lower to has fallen way belle expectations and that was the case here. After a bit of a mixed start to the Divergent Universe arc with Scherzo that was then followed by the great The Creed of the Kromon in which we acquired a new companion in C'rizz, I thought the arc was really going to kick on but we didn't get that. After the cliffhanger finish though, I am hopeful that things will now begin to get really good. I thought this was a much better adventure for C'rizz as companion and he was probably my favourite thing about the audio to be honest. It was a strong companion and for the first time he definitely seemed credible but also suited to the companion role which I think is important. As we've had the pairing of the Eighth Doctor and Charley, which is still something brand new, for quite a long time now since they joined forces in Storm Warning, the timing didn't seem right for a third main cast member but after this I'm more than keen to see how the trio get along. I like the banter he has with Charley by continuously calling her Charlotte to her annoyance. However, I'm not really sure he's bonded with the Doctor yet which is something I think should be happening very soon if he's going to be a long term companion. Some of the guest characters were actually very good with Janto and Quillian standing out the most in my opinion. They both had interesting backstories and I particularly enjoyed the former's scenes towards the end of part four. It was quite emotional and I could admire Janto for accepting death out of choice. He had nothing left to fight for but he wanted to ensure that the Doctor went on fighting and rescued his companions. Vayla was a good character as well and I liked how she really played the female authority figure very well. The initial confusion surrounding the identity of the Doctor was good although I didn't like how he went along with everyone thinking he was Deral. It just didn't seem much like the Eighth Doctor's style at all, something I think I am definitely in a position to judge now given the amount of audios Paul McCann has acted in up to this point. The setting of Setarus was pretty good and I must give credit where it's due for actually warranting the Divergent Universe arc, which is the first story since Scherzo to actually credibly be set in the alternate universe. There were good references to Zagreus and The Creed of the Kromon and I liked how the arc seems to have advanced a bit by offering some clarity on what is going on. There seems to be an experiment of some sort but I certainly wasn't expecting the Doctor to mention Rassilon at the close of the audio! Did he really expect to find him here? That has set up the next stories in the story arc very nicely! Sadly though, whilst the story had numerous good times it was the plot that let the audio down as a whole. I just wasn't keen on it and I thought it was quite patchy. There wasn't an awful lot of conviction which I think is important and the cliffhangers weren't really that strong to be honest which was a shame. Overall, some positives but the poor plot really does see them outweighed by the negatives. 

Rating: 7/10

The Idiot's Lantern

"I'm the Wire, and I will gobble you up, pretty boy."

Writer: Mark Gatiss

Format: TV

Broadcast: 27th May 2006

Series: 2.07

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Rose

Synopsis 

It is 1953, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II - but there is something hiding in the televisions of the British people. Something hungry... 

Verdict 

The Idiot's Lantern is a very good episode of Doctor Who and one that often gets forgotten as being written by Mark Gatiss. Now I like this episode but Gatiss has admittedly gone on and written better stories for the series with Victory of the Daleks immediately coming to mind. The episode doesn't get talked about enough in my opinion and I admire the setting of Elizabeth II's coronation day in 1953. It wouldn't seem to be a symbolic day to place a Doctor Who story in but I really was impressed that the coronation itself served quite a purpose in the plot of the story, so that was a real positive. I thought David Tennant was outstanding as the Tenth Doctor here and it's abundantly clear to see that by this point in the series he's more than at home in the role. His standing up to Mr. Collonny was brilliant and I loved the way he turned him around into actually doing some housework! Rose was good in this story and one of my favourite things about the episode is that she immediately notices that there are more television aerials than there should have been in 1953. The Doctor didn't pay much attention to that as he was too happy finding out when they had arrived. The riding of the scooter was quite humorous and it's excellent to see the relationship between the Doctor and Rose blossom further with the hilarity that it brought. They're just wonderful together, although I wasn't struck by Rose's attire in this one I must say. It was a tad too cheesy in regards to the setting. The concept of the Wire was an extremely interesting one and I think it's great to try something this way with the idea of the television being the enemy. When you have a concept like that, you wouldn't necessarily think of placing a story right at the beginning of the television's existence but I can see why it was done as that's when people would be most vulnerable. Televisions were a new and wonderful thing that caught the imagination of so many people in a variety of ways. Tommy Collonny was a fantastic character and I liked how he was standing up to his father and even calling him a coward and claiming that he now was representing everything he fought against. A brilliant moment. Rita throwing her husband out at the end was only expected as Mr. Collonny wasn't a very nice man at all. He was rather despicable. Magpie was an interesting character and his desire for peace from the Wire was driving him to the point of insanity. He was doing her bidding without barely a question or act of defiance. He was simply being used and that was clearly seen as the Wire killed him once her feeding process was in full flow. With the eyes of Britain on television screens everywhere to capture a glimpse of the new monarch, she planned on taking every one of their faces. The blank faced people didn't look nice at all but it was a scary ability for the Wire to have which made it good. She was of course dealt with and quite comically taped over by the Doctor, but while she lasted she provided a good threat. Overall, a very good episode that should be talked about more! 

Rating: 8/10

Illegal Alien

"A face of blistered, scabrous metal. Wide, weeping holes for eyes. A mouth eaten by corrosion into a loopy, deranged grin."

Writers: Mike Tucker & Robert Perry

Format: Novel

Released: October 1997

Series: PDA 05

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Ace

Synopsis 

Britain is at war. Night after night the Luftwaffe are bombing London. A serial killer dubbed the Limehouse Lurker is stalking the rubble-strewn streets. But a deadlier threat falls from the sky in a shape of a sinister silver sphere...

Cody McBride, ex-pat American private eye, sees the sphere crash-land and split open - and glimpses something emerging from within. But the military dismiss his account of events - the sphere is simply a new German secret weapon that has malfunctioned in some way. What else could it be?

Arriving amid the chaos, the Doctor and Ace are the only people to believe McBride. The sphere bears all the hallmarks of sophisticated alien technology - and whatever was inside it is now loose in London. 

Before long the Doctor and his friends have embarked on a trail that brings them face to face with hidden Nazi operatives - and some very old enemies...

