In the Blood

"They keep finding dead people who were... prominent on the internet."

Writer: Jenny T. Colgan
Format: Novel
Released: May 2016
Series: BBC PDA 04

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Donna

Synopsis

'So many people out there, Doctor. Wanting so many things. Wanting, wanting, wanting. Terrible things they want. Terrible things.'

When internet trolls start to drop dead, the Doctor thinks there might be more to it than just a sedentary lifestyle and high blood pressure.

From the backstreets of South Korea to the jungles of Brazil, the Doctor and Donna follow the leads until they find the source of this online infection. But they aren't the only ones who are interested.

Before long the Doctor and Donna are fighting for their lives – and the lives of everyone else on the planet who use the internet.

Verdict

In the Blood was an excellent novel to complete my reading of the Tenth Doctor and Donna's prose adventures! Of course, this one came a long time after their brief initial New Series Adventures run, and with that only having four stories it was great that when it came to revisiting the era Donna was chosen as the companion. I am a big fan of Jeany T. Colgan's writing style and even though it was a little weird to have so many short chapters, she really does get this TARDIS pairing and that shone through on the page. I think it was probably a little ahead of its time as I'm really not sure just how prominent internet trolls were in 2008, but the issues this story raised were excellent and incorporated into a Doctor Who story in a fantastic way that was not in-your-face. The idea of something getting into the blood through the internet was brilliant because that opens up the entire world for infection and the Rempaths certainly fed on that. I loved the scale of the story stretching between London, South Korea and Brazil and the latter two connecting through a tunnel felt very Miracle Day which was unexpected. It was a real joy to read the Doctor's experience of commercial airline travel and he couldn't believe that people spent so much money on the triangles! That line of course referring to Toblerone was just wonderful and a terrifically humorous line in a book that was dealing with some serious and complicated issues. It's no secret that the internet is a dangerous and often unhealthy realm and the way Colgan explained that through the characters in the book was magnificent. I thought the descriptions of both Korea and the Brazilian jungles were very good and in a book that was longer than the typical NSA, the renewed settings definitely helped. As I was making my way through the pages, I found myself wondering why there wasn't much continuity in the NSA books and how they were most often just standalone stories. A few chapters later and I got Gully returning and essentially a follow on from Time Reaver! I did not expect that so his reveal was a fantastic surprise. Of course, that audio made up part of the first volume of Tenth Doctor Adventures and I was stunned to find out after finishing that the book actually came out four days before the audio! The fate of Gully was detailed extensively here and his description of experiencing essentially being set on fire for four months was quite something. I can't imagine that. So his revenge was to have the Doctor experience the same. I thought Fief was a good little character and his matter-of-fact nature and just accepting everything as it is was good. His relationship with Donna throughout developed really well and became one of the highlights. His reaction to experiencing life when the earpiece that basically conformed him was removed was wonderful. Donna popping home was a nice addition and I can't help but love anything with Wilf. His affection for Donna and the Doctor making her happy was lovely to read and his going mad with the Rempath infection must have been tough for Donna to see. Her willingness to give the blood transfusion to dilate the Rempaths was good and I loved how the Doctor realised that it wasn't actually the blood that fixed him, it was the sacrifice Donna made. Nothing could overcome altruism which was excellent. Fief experiencing the TARDIS was good and I really enjoyed the silliness of the hippies and their coffee stall blocking the TARDIS. Donna loved the coffee though - triple filtered! The ending was really good and pacy with the Doctor using the earpiece of Fief to send a signal to the human race to do something nice and selfless and rid them of the Rempath disease. His climbing into the tunnel was very good and provided some tension. The way things finished was really nicely done and Colgan did a tremendous job in capturing the real world. Overall, a fantastic read!

Rating: 9/10

Time Lapse

"Do you remember the year 2004?"

Writer: Naomi Alderman
Format: Short Story
Released: March 2019
Printed in: Thirteen Doctors, 13 Stories: 13

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, Graham

Synopsis

Nobody can remember the year 2004. Suddenly one day in 2019 all records of fifteen years previous are wiped out, except everyone knows that 2004 happened. It must have. When the Doctor gets a letter through the TARDIS asking for help, she too can't remember 2004. Where can it have gone?

Verdict

Time Lapse was an excellent new story to continue this range of Puffin short stories that seemed to have begun quite some time with the original Eleven Doctors, 11 Stories collection. Now, I have read the first twelve stories within this particular collection before after getting the postcard edition some years back for Christmas, but after some transit trouble I was delighted to finally pick the latest volume up from the library to read the new story. This is one of the very few things from the era of the Thirteenth Doctor that I have yet to blog so I am glad to get it off my list! I thought the concept of the adventure was fantastic and having a whole year just disappear from history and everyone's memories is quite something! I loved the added twist of everyone knowing that it has to have happened – that seemed unique in memory/history altering tales and I was intrigued that the memory loss wasn't just contained to Earth given that the Doctor and her companions had no recollection of the year within the TARDIS. 2004 was missing and it was widespread knowledge. I just thought it was so much fun to play around and even though much of the story didn't actually focus on the Thirteenth Doctor and her companions, it seems quite a while now with the freezing of the DWM comic strips that I have covered anything with the current incarnation. Maria Hackett managing to send a message to the TARDIS serial number and therefore the Doctor was great and I liked finding out later that she obtained this from an emergency handbook taken from Richard Somerset who was a Time Agent. The 2019 British Museum setting along with National Air and Space Museum in Washington during 2004 made for two brilliant locations and I'm a huge fan of museums given my love of history and they're always on my to-do list when visiting another country. I'm a sucker for knowledge. Richard being there initially to look at the artefacts obtained after the Iraq War was good and I liked the levels of realism in this adventure as even the triggering of Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty was included. Brexit in Doctor Who - the horrors! The love story of sorts, albeit an unrequited one, was a little heartwarming and even though Richard didn't seem the most pleasant of men, it was quite sad to read how quickly Maria rejected him. I mean, her comments about not dressing smart and half-understanding things were pretty derogatory, but it was still a quick no thank you. The way he took umbrage to that was quite spectacular and went so far as wanting to erase the whole year from her memory to give himself another chance with her in 2019! It was quite the barmy reason for a whole year to go missing from history, but the action seemed to fit the nature of his character which I was a fan of. Everything just fitted well. The way the story shifted between the different years and settings was good and the scale just worked which was great to read. Despite that, the way everything was contained to just a few characters was excellent and leant itself to a more intimate feel which was definitely the right way to go for a short story of this nature. The end was quite simple and Ryan's reaction to finding out why Richard had erased a year was fantastic. I thought the whole Time Agent aspect of the adventure was very good and given her traditional distain for the Time Agency and their practices, the irony of the Doctor being their emergency contact was wonderful. I also adored the line from Richard when explaining how an action that you thought took ten minutes but suddenly half an hour had passed was the action of a Time Agent doing his job right. Brilliant stuff. The Doctor dealing with the Corpse Gipes was also decent, and their inclusion as a whole provided some good action although I'm not sure how their appearance would have gone down as a three-headed vulture creature! Overall though, a really great story!

Rating: 9/10

Mary's Story

"You intend to bring back the dead?"

Writer: Jonathan Morris
Format: Audio
Released: July 2009
Series: Monthly Adventures 123d

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Mary Shelley

Synopsis

Switzerland, 1816: at the Villa Diodati, Lord Byron's house guests tell each other tales to curdle the blood and quicken the beatings of the heart. With a monster on the loose outside, young Mary Shelley isn't short of inspiration.

