The Doctor Trap

"Every child in the Galaxy has heard of the Doctor."

Writer: Simon Messingham

Format: Novel

Released: September 2008

Series: NSA 26

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Donna

Synopsis

Sebastiene was perhaps once human. He might look like a 19th-centry nobleman but in truth he is a ruthless hunter. He likes nothing more than luring difficult opposition to a planet then hunting them down for sport. And now he's caught them all – from Zargregs to Moogs, and even the odd Eternal...

In fact, Sebastiene is after only one more prize. For this trophy, he knows is going to need help. He's brought together the finest hunters in the universe to play the most dangerous game for the deadliest quarry of them all. They are hunting for the last of the Time Lords – the Tenth Doctor.

Verdict

The Doctor Trap was a somewhat average novel. I thought the premise was very good but the execution was lacking in some parts which was a bit of a shame. I thought the writing throughout was just a bit strange in parts and there was far too much jumping around everything that was going on. It was a shame because there were some very good elements. Sebastiene actually made for an excellent villain and his desire to hunt and capture the Doctor because he was untouchable was great, but his methods of getting his trophy just didn't make sense to me. His inability to think that Baris couldn't be the Doctor, or vice versa, was very frustrating to read as it was so obvious from the start that Baris was actually the real Doctor all along. I was astonished at how early that fact was revealed, but then there still remained a lengthy period with the main villain not knowing that and frankly dismissing it, despite him even saying that logic dictated he was in fact the real article! I could have thrown the book across the room. Baris himself was a good character and I thought it was fun to play with the idea of the Doctor having a biggest fan. That can work well, but Baris here didn't get a chance to play with it and was instead thrust into the Doctor role. His belief in the Doctor's abilities was great though when he had planned all along for him to replace the Doctor in the different hunting zones. I thought the premise of the Doctor fighting his way through ten different zones with a different hunter in each was really good, so again I was annoyed when we only really got three of them. There were a lot of elements that just weren't followed through on which I didn't like. One glaring thing was how Baris obtained the TARDIS key just left as 'somehow' he got it. Whether that was easy because there was just a hollow blue box or not, it wasn't very clear which was frustrating. I think some of my favourite moments in the book came from Donna when she was trapped in the Exquisite Traveller hotel with all roads leading back there. She was going mad that she could hear people and traffic, but when it came to getting to them she mysteriously just missed out. She was going barmy which was good. I do think she was missing for a bit too much of the book though! I liked how she was able to vent the frustration of getting conflicting answers regarding events and towards the end, she had enough and demanded plain and simple answers. I'm still not convinced we got them. I thought it was a cop out at the end to have robot doubles so late in the day, seemingly from out of nowhere with no hint at all that it might be the case. The setting of Planet 1 was really good (I feel like I've just focused on the negatives) and I loved the idea of a whole planet where technology was so advanced that anything was at Sebastiene's beck and call. The idea of the whole Doctor Trap being the planet's doing because it had gotten bored of Sebastiene and wanted the Doctor to take control was very good and something I didn't see coming, and I also thought it was quite a lot of fun to have the Doctor convince the villain that he was a robot when that was far from the case. Rule number one: the Doctor lies. He could have taken him off the planet, but instead he left Sebastiene to be on the run. The use of molecular technology was intriguing, but I think it was far too quick and easy for the Doctor to get it turned off. It was acknowledged how much easier that would make things for him, and they just went and did it from the off! The Endangered Dangerous Species Society were a bit of a mixed bag. I think the name is stupid and I think going from their criteria there would be far more than just twelve members. The Doctor basically destroying them all at once was a shining moment though! Overall, I felt this had good elements but as a whole the writing just wasn't there for me. 

Rating: 6/10

The Chaos Pool

"The end of order approaches."

Writer: Peter Anghelides 

Format: Audio

Released: March 2009

Series: Monthly Adventures 119

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Amy, Zara, Romana II

Synopsis

The ageless leader of a dying race believes that salvation lies within The Chaos Pool, a place that even the Guardians of Time have been unable to locate. Meanwhile Commander Hectocot and his Teuthoidian followers move in for the kill – again and again and again...

Two different races from opposite ends of time – so how can they co-exist?

In their search for the final segment of the Key to Time, the Fifth Doctor and Amy become caught in the crossfire. As the end of everything approaches, old friends and enemies reveal themselves and the final battle between the forces of Chaos and Order ignites...

Verdict

The Chaos Pool was an excellent conclusion to the Key 2 Time trilogy of audios that has graced the Monthly Adventures from Big Finish! It was a really solid finale to what has been a very good story arc. I was fascinated from the off by the presence of Zara with Lalla Ward's character, and I have to talk about straight away as the twist regarding her actually playing Princess Astra was outstanding. I thought that was done really well and just something I would not have expected. She was President now which was good and although I'm yet to dive into the Gallifrey spinoff series, based off Neverland it would appear that she would fit Romana would fit that role on her home planet. The Teuthoidians were not too much to my liking if I'm being honest as I wasn't a fan of how they were voiced, but the idea of them being amongst the first species to travel in space was good as that meant the setting was very early on in Time. Amy getting a different feeling rather than tickling when it came to her tracing abilities was interesting and I liked how both she and Zara were slowly becoming human beings. It seemed a natural process for the characters and with Zara having feels for Pargrave, it just seemed right for them to stay on after the Key to Time was solved. Amy didn't want to die and Zara was in love. Pargrave being the sixth son of his family's sixth generation was excellent to link with the sixth segment of the Key to Time. Zara disguising herself as Amy to have the Doctor lead her to the final segment was fun, especially when she killed one of the Teuthodians for calling her victim. If he didn't know it already, that would have been confirmation right there. Zara didn't exactly hide herself well as she flaunted the time ring and I thought it was very humorous that her appearance was reverting back to herself without her knowing. That must have been quite embarrassing! I absolutely loved the references and the importance of The Armageddon Factor in this story with Astra seemingly being the sixth segment, but the moment at the end of part three where Romana revealed that it was actually she who was the final segment was outstanding. The setting of Chaos was really good and the links between the start and end of the universe with the Big Bang and the Big Crunch were terrific. Chaos being suspended in time towards the end of the universe made it a fantastic final destination, and its importance to the Key to Time was crucial. This was the planet where the Key to Time was created, and the only place it could be safely destroyed. The crash of the Eschaton was a big moment and Zara's reaction to being abandoned by Pargrave made for a sympathetic feeling towards her despite what she had done. The Doctor felt the same way towards the story's end which I thought was nice. Chaos turning out to be the resting tomb go the Teuthoidians was a very good twist given the time it was in, but the surprises just kept on coming! The reveal that Lydall was actually the White Guardian was something I did not see coming and I really did believe that the Guardians were dealt with during The Destroyer of Delights. Zara rescued him and we saw a different side to the character than what was presented during Season 16 as the Doctor knew he would just control to the letter of the law and be a dictator. The arrival of Romana, the real article, was wonderful and I liked how she'd answered the Doctor's call when he initially thought Astra was his former companion. Combining Peter Davison and Lalla Ward together was brilliant and I would love for them to get more time together in the future. They're quite an intriguing pairing. Her arrival alongside the Black Guardian was also unexpected in isolation, but it brought everything full circle which I thought was very good. We found out that the rain had been unfrozen and Chaos was where it all began for the Tracers in The Judgement of Isskar which worked really well. Romana's willingness to destroy herself was a bit of a shock and not something the Doctor was keen to endorse. The arrival of the Grace at the story's conclusion was expected, but it worked well and I liked how they were able to banish the Guardians and presumably deal with them for good. Their ruthless killing of Freedom showed their power which was very good. The Doctor was appalled. Astra taking the essence of the sixth segment from Romana and sacrificing herself to complete the Key to Time was really good and a nice way to free herself of 200 years of pain. The Key was complete once the Tracers were let go, and it was up to Zara to hand it to the Doctor. He of course sent it straight into the Chaos Pool to see it annihilated safely and disperse the Grace across eternity. He let Zara go with her time ring whilst Amy was invited back to Gallifrey by Romana. It was all a nice ending that tied everything up very nicely! Overall, an excellent audio. 

Rating: 9/10

The Destroyer of Delights

"We need that segment."

Writer: Jonathan Clements
Format: Audio
Released: February 2009
Series: Monthly Adventures 118

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Amy

Synopsis

"You will be always looking in the wrong place. I have searched through all of Time and I cannot find it."