Verdict 

Illegal Alien was an excellent novel and served as a brilliant choice for my first original novel to feature the Seventh Doctor (as the sole incarnation of the Doctor) and also my first full novel to feature the Cybermen! I of course did get a chapter in The Eight Doctors a couple of weeks featuring the Seventh Doctor and I have read Ghost Light, but this was my first full length novel with Sylvester McCoy's Seventh Doctor and I'm not sure why but I think his incarnation worked terrifically well in prose. I'm far from the biggest fan of the TARDIS pairing of the Seventh Doctor and Ace but I have to be honest, I loved them in this. The pair were characterised incredibly well and it really was a joy to read their dialogue being so closely resembled to that of their television appearances. I thought the Cybermen were brilliant in this and I pictured them in their The Wheel in Space design throughout the novel as that's what version was on the cover so I'm guessing that was the intention of the writers. Prior to reading, I wasn't actually aware that this novel was developed from an unmade scrlpt intended for what would have been Season 27. I guess I probably should have worked that out as the book was unusually split into four parts (something I actually loved) and with that it definitely had the feel of a Classic era story which was wonderful. The Seventh Doctor seems to like getting mixed up with the Cybermen and the Nazis at the same as they both cropped up in Silver Nemesis, a story that was nicely referenced and used through Ace to sell the threat of the Cybermen excellently. The setting of 1940 at the height of the Blitz was a good although I'm not sure it was entirely necessary. It does seem a little easy to just set a story during World War Two but using the bombing to advance the story and explain quite a lot of things was very admirable. The concept of the Limehouse Lurker was excellent and although I did respect its identity to be revealed as a Cybermen, when that moment finally came it was still fantastic. All three cliffhangers were very good and I think it definitely seemed to help the flow of the book by having it split into four parts. We had some superb guest characters with Cody McBride, Mullen and George Limb the obvious standouts in my opinion. I thought it was great having the thoughts of Cody open each part and then to have them finish the novel itself with the epilogue. I really liked the character and his relationship with the Doctor and Ace was magnificent. The development of the relationship between Cody and Mullen was also a highlight of the novel and I was glad to see that acknowledged before the novel finished. I enjoyed the references this story had to offer with Dragonfire, The Dalek Invasion of Earth, Remembrance of the Daleks, The Tomb of the Cybermen and Revenge of the Cybermen all getting a nice mention. One thing that I thought was quite amazing was the Doctor mentioning the train route from London to Swansea, and naming all the stops in between. This is the very train I catch on my home from university and that irony was heightened by the fact I was on the train back to university, albeit from a different location. But it did put a smile on my face I must say. Reading this book just seven days on a lecture on disease and sewerage systems of London, double irony struck as I was surprised to see a heavy setting and even the mention of Joseph Bazelgette himself! Wall was a good character and I liked his role within the Cyber hierarchy very much. I wasn't expecting him to be hiding what he was behind his glasses though. The story was incredibly action packed which was great and there was more than one battle between soldiers and Cybermen presented! The maniacal nature of the Nazis was captured superbly and I liked how the story concluded on Jersey, the only British soil the Germans occupied during the war. The demise of the Cybermen and Nazis was rather explosive and I liked how George Limb's desire to reach the future saw him killed in the vortex. Overall, a novel full of action with a superb setting and great plot. 

Rating: 9/10

The Hyperion Empire Part 4

"Doctor, we're about to be devoured by a bunch of pyromaniac zombies. Do something!"

Writer: Robbie Morrison 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 25th February 2016

Printed in: DWC 2.06

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara 

Synopsis 

The Doctor and Clara along with the help of UNIT and a fireman called Sam, are raged in a battle against the Hyperions and the deadly Scorched. With the Earth's sun set to be harvested sending the entire solar system into despair, will the Doctor be able to bring the Hyperion Empire down?

Verdict 

The Hyperion Empire concluded in brilliant fashion with this fantastic fourth and final part! Not only did it bring an end to the story but it also saw us conclude the first year of Twelfth Doctor comic strip adventures from Doctor Who Comic. Well, that may not be strictly true as for some ghastly reason they seem to have overlooked and bypassed a one part story by the name of Unearthly Things and although we have been given the bonus of Relative Dimensions in Tales from the TARDIS, I just don't understand the logic in skipping ahead of a story. After doing a little bit of my own research, I saw that it was set pretty much directly on from Gangland, which was a highlight of the first year, and then came this finale. It seemed to follow the format of the Tenth Doctor comic strip schedule by having a nice little one part story, in that case Echo, to break things up nicely before we headed into an epic finale. To be fair, that's what we got. Although the Twelfth Doctor segment of DWC is the only one yet to get a perfect rating (well, the Ninth Doctor hasn't quite got a run together yet so I'm not sure he counts by only having one story) but in doing so his segment has become the most difficult to pick a favourite story from. With the Tenth Doctor, The Weeping Angels of Mons stands out as the absolute highlight and for the Eleventh Doctor the best story definitely comes in the form of Space in Relative Dimension and Time. However, I think the Twelfth Doctor might just have a three way tie between this story, Terrorformer and Gangland. The adventures really have been that consistent which is a superb problem to have. I thought the story itself concluded very well and before I get into details I must say that I thought the artwork was nothing short of phenomenal. I've been meaning to mention it in my blog entries of the previous three parts but in this instalment it just escalated even further into greatness. It really was magical and when a story has artwork as good as this, it really does add a lot to a story. Just look how The Dragon Lord was effected by lacklustre artwork in Doctor Who Magazine or the comic strips that appear in just about every single issue of Doctor Who Adventures and the Doctor Who Annual. It really makes things that much better and although sometimes it shouldn't be the case, presentation is key. I think it's similar to the performance of an actor in an audio for example. If they're not trying then things definitely aren't as good as they should be and it does come across on the page here. As predicted in my blog entry of part three yesterday, Sam died in heroic fashion and I loved how the theme of him being a fireman continued right until the end. The way he asked Clara out as they were fending off the Scorched from causing them a smoky death was superb and to be honest I was quite surprised Clara declined. That must make the story placement somewhere close after the events of Dark Water/Death in Heaven. Clara's reaction to his death showed that she definitely felt something for Sam. Any other point in her life and they'd be on that date right now. The Doctor was excellent in this concluding part I thought and Peter Capaldi's brilliance really shone through on the page which is testament to Robbie Morrison as his characterisation returned to an outstanding level. There would be no more deaths and after acquiring the Vulkanite weaponry, an ice gun definitely seemed the right tool to bring down the Hyperion Empire. It was quite an epic and action packed conclusion but I loved how a story as destructive as this ended on an extremely positive and well, just lovely note. The Doctor saved a part of Jane's subconscious and although she couldn't be reunited with her family after becoming a Fusion Angel, she could at least comfort them and they would feel that she was there. Overall, the story as a whole was action packed and saw Earth devastated to the likes we haven't seen since The Dalek Invasion of Earth. Another excellent finale to year one. 