Verdict

Mary's Story was an excellent conclusion to The Company of Friends anthology of short audio adventures with the Eighth Doctor and a number of companions! This one saw us introduced to a brand new companion for the Monthly Adventures range and she is someone that has been name dropped quite a bit by the Eighth Doctor so hearing Mary Shelley officially become a companion and join the Doctor on his travels was terrific. To be honest, this story could easily have made for its own feature-length release as there was so much going on and whilst the condensed format certainly added to the pace and excitement, I think the atmosphere would have been enhanced by the longer format. However, that's not to see it wasn't any good here because it truly was, there just wasn't enough time for it to settle and have a profound impact. The idea of a Doctor from the future being in deep trouble and having the TARDIS bring him to Villa Diodati in 1816 is terrific and whilst everything about this story was pretty much contradicted by the events of The Haunting of Villa Diodati, it's still wonderful to revisit this setting and the woman behind Frankenstein on the fateful night of its creation. The concept of the Doctor possibly being Frankenstein was fun and I liked how he had to clarify that to Mary in the TARDIS before they set off on their travels. The way the era was presented in audio worked well and I liked the pomposity of Lord Byron. Having him meet the Eighth Doctor specifically was fun for a number of reasons, not least because of the appearance and personality of this incarnation. The threat that the future Eighth Doctor was under seemed to pretty severe and I love the paradoxical nature of the latter's distress signal being picked up by his past self. Two Doctors meeting when they are the same incarnation doesn't quite have the charm of different Doctors, but each version of the Eighth Doctor conversing with each other was certainly fun to listen to. It was nice for the earlier version to help his future self and particularly the TARDIS which was pretty much reduced to a burnt wreck. I loved that the 'current' Eighth Doctor initiated TARDIS regeneration in something similar to what we would later see in The Eleventh Hour. Perhaps Steven Moffat took some inspiration from this audio? The emphatic way in which the Doctor delivered the regeneration line was marvellous. Paul McGann was most definitely on top form for this audio adventure. It was probably his best of the whole release. The chemistry he shared with Mary was great and I loved their conversation about leading complicated lives. Mary seemed to have him beat which was quite fun! Their future adventures of meeting Cybermen and Axons sound magnificent and I do hope they exist in performed form! I do hope that any future stories we do get circle back to events here, although the future Doctor didn't have Mary with him so I wonder what her fate will become. The Doctor mentioning a host of former companions from his eighth incarnation across a number of formats was good and nice to establish continuity, and it was also good for him to pick up another one here! The idea of the future Eighth Doctor needing a renewal or resurrection in the form of a lightning strike was really intriguing, specifically when it comes to thinking about regeneration! As a whole, this was a fitting conclusion to what has largely been a fantastic set of unique adventures with characters we might not have expected to team up with the Eighth Doctor on audio. Overall, a brilliant story to finish.

Rating: 9/10

Izzy's Story

"Issue 56 - nobody's seen it!"

Writer: Alan Barnes
Format: Audio
Released: July 2009
Series: Monthly Adventures 123c

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Izzy

Synopsis

TARDIS travels opens one's eyes to a universe of possibilities, reckons the Doctor. For geek girl Izzy, it's also a fantastic way to track down ultra-rare back copies of Aggrotron!, the most dangerous comic in history...

Verdict

Izzy's Story was a somewhat average continuation of The Company of Friends audio anthology and certainly a sharp drop in quality from the first two outings featuring Benny and Fitz. I thought the comic strip theme was a clever idea given that is where Izzy is the companion within the pages of Doctor Who Magazine, but it just didn't quite sit right with me and I can't quite put my finger on what exactly I didn't enjoy. This is nothing against the performance of Jemima Rooper, but the actress really didn't meet my expectations of what meeting Izzy in a performed story for the first time would be like. She just sounded a little off and although this sounds harsh, her voice just seemed a bit too old for Izzy. Now, I first encountered her in the Oblivion graphic novel and recently met her chronologically for the first time in the Endgame collection so I feel I have a good grasp of her character, and it just wasn't the transformation I anticipated from comic strip to audio which was a shame. Maybe once I read through The Glorious Dead graphic novel I will perhaps understand better? I did enjoy the twist at the start with the events we heard featuring The Man and Courtmaster Cruel not actually being part of the story, but what was on the pages within Izzy's issue of Aggrotron! I like the idea of Izzy requesting to return to Stockbridge in 1982 to solve a mystery of her childhood relating to the 56th and final issue of this comic series. The description of the Wrangler as two wrestlers squaring off but being struck by radiation and fused together was great, but before the merger she wanted the elusive issue 56. When she was a child, she'd come to collect it but found that her local shop's only copy had already been sold, so she was here to make sure that it was her that got it. I was a bit put off by just how obsessed Izzy was with getting this issue and her grunts were quite uncomfortable to be honest. I can appreciate being inundated with fandom and collectables, but this was far too overboard for me. She seemed consumed by getting it which just felt off. The way that the story shifted into the contents of the comic strip series coming into reality was good, but then that made me dislike the swerve at the start slightly because I was thrown off again. The Suits coming for the issue to prevent Izzy and the Doctor seeing the truth behind the identity of Courtmaster Cruel was good and I enjoyed the concept of that very much. The references to the prescribed pamphlet describing the comic was also fun and the idea of the ink exploding was good. Quite the defence mechanism! The mind wipe that followed was interesting and it was good that the Doctor recovered much quicker than Izzy being a Time Lord. The same thing was happening all over the country regarding the issue which I liked and the scale could have been explored a bit more. The use of going for the original artwork was very nicely done and something I was a real fan of as that seemed a good way to combat the rarity of the issue. The way it was tracked down and Izzy finally got to see the identity of Courtmaster Cruel was good, even if the moment and the identity was pretty underwhelming. The Courtmaster was a girl and Izzy was devastated. She was mostly annoyed because she didn't see it coming, but it just all seemed a bit out of taste and probably dated with the comment about girls not belonging in boys' comics, even if Izzy herself was reading them. Overall, a decent and fun concept but it was a little jumbled and I wasn't a fan of the performed representation of Izzy. Generous rating.

Rating: 6/10

Fitz's Story

"One call can save your life."

Writer: Stephen Cole

Format: Audio

Released: July 2009

Series: Monthly Adventures 123b

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Fritz

Synopsis

On the planet Entusso, the Doctor and Fitz Kreiner investigate Alien Defence Incorporated – your one-stop shop for protection against extraterrestrial invasion! But which is the greatest menace: the hideous Vermin Queens or ADI itself?

Verdict

Fritz's Story was another fantastic story to continue The Company of Friends collection of adventures featuring the Eighth Doctor. This is certainly a unique Monthly Adventure audio and the way this started post-credits with the advert for Alien Defence Incorporated and the Doctor apparently fully endorsing them as Entusso's means of providing sanctuary against alien invaders was superb. It was fun and upbeat and a terrific concept and I thought Paul McGann's performance for it was magnificent. It was a really good way to start the story and having it then phase out of focus and the Doctor and Fitz watching it in the TARDIS was really nicely done. Now, this was my first experience of Fitz as a companion and whilst the story was excellent, based on this audio I am not a big fan of his character in the slightest. Of course, I will keep my true judgement for when I eventually encounter him as a companion in the prose Eighth Doctor Adventures series, but his attitude here and the remarks and actions he was making regarding women wasn't very likeable. I wasn't a fan of that and I was surprised that the Doctor would be too. Anyway, finding out that the Doctor we had heard in the ADI advert was just a construct was fun and I really enjoyed his reaction to seeing his likeness being used in the way it was here. Director Femor made for a marvellous character and I loved her claim towards the Doctor about him being a part time saviour. There may be some semblance of truth to that, but she clearly knew how good he was at saving when he was around because she wanted him to help ADI as a consultant, or at the very least provide real endorsement. I thought her motives were good in wanting to show the Entusso people that ADI could save them from an alien threat, whilst also warning off the aliens that potentially would be invading. And who better than the Doctor to endorse them? I thought that was really good to play around with. Gastan as a cleaner turning up throughout the audio was good and I liked the twist that he was actually the enemy within ADI. He had killed the ten phone operatives reducing them to slime and his line about cleaning up was fantastic. Initially, I was a little confused with Fitz being left behind given the story title and having the Doctor infiltrate in the ADI compound. But then after the gas disabled him for 18 hours, Fitz was left with instructions that were superb as he was on the news and claimed to be the master strategist behind the myth of the Doctor, who he casually was referring to as John given his John Smith alias. That was really good. The actual adverts that were placed within the news item were so convincing that I instinctually went to skip them as I am a keen podcast listener on my daily walks and always skip through. They were quite a lot of fun. Gastan heading for Fitz to take him out as he believed that he was the true protector was very good and I thought the irony and humour that came with him being dealt with my the chemicals was terrific. The line about him being a bad cleaner was easy but so effective. It was really enjoyable. I thought things ended quite nicely with Fitz taking the Doctor's place on the advert after the fake reveal of being the strategist and the pompous companion seemed pretty pleased with events. It was a fun way to end though and brought the story full circle in a really good way. Overall, this was a brilliant little listen! This release is certainly turning out to be more enjoyable than I anticipated. 