The search for the Key to Time has stalled: the next segment does not appear to exist anywhere in the universe. Forced into a temporary alliance with one of his greatest enemies, the Fifth Doctor suggests a course of action that is a validation of chaos itself.

Thrown at random across space and time, the Doctor and Amy arrive in 9th century Sudan, where the greedy Lord Cassim is hoarding gold from the Legate of Caliph. But why does Cassim look so familiar? What is the mysterious Djinni that lives out in the desert? And why does it need so much treasure?

Verdict

The Destroyer of Delights was a very good continuation of the Key 2 Time story arc that is occurring in what is now known as the Monthly Adventures from Big Finish! I really liked this one and it was a good follow up to The Judgement of Isskar, continuing right where that one left off with the Black Guardian saving the Doctor and Amy from crashing into a sun. I like the idea of the Black Guardian returning for a one off where the Key to Time is concerned, and it was refreshing to hear something knew regarding the all powerful Guardians. We heard the booming voice we became so accustomed to on television, but then we were able to hear how the Black Guardian transformed shape and voiced brilliantly by David Troughton. I thought it was good that the Doctor mentioned Turlough early on and how the Black Guardian tried to have him killed. The concept of the fifth segment of the Key to Time not being found anywhere in the universe was intriguing and the idea of prime candidates for its location was a lot of fun. We settled on ninth century Sudan which was far from a common setting for the story which I liked! Originality is key and this was definitely in line with that. Amy being separated from the Doctor for much of the story was good as her character developed and her initial worry when she realised her satchel was missing with the other four segments was very good. I liked Cassim's character and finding out that he was actually the Black Guardian all along was very fun. The alien voice of the Djinni was another interesting element and I really enjoyed the line of the master having a master. That must have been quite new for the Sudanese people of this time. The Black Guardian needed gold and had been refraining from paying taxes in the substance for two years because of it. The irony of the Caliph, the one responsible for collecting the taxes, being the White Guardian was terrific and a great deal of fun. The looming threat of the Destroyer of Delights throughout the audio was decent, but I'm not sure it warranted being its title as the overriding story was very much focused elsewhere. I really enjoyed Amy's relationship with Nisrin and the latter was a great character. She seemed content being a slave as she thought she could basically flirt and sleep her way to freedom, so the reaction when Amy unknowingly put herself out there with her eyelashes was excellent. With the segments decaying, the powers of the Guardians were also diminishing which presented a good dynamic for both the Black and White. They were stuck in mere five dimensions and were experiencing the universe in the same way humanity did. The thought! The White Guardian was pretty horrified. Gold being the answer to power the Black Guardian's warp manifold and get him off the planet was good and I liked the problems being in the ninth century provided that task. The idea of Amy being the Doctor's slave was something good to put forward, even if it was far from the case. The Doctor's discussions regarding the blue man and how blue and black were the same in Arabic language was fun, especially when the man turned out to be blue! The Djinni serving as the Black Guardian's pilot worked pretty well, but what I really liked was how with powers diminishing, the Black Guardian's ideas were no longer original. The Doctor remembered how Tegan had been used in Enlightenment and was able to topple his nemesis once again as he'd already defeated the tactics before. The events in this story serving as an analogy for the Guardians and their battle for reality was good, and probably should have been mentioned more. The gold that the Black Guardian assembled turning out to be the fifth segment was fantastic and something I didn't see coming. It never occurred to him that he had to be there for the segment to be realised, and Amy as a Tracer was able to quietly convert it and seal it in her satchel. The Doctor being reunited with his TARDIS because that's what the White Guardian had followed to end up in Sudan was brilliant and I very much liked his reaction. Peter Davison was on fine form as the Fifth Doctor once again. Amy getting to press the trigger of the projectile that saw off the Black Guardian's escape was good and it was nice that she wanted to be involved. Nisrin and Omar's relationship towards the end was also very good and a nice way to leave things for the regular Sudanese characters. The Guardians were stuck now until the Key to Time was recovered as one, so we set our sights on the sixth segment which is sure to serve as a brilliant finale of the trilogy! Overall, a very good audio adventure.

Rating: 8/10

The Judgement of Isskar

"I'm sure there are enough segments for everyone."

Writer: Simon Guerrier
Format: Audio
Released: January 2009
Series: Monthly Adventures 117

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Amy, Zara

Synopsis

On a planet where time stands still, the Doctor meets a woman who is just a few minutes old. She is a Tracer, sent into our Universe by her makers to locate the six segments of the Key to Time. This being without a name wants the Doctor to be her assistant, but she doesn't tell him the whole truth. Not at first.

Their first part of call is Mars, where a society that one day will become Ice Warriors lives in peace and civility. But the Doctor's arrival will change all that. The universe is dying, a choice must be made, and the Judgement of Isskar will be declared.

The price must be paid – even if it takes centuries...

Verdict

The Judgement of Isskar was an excellent story to kick off the Key 2 Time trilogy! I have been biding my time to find a three-day period to listen to these sets of adventures and with some annual leave taken, things worked out nicely now and I was delighted with what I listened to. There was a lot going on and the pace was frantic, but that made for a great deal of excitement. There were revelations from the off as we were told that the Grace were responsible for creating the Key to Time, and the Tracer we would come to know as Amy. I thought she was a tremendous character and it was a really strong debut for what I guess is essentially a new companion! They really are fitting a lot between Planet of Fire and The Caves of Androzani! The Doctor was with Peri during what I'm sure will be a future audio, but Amy had stopped time and the Doctor could return once the segments of the Key to Time were retrieved. I liked how we started off immediately with Amy retrieving a segment and it was good to not follow the format of Season 16 by having six different stories for each segment. Within this one we had four! It was a refreshing change. I loved that her satchel where the segments would be held was within a different universe and I was intrigued that she told of how the Grace didn't want the Guardians involved. Again, that felt like things were going to be different until the very end of the audio. The story taking us to Mars was brilliant and I loved the Red Dawn reference from the Doctor and him stating how it wasn't too long since he'd been here with Peri. The depiction of the Martian markets and the race that would become the Ice Warriors was really interesting and the Doctor being involved in what they would become was magnificent. Amy's nose tickling when she was close to the segment was quite funny and I thought it worked well to introduce Zara as her fellow Tracer sister a little later on in proceedings. She too was full of revelations as we found out that thanks to the Doctor's actions in The Armageddon Factor, the segments were decaying because he'd put the segments together with a substitute sixth segment. That was a big no. Right from the start it was clear that Zara was troublesome as she'd initially lied about already having a segment which set the tone nicely. Her having a time ring was also something fun to play around with. The segment being on Mars and its decay causing the earthquakes on the planet was a terrific twist and something I didn't expect. Iskarr initially being introduced as a magistrate was excellent as the revelation at the end of part two where he was an Ice Lord had much deeper meaning. Zinc was a humorous enough character while he lasted alongside Zara, but the fun came in the Martians delivering on their promise of a less arduous death. The story shifting to Safeplace for part two was sudden and I really did think we were going to be getting a segment of the Key to Time found in each part, but thankfully that wasn't the case. The Valdigians were an interesting enough species, even if I'm not usually a big fan of the insect-like races. Lady Mesca's assassination was decent, but I will admit to wanting to just focus on the Ice Warriors so I was very pleased by their arrival to the planet. The politics of Safeplace with their king and pregnancy and the provisional government until they reached 23 was still good though. The Doctor's narration at the start of part three was really good and I have to say that this was undoubtedly one of Peter Davison's best performances as the Fifth Doctor. He told of the Martian trade, but then we heard from Isskar and how retrieving the segment destroyed Martian civilisation. Zara helping Isskar find the Doctor and Amy was expected, but I liked the idea of her having always visited the place and being unable to find the segment. Of course, it turned out to be the caste itself hidden in plain sight. The cliffhanger to lead into the final part was just excellent with Zara retrieving the segment with the Doctor still inside! That was really unique and quite the predicament. Things moved quickly from there and I really enjoyed the moment where the segments were evened up between Zara and Amy after the former's satchel broke. The Doctor being retrieved from within the castle segment by Amy was also great and it was nice for the TARDIS's presence to be partly responsible for him staying whole. Amy wanting to stay with the Doctor to retrieve the final segments of the Key to Time despite warnings from the Grace was lovely and I'm glad that she intended on continuing her relationship with the Doctor. Zara seems to think she really likes him, and I think she may be right. The cliffhanger finish was marvellous as the TARDIS was lost in hyperspace and the Doctor and Amy were en route to crash into a star. There were two segments still missing, they had no idea where Zara was and they were crashing. But then help came in the most unexpected form of the Black Guardian! That set things up very nicely. Overall, a fantastic audio and I'm excited for where things move forward from here.