Rating: 9/10

The Hyperion Empire Part 3

"I still say we need more rounded in here - new takes on old classics..."

Writer: Robbie Morrison 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 25th February 2016

Printed in: DWC 2.06

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis 

With London ravaged and the entire world in turmoil thanks to the Hyperion invasion, the entire solar system is in danger of plunging into darkness as the Hyperions plan to drain the sun of all its energy for themselves. Can the Doctor do anything to stop them?

Verdict 

The Hyperion Empire continued in excellent style with this terrific third part! It really was a superb advancement of the already very strong story and that was really nice to see. I'm just glad that it seems the Twelfth Doctor segment of Doctor Who Comic is going to finish its first year just as highly with the Tenth Doctor's The Fountains of Forever/Spiral Staircase/Sins of the Father and the Eleventh Doctor's The Comfort of the Good. I was very intrigued by Sam's placement in this part of the story and it really does look as though he could become companion for the second year of adventures with the Twelfth Doctor and Clara. I think that would be a good direction to go as it would offer the comic strips some deviation from the televised series if they had a companion join the TARDIS team that we see every week on our screens. He looks to be a good character and he's already hit it off with Clara as they've immediately become the best of friends. Perhaps they'll lead to more, it sure looks likely I must say. There was more than one subtle hint about Sam's future but in typical fashion he just couldn't find the right moment to blurt out what he wanted to say about becoming companion. I'm sure he'll get there in part four - or go out dying in heroic fashion. That's my assumption anyway - we'll either never see him again or he'll become companion as I just can't see Clara leaving him and going off and continuing her adventures. I really liked Clara in this part of the story and I thought her characterisation was superb. It definitely had a feel of Series 9 which I thought was good as Clara was certainly abiding by her daredevil lifestyle. Ever since Danny's death in Dark Water/Death in Heaven, which got nicely referenced along with another mention of that story, she just doesn't seem to care too much about living or dying. I think that much was evident in Face the Raven but it shone through here as well. Peter Calaldi's Twelfth Doctor was characterised pretty well again here which is usually the case so I can't say I was surprised but I was glad to see the trend continue. The bluntness of the Twelfth Doctor is just magnificent and it was in abundance here. Clara was trying to prevent from causing a lack of hope amongst the survivors but she was fighting a lost cause by all accounts. Kate Lethbridge-Stewart was great in her brief appearance in this part and I quite liked her criticism of the Doctor just running off and leaving them in the dark about what was going on. The interaction between the Doctor and the Hyperions was excellent and I thought the conclusion of Terrorformer with the Hyperions on Neptune coming full circle was sublime. I really loved that moment I must say. The description of the Great Inferno in which the Hyperions were all but defeated was very good but now it was they who outnumbered the Time Lords and because of there only being one survivor, they would make the Doctor's death a special occasion. The last of the Time Lords would die at their hands - or so they planned. The Doctor had plans to extinguish though and he set his sights on the Sussex area that the Hyperions had shielded. The Fusion Angels were interesting and the concept was great but I especially loved how the Doctor reverted the mind of Jane to that of her human self, even if her appearance showed different. The only slight problem I had was the cliffhanger going into the finale as I think it was pretty much exactly the same as part one and it actually seemed to come out of nowhere, something I'm convinced I mentioned in my blog entry of part one itself. Overall though, a very good continuation and I now look forward to the finale! 

Death to the Daleks

"Well, well, well! Daleks - without the power to kill. How does it feel?"

Writer: Terrance Dicks

Format: Novel

Released: July 1978

Series: Target 22

Featuring: Third Doctor, Sarah

Synopsis 

A mysterious power-loss strands the TARDIS on Exxilon, a sinister fog-shrouded alien planet. Forced to brave the dangers of the planet, the Doctor meets the survivors of a beleaguered expedition from Earth searching for a precious mineral that can save the galaxy from a terrible space-plague. Sarah finds a mysterious super-City and becomes a captive of the savage Exxilons, and, worst of all, the Doctor's greatest enemies, the dreaded Daleks, arrive on a secret mission of their own.

What terrifying power makes captives of all who come to the planet? What is the secret of the mysterious deserted City with its great flashing beacon? And what sinister plan has brought the Daleks to Exxilon? The Doctor and Sarah must risk their lives time and again in a desperate attempt to foil the Daleks and save millions of humans from the horrific plague. 

Verdict 

Death to the Daleks was an outstanding novel and has immediately become one of my all time favourite novelisations of a televised Doctor Who story. I absolutely blitzed through it in less than three hours and considering I was reading on a train journey that started at 8.26am this morning (which is tremendously early for a university student like myself who was still awake at 2am earlier in the morning) I was extremely impressed with myself. It's not like it was a short one either at 125 pages but it was just marvellous. I've only ever seen the televised story once before and that was over three and a half years ago when I was running through every story in 260 days, but reading this novel definitely brought back some of my dormant memories of this story. It just had all the ingredients of an instant classic and that's what we got. A mysterious and enigmatic planet, the Daleks as the enemy and a wonderful TARDIS pairing in the Third Doctor and Sarah. They really did shine together in prose which was a real treat and it definitely reminded me of the only other novel I've done with this pairing which was the very good Island of Death. I thought things started very well with an efficient prologue immediately setting the tone for the story that lay ahead and then we had some trouble for the Doctor and Sarah. After being promised a holiday after the recent events of The Time Warrior and Invasion of the Dinosaurs, which were nicely referenced, a holiday is not what Sarah got. Instead the TARDIS landed on a barren world and all power was drained from the police box spaceship. The TARDIS was rendered immobile and was as good as dead. So, quite a problem to kick things off and it just set things up wonderfully. The planet was revealed to be Exxilon and the natives were from friendly! They'd captured the Doctor and offered Sarah for sacrifice before we had even reached the halfway point of the story which just showed what threat they carried - and they weren't even the primary enemies! The arrival of the Daleks was fantastic and I loved how the allies the Doctor had quickly made in his search of Sarah soon turned from hope to despair. They were hoping for the rescue ship and instead they got the Daleks! The description of their reactions was very good and I must say I thought the colonists from Earth who were on a mission to solve the space-plague were great characters. Jill was probably my favourite of the lot and I loved how well she got along with Sarah. The pair fooling the Daleks towards the end was marvellous with them filling bags of sand and putting them in place of the valuable parrinium. Exxilon being home to the cure of the space-plague was a good backdrop and I loved the revelation that the Daleks had actually arrived on the planet to take the parrinium for themselves so either the humans would give themselves up to the Daleks or would simply cease to exist. They'd win either way. Galloway was a pretty ruthless character and his dealings with the Daleks were questionable to say the least but I thought it was good how he went out in heroic fashion by blowing the Dalek ship up on its escape and sacrificing himself in doing so. Hamilton was also a good character but the highlight for me was the Doctor. Terrance Dicks captured Jon Pertwee's Third Doctor incredibly well and it was just a joy to read. Overall, a story with an excellent plot and just brilliance throughout really. I can't recall a dull moment and I just loved it from start to finish. 