Rating: 9/10

Benny's Story

"You think our lives just stop and start depending on whether the Doctor's around?"

Writer: Lance Parkin
Format: Audio
Released: July 2009
Series: Monthly Adventures 123a

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Benny

Synopsis

Deep in the mines of Epsilon Minima, Professor Bernice Summerfield is up to her beck in it – as usual. The Countess Venhella has hired her to recover a lost Time Lord artefact: a TARDIS key, it turns out. Guess whose?

Verdict

Benny's Story was a fantastic start to The Company of Friends release from Big Finish's Monthly Adventures! It's great to get more of the Eighth Doctor in this range and even though this is a singular release, we get four new stories featuring Paul McGann's excellent eighth incarnation! I have to admit that I have been a little worried about this release because of my lack of knowledge of the Eighth Doctor Adventures and other prose that filled the wilderness years (I'm trying to get there eventually!), but with a decent level of knowledge of Bernice Summerfield from her audio travels with the Seventh Doctor, I was delighted with what I listened to here. There didn't really require any past knowledge as Benny gave a good little account of her time with the Doctor and explained that she'd only met the Eighth Doctor on one occasion prior to the events here. Their relationship here was outstanding and I think the team of Paul McGann and Lisa Bowerman worked extraordinarily well. Benny describing this Doctor as the most fun she has encountered was terrific and that is definitely the word I would use to describe this particular story. It was frantic and fast-paced and had a great plot at its heart. It was along the lines of a full cast Short Trip which worked really well! The idea of Benny being hired to retrieve a Time Lord artefact in of itself is a terrific concept, but that artefact turning out to be the Doctor's TARDIS key is just superb! Her reaction when Venhella mentioned TARDIS was magnificent. Their relationship was an interesting one and I thought the Countess herself made for a brilliant villain. The idea of her having studied Time Lords and time technology was fantastic and her efforts to try and free the heart of the TARDIS was extraordinary! She was sympathising with the machine and was attempting to break the temporal bond it shared with the Doctor which was audacious to say the least. The TARDIS defences coming into play after the Doctor humorously lost his jacket and TARDIS key within it to a lion was very good and I loved how time was moving around them instantaneously. Benny realising that the events they had experienced would result in her uncovering the TARDIS key was great and there was just so much to like about this one. The added threat of what the Doctor would later dub a Vortex Shark was really intriguing, especially considering the Doctor couldn't see it. As a Time Lord, he existed on a different energy wavelength to the creature that was hungry but he did a good job of giving it indigestion and sending it on its way at the end! The Doctor's arrival being greeted by Benny wanting a lift away from Epsilom Minima was fun and I physically laughed out loud when the Doctor mentioned Benny not sharing his abilities in failing to look any older. Perfect Doctor-ness there. I really enjoyed it. I was a little surprised by the ending with the Doctor and Benny just leaving the Countess to her own devices even thought the elevator was non-functional. But with what she had attempted, I guess it was somewhat warranted. The Doctor then preparing to take Benny home was lovely and I liked how after all they have clearly gone through together, the bond was still there. Benny was clearly quite mature and even alluded to the adventures she had enjoyed on her own, but when the Doctor showed up things do change, despite my opening quote which I thoroughly enjoyed. Overall, a fantastic listen!

Rating: 9/10

The Seeds of Death

"You despatched the seeds, Fewsham. In so doing, you destroyed your entire species."

Writer: Terrance Dicks

Format: Novel

Released: December 1986

Series: Target 112

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie, Zoe

Synopsis

Returning to Earth in the 21st century, the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe immediately find themselves caught in the midst of a crisis. T-Mat – a form of instantaneous transportation essential to the smooth running of life on Earth – is going disastrously wrong. 

The Doctor discovers that the T-Mat Base on the Moon has been taken over by a group of Ice Warriors, led by the villainous Slaar. Their home a desolate and dying planet, the Martian invaders see Earth as a world ripe for conquest. 

But before they can colonise Earth they must dramatically alter its atmosphere. And so they unleash the Seeds of Death...

Verdict

The Seeds of Death was an outstanding novelisation of one of my very favourite television serials! I have loved this story ever since first purchasing the DVD based on the image of an Ice Warrior on the back, so to revisit here in prose was a sheer delight. The pace was frantic and it really didn't feel like six parts were crammed into 150 pages which is a big positive. One thing that struck me in the novelisation form of reading was just how much death occurred! The title certainly did live up to its name and I think the Ice Warriors were at their ruthless best with Slaar leading the way. It was good to establish some of the Ice Warrior hierarchy with their clearly just being normal guards and then Slaar leading the mission but also answering to the Grand Marshall. That was really good and this was an incredibly strong second appearance for the Martians. I thought the way the book started with a whole chapter establishing T-Mat and the situation on Earth in the time we were in was excellent, although I'll be quite amazed if any kind of system like the one on show here will be active within the next eighty years. The idea of just going from Stockholm to New York in a matter of seconds is the dream. I loved the way the TARDIS arrived in Eldred's private museum and the Doctor and Zoe genuinely being interested in everything on show was a delight. The way things moved from having them arriving and questioned to manning a rocket to the Moon was fantastic and really made for an entertaining story. I liked the Ice Warriors invading the Moon through the T-Mat control base and the way they manipulated Fewsham into despatching their seeds all over the planet in key strategic and winter cities was terrific. You could hardly blame him for his actions in my opinion and his outburst to Zoe regarding everything that had happened around him was perfectly warranted. I thought it was very courageous of him to then lie about the delay switch and send everyone back to Earth whilst he delayed the Ice Warriors to make amends for his actions. I thought Jamie had quite a fun little story and Dicks does a good job of writing in Scottish lingo to bring the character to life. He was a little out of place with all of the science in this one, but the simplicity in the way he delivered the line about needn't worrying about the Sun because of their three days of food supply was excellent. Despite the global scale of the threat, I thought the story centring around just a few key locations like the Moonbase, the private museum and the weather control bureau was very impressive. It kept things compact which I liked. The plan of the Ice Warriors to use the seeds to starve the Earth of its oxygen and change the atmosphere to something akin to Mars was fantastic and their time of striking when humanity was solely reliant on T-Mat was superb. I am a huge fan of the plot, even if the Ice Warriors are the ones to initially put the system out of action. Slaar leads them well and the Doctor and Jamie recognising them as the culprits was very good. I thought Miss Kelly and Radnor were also great characters and the latter realising the importance of the former when it came to the T-Mat systems was wonderful. The Doctor going to the Moon to disable Slaar's homing signal for the remaining Ice Warriors arrival with the Grand Marshall was bold and the way he counters Slaar's remarks about killing them by saying they tried to kill an entire planet was superb. I really loved that line. It was a fitting end to what was a quite brilliant read. Great characterisation, excellent enemies and a really solid plot. Overall, sheer brilliance!

Rating: 10/10

The Angel of Scutari

"There are some things even God cannot forgive."

Writer: Paul Sutton

Format: Audio

Released: June 2009

Series: Monthly Adventures 122

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Ace, Hex

Synopsis 

October 1854: As the British Army charges into catastrophe in the Crimea, the Minister for War sends Miss Florence Nightingale to take charge of the field hospital at Scutari. 

But there's already an angel of mercy working with the wounded at Scutari. A first-rate fellow who's turned up out of the blue. Goes by the name of Schofield: Thomas Hector Schofield...

With the Doctor and Ace lost in the siege of Sebastopol, Hex has rediscovered his calling. But there's cannon to the left of him, cannon to the right of him – and a deranged spycatcher-in-chief on his case.