Rating: 9/10

Death in New Venice

"You really think people are imagining themselves dead?"

Writer: Guy Adams
Format: Short Story
Released: February 2016
Printed in: The Legends of River Song 04

Featuring: River Song

Synopsis

"Hello, sweetie!"

Melody Pond, Melody Malone, River Song... She has had many names. Whoever she really is, this archaeologist and time traveller has had more adventures (and got into more trouble) than most people in the universe.

And she's written a lot of it down. Well, when you're married to a Time Lord (or possibly not), you have to keep track of what you did and when. Especially as it may not actually have happened to both of you yet.

These are just a few of River Song's exploits, extracted from her journals. Sometimes, she is with the Doctor. Sometimes she's on her own. But wherever and whenever she may be, she is never far from danger and excitement.

This is just a tiny portion of her impossible life. But it will reveal more than you've ever known about the legend that is River Song.

Verdict

Death in New Venice was a very good continuation of The Legends of River Song! I thought it was good to get a solo outing for River Song and to be honest, that's what I was expecting the entirety of this collection of short stories to be. It's been quite a little surprise to have the Doctor appearing alongside River thus far (not that it is a bad thing!), but it was good to read more of what she gets up to on her own. I liked the idea of River being employed by DreamInc and it's just good to see that River Song still needed some credits to get by in life, even if she could time travel. Why not just place a few bets on guaranteed results and reap the rewards? Although, taking on a task as part of her employment is much more River Song. I thought the story blended between the diary entry and just pure prose quite well, although even River mentioned at one point that there was a bit too much dialogue on one occasion! That was very amusing. I thought the tone of the adventure was good and River's voice was pretty well captured on the pages. It definitely felt a bit raunchy and naughty which is perfect for River Song. I must admit that when I saw what the story's title was, I was expecting a trip to New Earth and built myself up for that a bit, so I couldn't help but be a tad disappointed when that didn't turn out to be the case! That's nothing against the story itself though. I liked the idea of River using her archaeological skills to become something of an architect and design a new range of malleable houses on a Venetian theme. The very concept of a house that could be turned into the owner's desires and shaped by mere thought was brilliant! Even River acknowledged early on though that it was bound to go wrong in some shape or form. It turned out to be quite the hidden killer! It was death that people were inadvertently bringing upon themselves which was an intriguing element and just refreshing to not have an actual enemy in the form of a monster or villain. It was just a big accident. Docherty was a good character for River to essentially mock and the moment at the end where he saw his trillions collapse before his eyes was excellent and alone raised the rating by a mark for me because it connected everything wonderfully. I wasn't overly fussed on the first person narration despite it being a diary collection as it just doesn't work consistently well for me and I just can't get on board as much. Deaths continuing to occur around New Venice was shocking given there had been thirty in such a short time with no sign of a killer. It seemed the perfect attack, but story's spread and people subconsciously were thinking the worst and that became realisation. A quick thought about flooding and the house was flooded. A quick thought about killing and a death occurred. It was a simple but very effective concept that I thought worked very well. The way River dealt with at the end by appealing to the systems behind New Venice and the abilities to shape based on one's thought was just magnificent. Despite shaping to thoughts, New Venice had to stay historically accurate and so River reminded it of what happened to the original Venice and how it sank. So, the only solution was for this New Venice to follow suit. I loved that! Gloriana served as a decent character throughout, although she could have stuck up for herself a bit! Maybe that was just things being told from River's perspective? Regardless, it was still a very fun story that had a wonderful ending.

Rating: 8/10

Bounty

"I merely wanted to recover my key."

Writer: Peter Anghelides

Format: Audio

Released: September 1998

Series: Earth and Beyond 01

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Sam

Synopsis

Seventeen-year-old Sam Jones's first trip in the TARDIS is to the Seychelles in the present day – and it involved a deadly encounter with alien bounty hunters. Can the Doctor stop them making Earth their battleground?

Verdict

Bounty was a solid little audio story! It's a rather unique little tale and one I had never heard of until I found myself searching through the BorrowBox online library of audio tales as part of my library membership. I don't have any real intentions of ever listening to an audiobook of a Target novelisation, but I was just looking through what appeared on the second volume of the Tales from the TARDIS collection and came across the Earth and Beyond addition. Upon further research I found that there was a whole original audio set within the Eighth Doctor Adventures novels! I have only read four books from that range at the moment, but with this depicting Sam's first adventure in the TARDIS it seemed like a pretty good time to listen given that I last read The Bodysnatchers within the range. It worked well and was quite interesting to place a whole story between The Eight Doctors and Vampire Science. They're both excellent novels so this little anomaly serving as the first time Sam travels in the TARDIS was intriguing. I like what I have blogged of Sam thus far and it was clear from the start that she wanted more than just a singular trip in the TARDIS. The Doctor seemed less keen. I loved that the pair played a game of 'Never Have I Been' with the Time Lord obviously going to have a big advantage given his ownership of a time and space machine. The reference again to the Doctor having recently regenerated was good and makes the chronology of this incarnation interesting when it comes to meshing together the comic strips and the Big Finish audios. Sam blurting out as part of the game that the Doctor had killed someone, or rather having him avoid admitting that, was excellent and immediately shifted the feeling of the audio. I thought Paul McGann's narration of the story was great and it was an interesting change in dynamic having him narrate rather than just play the Doctor. It was a nice change. The metal man on the beach was good and I thought that he was going to be called that for the duration of the audio! It plodded along nicely at just over half an hour and seemed to be the adequate length. His taking of the TARDIS key, that in of itself was the spare, worked well and then we were introduced to the Rhiptogans. One had taken the TARDIS key but didn't really know what to do with it which I thought was quite amusing, it had the means to enter a TARDIS but didn't realise its power or potential. The concept of their shimmering form was decent, but probably too similar to that of the Zygons. Why not just throw them into the adventure instead? I think that might have improved things, although it may have contradicted Sam's encounter with them in a few TARDIS trips time from her perspective. The story wasn't unique, but not exactly repetitive either, in that Earth was essentially going to become a battleground for the Rhiptogans. I liked how the alien device that Sam had found on the beach turned out to be the navigator and I also loved her reaction to the Rhiptogan spaceship. It felt very real and it was good to have this companion that is limited to prose in a performed story, even if her character wasn't cast. Finding out that the Rhiptogans died in salt water was excellent and I liked that those on the run decided to come here because two-thirds of the planet was poisonous and wouldn't be expected to be found there. Sam's fatal injury at the hands of the plants protecting the ship came a bit out of nowhere and I think more clarity was needed on how she was fully healed. The imagery of the Doctor holding a severed head was superb, but a slight let down that it turned out to just be Reduse of the Rhiptogans. Ladeeth's cold nature when Sam had her plant predicament was weird given the position of being hunted, but it also introduced her well to alien feeling. Sam's reaction to the possibility of the Doctor possibly killing a Rhiptogan and the cold-blooded joke that went along with it was brilliant and probably the highlight of the story, but I do feel the conclusion was a tad quick, even if the intention was to be sudden. It was nice for the end of the adventure to have Sam given a TARDIS key. She was a fully fledged companion now which was very nice. Overall, a decent little story!

Rating: 7/10

Dead Media

"Nostalgia is a dangerous thing for a Time Lord."

Writer: John Richards

Format: Audio

Released: September 2019

Series: Short Trips 9.09

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor

Synopsis

Like everyone else in 2017, the Doctor is doing a podcast.

Named the 'People of St Lukes', the podcast is about the everyday lives of students at the university. Only, with the Doctor involved, the everyday is dangerous and extraordinary. 

Something's lurking in the A/V department, something that is trapped in old equipment... as the Doctor quickly discovers, outdated technology does have a role in the modern world. 

That role? Ending it.