Rating: 10/10

The Comfort of the Good Part 2

"There was nowhere to go. The Doctor had lost his hearts. The Doctor had lost his home."

Writers: Al Ewing & Rob Williams

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 25th February 2016

Printed in: DWC 2.06

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Alice, Jones, ARC

Synopsis

• Series co-writers Al Ewing and Rob Williams team up for an unmissable mini-epic, as a year's worth of stories come to a head!

• Can the Doctor save his new friends from their time-twisting fates?

• Will Alice find peace - or be marooned far from Earth?!

• Will ARC finally discover the truth about itself - or be reduced to atoms?

• Will Jones fulfil his cosmic rock god destiny - or die among the stars?!

• And who will be left to join the Doctor as we head into Year Two?!

Verdict 

The Comfort of the Good concluded in excellent style and brought what has been an extremely eventful first year of Eleventh Doctor adventures to a close. Things really did come full circle in this adventure which was good and like The Fountains of Forever/Spiral Staircase/Sins of the Father, it brought things to a neat close which was positive. After the events of Conversion and the first part of this very story, the TARDIS had done something the Doctor never thought she would do and had banished him. It was extremely surprising and at first the TARDIS didn't seem like letting up here. After the incredible cliffhanger of part one where the Doctor's mother emerged from the TARDIS, the cliffhanger was exactly as expected with it being revealed that it was just another manifestation of the Talent Scout but as I think I mentioned in my blog entry for part one, the fact we get to see definitively what the Doctor's mother looks like is rather incredible. Of course, what was implied to be the Doctor's mother in The End of Time may just be another incarnation but when anything is said of the Doctor's mother we now have an image to place against the character. That's fantastic. The efforts of the Talent Scout to attain possession of the TARDIS were good and quite extreme but they also screamed an act of desperation which was also not surprising. It was very intriguing to see how vulnerable the Doctor felt without the TARDIS and almost seemed to have accepted defeat without any action at all. He was devastated and who could blame him? He'd lost his home and his best friend. What would he do now? Jones was the highlight of the story as a whole which was a breath of fresh air and I think he deserved to go out on a high. I wasn't his biggest fan but I just loved him in this story once he merged with the Entity. This story also said goodbye to ARC as I expected with the conclusion of the SERVEYOUinc story arc that has covered just about all fifteen individual parts. It ended differently to how I might have expected earlier on in the run but I thought it was good which was great to read. I enjoyed the references to What He Wants..., The Rise and Fall/The Other Doctor and Four Dimensions very much and there was also a nice reminiscing of After Life. That led me to take a step back and think about how Alice has been as companion and although I was quite critical of her at the start, ever since the Talent Scout impersonated her mother I think she's been tremendous and she was no different here. She looked after the Doctor when he was at one of his saddest points and encouraged him to kick on and go and get his TARDIS back. The moment the Doctor used Alice's telepathic link to the TARDIS to make up and apologise was fantastic and the horror on the Talent Scout's face when the realisation hit that the Doctor was back in control was excellent. The ending was really night after the Talent Scout wanted too much and returned to the Entity, it was just lovely to see the Doctor and Alice enjoying themselves. Alice got to see her mother enjoying her favourite singer that was Jones and the Doctor just seemed grateful for the company. Alice had no thoughts of home and after an eventful first year, we now head to use two! Overall, a fantastic finale.

Rating: 9/10

 

Sins of the Father

"That's why you can't see them. The emptiness is an illusion. The sky is filled not with darkness, but with light." 

Writer: Nick Abadzis 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 11th February 2015

Printed in: DWC: Tales from the TARDIS 03

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Gabby

Synopsis 

Gabby, Cindy and the Doctor face their greatest challenge yet! The whole year has been building to this - what state will the Doctor and his companions be left in when the smoke clears?!

• Ancient evil from the heart of the universe!

• An impossible decision! 

• Shocks and surprises right down to the last page! 

Verdict 

Sins of the Father was an excellent conclusion to both the story already started in The Fountains of Forever and Spiral Staircase but also that of the first year of Tenth Doctor comic strip adventures! It's been quite a run and I must say I think it's definitely be my favourite of the three Doctors that initially kicked off the Doctor Who Comic adventures as we've had some stunning adventures on the way. Revolutions of Terror kicked things off very well and that was followed by an equally strong The Arts in Space. Then we had what is perhaps my favourite comic strip adventure of the lot from DWC with The Weeping Angels of Mons! Then came a nice little filler with Echo before we had this five-part epic conclusion to the year. Gabby has been a fresh of breath air in the Whoniverse and I've made it no secret that I absolutely love her as companion. She's truly wonderful and I hope we get adventures with her for a long time to come yet. This story has really highlighted how much she has grown since first meeting the Doctor in the subway and it does seem an awfully long time ago. After the excellent cliffhanger of the fourth part, or second part of the last named story, where Anubis was revealed to us as the son of Sutekh, I was quite surprised with what we got here actually. There were numerous mentions to Osirans which was good but I did very much like the fact that he wanted to distance himself from his father. He wasn't vengeful or destructive, apparently, but despite claiming that he certainly seemed like he had all the capabilities of his long deceased father. The image of the Mummy creatures that did appear in Pyramids of Mars have quite changed here in this story. I loved how Anubis claimed Dorothy, despite his disgust at her having become a human hybrid, to be no longer the Hand of Sutekh but now instead the Hand of Anubis. The concept of the Seeker was brilliant and I loved how Anubus had his speech in black and bold as it made just how serious a threat he brought really stand out. The same can be said for Dorothy and how she has merged with the so called key that Anubis was sought after. I loved the references to the Time War from Anubis and his position in the universe was again highlighted by the fact he referred to that war as a petty squabble. I thought that was pretty good. The continued references to Pyramids of Mars and Sutekh and Horus were good and there definitely comparisons that could be made between father and son. However, one of the things I found most intriguing was the fact that Anubis actually listened to the warnings that the Doctor gave him about crossing through into his desired universe of four dimensions. But he wasn't going to abandon his plans altogether, which I guess wasn't too surprising. Instead of abandoning his plans for crossover altogether, he would give the Doctor a deadline to ensure that his crossover would be safe. The Doctor of course agreed and would do his best to ensure that everything could be resolved. I like how that leaves this story far from finished and despite the year concluding, I'm sure we are from having seen the last of Anubis. I like that idea and a comic strip exclusive alien returning, like with the Hyperions in the ongoing The Hyperion Empire, is always a great thing and I think it definitely gives more credibility to the format and the series as a whole. The ending was good with Cindy looking like she wanted to join the Doctor and Gabby and I certainly wouldn't be against that happening. I loved her in this story and I do hope we get to see more of her in year two. But for now I have no complaints with more Gabby adventures alongside the Tenth Doctor. Year one, you've been superb. More of the same please! 