Verdict

The Angel of Scutari was an excellent continuation of the Monthly Adventures from Big Finish! It served as a great conclusion to what has been a semi-trilogy of stories with the Seventh Doctor, Ace and Hex and might just go down as the best of the bunch. I really liked the historical setting of this story and how it was placed in Crimea, and the mini history lesson the Doctor gave to Ace regarding their location within the Ottoman Empire and the contentious feelings between Britain and Russia was magnificent. The timey-wimey nature of the audio was also really well done and whilst it was a pure historical, that made it feel more than it actually was. It was a different take to have Ace and the Doctor arriving without Hex, only for him to get a mention as a miraculous doctor that pretty much came from the sky. It was a lot of fun to hear Ace and Tolstoy together and I liked how the latter was absolutely convinced that she was a British spy. He didn't want to bother with the show of her feigning that position which was good. The revelation that the TARDIS was lost within the Black Sea was excellent and I loved how that was coupled with the displacement of the Doctor and Ace. Throwing Hex into that on a slightly different timeline was very well done and his reaction when the blue shell of the TARDIS was found was tremendous. He was so confident in the machine but when the axe started damaging the exterior, all hope was lost for him of being reunited with the Doctor and Ace. It was really nice for him to get to meet Florence Nightingale especially when he admitted that she was his inspiration for becoming a nurse. I thought that was a really nice companion moment. There should be no shame in admitting that. The way the TARDIS was also utilised for Ace in realising that she was speaking Russian was fantastic as she knew that the translation circuits were working so it couldn't be too far away. The way the story's title came into play with Hex being described as the angel that descended from the sky instead of Nightingale was fantastic and their relationship really was a story highlight. The historical characters in this one were very good indeed with Tsar Nicholas and Brigadier Kitchen particularly standing out. The historical feel was definitely there and the characters are pivotal to that. There really were some standout performances. I thought the cliffhangers were very strong in this adventure which is always good and the pace was almost perfect. For a four-parter, it certainly went by quick which is a telltale sign of a great story. Ace almost accepting that the Doctor was manipulating her and events before even landing was a good thing and whilst I have never been her biggest fan, she is certainly growing on me at the moment in the Monthly Adventures. The continuation from Enemy of the Daleks was another highlight and I liked how events there were still troubling Hex. The way this one finished on a cliffhanger with Hex being shot after being thought a spy after admitting he arrived with the Doctor and Ace was unexpected and it seemed that towards the end, he had passed before anything could be done. However, I doubt the Doctor will be giving up and all sights look set for St Gart's Brookside Hospital for the next Monthly Adventure featuring this trio. I look forwarding to hearing what happens next, but for now this was a brilliant audio!

Rating: 9/10

Sleepers in the Dust

"How can bacteria be dead?"

Writer: Darren Jones
Format: Audio
Released: November 2012
Series: NSA 20

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis

The TARDIS touches down on Nadurniss, a planet under quarantine. A joint Nadurini/human mission has recently landed on the planet to survey it for possible re-colonisation. Two millennia have passed since the Nadurni Empire fell at the end of the Prokarian War, and Nadurniss seems to be a lifeless, barren world – but a mysterious illness is infecting the Nadurni, and now the whole team is in danger. The nature of the infection becomes clear when the sickest Nadurni dies and an amorphous creature emerges from its dried-up body. A shambling mound of bacteria, acting as one being – a Prokarian – it has been on the planet all along, sleeping in the dust. As the Prokarians attack, Amy is infected. The Doctor can do nothing to help her – until he realises that the cure could lie in the past. He and Rory must travel back more than 2000 years to try and save her life...

Verdict

Sleepers in the Dust was an excellent original audio! I love the idea of continuity between the Eleventh Doctor Tales and getting some references to The Eye of the Jungle and revisiting the war between the Nadurni and the Prokarians was excellent! I liked how there was no messing around in getting things sorted as the Nadurni were reintroduced right from the start and they were armed. One swinging at Amy and that resulting in Rory running out only to be shot by what turned out to be a scanner was very humorous. I thought Arthur Darvill was sublime in the narrator role and that made for an enjoyable listen. Drisk was a good Nadurni character as a biogeologist and I liked the pre-titles cliffhanger being that the TARDIS had landed on Nadurniss and that the planet was under quarantine. All signs pointed towards the Nadurni having lost the war against the Prokarians and that meant Nadurni like Celeste were very cautious when it came to outsiders like our main trio. Drisk being infected and quickly dying provided quite the danger for the audio and I loved that we were involving the Federation and the Doctor namedropping Peladon as his credentials. It was intriguing for the disease that was initially only infecting Nadurni and I also loved the concept of the bacteria not existing outside of the host. Ghost bacteria! Really good stuff. Thrisk dying and sitting up after the effect was quite something, especially with there being something else within the body. Of course, that was a Prokarian and Amy was soon infected as it turned out humans were also susceptible to the disease. The Doctor working for the cure was good and the threat of Amy being lost quite quickly was very good. Rory's anger was fantastic and I liked how the Doctor had to once again defend the inability to change the past, but that led to him thinking that the cure may lay there which was very well done. The fact that it might take years to find and had to be done in stages was good and I loved that he didn't tell Rory this initially which was why he wanted to venture back by himself. It was also good to add in the danger of them possibly bringing the infection back from the future. Rory's reaction to seeing planetary destruction was excellent and the comment of the Prokarians coming home really caught my attention. The Plague of Mordax was also intriguing and I liked how he was the fool that had created them. Their use of a death cluster and the final assault to envelope the planet was very good. There was a lot of action incorporated into a great story which I very much enjoyed. The TARDIS arriving at the pinnacle of the Nadurni Empire was good and I liked the differences of the species with them showing no deformities. The return of the drones which Rory acknowledged as being familiar was nicely done as well. The introduction of Science Dictator Mordax was fantastic and I really loved his character. The experiments and incubator showed he was determined to his task and his revelation that the Doctor is the reason why his species won't be defeated was tremendous. He'd used a DNA extractor after scanning the Doctor on arrival and provided the Nadurni with cellular regeneration! The cryo-chamber threat was fantastic, as was the concept of the Nadurni evolving with each regeneration. The Doctor needing the extractor to save Amy was good, but Mordax wanted foreknowledge of what was to come of Nadurniss which was great. I thought it was a good development to have Mordax as patient zero was fantastic and the Doctor extracting the human part from Rory for use in Amy was nicely done as it would cancel out the regenerative qualities and stop infection. The return to where and when Amy was worked well and I liked the threat of the TARDIS being wrapped in matter. The moments where it seemed that Amy was still going to be lost was really good and the Doctor realising that the pathogen had to come from Rory so infected him with a new sample to get the cure was fantastic fun! The Doctor being silenced by the Prokarians and just about getting the dust message out was very good and that's where they had been all along! I liked that twist a lot, even if it is in the name of the story. The way the Doctor and Amy were both saved worked well and I also loved the mention of the blue box in Nadurniss stories and myths. The Doctor saving the final 8 Nadurni and giving them a second chance elsewhere was a really nice way to end things. Overall, a brilliant audio!

Rating: 9/10

The Dark River

"Helping me is a crime."

Writer: Matthew Waterhouse
Format: Short Story
Released: October 2019
Printed in: The Target Storybook 05

Featuring: Nyssa, Adric

Synopsis

In the midst of doing battle against the Tereleptils in London during 1666, Adric and Nyssa take an accidental sidestep in the TARDIS to the future of the USA. There, they come face to face with a slave, before being reunited with one of the Doctor's old friends who wants a TARDIS exchange...