Verdict

Dead Media was a really good little Short Trips audio adventure! It's always fun having a solo Twelfth Doctor outing just given the crude personality of the incarnation and that was no different during this story. The idea of the Doctor having his own podcast is fantastic and whilst it wasn't quite how I interpreted it, I still loved that he was guest hosting an episode of People of St Lukes. However, as we would later find out it wasn't the ordinary type of podcast. I liked how Petra had to convince him as there was just no way the Doctor, especially the incarnation portrayed by Peter Capaldi, would volunteer for one of those. Honestly, right from the off I could tell the characterisation of the Twelfth Doctor was brilliant and I also really liked Jacob Dudman's impression of Capaldi himself. It really did feel like a genuine story of the era which is obviously a huge bonus and just testament to all of those involved. The mention of the Doctor finding cassettes and thinking that his player was destroyed by either Ace or the Cybermen was a lot of fun, something we perhaps didn't see in Silver Nemesis? I was a big fan of a lot of the references in this one with the Doctor reflecting on his ages and ages punching a wall in Heaven Sent and also some humorous references to the likes of a Vortisaur stemming back to Storm Warning and also the line about young women giving birth to middle-aged archaeologists, which was of course a reference to River Song. I really did think that was a lot of fun. It was also good for the Doctor to have a new perspective on things after all of his time staying still at St Luke's University. He acknowledged that he had brought the Mandragora to Italy and the Family of Blood to England in The Masque of Mandragora and Human Nature/The Family of Blood which was really quite interesting to hear him reflecting and being quite content with staying still. The way that was reflected on the Third Doctor and the ties in with the Doctor's actions all those incarnations ago was terrific! The irony of the Doctor now being on Earth for a prolonged period with a working TARDIS was a really nice mention and also a timely reminder of how things can change. He wanted to leave so much then and travel, but now the Doctor was happy staying still which during his third incarnation he must have thought was unthinkable! Petra was a really good character and I loved the fact that she was from Port Talbot, but located in Bristol with the university. I am a huge Port Talbot Town Football Club fan and did my Master's at the University of Bristol so the connections there were really interesting from a personal perspective. The concept of something living in the tape wasn't too unique given what we know of the Wire from The Idiot's Lantern, but sadly there was no return. What we got instead was what was referred to as a trans-dimension cassette being which was quite fun to be dubbed. It was an idea of light and sound hovering and something that was difficult to comprehend, even for the Doctor. I'm a big fan of the incomprehensible manifesting if I'm honest so I liked that. It turned out that it wasn't trapped in the tape and the Doctor's guilt ended up meaning the being was now eating at reality. I found that fascinating and would love for it to be further explored in the future. We could see into other realities and even though the being was death with thanks to being captured on a polaroid, the dimensions were still in flux as it was actually the Doctor and Petra that had opened the gateway. The Doctor needing to reverse the polarity was a lovely connection with the Third Doctor and whilst he saved the day, he lost Petra and wasn't happy with that. The whole podcast was an apology to her and he wouldn't upload it but would have it on a cassette in the hope it would one day get to her. Overall, a great audio!

Rating: 8/10

Doctor Who and the Cave Monsters

"The Earth belongs to Mankind!"

Writer: Malcolm Hulke

Format: Novel

Released: January 1974

Series: Target 09

Featuring: Third Doctor, Liz

Synopsis

"Okdel looked across the valley to see the tip of the sun as it sank below the horizon. It was the last time he was to see the sun for a hundred million years."

UNIT is called in to investigate security at a secret research centre buried under Wenley Moor. Unknown to the Doctor and his colleagues, the work at the centre has woken a group of Silurians – intelligent reptiles that used to be the dominant life form on Earth in prehistoric times.

Now they have woken, the Silurians are appalled to find 'their' planet populated by upstart apes. The Doctor hopes to negotiate a peace deal, but there are those on both sides who cannot bear the thought of humans and Silurians living together. As UNIT soldiers enter the cave systems, and the Silurians unleash a deadly plague that could wipe out the human race, the battle for planet Earth begins.

Verdict

Doctor Who and the Cave Monsters was an outstanding novelisation of Doctor Who and the SIlurians! I find it a little weird that the only televised story to go with the 'Doctor Who and the...' title gets a different name for its novelisation, but hey ho that's just the quirks of early novelisations. And what a book this was! I absolutely loved this from start to finish. The premise of the story itself is very solid and I am very much a fan of the televised version, one I am yet to blog, but I think it works even better in prose! The pace was perfect from the off and seven parts was all fitted in brilliantly. I thought the Doctor was terrific in this one and even though it was really early days for the third incarnation, Jon Pertwee's likeness was fantastically captured in his characterisation. Liz made for a great companion too and I'm always glad when I can cover anything where she is the companion as in my opinion she was just magnificent and sadly not around for enough stories. The relationship between the Doctor and the Brigadier was also presented very well and I liked how often the Brig wanted to overrule his scientific advisor because of militant issues. Surely, even at this early stage in knowing him, after all he'd been through with the Doctor the Brigadier would trust his judgement? It made for some good militant stubbornness though which is always fun during the Third Doctor era. I thought the prologue to open the book as the first chapter was marvellous and its simplicity was all that you needed. Okdel and K'to made excellent Silurian characters and it was intriguing to read of the moment where they had to decide to go into hibernation after the fears for the planet with the coming of the Moon into orbit. The Doctor's interaction with the Silurians throughout the book was very good and the moment he revealed to Okdel that there was no trace of the Silurian civilisation above the surface was so powerful. The predicament the Silurians were in was really a sympathetic one and the analogy used by the Doctor with regards to a house and mice and rats overrunning it was very good. I loved the characters of Quin and Dawson and exploring their relationship was very good. It was nice to get additional character development for both of them individually and how they'd come to enjoy a relationship. Quin's desire to became famous based on the Silurian discovery was a very good element of the book and it was good to read just how much he wanted that. He was in the shadows of both his father and now Dr Lawrence, but he wanted the limelight for himself. Another brilliant character was Major Barker. He was just brilliant in that typical militant and patriotic role and when he was locked up by the Silurians, his reaction to the Doctor attempting to do deals with the Silurians was just wonderful. He was going to arrest him as a traitor under the Official Secrets Act! Great stuff. Morka as the evil Silurian who only wanted his species on the planet that he felt was rightfully theirs worked well and I liked how he attempted to wipe out humanity with a deadly disease. I liked that it was something he'd used on the apes of his own time. Of course, Mankind now was a bit more advanced but the damage was soon done quickly. Seeing the beginnings of the spread was really interesting to unfold given the current social climate with all that has gone on with Covid-19. Those elements really were quite fascinating and interesting to see unfold. The Silurians killing Okdel was not too surprising and a common theme throughout the novel was the suddenness in which the deaths occurred. There was no remorse or time for mourning there! That made for an impactful moment which was very good indeed. The Silurians attempting to destroy the Earth's natural layer of protection in the atmosphere from the rays of the Sun was fantastic stuff and I also liked the real nature with which the Doctor was attempting to set off a nuclear reaction which meant the Silurians had to go back into hibernation. The Brigadier thinking it was all a trick when it wasn't was a really fun moment. It was all just the flick of a switch for the failsafe to kick in though which was also good. The final chapter with the famed scene where the Brigadier blows up the caves anyway and seals the Silurians in hibernation for good was written very well and it's still such a shocking and powerful moment. It's fair to say the Doctor is disgusted with the Brigadier! I'd also just like to mention how great the little illustrations are dotted throughout the novel and they make for some very good visuals of the events that are unfolding. I also really liked the map of Wenley Moor at the start and it sent me back to my days of GCSE Geography! Overall though, a sublime novelisation.

Rating: 10/10

The Anachronauts

"You'll soon never have even existed."

Writer: Simon Guerrier
Format: Audio
Released: January 2012
Series: Companion Chronicles 6.07

Featuring: First Doctor, Steven, Sara

Synopsis

An experimental timeship smashes into the TARDIS, and the crews of both ships wake up on a desert island. Has the TARDIS been destroyed? And why doesn't the Doctor want to escape?

Then, Steven and Sara find themselves on the wrong side of the Berlin Wall in 1966. And their only way back to the TARDIS is to betray the Doctor.