Rating: 9/10 

Spiral Staircase Part 2

"Science so advanced it's like magic to me eyes."

Writer: Nick Abadzis 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 11th February 2016

Printed in: DWC: Tales from the TARDIS 03

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Gabby

Synopsis 

A terrifying pyramid has appeared in the skies above New York City, and it's here to claim an ancient secret - buried in the body of a very-much alive movie star! 

As the Doctor attempts to unravel the conflict, Gabby and Cindy's friendship is stretched to breaking point. Has Gabby changed too much in her short time away - or has she changed just enough to save the day?

Verdict 

Spiral Staircase continued in excellent fashion and was definitely the best of the four instalments thus far in the story, which also includes The Fountains of Forever. I had quite a rant yesterday in my blog entry of part one of this story about the naming confusion of this year one finale for the Tenth Doctor and Gabby. The pairing is just magnificent but we didn't actually get much of it all here in the fourth part. What we got instead was much of a continuation of the third part with the Doctor and Cindy getting to know each other very well. I actually thought they were very good together and the love they both have for Gabby was magnificently realised when Cindy first entered the TARDIS and realised that Gabby wasn't lying at all about the whole bigger on the inside thing. The story really did have the feel of a first for a new companion through Cindy's eyes and although I can't see it happening, probably because of her lack of appearance in Four Doctors, but I certainly wouldn't be against her travelling with the Doctor and Gabby! I'd love for the Doctor to have two female companions who are best friends as it would offer so much in terms of emotion and humour. The Doctor would probably end up getting bullied but with this incarnation it would work so well. I know I've still got one more part to go, but judging by the direction of the story so far I think the option could be there in year two of these adventures. I loved the fact that this story now serves as a sequel to Pyramids of Mars! I'm not sure where this will leave the relatively recent Bernice Summerfield audio series that features the return of Sutekh, but I guess with his lack of appearance here nothing should really be contradicted. Now, it's been a long time since I've watched Pyramids of Mars but I have actually seen it twice and I've also read the Target novelisation which can be found somewhere in the 660 blog entries I have posted so far, but for those who weren't familiar with the reputable story, we got quite an extensive recount of what went on during the Fourth Doctor adventure. It was a fantastic account of events and I loved the Doctor's interaction in things that went on. Usually we're used to a bit of narration of what's going on in a story from Gabby's perspective as we have seen in The Arts in Space and The Weeping Angels of Mons, but with Gabby really going independent in this story that part of the story was allocated to Cindy through her note making and texting to Gabby on her phone. I thought it was really effective and would definitely fill in for those who don't know anything about Pyramids of Mars as like those possible readers, Cindy was in exactly the same boat. For us Classic fans though, it was a real treat. I absolutely love it when a Classic villain returns to take on a post-revival Doctor and I got that with the Eleventh Doctor in Space in Dimension Relative and Time with the Nimon and now we had the son of Sutekh make an almighty appearance at the cliffhanger! I had expected something of the kind from the start of this part but the moment was still wonderful. It was like turning to the last page of Instruments of War where DWM brought back a Classic version of the Sontaranand things were the same here. I loved it and I'm immediately anticipating the fifth and final part, which also has a bloody different name. Huff. Anubis looks like he's going to be a great villain and the Doctor couldn't believe that he existed which made things even better. An Osiran is back and with Erik and Hanif in awe, this finale is going to be interesting and that's where the rating will of course appear. 

Spiral Staircase Part 1

"You move through this reality like smoke, a beautiful, dangerous idea."

Writer: Nick Abadzis 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 11th February 2016

Printed in: DWC: Tales from the TARDIS 03

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Gabby

Synopsis 

New York City is in a state of emergency as strange structures suddenly pop up all over the city - including an extension to the Empire State Building. Famed movie star Dorothy Bell is rejuvenated into her youth but there's something merged within her. But something more sinister is setting its sights on Earth...

Verdict 

Spiral Staircase continued the story already started in The Fountains of Forever very well with this third part of the story as a whole. Now, don't get me started on the confusion that the name of this comic strip adventure brings because I just don't understand what the hell they have decided to do! After some research I discovered that the story as a whole has five parts, but only three different names which is unprecedented but extremely baffling. I mean, the first part of the story actually has two parts? And the second part of the story which are actually the third and fourth instalments are taken back to being called part one and part two? Well, confused I was. Very much. I must admit that when I purchased this latest issue of Tales from the TARDIS, I had a momentary panic as I thought they'd gone and skipped ahead without finishing The Fountains of Forever. I would of course learn that it wasn't the case but I just don't understand why they can't give an umbrella title or have an individual title for each part because doing it this way just makes things very confusing! Anyway, enough of a rant over the name as it doesn't really mean too much. The story itself continued very well and after rereading the first two parts I delved straight into this third instalment. I'm not sure what relevance the name has yet but I hope that comes in the fourth part (or second). I must say just how much I'm loving Gabby as companion and I hope I get to read adventures with her and the Tenth Doctor for a long time to come yet. They're truly magnificent together and with Cindy playing a prominent role in this story, we can see just how much Gabby had grown as a character since her debut in Revolutions of Terror. I bloody love her though and I hope she stays for a long, long time. Speaking of Cindy, she was very good in this part and I liked how she willingly did as the Doctor said and stayed out of the way. I think she realised that she was out of her depth which was really good and just again highlighted how good Gabby now is. The characterisation of David Tennant's Tenth Doctor was pretty good which was great and there were definitely some of the traits that made him arguably the nation's favourite Doctor yet. He's not mine, but he rarely gave a bad performance. Dorothy going around New York and affecting all the landmarks was quite the scene and I think this must be the story that has impressed me most with artwork as the skyline presented was almost like looking at a picture. I've been to New York and what I saw on the pages here was very real which was actually quite remarkable. Credit must go to Rachael Stott for a spectacular job. It added so much to the story which was fantastic. Cleo was good once again and I'm liking her character more as the story goes on but I do think there's something more to her which I hope does get realised. Erik and Hanif are pretty creepy dudes and the latter seems to be believing in some religious prophecy regarding the artefact that allowed Dorothy to be rejuvenated. I'm not quite sure what she has been merged with but

my interest is there and that's one of the most important things in a story. The same can be said for whatever is inside the mysterious black ship headed for Earth. Judging by what it has said, it seems to recognise the Doctor and has been involved with the planet before so that points to a past enemy which excites me greatly. For now though, we had a very good third instalment of the story which now has a new bloody name! Overall, a very good continuation and I now anticipate the fourth part very much! 