Verdict

The Dark River was a pretty decent continuation of my somewhat sporadic reading of The Target Storybook! I liked the uniqueness of this one in that we didn't get anything of the Doctor and setting things midway through The Visitation was a fantastic idea and it's quite fun to think that Adric and Nyssa just journeyed away for four days whilst the Doctor and Tegan needed their help urgently to defeat the Tereleptils! This opens up so much room throughout Doctor Who history for little pockets of adventures to take place unknowingly to other characters. What we got was not the most incredible story by any stretch of the imagination, but it was good for the development of the relationship between Adric and Nyssa. Now, I have made it no secret that I am not an Adric fan, but I am very much a fan of Nyssa so the dynamic here was a little strange from a personal perspective. Even more so considering Matthew Waterhouse was the author! But nonetheless, I thought he did a pretty good job in being able to capture the essence of his character and there was enough annoyance to make it a good representation and characterisation of Adric of Alzarius. I've always been a fan of his abilities to heal quickly and seeing those on full display here was very good. I was less sure about his desire to have helped James as Adric can be incredibly selfish so that didn't quite seem in character, but the rash decision to leave the TARDIS was very much something I would expect of him despite his intelligence. The way the companions always wearing the same clothes throughout their TARDIS travels was addressed here was very fun and the idea of K9 placing a mechanical tailor function into the TARDIS was a lot of fun. That definitely seems plausible for the Fourth Doctor to have implemented, even if it was just for the scarves! The outburst of Adric are something I have never been fans of and the one he labelled against Nyssa here was embarrassing. It didn't really stem from anything but there he was going off on one against Nyssa and how she was the Perfect Princess of Traken. I was surprised she reacted so well and I still think she might just be comforting him by later saying how he was the most extraordinary boy she'd meet. She must have incredible patience! The basis of the plot firstly centring on Adric wanting to help James because he had saved his life was not my favourite as there didn't seem to be any kind of end goal for the adventure. We were just plodding along as James hoped to find sanctuary and be free of slavery. That theme getting explored and Nyssa not understanding what was meant by 'whites' was a fantastic inclusion though. I really liked that. The introduction of Doc Ashbury following the steamboat explosion which saw the TARDIS sink beneath the water was good, especially as he retrieved the time machine and knew what it was! Not only what, but whose it was as well! It was fun for Adric and Nyssa to bump into a Time Lord from the Academy and I enjoyed how he seemingly had met different incarnations from the seventh to the fourth to the second all out of order. Typical Doctor! His having a Type-29 TARDIS was good and I loved the concept of it malfunctioning and being bigger on the outside. That was terrific. The temporary threats that came from him wanting to swap TARDISes was decent, but then it was all settled by a simple using the Type-40 to charge the dead battery of the Type-29's time rotor and we were off to the races with everyone happy, including James who would be off to travel the stars. Overall, a decent little short story!

Rating: 7/10

The Conspiracy

"The world we see is the world they want us to see."

Writer: David Llewellyn

Format: Audio

Released: September 2015

Series: Torchwood Monthly Range 01

Featuring: Captain Jack

Synopsis

Captain Jack Harkness has always had his suspicions about the Committee. And now Wilson is also talking about the Committee. Apparently the world really is under the control of alien lizards. That's what Wilson says. People have died, disaster have been staged, the suspicious have disappeared.

It's outrageous.

Only Jack knows that Wilson is right. The Committee has arrived.

Verdict

The Conspiracy was an excellent start to the monthly range of Torchwood Big Finish audios! Sadly, I know a little already of what goes on with the Committee due to their involvement in Aliens Among Us and God Among Us as part of Torchwood's official continuation as the fifth and sixth series, but I look forward to almost treating this as a prequel from my personal perspective. I completely disagree with their inclusion in the official continuation, but hey ho. I'm far from being a conspiracy theorist but I am hugely intrigued in conspiracy theories and George Wilson being a pro-conspiracy theorist was great. His history as a news reporter and his outburst against the battle between politics and businesses was fantastic. George making claims about the Committee was great and the concept behind them of being experts undercover that controlled everything from the planet Erabus was excellent. Jack knowing this to be the truth was brilliant and that had meant he was keeping an eye on George Wilson for a long time so when his roadshow came to Cardiff, Jack went undercover at Plexus magazine. That was really fun and even though Wilson's career was off limits for discussion, Jack prodded right in. The hierarchy of society being the Committee, Enablers and Drones was superb and I thought it was really intriguing that they had supposedly orchestrated every famine, war and genocide. Sam sitting next to Jack at the roadshow was very good and he knew about Jack and Torchwood as a blogger and followed him after the event, but Jack was onto him which was really good. Jack getting an interview with Wilson was really good and I liked how he claimed to have a CIA contact that provided him with the name of the Committee. He had several contacts across a number of organisations that were aware of the Committee which was fun to play with. The claim that both the Nazis and the Allied Forces were stooges of the Committee and the Second World War was all a fabrication was quite something! The clam that the causes of the War were fictional is quite incredible. Jack questioning the motive of the Committee and how they'd done a bad job in eradicating the human race was good because his points of the population doubling was magnificent. But was the War all a plan to provide the atomic bomb as a means of wiping out? Sam confronting Jack and having photos with Torchwood and calling Gwen fit was quite amusing. His calling Jack with a plea of sorts after being threatened by the Committee was a powerful scene as Jack got their message when Sam was hanged. Whether he fell or was pushed, Jack's determination that followed the bogus last testament video was palpable. It was brilliant to hear John Barrowman again in a lead role. Jack confronting George with a gun wanting the name of his contact was quite something, but then an unexpected revelation came as George revealed that his contacts didn't actually exist and he had made everything up! That was marvellous and his revelling in the humour of the ridiculousness of his Committee claims was really good. He had initial paranoia, and Kate, his daughter, had come up with the idea for his book. Jack suggesting to George that everything was all true was good and I liked that George was willing to retire if that was what Jack wanted. Jack being confused by how he got so much right was fantastic. George drinking was good despite his issues and it was a nice development to have him hurt by Sam's death. Jack spying on George and Kate and noticing her rehearsed sympathy was great. Kate had been deep cover for the Committee as an adopted daughter which was good and the meeting at the hotel between Jack and Kate was nicely done. The Kepri 5 story with the Committee knowing about Jack was terrific and the question of why Kate fed details was very interesting. This was exactly what they wanted after studying Earth for 100 years and their loving a lie was fascinating. George thinking Kate was playacting was fun and Sam's death was perfect for the Committee. Her calm comment with how she revealed George would be dead and killed him to have Torchwood's fingerprints all over events, and then killed Jack, made her a terrific villain! The sirens were coming so Jack had to leave before covering his tracks. He left the Torchwood team because he needed to stop them, because now the Committee were everywhere. Overall, a fine start to the range! 

Rating: 9/10

Out of the Deep

"The sun and sand are enemies enough."

Writer: John Pritchard 

Format: Audio

Released: June 2020

Series: Short Trips 10.06

Featuring: First Doctor, Steven

Synopsis

Drawn to Mesopotamia in the late 1850s by an unknown signal, the Doctor and Steven cross paths with an archaeological expedition looking for one of the world's first cities, Eridu. Darkness sits at the heart of Eridu, an ancient evil that is stirring. 

Some things are buried for a reason. 

Verdict

Out of the Deep was a very good little Short Trips audio adventure! First of all I am a big fan of the artwork for this one and after taking things to Earth's oldest city of Mesopotamia in the nineteenth century, I liked it even more as it fit the feel of the story very well. The right tone was established from the off which I certainly think is an important factor for any audio. The Doctor and Steven being down to Mesopotamia was good and it is a unique setting which I really like. The fact it was rubble here in the nineteenth century was good and I really would love for a story to be set there during its prime. The concept of some sort of energy being buried beneath in the ancient remains of the city was great and I also liked how we got a brief history of the city and its importance. I think that was important to listeners who might not understand or be aware of its significance in human history. I liked the characters of Professor Wood and his daughter Jessica and I thought Peter Purves did a tremendous job with the narration. It definitely didn't feel like we had just one actor performing which is a huge compliment. The remains of a pyramid or ziggurat being found was good and the Doctor's curiosity being peaked once a potential passage to the city below was identified was magnificent. That's the First Doctor at his very best. Their journey below was great and I liked how there was something almost absorbing the light. The eery atmosphere created was very nicely done. The Doctor being interested in the earth was fun because to anyone else it was just ground. But for the Doctor, he'd located a distortion in the universe as we knew it. That was quite spectacular! I also enjoyed that Wood's watch had slowed to crawl as that was a good dynamic and the description of the figure of a man slumped in the stone chair was really good. I love playing with the idea of something being preserved and in this case the figure was also mummified. Pondering whether he was one of the first Kings of the city was a nice touch as well. The figure moving was good but probably could have been more impactful, but its effort to speak followed by the big booming and slow voice was intriguing. It had encountered the human race before but they weren't ready for the knowledge Zile had to share. He could offer the wisdom required to control the world. I liked how he talked of human conflict and war during this era of history and Wood proudly claimed that their wars were just and that his Empire would win. Zile's overarching figure was vey good and I liked how he invoked fear. The description was very apt with what appears on the artwork. The emergence of the Watchman was a good development if not entirely clear but the thwarting by ancestors and Wood being tempted to pacify the planet and enforce his will was great. The revelation that the depths below contained a buried alien was a nice development and a visitor from the prehistoric times was imprisoned by its own species, and now we had a Watchmen to keep it that way. I liked how there was a sense of an unseen void to Steven and he felt the pull and got a glimpse of the thing in the abyss rising. The threat of being stuck below the city was a very good one and after the Doctor brought the walls down, the image of the Watchman pondering going below to the prisoner was good, but our main characters had escaped to the surface. The alien was stuck in eternal punishment suspended in a lost section of space which was excellent, and I quite liked the ambiguity that came with the Watchman and the alien prisoner. Overall, a very enjoyable little listen!