Verdict

The Anachronauts was a very good audio adventure to continue along my Companion Chronicle listening of Sara Kingdom's stories! This one was double the usual length and was just a standard story rather with both Jean Marsh and Peter Purves performing which was a delight. It was essentially an Early Adventure before the range was launched. I liked how things started pretty much straight after The Feast of Steven instalment of The Daleks' Master Plan with him remembering Christmas Day fondly. Things went sideways very quickly as something crashed into the TARDIS! That was exciting for this era and something the First Doctor never really came up against. That was terrific. I thought it was intriguing for Sara and Steven's potential love interest with each other being so openly talked about here and it was nice to get some development in Sara's character and time as companion. I'm all for that given the gap available for her time as a companion based upon the novelisations of Mission to the Unknown and The Mutation of Time. After the TARDIS crashed with another ship, we were introduced to an interesting dynamic with the trio meeting the Time Pilots on a deserted island with no sign of the TARDIS. Seeing how much the ship meant to the Doctor was fantastic, especially for the first incarnation and how recently he'd departed. It was all he had. The food machine showing up was good though and I liked how for Sara that confirmed the TARDIS's destruction. Natalie Lang was a decent character and seeing how much her war with the Wall of Noise had impacted her was quite powerful. I liked Sara drawing parallels between times, even though these Pilots were from far in advance of her own time. The concept of the Time Sprite was great and I liked how the Doctor refused to accept its existence. It was just a Gallifreyan fairytale with one supposedly in the heart of every TARDIS. I liked that idea a lot. I thought the shift in predominant between parts for Sara and Steven worked well and kept things fresh and it was good to get their respective perspectives on some elements of the story's events. When the Sprite hit and caused damage, she felt that her war was not over and was against the Doctor as it seemed like he had controlled it. That was far from the case though, with Sara breaking her arm and Steven ending up getting shot at the first cliffhanger! The description of the Time Sprite was very good but I felt it shifted quite suddenly to being referred to as a she. The idea of everything on the island just being a distraction and make believe construct was an unexpected development, but I'm not a massive fan of that plot twist. It's why Last Christmas doesn't resonate greatly with me. The Doctor considering that the emergency systems of the TARDIS came into effect to contain the blast of the crash was great and it had been healing them whilst also keeping the Doctor busy in the process. I thought that was a very fun consideration. The ship certainly knew its pilot well! Natalie thinking she would be able to pilot the TARDIS was very intriguing, especially with it claimed that she recognised some of the controls! That took us to another blackout with the companions then waking up in 1966 Berlin on the wrong side of the Berlin Wall. Quite the jump and contrasting setting! I loved the description of Berlin with some of the sites such as Checkpoint Charlie and the Brandenburg Gate being mentioned. It's one of the best cities I've visited as a tourist so I listened on fondly there and loved the setting. Placing the companions, from an age far in the future, at a time they would consider primitive and during the Cold War was excellent and worked well. I definitely preferred the second half to the first. They were cut off from the Doctor and I loved how they were suspected as spies from the Western side of the Wall. Rukell helping Steven escape from confinement and providing false papers was a lot of fun, but they were soon caught once again. Steven and Sara offering up futuristic information as their way to bargain for survival was brilliant and I thought the idea of using their knowledge of Pluto no longer being designating a planet, something that wasn't the case in 1966, was terrific. The reaction of the Russians in wanting to downgrade a US-discovery was marvellous! But again, Steven worked out that everything they had experienced was all like a story. Sara considered it was a result of them changing time by giving the foreknowledge which seemed logical, but sadly wasn't the case. This was all fake too, constructed from Steven's memories of Berlin. Even Sara was a fake because he'd never told her of his confinement we know of from The Chase and the Doctor had not yet given his speech on altering history. I liked how the threat allowed the Doctor and his companions to collectively come together in mental state and work out how to fix things, allowing them to undo the Time Pilot damage to the TARDIS quite quickly. It was a good way to end with the Doctor abandoning the Time Pilots on a planet where there was no war. That seemed quite apt. Overall, a great story!

Rating: 8/10

Worldwide Web

"Please tell me intelligent, mutant spiders aren't behind this."

Writer: Eddie Robson
Format: Audio
Released: October 2009
Series: EDA 3.08

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Lucie

Synopsis

Thanks to the Eightfold Truth, Metebelis crystals cover the Earth, and the Eight Legs, giant spiders from that distant world, are poised to take control of the planet.

As the Doctor attempts to deal with the invasion and its connections to a long-lost stellar manipulator he last saw above Orbis, Lucie Miller finds herself playing host to the Great One. Can she break free of the spider leader's control, or will she be lost forever?

Verdict

Worldwide Web was a good conclusion to the story already started in The Eight Truths and to the third series of the Eighth Doctor Adventures itself! This was the first series in the range that I hadn't listened to successively, but spreading things out still made for a thoroughly enjoyable listen! I didn't think this quite lived up to its setup adventure in the previous episode, but given how good that was it would be pretty difficult! Things started interestingly with Goodman being ousted from the Eightfold Truth and Lucie pretty much taking the reins. The idea of Metebelis crystals being harnessed was good and exciting given their abilities to harness and protect thoughts. The power in being able to make something like that was vast! The Doctor briefly recalling his last encounter with the Eight Legs during Planet of the Spiders and describing how they guarded the crystal jealously was great and all that anyone needed as a recap if, like me, they hadn't watched the Third Doctor's swan song recently. Discovering the role of the spiders in how the Eightfold Truth was built for order was very good and I also liked how the timing of that came with us hearing Lucie, our Lucie, on the inside of her mind still there fighting against being taken over. Her questioning of why she was used after only coming into 2015 and the time of the Eightfold Truth right before the events we listened to was good and I liked the answer when it came later with her being used by the Headhunter to draw the stellar manipulator to the planet. It had been following them through the Vortex ever since Orbis which was a nice way of bookending the series. The Doctor still having some of the stones from Metebelis maybe seemed a tad easy, but I liked that they were used again here as being the opposite of the crystals and repelling their effect. The special effects in the spider voice of Lucie was pretty good and a nice way of being able to differentiate. The lack of a shared vision amongst the Eight Legs and some of those not wanting to just rule discreetly from the shadows was very interesting and very logical given what we know of the species. The Doctor acknowledging that he seems to be coming up against a number of old enemies he thought dead was very good and something I thought ought to be acknowledged given the frequency. The Doctor and Karen joining forces actually worked really well which was nice to see and I liked how at the end he made a thing of confirming he'd return to look in on her. A series four appearance perhaps? The cliffhanger worked well with hundreds of millions of Eightfold Truth members, all of whom had a crystal, coming together in the form of a hive mind projecting a psychic pulse laying praise to the Great One. That was quite the sound it has to be said! I liked it a lot. We had a new Great One and it appeared Lucie was dead. Roll credits. The vision that resulted in non-members from the pulse was good as it was making others believed. The Eight Legs were using the stellar manipulator to boost the power of their crystals which brought everything together nicely for their mission. Kelly being given the mission to kill the Doctor was very good, but I was surprised with how suddenly she was killed after running in front of the car Goodman was using. She was such a good and important character in the first episode so that was very impactful. That obviously makes for a good moment though. It wasn't the last we heard of her though as she mysteriously joined Lucie wherever she was! Kelly thought it was Heaven and a reward for her loyalty. In fact it was within the manipulator and a place where the virtual could react with reality which was excellent. I wasn't too surprised to find that the Queen wanted to rule everything including her fellow spiders as she certainly had a history! The idea of downloading Lucie into the TARDIS was quite humorous and the idea of her sharing a joke with the time machine about the Doctor was wonderful. The Headhunter sacrificing herself and trapping the Great One inside her own mind and repelling the awe against itself was admirable. The Doctor was impressed, but I do think he could have done more than ask a question to try and save her life. The way everything was tied up with the forget the Eight Legs chant was decent, but I must admit I'm not a fan of things getting wiped from memory, whether that's a character or the whole of society! Overall though, this was still a fantastic finale.

Rating: 8/10

The Eight Truths

"Logic is a poor match for fear."

Writer: Eddie Robson

Format: Audio

Released: September 2009

Series: EDA 3.07

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Lucie

Synopsis 

London, 2015. The Doctor's looking for a lost space probe. Lucie Miller's feeling just plain lost, on a world she no longer quite belongs to. Perhaps there's someone who can help. A chance encounter with an old sparring partner leads Lucie to the Eightfold Truth – a bunch of crystal-bearing cranks who reckon a rebel sun is on its way to purge the Earth. As if! 

But what if they're right?

The apocalypse is upon us. As humankind counts down the last days of its existence, the Doctor races to unmask the Eightfold Truth – and uncovers an old and deadly enemy.