The Natural History of Fear

"Questions are bad for the common good."

Writer: Jim Mortimore

Format: Audio

Released: February 2004

Series: Main Range 54

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Charley, C'rizz

Synopsis 

IT IS A CRIMINAL OFFENCE TO COPY OR ATTEMPT TO COPY ANY PERSONALITY OR MEMORY-RELATED ARTICLE SHOWN OR DISPLAYED IN THIS PUBLIC THEATRE, INCLUDING THIS WARNING. PUNISHMENT OR CONVICTION IS AN UNLIMITED REDUCTION OF AUTHORISED OVERTIME HOURS AND TOTAL PERSONALITY REVISION. YOU ARE NOT PERMITTED TO BRING ANY JUKEBOX OR RECORDING EQUIPMENT INTO THIS PUBLIC THEATRE. THIS WILL BE TREATED AS AN ATTEMPT TO BREACH COPYRIGHT. ANY PERSON DOING SO CAN BE EJECTED AND THE EDITOR MAY CONFISCATE SUCH ARTICLES. WE ASK THE PUBLIC TO BE VIGILANT AGAINST ANY SUCH ACTIVITY AND REPORT ANY MATTERS AROUSING SUSPICION TO THEIR LOCAL CONSCIENCE. THANK YOU. 

Public Warning 

Faction Against Character Theft   

Verdict 

The Natural History of Fear was not the best audio adventure by a long stretch of the imagination. Sadly, it didn't live up to expectations and failed miserably and has even taken over The One Doctor's place as the worst Big Finish Main Range audio yet which is something I really wasn't expecting prior to listening. I'm not sure what it was but I just didn't like it at all. Don't get me wrong, there were good moments but as a whole, I thought the story was extremely poor and that's the reason for the very rare low rating. I'm growing a little tiresome of the Divergent Universe arc now as I don't feel things are being utilised as well as they should be. Having the TARDIS team in an alternative universe should present an incredible story but instead here we got a story that would be more than at home in the normal universe. I was listening to this on an unusually late train back to Bath from South Wales, which was stunningly quiet by the way, but instead of passing the time I just found myself rather bored. As was the case in Zagreus, I despise it when the main cast characters like the Doctor and his companions play other roles in stories. I hate it and in my opinion it just shouldn't happen. It took the best part of two hours for McGann and co to actually play their characters and even then we barely got fifteen minutes of them. After C'rizz's debut as companion in The Creed of the Kromon last time out, I really thought things would push on but instead we got this. If the producers were keen on having this story then that's fine, but at least get the placement right. It just made no sense whatsoever placing it straight after C'rizz joined the Doctor and Charley. I just didn't like it nor where it appeared. Right, let me try and be positive for a moment and think of what j enjoyed. I thought the inclusion of talk about missing episodes when it came to the broadcasts was the one moment of genius this story had and when I heard that mentioned I won't deny it put a smile on my face. There were also very good references to The Claws of Axos and The Web Planet and I also liked hearing the flashbacks, or broadcasting of memories rather, from the recent adventures of Neverland, Living Legend, Scherzo and The Creed of the Kromon. I thought Paul McCann and India Fisher were very good in this to be fair but I just really disliked their roles in the story as they weren't the Doctor or Charley! The memory use just didn't make sense to me (I don't mean I was confused, I just don't understand why it happened) and an insanity virus did seem like it was going to be viable but we only heard it mentioned once really which was a shame. The use of questions not wanting to be asked was actually pretty good but it just went on and on and there seemed to be a lot of repetition which hurt things sadly. There didn't even seem to be a resolution to the story that was going on and nothing really seemed tied up. It offered nothing in terms of the arc progression which has to occur when you go with a story arc and the cliffhangers were even pretty poor, resulting in the final part being a far too lengthy 50 minutes long. Overall, far from being a favourite of mine which was bitterly disappointing. 

Rating: 5/10

The Creed of the Kromon

"It's the home of the Kromon. It's where we'll all die."

Writer: Philip Martin 

Format: Audio

Released: January 2004

Series: Main Range 53

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Charley, C'rizz

Synopsis 

The Interzone is a fearsome nether-world protecting a zone ruled by the Kromon. Theirs is an aird land of dust and dying trees. Across the landscape are spheres that look like giant anthills. The Doctor believes that within one of these structures lie the clues that will lead him to his lost TARDIS. 

The spheres are ruled by the insect-like Kromon who covet the TARDIS. When Charley is captured she is forced to metamorphose into a hybrid-insect Queen, and to save her, the Doctor must barter his knowledge of space-travel technology, all the while knowing that he risks opening up all the realms of space to a rapacious race whose creed is not to create, only to plunder. 