Rating: 8/10

The Rings of Ikiria

"My work must be seen. It must be appreciated."

Writer: Richard Dinnick

Format: Audio

Released: June 2012

Series: Companion Chronicles 6.12

Featuring: Third Doctor, Brigadier, Mike

Synopsis

UNIT is accustomed to dealing with visitors from space, but nothing has prepared them for Ikiria, an alien artist bearing gifts. Could Ikiria's designs be something more than aesthetic?

As the Brigadier turns against him, Mike Yates goes on the run. Can he save the world? Or will he just learn an important lesson in betrayal?

Verdict

The Rings of Ikiria was a great Companion Chronicles audio adventure! It was an interesting listen having Mike Yates in such a prominent performed role but it was good to get an insight into the life of a normal UNIT operative. I liked hearing how UNIT was something of a safety net for Mike in his early days with the organisation, so the way the story quickly shifted to the Brigadier shooting him off a cliff! It was quite the pre-titles, but my biggest disappointment was that things didn't circle back around to it. Yates also talking of home was interesting to listen to as it was just so ordinary for a familiar character which was refreshing. Jean Mercier being Mike's driver was nice and I liked the reference to Doctor Who and the Silurians. The audio setting of the Channel Islands worked well and the concept of five rings appearing in a wheat field was great. The Doctor suspecting that the rings were letters in an alien language was intriguing and I liked how he deduced that the race responsible were a non-hostile and trans-dimensional species in the form of the Etherean race. The letters spelling Ikiria was very good and her arrival, initially in speech was terrific and I really liked the way she sounded. The Doctor believing that Ikiria spelt craft was a little strange but for Yates she was the most beautiful and heavenly thing he had seen. Her initial arrival was good and I liked her description being donned with jewels and makeup. Her ability to change colour was also intriguing and I was surprised that more didn't come of that ability. Her arrival to Earth to offer beauty was good and I loved the idea of her being an artist. Ikiria offering a stone sample as their work to show their superiors was good and I liked the fun the came from Benton wearing a ring of Ikiria. Yates refusing to take one presented a good dynamic and the Doctor also going missing around that time was fantastic. It works well in the Companion Chronicles range so I enjoyed that. One thing that was a little off for me was Richard Franklin's take on the Doctor and Benton as there was a clear impression but it was a long way off in my view. All of the UNIT men wearing gloves was brilliant and I liked how it initially seemed that they were hiding the rings from Yates. The death of Campbell was abrupt and the seventh ring appearing was a good development. I thought it was fun for the Brigadier to call Yates delusional and the threat of being banished RTU was very good. The Doctor being in the shape of the crops with a stern face was a unique cliffhanger to say the least! Yates overthrowing the helicopter was an action packed scene and his discreet mission was very well done. Jean turning to Ikiria's side was very good as well. The moment Yates was reunited with the Doctor was nicely done and I was surprised when it was revealed that the Brigadier had been pretending to be under control for the whole time! The gloves were to hide the fact there were no rings. I really didn't see that coming which is great. The Doctor had investigated the ring for the whole time and had even informed the Home Office. The idea behind the Etheric crystals and their psionic abilities was terrific and I liked the plan to replace the crystal to reverse things. Ikiria manipulating matter was interesting and something more I thought could have been played upon, especially with the UNIT metallic skin development. The Doctor offering Ikiria a chance was excellent and I loved the pretty please line. She of course refused and ended up being onslaught with the psionic blast as intended. The plan for the Doctor to engage her whilst Yates went with the sonic screwdriver to reverse the crystal impact was magnificent. Yates ignoring the plea of Mercier with the lure of home was very good and he was tempted, but the revelation that Jean had never existed was superb. The Doctor revealing how the crystals were flawed which led to Ikiria's corruption was logical but I was surprised that she took the form of Jean from fragments of Mike's memories. Overall though, a really enjoyable listen!

Rating: 8/10

Asylum

"Was the Doctor so confident of his purity that he had no need to consider his sins?"

Writer: Peter Darvill-Evans
Format: Novel
Released: May 2001
Series: PDA 42

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Nyssa

Synopsis

'My view' the Doctor said 'is that you can run – in fact it's often by far the best option – but you can't hide. I'll see myself out.'

Nyssa felt a pang of disappointment. He had gone. She would probably never see him again.

The town of Oxford in AD 1278 seems a haven of tranquility. Under the summer sun, merchants, students and clerics go about their daily, unhurried tasks. Alfric, the proctor of the Franciscan friary, has only two minor problems: one of the friars has gone missing, and there's a travelling showman, calling himself the Doctor, with a pretty young noblewoman by his side, attracting crowds in the narrow streets.

When the missing friar is found dead, the Doctor is convinced he has been murdered. There is a ruthless killer at large, and Alfric reluctantly teams up with the Doctor to track him down.

Their investigation leads towards the most celebrated of the Franciscan brotherhood: Roger Bacon, famed throughout Christendom as a scholar – and, in the far future, the subject of a revolutionary thesis by technographer Nyssa of Traken.

Verdict

Asylum was an excellent novel! I didn't really know what to expect from this one as I had never heard of it before my young cousin provided me with a copy to borrow after picking it up in a charity shop. I was delighted to read it and reuniting the Fourth Doctor and Nyssa was a tremendous idea. I think they made a terrific pairing and whilst we only saw them on screen together in The Keeper of Traken and Logopolis, getting a bonus here was magnificent. There was a bit of a continuity mishap when Nyssa realised that the Doctor had arrived at a point before he had first met her, with her memories of seeing the Doctor regenerate on Logopolis obviously not correct. He fell to his death on Earth of course. I thought that was a bad error, but it was a rare mishap in what was a fantastic read. I really enjoyed the idea of Nyssa doing a thesis as a technographer on Roger Bacon as his era being the thirteenth century didn't seem to quite compute with that subject. When things started changing before her very eyes and the records she had stored on Home were altering, the arrival of the Doctor was great. I liked the approach of not beating around the bush when it came to Nyssa having foreknowledge of the Doctor and he took it in his stride that he was meeting a future companion of his after she had stopped travelling. These events were at least six years after those of Terminus and Nyssa's leaving the TARDIS behind and she was definitely an altered character. She had troubling feeling pretty much anything which was quite difficult to read at times and I was very surprised to find that she didn't really care that she was going to die when it came to brother Thomas attempting to silence her permanently. I thought much of the first half of the book focusing on Godwin's death was good and I loved how the Doctor's presence brought a different way of thinking to the Franciscans. He provided out of the box thinking which was really fun. The characterisation of Tom Baker's fourth incarnation was really impressive. I was surprised though by how little he and Nyssa actually interacted, but I guess there needed to be little interaction to keep their first meeting true. One thing that really intrigued me in this novel was how extensively used the TARDIS translation circuits were. The idea of thought going into speech to decide what language was spoken was fascinating and we saw Nyssa use that to ensure she spoke courtly French whilst the Doctor was able to speak Latin so conversationally. Given the release was 2001, that was tremendous. I thought the Oxford setting in the thirteenth century was brilliant and really well utilised when it came to the Franciscans. I could have done with less of the talk concerning the conquest of Wales though, given that I am a stern supporter of Welsh independence. Richard was a likeable character and I liked how he basically fell in love with Nyssa from first sight. For people of this time, she was perfect in her features and she became the biggest attraction of the Doctor's essentially circus act which was very good in its own right. The murder of Hubert in the Jewish quarter was a good development and I was surprised that the details went as far as circumcision. The fire that came on the islet to the observatory was also great and I liked how the Doctor and Alfrick got along, with their escape from the fire being a prime example. The former's spelling out of how it was Thomas that had done the killings was a fantastic moment and it all seemed so obvious once said aloud. I had my suspicions right from the start to be honest and the links with the mysterious alien species that took over different body hosts was terrific. I liked the concept of them hoping to find the Elixir of Life to escape the oncoming plague, but their efforts were in vain. The epilogue finish was nice too and I liked how the Doctor took Nyssa home after a stark conversation about her choosing life. Overall, a brilliant read!