Verdict

The Eight Truths was a sublime audio adventure to kick off the finale of the third series of the Eighth Doctor Adventures! This really was faultless from start to finish and exactly what you would want from the first part of a double finale. I liked the idea of a NASA probe going lost and the coincidence that had with what was happening in space. The return of Karen, initially prior to that of the Headhunter, was good and she was seemingly fired over three years ago. Lucie bought into that quickly, but it was always likely that the common villain throughout this audio range would make an emphatic return. The wake up call for Lucie was fun and it was good to start the story in a different way with the Doctor and Lucie separated from the off. The mix of the crystals and the nature of the name of the Eightfold Truth was excellent and led me straight away to think of Planet of the Spiders long before the revelation of the Eight Legs at the cliffhanger finish. That was terrific and I'm a little surprised the Doctor didn't connect the dots earlier! Lucie being questioned on her plan and goals in life was good and she was slowly but surely being drawn into the Eightfold Truth group. That was fantastic to hear develop over the course of the audio. They were an interesting organisation and I really liked that the first aspect of the truth involved the human race embracing its destiny. Kelly was a brilliant character and her upcoming book claiming to reveal all eight aspects was fantastic and a good way of keeping us from knowing the other seven with the book still a few days from release. The Doctor essentially taking her on a date to get access to her copy of her own book was fantastic and a lot of fun. Paul McGann was brilliant as the Eighth Doctor in this one. Lucie being discovered as a perfect for the Chosen One was very good and the arrival of the Headhunter pretending to be Mary, the person in charge of checking the match, was really good. I loved the idea of the language being used in the stellar manipulator being the same as that used in the TARDIS because that meant it was likely for Gallifreyan involvement, and that very much excites me. I thought the cliffhanger of part one with the bomb delivered to the Doctor in parcel form was terrific, but I loved how it set up the second part feeling very different after finding out he had been unconscious for 23 days following its effects! Instead of regeneration, the Doctor opted for a coma after ensuring he didn't breathe in much radiation. He couldn't be wasteful! The stellar manipulator being referred to as a Rebel Sun was really good and sounded important which I liked. As the second part took place three weeks after the first, the conflict that had arisen within the Eightfold Truth through Lucie's matching with the Chosen One and debate on the rewards given to those who had been members for a long time was excellent. I would guess that this will contribute to its downfall, which I presume will occur in the next story. They were certainly growing fast though as they'd reach nearly 250 million members worldwide! That was a pretty formidable number. Karen being used again as only a part of the Headhunter's plan and not being let in on the full knowledge of what was expected to happen wasn't surprising, and I felt a little sorry for her if I'm being honest! The Doctor concocting a whacky gadget for Kelly to show the world that the Rebel Sun was not a real one and simply artificial and subject to interference was just great and a lot of fun. I also loved how he'd used his credentials at UNIT in this adventure, especially with the 2015 setting which I thought was great. He could so easily run into one of his later selves from the modern era! The Doctor also pondering again on his time on Orbis was intriguing. Did he prefer that kind of lifestyle? The frantic pace of the ending with the Doctor revealing the crystal to be a Metebelis one and Lucie instantly showing dislike of the word spider was just magnificent. The followers of the Eightfold Truth belonged to the Eight Legs! A superb cliffhanger and end to what was a sublime audio. 

Rating: 10/10

Retail Therapy

"The more you sell, the longer you live." 

Writer: James Goss

Format: Audio

Released: May 2017

Series: Ninth Doctor 1.04

Featuring: Ninth Doctor, Rose

Synopsis

Jackie Tyler is a success. Every home should have a Glubby Glub, and Jackie is star saleswoman on the Powell Estate. At last, she's found her calling and it's only a matter of time before she can give Rose the life she deserves. But the Doctor isn't impressed. Jackie Tyler isn't just filling peoples' houses with useless clutter. He believes she's launching an alien invasion...

Verdict

Retail Therapy was a decent conclusion to the Ninth Doctor Chronicles set of audio adventures! I was really looking forward to this boxset before purchasing, something it took me three years to do, and whilst I did very much enjoy it I can't help but feel that it could have been a little bit better. My ratings were consistent and still very much good, but I can't help feeling that I wanted more. Right from the offset with this one I was intrigued as the relationship between the Ninth Doctor and Jackie was highlighted and the idea of the latter starting an alien invasion from within her own living room was quite humorous. I wasn't a fan of the way Rose was written and portrayed in this story as the only way I can describe the characterisation for the companion was as a chav. I thought that was not reminiscent in the slightest and just a weird move to go with. I did love the foreshadowing of The Christmas Invasion with Rose stating that they were definitely coming home for Christmas as that was a terrific use of the context within which the story was written and released. I love it when things like that occur as it rounds out the continuity really well. I thought the concept behind the Glubby Glubs was intriguing, but I really disliked the name as it just seemed a bit too silly. I liked the mirroring of Jackie starting up her own successful little enterprise following in similar footsteps to her late husband Pete, but it just sounded a little too silly. Their abilities to make those tireder and exhausted was good and a great basis of where the story may go, and the impact that was felt by having one of them in the TARDIS was terrific. I liked the threat of the TARDIS actually dying and being drained which set the Doctor into motion to put things right in pretty quick fashion. The Doctor and Rose going around investigating Jackie's client list after selling a load of the Glubby Glubs was good, but for me the highlight of the story was focusing on the relationship between the Doctor and Jackie. The latter's outburst and plea to the former about her Doctor and how he was able to offer her everything was excellent. For Jackie, she felt like nothing to the Doctor which was something good to raise. Now, she had some semblance of success and felt like she could perhaps offer Rose something for the first time. In fact, she became so successful that she became the Glubby Glub number one go-getter and headed to the HQ where she met Tycho Furbank who revealed the true nature of the Glubby Glubs which was very enlightening. After some revelations, apparently, that she had been bad-mouthed by people within the Powell Estate, she was driven to want to know the truth and it came in quite shocking fashion. It turned out the bio-relay inside the Glubby Glub (my goodness I'm getting annoyed at the name typing it so often!) meant that the product gave the seller some of the life of the person it sold to. It was just enough to ensure a night's sleep or so, but coupling that with the TARDIS potentially dying was brilliant. I just felt it probably came a bit too late and didn't get developed further which was a bit of a shame. From there, the conclusion and tying everything up seemed to come very quickly and a bit too convenient with how the Doctor was able to beam out all of the energy and mop everything up. I wasn't a huge fan of how incoherent that was and it definitely required some extra explanation in my eyes. I did love the end comment though from Jackie and how she described the TARDIS materialisation as a broken elephant. That was perfectly typical of her character which was good. Overall, still a decent adventure but it could have been better.

Rating: 7/10

Punting

"Did he just say the Doctor no longer exists?"

Writer: Susie Day
Format: Short Story
Released: October 2019
Series: The Target Storybook 05

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Romana II

Synopsis

While punting in Cambridge, the Doctor and Romana are attacked by a time scoop; their attempt to escape backfires, and they become trapped inside a warping field within the Time Vortex. As the two friends try using a section of the scoop to free themselves, they see glimpses of the Doctor's other selves in the Death Zone on Gallifrey...

Verdict

Punting was a terrific continuation of my reading through The Target Storybook! It was undoubtedly a big improvement on The Clean Air Act and saw the beauty of the prose format realised in tremendous fashion. The idea of depicting what occurred for the Fourth Doctor and Romana during the events of The Five Doctors is just magnificent and the utilisation was fantastic! This was an excellent story from start to finish and just a joy to read. It was a great deal of fun to revisit the Doctor punting with Romana and I thought the writing of the pair's relationship was really good. It had all of the traits so common between the pair when the companion was in her second incarnation and that just made the adventure even better. I love how Romana was expecting something quite laid back, but instead she was the subject of a time scoop thanks to her association with the Doctor! I liked the idea of Romana suggesting that the scoop might actually be for her as that reminded us of her importance as well, and that frankly not everything has to be about the Doctor. That was really good. I was a big fan of how different scenes from within the 20th Anniversary Special were depicted with the Doctor and Romana getting some semblance of control over the obelisk that even involved them severing a Yeti's hand! That was quite the moment. The Doctor's comment about the coat seen to be worn here by the Second Doctor was brilliant and full of humour. I thought it was lovely for the Fourth Doctor to get a glimpse of Sarah Jane Smith post-The Hand of Fear from his perspective and it was clear to see in just one line how much she still meant to him. I liked the Doctor's acknowledgement that anytime his previous regenerations get together there is bickering which was an obvious nod to The Three Doctors. The idea of the Doctor and Romana wondering around the Death Zone unseen and unable to impact things was fun, especially with the imagery of the Cybermen! Their spying on in the meeting where the Master was recruited by the Time Lords to help was wonderful and I loved how early the Fourth Doctor worked out that the culprit behind the whole plot had Borusa behind it. The paragraph we got at the end of the story with Rassilon introducing Borusa as one of the faces now able to have immortality was very humorous, even if it was perhaps a little too casual with the names of the other faces. There was a good opportunity there! The Doctor's comments about Cambridge and their bridges was fun and I think that city, although I have never visited, just seems right for the Fourth Doctor and Romana II based upon its reputation. The action that came with the adventure was terrific and exciting and you can't really ask for more! The Mederi and their relationship with the Time Vortex was very intriguing, but based on the Grim Reaper explanation of them before being named I was almost expecting the Reapers to show up. That would have been pretty cool, but the Mederi were still good. The Fourth Doctor experiencing the nothingness and that feeling of parts of him going missing as we saw with the Fifth Doctor during The Five Doctors was fantastic and I thought explaining the analogy as lifting a whole jigsaw puzzle and some pieces falling away was brilliant. I was a huge fan of that. As a whole, this is such a good idea and it was pulled off wonderfully well. Overall, a great adventure!