Verdict 

The Creed of the Kromon was an excellent audio adventure to continue along the Eighth Doctor and Charley story arc in the Divergent Universe! Following on from the intriguing Scherzo, I was glad to see that after that story and Zagreus, the Eighth Doctor has returned to his normal loving and Edwardian self which with the Edwardian adventures Charlotte Pollard, we have my favourite audio pairing back in full flow. The placing of adventures in the Divergent Universe is a fantastic opportunity for adventures and one of my favourite things about this story was the fact that the Kromon had no concept of time. This alien universe merely has a grasp of space and it seems that time is simply irrelevant here which is quite extraordinary and actually a rather difficult concept to wrap my head around. How can a universe exist without time? But one of my main questions was how a universe that has no concept of time would effect the TARDIS. Everything seems very engineered here and with the talk of experiments before and after the Doctor and Charley interchanged between zones, I get the feeling the Kro'ka knows exactly where the TARDIS is and is sending the Eighth Doctor on a wild goose chase. I know we have four more adventures in a row with what is now this trio, so I am going to hazard a guess that the TARDIS won't be retrieved until the end of the final story. I just hope the build up is worth it but it does seem extremely weird not having the TARDIS appear in numerous consecutive stories. The story was a good one and I did like the Kromon as enemies. They were firstly presented as insect like and I must admit I feared for something similar to what we had in The Web Planet but thankfully my fears were not realised. In saying that though, I thought the Fifth Doctor story Return to the Web Planet allowed the Zarbi to work really well. Maybe that's because we couldn't see them? Who knows. The voices of both the Kromon and Kro'ka were very good and definitely didn't seem out of place for the Divergent Universe. I really liked the Oroog and he was rather nice in risking his life to help the Doctor, Charley and C'rizz. He was quite subtle at first which was good and just added my interest that little bit more. Listening on the train back to South Wales from across the border in England, in what is now a familiar train ride, it gives an alternative viewpoint than just listening in an isolated view in my opinion. I'm not sure whether it's because I listen to the whole story back to back or because my surroundings are different but I definitely notice a different grasp on an audio story when doing it on the train. I usually opt for books but I thought it had been too long since my last Main Range audio so I got back into things and I didn't regret it. The setting of different spheres, whether bio or alpha, was excellent and was an aspect of the story that I very much enjoyed. The references to Vengeance on Varos and Storm Warning were magnificent but I must say I loved the talk of Bloodtide with Darwin and the reptiles mentioned, who were of course referring to the Silurians. The story behind C'rizz and L'da was extremely sad, especially when the former had to put his lover out of misery by killing her. The Doctor was determined he wouldn't have to do the same for Charley when she became the new Queen. With the help of the Oroog, the Doctor managed to turn off the Kromon's water supply which they needed in vast quantities to function. Charley had received an antidote and all was about well. Their stay in Eutermes wasn't all that great and the TARDIS had not been located, but C'rizz was now part of the team and there's already questions about his loyalty. There's intrigue and mystery there, and I like that. 

Rating: 8/10

The Caves of Androzani

"In times of war, the innocent die too."

Writer: Robert Holmes 

Format: TV

Broascast: 8th-16th March 1984

Season: 20.05

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Peri

Synopsis 

Arriving on the barren world of Androzani Minor, the Doctor and Peri find themselves embroiled in a long-running underground war.

Military troops mount an armed blockade whilst gunrunners bring in weapons for the sinister, masked renegade, Sharaz Jek. Meanwhile, lethal androids guard the caves, and a deadly creature lurks in the shadows, killing all in its path. At the heart of the conflict is a substance called Spectrox - the most valuable item in the universe... and the deadliest! 

The very presence of the Doctor and Peri on Androzani sets in motion a chain of events that will have dramatic consequences for everyone involved. As the situation gets even more desperate, the Doctor realises time is running out - both for Peri and himself. 

Will the Doctor make the ultimate sacrifice to save his young friend's life...?

Verdict 

The Caves of Androzani is just spectacular and ranks as one of my all time favourite stories. It really is just superb and serves as one of the strongest scripts to come out of the Classic era. It's a worthy sendoff for Peter Davison's Fifth Doctor as on television, he was for a long time my favourite incarnation of the Doctor. That was when I would go out and purchase random Classic DVDs and not watch in any order but I think the fact he was my favourite shouldn't be taken lightly. Matt Smith has since taken over that role of favourite but for now, I'm just going to enjoy giving my verdict on this spectacular story. Going in, everybody knows that this is the last story for the Fifth Doctor but the fact we have such a strong script for him to deal with first is great. People often forget the stories involved in a regeneration story but that isn't the case here. It starts off very well with the Doctor and Peri's arrival on Androzani Minor and just like in The Daleks, the Doctor's curiosity gets the better of him. This time, it cost him his own life as well as countless others with every male in the story failing to survive. That's quite a feat in itself and just goes to show how deadly things were. The setting of Androzani and the caves, well blowholes, was magnificent and I must congratulate Graeme Harper for an astounding effort in direction. It's very rare that I talk about direction in a televised story but this was just like nothing before it and was actually quite revolutionary where Doctor Who is concerned. It was superb and just added so much to the story. The direction contributed massively to why this story is so successful and always ranks amongst the elite when it comes to story polls. Sharaz Jek is an excellent character and his obsession with Peri's beauty can be quite disturbing but that's what makes him so good in parts. The masked appearance is brilliant and I like how we actually end up feeling sorry for him by the end, once his hideous face is finally revealed. I probably would have preferred it if we didn't get to see behind the mask but it didn't hurt things either way. Peri was wonderful following on from her debut in Planet of Fire, a story that got nearly referenced and one I watched not all that long ago. That was part of my reasoning for watching this today actually. The local war for the Spectrox served as a great backdrop for a story and the two factions constantly trying to negotiate with one another was marvellous. The atmosphere was rich with tension which again just added so much to the story. I think Peter Davison gave one of his best performances as the Doctor in his farewell and why wouldn't he? He'd want to go out with a bang! Speaking of bangs, the cliffhanger to part one ranks as one of my all time favourites because it just seems impossible to escape death. The start of part two even sees Peri drop dead to the floor just to sell the previous episode's ending further. It really is outstanding. The revelation that they were actually androids was unexpected but one I very much liked. I also loved the part three cliffhanger with the Doctor attempting to manually land the ship but expected in all reality for it to be more of a crash landing. Davison was doing a stellar job by this point. The subplot of the Doctor and Peri being infected with Spectrox toxaemia was fantastic and subtly throughout we got the hints that this was the end for the Fifth Doctor. Nicola Bryant was stunning in her performance which mightily impressed me as it was so early in her run as companion. The Doctor's sacrificial efforts to attain the cure of milk from the Queen Bat was testament to why the Time Lord is a hero and I think it's very good for the Doctor to go out saving his companion's life. The Doctor only having enough of the cure for Peri was brilliant and then we had the regeneration scene which is one of my favourites. We see once more all of the companions that travelled with the Fifth Doctor willing him to remain alive but then appears the face of this incarnation's greatest enemy, the Master, telling the Doctor to die. He would of course regenerate and immediately Colin Baker made an impression as the brand new Sixth Doctor. Despite unpopular opinion, I love Baker as the Sixth Doctor and I think this was just the perfect arrival for him. Overall, nothing to complain about. An instant classic. One of the very best. 

Rating: 10/10

Shada

"Beware the sphere. Beware Skagra. Beware Shada."

Writer: Douglas Adams

Format: TV

Released: August 1992

Season: 17.06

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Romana II, K9

Synopsis

The Doctor, Romana and K9 receive a message from an old friend - a retired Time Lord living as a college Professor in Cambridge. He's misplaced an ancient Gallifreyan artefact that could unlock the dark secrets of Shada - the lost prison of the Time Lords - and unless they find it before the crazed scientist Skagra, every sentient being in the universe is doomed...