Rating: 9/10

The Empty House

"They've turned Rory into a ghost."

Writer: Simon Guerrier
Format: Audio
Released: October 2012
Series: NSA 19

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis

Thrown off course by a howling storm, the TARDS lands in a bleak, desolate stretch of countryside. The Doctor deduces that it has arrived in Hampshire in the 1920s and, sniffing the air, he smells a distinct colour of sulphur – indicating that a spaceship has crashed in the area. While Rory goes to fetch an umbrella, Amy and the Doctor brave the rain to find the stricken craft. It is huge, shiny, silvery-blue – and completely empty. A set of footprints leads to a cosy-looking, old-fashioned cottage: but the house, too, is deserted. However, the Doctor and Amy can distinctly hear people talking – and one of the voices sounds like Rory's. How could he be in the cottage when he was last seen heading back to the TARDIS? Where are the residents of then empty house? And what has happened to the inhabitants of the spaceship?

Verdict

The Empty House was a really good audio story to continue making my through the Eleventh Doctor Tales collection on BorrowBox! This was a great story and had a fantastic atmosphere throughout and I don't usually listen to audios in the dark, but by chance the was perfect! Our introduction to Bill and Mary was well done and I really liked the stormy weather that added to the feel of the adventure. Knocking was such a simple action but it added so much to the feel of the audio. Mary being prepared for visitors in the middle of night was interesting and once Bill answered to something alien, it seemed that he was killed! Quite the pre-titles. The idea of something hitting the TARDIS was good and I enjoyed how the Doctor was angry at that happening. The audacity! His deduction that they had been forced to land off track in the 1920s was great and I thought his explanation for working out that they were in Hampshire was outstanding. It was the highlight for me. Their finding of tracks in the countryside was good and Rory's going back to retrieve some warmer clothing for Amy wasn't the best way to split the team up, but its result was fantastic. The Doctor and Amy found the ship and it was deserted and the eery atmosphere that came was excellent. The concept of tentacles was further freakiness. The Groog made an intriguing enemy and I liked how they were a complicated species with a tendency for some of them to devour. The house setting was magnificent and I liked how the sonic screwdriver wasn't having any effect. The sound of voices was good and I loved the idea of Rory being heard. There was something about Amy looking at the letters and photos within the house that added to the eery feel and I liked how it confirmed that the Doctor's deduction of being in Hampshire 1927 was correct. The feeling of something being in the house with them was brilliant and I liked how the Doctor knew there was something clever. Amy had goosebumps and the continued sounds but unrecognised words was really nicely done. The way rhythm was felt without working out what was being said was good. Amy's determination to keep looking for Rory was great and the shift from outside to inside was terrific. They eventually did see Rory within the house but when looking through, he saw straight through them which was a good development. There were two figures in the room with him and the description of the Groog being like toadstools with no faces, grey and mucus tentacles really did set the scene! They were also armed which was problematic. Rory, Bill and Mary being prisoners was good and I loved the idea of them being out of phase with time. The plan to use sound and light delays to catch up was interesting and the Doctor and Amy making as much noise as possible was decent. The threat of the bubble straining worked well and I thought the comment from the Doctor about being locked in a cold bathroom without a rubber duck was typical for the Eleventh Doctor. The added threat of the possibility that the bubble might slip into another dimension rather than simply popping and freeing its inhabitants was good. I really enjoyed the revelation that it was actually the Doctor and Amy who were in the bubble as that was an unexpected twist that worked really well. The explanation being that the TARDIS must have hit the Groog ship as it was coming out of warp was good and it was the TARDIS that put Rory back into phase when he went back for Amy. It was all a bit quick but definitely logical. The concept of the Doctor and Amy being used by the bubble as fuel was very good and the escape to get back to the TARDIS was full of action which I enjoyed. It was nice of the Doctor to shield Amy and them being saved by being out of phase and the gun going straight through them was very good. It was a sudden way to end, but one that was pretty good! Overall, a very good audio!

Rating: 8/10

False Negative

"There are slightly different versions of us."

Writer: John Dorney

Format: Audio

Released: November 2017

Series: UNIT: Encounters 5.04

Featuring: Kate, Osgood

Synopsis

When a strange travel capsule is activated in UNIT's laboratory, Osgood and Josh find themselves in a whole new world of trouble. Soon, nobody at UNIT HQ is quite who they seem, and the team discovers that the greatest danger they could ever face comes from within...

Verdict

False Negative was a really good audio to conclude what has been a mightily impressive fifth series of the modern UNIT spinoff series in the form Encounters! This one started off in a more than unexpected way with Osgood and Josh waking up in bed together with a whole bunch of shower innuendo. As if that wasn't weird enough, it then seemed that Osgood had Sam captive and went as far as killing him! Of course, this wasn't the universe we were used to and that was further evidenced by Kate instructing Shindi to simply kill escaped prisoners. The intruder alarm at UNIT going off was good and I liked how it was centred on Osgood's office. The capsule that was found had two occupants and from there it was clear to draw the conclusion that Osgood and Josh had arrived in a parallel universe. The constant bickering that was occurring between Kate and Shindi was so much fun and I loved the idea of the latter wanting to overthrow the former in a coup! There was a hint of seriousness in that joke which was just marvellous. The Osgood we are familiar with encountering Josh from the alternate reality was fantastic with him greeting her with quite the kiss! Her reaction to that was very good as she couldn't give up where she was from. The fact that Josh was in on the killing of Sam showed that in this universe, the Osgood and Josh were far from their counterparts in our universe. The contrast then shifting with our Josh being encountered and kissed by the other Osgood was fantastic and the humour that came with his usual comments of calling her hot when she was winning was a great deal of fun. The moment that the familiar Osgood and Josh met back up was fantastic and I liked how the former was explaining their location and the parallel universe arrival. The relaxed nature of the alternate Kate was really quite a shift and it was testament to Jemma Redgrave's performance that showed such a shift in dynamic. Her lack of care was startling. The capsule that brought Osgood and Josh to the alternate universe lacking power and there being no way back was a good problem to present and I really enjoyed how the other Osgood was working out what the capsule actually was. Josh dropping in the line about parallel universes to this Osgood revealed his hand and that ended up with him and the other Osgood taking a trip back to our universe once she had found a way to fix it. The humour of their meeting with Kate and how Josh was calling Osgood his lovely lady was just more fun. The concept of the other Josh and Osgood being planted within UNIT to destroy it within was excellent and something I'd have liked a bit more of. The fascist dictator of Earth was also something with more potential to explore. The other Osgood fleeing within UNIT HQ was good with the use of the deadly gun and I loved how Kate realised that this Osgood was from an evil parallel universe. Josh searching for the gun when planting the real Osgood with a snog was hilarious, but I would have liked more clarity on how she returned from the parallel reality. The line from Kate about an eye patch in referencing Inferno was also sublime stuff. Osgood pleading to her alternate self about the capsule damaging the framework of reality was good and the confrontation was well done. The line about this version being Osbad was a terrible joke, but it was one so bad that it was good. I liked how our Osgood was helping her alternate self find her way back and they worked together to boost the capsule's power and accelerate the process to get Osbad back home before the capsule exploded. It was a nice way to end things and I liked how Kate mentioned the Auctioneers' toys and that Sam had finally given word. It brought things to a very good end whilst setting up the next series. Overall, a great audio adventure! 