Rating: 9/10

The Power of the Daleks

"One Dalek is quite enough to wipe out this entire colony."

Writer: John Peel
Format: Novel
Released: July 1993
Series: Target 154

Featuring: Second Doctor, Polly, Ben

Synopsis

The stranger drew himself up to his full height. 'I am the Doctor,' he announced.

Disoriented after his regeneration, the Doctor takes the TARDIS to the Earth Colony Vulcan. Ben and Polly are disturbed – the Doctor isn't the man he used to be.

The Doctor too is worried. The colonists have found the remains of two Daleks – which they plan to revive.

Once revived, the Daleks claim that they are content to serve humanity. Can it really be true? Or do they have their own, more sinister plans?

Verdict

The Power of the Daleks was a very good novelisation of the famed and missing debut of the Second Doctor! I enjoyed this one and am delighted to have finally come across owning a copy for not quite a ridiculously expensive price! Regardless, I don't collect Doctor Who stories in any format in the physical form for long term so this will be going straight on eBay to try and recoup some of that expense. Anyway, I thought this one started outstandingly with the use of the novelisation really well utilised as we got a little extension of the end of The Tenth Planet and the First Doctor's regeneration. It obviously sets things up for what is to come with Ben and Polly questioning the Doctor's identity following his renewal which is such a great dynamic and prepares the show for longevity in the future. As if that wasn't enough, the epilogue of sorts of the First Doctor's farewell was bookended with the revelation that both UNIT and Sarah Jane were on the scene to mop things up and report as the human race was set into a new technological age based on Cyber technology. Of course, that contradicts everything about the modern era of the show, but I thought that was a phenomenal use of the format and I liked how it was referenced later in the book with those on Vulcan. I was a big fan of that. I loved the lengthy TARDIS scene post-renewal for the Doctor with him going through a little box of collections that he has attained during his travels with wonderful and homely mentions of The Daleks and The Aztecs as the Doctor fondly remembered both his granddaughter Susan and possible love interest Cameca. The way the metal from Skaro played into the story later on was really good. I also loved the idea of this story incorporating the Interplanetary Mining Corporation as funding the colony on Vulcan and was just a really great use of rounding out Doctor Who continuity. It greatly improved things which was a really good development and something I wasn't expecting. The story, despite being missing, isn't exactly new to me now as I have already blogged the Loose Canon reconstruction and the BBC animation, so a lot of elements were very familiar. Despite being good, I always thought that this would be better given everything it has going for it. It does work really well, but it's not quite up to the heights of other stalwarts. That's just my own pre-conceptions coming into play though. I do enjoy the power struggle that occurs on Vulcan and the differing characters involved with the likes of Lesterson, Hensell, Janley, Thane, Valmar and Quinn all playing their part. Of course, the maniacal one is Bragen and he made for quite the villain by the end. One thing I noticed more prominently doing the story as a novelisation was how eager the Doctor is for the Daleks to be destroyed. However, I felt he didn't do enough to explain why they needed to be destroyed and just gave whacky commands! A struggle of his recent renewal, perhaps? It was early day, but that seemed uncharacteristic of the Second Doctor we would come to know. Polly and Ben are presented well and it's clear that the latter has feelings for the former that seem reciprocated. There's definitely more than friendship between the pair and that was written well. I was very surprised for Polly to be described as a looker though! I mean, I won't disagree but that just came a bit left field and made me chuckle. You wouldn't get that in a modern novelisation that's for sure. The Daleks work well hiding in the shadows for much of this story as they sneakily and quietly carry out their plan and increase their power supply and begin mass producing themselves after being woken. Considering the title of the book, they don't show up until page 65 and even shortly after that they don't do a great deal! Seeing how slowly but surely their intentions are revealed is terrific and by then, it's all too late. It's not uncommon for people to try and use the Daleks for their own intentions, but that never goes well! I think things dropped off slightly at around the three-quarters stage as there was probably a little too much coming on, but the frantic pace of the conclusion worked well and the desperation of the Doctor was clear. Even in novelised format as well, the anger of the Doctor when the Daleks continued to refer to themselves as servants was palpable. I also think it's brilliant to have the Daleks identify the Doctor as being just that. Who better than to confirm his identity? Even though he hadn't met them, that was good enough for Ben who had been largely sceptical. One last thing, I thought it was good to acknowledge that this was the first alien planet for Ben and Polly in the TARDIS as they hadn't been travelling with the Doctor for long. I'm not sure where that leaves Ten Little Aliens, but it was good to acknowledge the televised continuity. Overall, a very good read!

Rating: 8/10

The Art of Death

"Where I know that tonight, I will meet Death once more."

Writer: James Goss
Format: Audio
Released: January 2012
Series: NSA 15

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis

"Don't be alarmed!" the Doctor cried through gritted teeth, "It's simply sucking the life out of me. Nothing to worry about..."

When the Doctor falls through a crack in time he finds himself in the Horizon Gallery. But it's no ordinary art gallery, because this one has the best view of the most impossible wonder of the universe – the Paradox. Tour parties are eager to see this stunning, hypnotic portion of sky that's beyond description, and it's Penelope's job to stop people staring up at it for too long. For the Paradox's beauty drives people mad.

The Doctor, Amy and Rory are about to discover that the Paradox also contains a giant and frightening creature with a taste for death...

Verdict

The Art of Death was a very good audio story to continue along my listening of the Eleventh Doctor Tales! I am really enjoying delving back into the era of the Eleventh Doctor and I think it is great to be doing contemporary stuff of this Doctor. It just feels quite neat and takes me right back to a decade or so ago. I liked this one from the off and I loved the concept of a Paradox Chamber with a paradox in the sky being art. How could a paradox be art? It was an indescribable thing, something along the lines of a band or ribbon, but it was so perfectly Doctor Who and that made me enjoy it very much. The format of the story was intriguing with the use of cracks in time, not quite the ones we are accustomed to during the era of the Eleventh Doctor, but it meant that the Doctor met Penelope out of order and we jumped around her life in quite frantic fashion. I think we did that perhaps too much in parts, but it was a unique way to present an adventure which was good. I thought Raquel Cassidy made for a wonderful narrator and I'd definitely be in favour of her returning to tell another story. It really worked having her narrate and play the character of Penelope and was very much resemblant of a Companion Chronicle. Playing with having Death as an enemy is always brave and can be problematic, but I thought it worked great here with the description of him being all bones and shadows. Something having fractured time was very good and it obviously would be the paradox, Penelope pointing that out to the Doctor was pretty funny. One thing I didn't find amusing was that the Doctor doesn't like corned beef sandwiches! They're my absolute favourite so I found that revelation horrific. Mr Silva made for an interesting character while he was around as Penelope's boss, and the description and emotion when he realised he had taken Death's hand amid the panic was excellent. When he was around though, I felt there was way too much time focused on a sandwich being on the floor and Penelope having to pick it up and be laughed at by those that dropped it as she did so. That was strange and unnecessary in my view. How Penelope came to end up in control of the Horizon was good, if not a tad fast, with Silva having been blamed for the students going missing when Death came. The Doctor finding Penelope's secret art when he met her for the first time from his perspective was brilliant and I loved how he was so appreciative of her artistic talents. I was also very impressed with Cassidy's impression of Matt Smith's incarnation, along with her take on Amy. The Horizon being dubbed as being haunted was good and the moment where Death joined the dance made for some very good imagery. Death being linked to the Paradox wasn't too much of a surprise but its touch resulting in Penelope slowly dying was a big shock. It was enough that it had made her blind, but then the Doctor faded away through time once more leaving her. After that, it was about bloody time that Rory showed up nearly a full hour into the story! I was questioning if he was even going to appear. Alas he did and he had to deal with the stasis chamber efforts of Penelope to prevent death by slowing down time. The Paradox being the voice Penelope was hearing and how it wanted to make itself better was interesting, especially when the Doctor returned again and we discovered that Penelope was the creature she referred to as Death! I didn't see that coming which was great. She had been infected by the Paradox. The idea of finding out that Penelope had been haunting herself was terrific and it was because the realisation of not being able to escape the stasis chamber and be stuck in the paradox scared her. I liked that a lot. She was the sole survivor of the planet she killed. That must have been a lot to take in! She could end things by turning off the machine that was keeping her alive, because not only was she infected by the Paradox, she was it. She created it. And she ended it. Overall, a very decent audio!