Verdict 

Shada was an excellent story and served as quite an unprecedented blog entry! It's a Classic era story in the television format that I had never seen before which is beyond rare where this blog is now concerned as I had seen every broadcast episode of Doctor Who (to the best that it currently exists) but now this little beauty showed up! I'm not entirely sure why it took me so long to get around to watching this which I actually purchased quite some time ago as part of the Legacy Collection boxset and I think it must have escaped my memory. I'm glad I got around to it though as it was a little interesting but brilliant to be seeing brand new footage on camera with Tom Baker and Lalla Ward. I must say, I loved the linking narration scenes with Tom Baker himself and I thought the setting of what was obviously a Doctor Who exhibition was magnificent. Every time we cut back to Baker, he had the likes of Ice Warriors, Vervoids or the K1 Robot standing behind him! It was maybe a little distracting but to be honest I enjoyed the comedy that came with those linking scenes. It's just a real shame that this story didn't get completed and it has robbed Douglas Adams of his sole on screen credit as script writer rather than script editor. His contribution to City of Death of course won't be forgotten but this was intended to close the season and shed some light on the Doctor and more prominently the Time Lords which I really like the sound of. I'm now determined to read the novelisation of this story in the near future as I think it will be much more beneficial to have completed the story uninterrupted, even if it is in a different format. It'll only give me an alternate perspective and I'm sure I'll actually understand it more by the increase in detail but also by having seen the surviving footage here. I must mention Lalla Ward here and praise her. She reminded me just why Romana II is my all time favourite companion because she was just wonderful! I love her opposite Tom Baker and together they really are incredible together. I must also that she looked absolutely stunning and her attire was just astounding. The costume designer did a stellar job here and the fashion sense of Lalla must really be terrific because to say she looked great would be a huge understatement. She was the shining light of this story in my opinion and it has actually made me want to actively listen to the ongoing series of Fourth Doctor Adventures audios in which this TARDIS pair reunite. I liked the character of Professor Chronotis very much and the fact that the Doctor was visiting a retired Time Lord was excellent. The mention of having been to the Cambridge college in a different incarnation was very good too. The revelation that Chronotis was actually Salyavin didn't come as a surprise to me as it was heavily hinted prior to the reveal, but I did like that idea. A war criminal sentenced to the Time Lord prison planet of Shada, he had actually made the Time Lords forget about Shada and had orchestrated his peaceful stay on Earth. The use of the spheres from Skagra was good and I liked their abilities. The graphic work in this story was decent for 1979 I must say with the flight of the spheres and invisibility of the ship captured very nicely. The Krarg's looked pretty intriguing and their concept of crystal matter was very good to be fair. The cliffhangers, that survived, were very good and they did make me want to watch the next part immediately which is what I look for. Chris and Clare were excellent guest characters but perhaps my favourite thing of the story was that Chronotis' room at the college was actually a very ancient TARDIS! To hide it, he lived in it. Brilliant. We didn't really get to see the climax unfold as intended but what we got was pretty good and although nearly two hours of material remains, it's very difficult to give an accurate rating for the story, but I have tried my best with what we've got. Overall, a wonderful watch seeing new Classic material and a good story to match. 

Rating: 8/10

 

Weapons of Past Destruction Part 5

"It creates a bubble around the planet, speeding up time. Everything inside crumbles to dust within minutes."

Writer: Cavan Scott

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 11th February 2016

Printed in: DWC: Tales from the TARDIS 03

Featuring: Ninth Doctor, Rose, Captain Jack

Synopsis 

The Ninth Doctor, Rose and Captain Jack are in trouble. Separated from each other amidst the battle between the Unon and Lect which could create a new Time War, this time-manipulating and violent threat may prove too much, and it could cost the Doctor his brain!

Verdict 

Weapons of Past Destruction concluded in fantastic style here with this brilliant fifth part. Prior to reading the story finale it required quite a lot of rereading with four parts to get through and even though it hasn't been that long since I read and blogged parts three and four, knowing this was the finale I thought it would be beneficial to read the story as a whole to finish it. I'm now very glad that I did that as everything tied together and we had a good and action-packed finale! The characterisation of Christopher Eccleston's Ninth Doctor was very good as it has been throughout this story and I think Cavan Scott has been very clever in capturing the atmosphere of both a story including this incarnation and also that of Series 1. It felt right at home within that first series of the revival which is exactly as it should have been. We had mentions of Time Lords and Daleks which by now Rose was at home with and even though this is set shortly after Captain Jack's arrival to the TARDIS team in The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, the knowledge he has of the Time War and Time Lords is intriguing. But I think with Jack we tend to forget that he comes from the 51st century so his knowledge would obviously be vast and then you can add to that the fact he's a member of the Time Agency so he's jumping around time enhancing that knowledge. I've loved some subtle moments where Jack has challenged the Doctor's leadership and authority in this story and it occurred again in this part. The moment at the end where the Doctor just looked and smiled at his companions was stunning and I think these comics are trying to shed the light on the softer and less sinister side of the Ninth Doctor which is very good. I liked Rose's role in this story and I loved the twist regarding the cliffhanger of the last part. Through Rose, we actually learned a great deal about the Lect and I liked that they staged the transmatting of the Doctor. He wasn't too thrilled with everything that went on but he was soon okay with Rose's actions after the Lect were revealed to really be Excrothians. The Doctor was horrified by what had happened to the species and through the telekinetic connection, a lot was learned of the history between the Lect and Unon. The latter wanted to take the place of the Time Lords and would use violent to ensure that nobody got access to controlling time as the Time Lords once did. Jack's visit to the void was intriguing and the foreshadowing of Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways, with Jack getting exterminated but then subsequently returning to life, and Children of Earth: Day Five with Jack sacrificing his own grandchild for the human race was rather dark. That's the beauty of having comic strip stories with past TARDIS teams released over a decade after they appeared on television as you can incorporate elements of their future which was seen with the image of the War Doctor previously and now these with Jack's. It's just very clever and it really does add a lot to the story. The climax seemed to come pretty quickly but with the action that came with it and the Doctor offering a fresh start, it was a good end to a great comic strip adventure. I had no idea that there were initially only these five parts of the Ninth Doctor's comic strip run with Titan Comics and I'll have to wait until at least April for them to continue. I'm not sure where this is going to leave the crossing over with DWC and the Tales from the TARDIS but I hope Titan do things well. It could get messy but I trust that they know what they're doing (I hope!). Overall though, a marvellous comic strip debut for the Ninth Doctor and co! 

Rating: 9/10