Rating: 8/10

The Cannibalists

"I've never met a robot who wrote poetry."

Writer: Jonathan Morris

Format: Audio

Released: August 2009

Series: EDA 3.06

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Lucie

Synopsis

The Haven hangs in space. A vast star city, devoid of life. Organic life, that is.

From their high spire, looking out over silent streets and empty plazas, the Assemblers are waiting for the day when the humans arrive. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting...

When the TARDIS brings the Doctor and Lucie to the Haven, it seems like the Assemblers' long wait might be over. Living beings! Without batteries! Protocol be praised!

Except – they're headed for the lower levels. They don't want to do that. That's where the Cannibalists live. And if the Cannibalists catch them – well, they won't be living much longer...

Verdict

The Cannibalists was a really good audio to continue along the third series of the Eighth Doctor Adventures! This series has been different in that there doesn't appear to be any kind of story arc spanning the series as we head into the two-part finale and I think that has actually worked well. It's nice to have some standalone stories with the Eighth Doctor and Lucie and I feel that has definitely benefitted their relationship. They really are a wonderful pairing and that was fully on display once again here. Both Paul McGann and Sheridan Smith are just terrific together and their chemistry is fantastic to listen to. I think it's fair to say that I'm loving the Eighth Doctor in Big Finish - and I'm barely started. This one was quite a whacky and barmy story and to be honest I wouldn't expect anything less from Jonathan Morris! I liked how things started as we were brutally introduced to the Cannibalists, but their voice and persona didn't quite seem to fit their name which made for a very fun dynamic. Somehow, fun was probably the best way to describe this adventure which actually had a deep and emotional heart! It was quite the contrast which made for a compelling and yet chilled and light-hearted listen. It was all a bit strange and that was definitely working in its favour. I liked the distinction between the different robot types with the Assemblers being a lot more friendly of the Cannibalists. I mean, the names alone could probably tell you that. The former were scared of the latter and I just loved the concept of robot cannibalists. It works well and if there is one life form that could be used as essentially spare parts and for extraction then it is definitely the non-organic! The Doctor and Lucie arriving and initially thinking that they there was no life was good. I liked the subtle tease of continuation from The Movie with the suggestion that the Doctor contained human genetics and I found the difference between parts one and two very noticeable once Minerva was introduced. I thought she was excellent and I loved how she adhered to the Doctor's orders regarding Servo and how he was able to retain his memory at the conclusion. That was a really nice moment. I thought Titus made for a humorous and decent villain as the head of the Cannibalists, and their initial meeting with the Doctor and not thinking he could be anything other than a robot was brilliant. Their reaction to his liquid interior was wonderful. The idea of a robot inundated with poetry was intriguing and I loved that when the Doctor asked for an example, it was all in numbers and letters. The Doctor could understand the translation though which was magnificent. I thought Servo was just a really likeable character as a robot and the sacrifice he was willing to make towards the end was commendable. I thought the concept of the Reset worked very well for a story all about robots and finding out about the myth and the emptiness beyond was a bit of a shock, but it was a very good twist. One thing I should also mention that was a lot of fun was the interaction between Cannibalists and Lucie where they couldn't comprehend that there were also female humans and referred to her pointy bits and physical extrusions. That was so much fun and Lucie was the perfect companion for that moment. She was quite devastated when the emptiness was revealed and the sacrifice was in vain, and for all her boisterousness there have been some good reminders this series of what kind of character she is deep down. She really is a marvellous companion. Overall, a great audio story!

Rating: 8/10

The Other Side

"We need to make contact with the future."

Writer: Scott Handcock
Format: Audio
Released: May 2017
Series: Ninth Doctor Chronicles 1.03

Featuring: Ninth Doctor, Rose, Adam

Synopsis

Rose has invited a new friend on board the TARDIS, against the Doctor's better judgement. But when the Time Lord tries to take his unwelcome guest home, a temporal tsunami cuts the journey short. The travellers find the source of the disturbance inside an abandoned cinema. Will Adam Mitchell help or hinder when the Doctor and Rose discover what is lurking on the other side of the screen?

Verdict

The Other Side was an excellent audio adventure to continue along my listening of the Ninth Doctor Chronicles! This really was a big step up from the first two stories in the collection and a welcomed addition to Adam's time, albeit brief, spent in the TARDIS. I love the idea of squeezing a story with him as the companion between Dalek and The Long Game and there is no doubting that it absolutely works. We follow straight on from the former episode with Adam taking in the TARDIS interior for the first time, something I thought should have occurred on television but was never to be. That's the beauty of Big Finish in my eyes. I loved it. His reaction to experiencing travelling through a temporal tsunami was good and I was impressed with how he deduced that they had landed underground. Of course, working for Van Statten he had spent a lot of his time underground so he was certainly qualified to judge their surroundings. I thought it was interesting that the Doctor's intentions after letting Adam come aboard the TARDIS was to simply take him home. He could save on the plane fare! That was brilliant writing of the Ninth Doctor at this stage of his chronology. The tsunami meaning they ended up in Birmingham in 2012 rather than Manchester was funny and the abandoned cinema setting was fantastic. It's just perfect for Doctor Who and throw in some time disturbances and you have a terrific story on your hands. I loved how the Doctor acknowledged that 9 was his lucky number for the screen and he soon ended up going back in time to the end of the 19th century! He'd arrived in the same location, but at a time where the cinema was more of a theatre stage. Rose being worried that the Doctor was gone and wouldn't be coming back was fantastic and I found it very interesting that Adam seemed relatively pleased that he was alone with Rose. It was obvious he fancied her and Kayla mentioning to him how much more eager he was to save Rose when she went back to get him was great. Kayla was a very good character and I liked how she had been investigating strange happenings at this cinema in the form of time waves. Before the Bygone Horde revealed themselves, the brief introduction we had of them where it was shown that they could hijack human minds and they knew of the Time War and the Doctor representing the Time Lords was brilliant. I really liked that and it set things up nicely for the rest of the audio. Rose not quite ending up at the end of the nineteenth century was an intriguing twist as she arrived in 1922, but was soon reunited with the Doctor after he waited 28 years to get back to her. Rose's reaction to that was magnificent. Now there's a big gap for solo stories of the Ninth Doctor! The idea of the gaps that came with the waves getting smaller and whatever it was controlling them getting closer to their final destination of 2012 was really good. The use of the phones that the Doctor had manufactured to be used universally was very good throughout and with the abilities the Doctor provided, it was nice to have it used as the main source of the plot resolution. The link of the signals connecting 2012 and 1922 was very good and it was nice to play with the idea of Rose getting left behind one the Doctor broke his way through back to 2012. The Bygone Hard was an excellent enemy and I loved the idea of them being the remnants of the casualties of the Time War banded together in a sort of non-consciousness. It was really great and unique and definitely something I'd love for a return, although the emphatic nature of the conclusion with the Vortex falling in on them would make that quite difficult. The use of the TARDIS key as literally being a key to the door between each time was brilliant and served as a great conclusion to what was as a whole a fantastic audio adventure! Adam was acknowledged as being fantastic by the Doctor which was somewhat uncharacteristic, but at least heading into The Long Game he was a fully fledged accepted companion.

Rating: 9/10