Rating: 8/10

The Sontaran Project

"We exploit extraterrestrial technology."

Writer: Andrew Smith

Format: Audio

Released: November 2017

Series: UNIT: Encounters 5.03

Featuring: Kate, Osgood

Synopsis

On a routine reconnaissance mission, Colonel Shindi finds more than he bargains for in the Forest of Ardennes. Back in England, an old colleague makes Osgood an offer she cannot refuse. The chance to take part in an exciting new scientific advance. Before long, UNIT is on collision course with a force of alien clones, and Kate must forge an unlikely alliance. 

Verdict

The Sontaran Project was a fantastic audio to continue UNIT's fifth series in the form of Encounters! I am thoroughly enjoying this boxset and this was another superb story to add to the collection. I'm a huge fan of the Sontarans so I was really excited to hear them take on UNIT, but the way things started was quite different as we heard a Sontaran die and it wasn't the first in its unique surroundings of a testing centre. There was some sort of experiment going on and Professor Torrance was part of it, and he had a big connection to UNIT given that Osgood was his former protege. Kate and Shindi investigating some sort of signal was good and I loved the idea of Kate only being present in hologram form. That certainly saved travel! Placing Osgood at a science conference was good and definitely somewhere I'd expect to find her. The setting of the Ardennes forest as part of the Belgian project was great and I liked how something was tracked entering the atmosphere that intended on being shielded, but entered too fast that it registered a heat signal. Torrance also being at the conference was a good move and I liked how he cancelled Osgood's taxi to give her a lift himself. His comment about being interested in cloning was delightful subtlety. Shindi recognising the Sontaran scout ship after its uncovering in the forest was good and I loved the battle that ensued once Marshall Skar arrived on the scene in the search of the ship's pilot, Merx. The Torrance Foundation research facility was intriguing and I liked how the experiments on Sontarans were far bigger than anticipated. The government wanted things a secret, but Torrance wanted UNIT to know with his meeting at the conference being far from one of chance. He needed her help and when he showed her a Sontaran, he was happy that she recognised it. Shindi being captured onto Skar's ship was excellent and I loved the way they spoke officer to officer with some sort of soldierly respect between them. Torrance and Colley explaining how their experiments were engaged in attempting to understand Sontaran cloning was fantastic and just a great concept and I was stunned to find that the Sontaran Osgood had been introduced to was actually cloned by them, rather than in its natural reproduction. However, there were flaws in the process as once the humanly cloned Sontarans were out of the amino fluid, they died shortly thereafter. The question of who would pay for Sontarans was also fun to play with. Skar tracking Merx through his bio-tracker was very good and I was intrigued to find that he'd been shimmied around Europe before ending up in Kent where his tracker went dead three days ago, indicating death. The attempt of using truth serum on Osgood was fantastic and I loved how she reacted to the efforts with her immunity. Her thanking Malcolm was marvellous and I'd love for him to show up in this spinoff one day! It was great continuity regardless and I liked how she then got a message to UNIT. The sound of the Overseer in Vienna being robotic was intriguing and I do hope we get more of the Auctioneers in the final episode, though I'm not convinced we will. They sound perfect for UNIT to battle though! Kate arriving at the grounds of the Foundation and confronting Skar was brilliant and I liked the idea of the two forces sharing an interest. UNIT working with Sontaran forces was terrific. Osgood's conversing with Merx was also fantastic with their allied interests and I liked how he had removed the tracker to bring the Sontarans to find him. Merx being on a reconnaissance mission to Earth was good and whilst Kate wasn't too trusting of the Sontaran after mentioning the events of The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky, she seemed to believe that they did in fact have no interest in Earth at that moment. The Overseer holding dark auctions with select clients was good and any further information we can get about them will be most welcomed. The government inspection rouse to get into the Foundation was fun, but not as much as Skar bursting his way in! Typical Sontaran humour that I loved. The efforts of using the clones as an army in the hope they'd last long enough was heartless and the comment to the Sontaran after he was wounded about him being surplus to requirements showed just what Torrance thought of Sontaran life. Colley surrendering was good and Torrance being killed by a Sontaran clone in brutal fashion was justice and fitting. Skar finding Merx and wanting him to stand to his senior officer despite being wounded was sublime, but he did tell him well done after that which was nice. The way the final moments set things up with UNIT set to investigate the Auctioneers was nicely done, and I look forward to seeing where Sam's disappearance fits in. Things are linking up quite nicely. Overall, an excellent story!

Rating: 9/10

Invocation

"Flee from the fingers of the little grey man."

Writer: Roy Gill

Format: Audio

Released: November 2017

Series: UNIT: Encounter 5.02

Featuring: Kate, Osgood

Synopsis

It's Hallowe'en and Josh finds himself at a party where phantoms are becoming all too real. Osgood is working late and hears a voice from the skies making strange incantations. The next day, Kate has gone missing in the Scottish Borders, and the team head north to investigate. Ghosts from the past are haunting UNIT, and now they threaten the whole world...

Verdict

Invocation was another excellent audio adventure to continue the Encounters fifth series of the new UNIT adventures! I thought it might be tough for the series to follow up from the fantastic The Dalek Transaction, but this one did a stellar job! The concept of the Voxtail 3 broadcast was really intriguing and the idea of it still sending a signal after originating over fifty years ago was terrific. That got me interested from the start. The Halloween setting didn't really play a big part, but there was definitely an eery feel to the audio which was unique for the UNIT spinoff. Kate being in a room and the description of the twisted fingers and the grey man was superb. I liked how the signal changed to Latin and the invocation used to summon the spirit fitted the feel of the audio brilliantly. Josh being at a party with Phoebe for Halloween worked well and I enjoyed how everyone at the party saw a mysterious ghostly figure, but Josh was immune to its effects. Osgood deducing how Phoebe's flat used to be a TV centre was fantastic  and provided a good link between that and the events of the broadcast. Osgood and Josh heading for the Borders to find Kate after she had gone off grid was great and I liked the idea of her investigating an old UNIT property that should have been abandoned but was still on the UNIT books and being funded. Eeldon House made for a superb setting and I liked how Kate realised she had been there before with her dad. The rhyme she heard as a child being repeated with the recurring mentions of the grey man was magnificent. Donnelly as the caretaker was a fantastic character and I also liked Ben as her son and being the child that Kate ran around this very house with as a child. The long gallery room was a really good part of the house and I thoroughly enjoyed the strange atmosphere that came within it. I liked the history of how Lord Eeldon died in strange circumstances and his dying words made mention of the grey man. It was clear that Ben and Donnelly were in on something more with the house and the arrival of UNIT forces made that even clearer. The tongue and cheek comment about Donnelly vanishing was terrific and I liked how Osgood was trying to locate the Voxtail signal, but was soon joined by Ben who revealed he was a computer expert. Osgood feeling nausea within the long gallery was good and I liked the continuity going back from the Extinction first series with Josh's physiology involving Auton makeup with his skull being made of different material and incurring a different frequency that didn't impact on him mentally. I thought that was very good and I liked how Josh then changed the room to break the resonance of the frequency. The computer printout of the invocation was good and I liked how the broadcast was spreading with a number of reports in London that Shindi was reporting on. The concept of infrasound was brilliant and I loved how there was a natural makeup to the room that when mixed with the weather essentially created ghosts! The idea of someone finding and targeting the broadcast to weaponise sound was fantastic. I was a huge fan. Kate confronting Donnelly about the project she had shutdown in this house before sneaking back in as the caretaker was magnificent. Once the threat came of the physical files that she had edited out of the files to ensure funding still came was really nicely done. It tied everything up nicely. Donnelly being the one that sent the signal up 40 years ago but now she wasn't involved and there was something more. The idea of the satellite speaking Latin was good and I liked how Donnelly revelled in realising her experiment was correct all those years ago. The way the invocation was finally finished with Kate's Latin knowledge was wonderful and the links with the demonology was marvellous. I thought it was a great deal of fun. The demon was never dismissed, but thankfully it was all powered down with Donnelly paying the ultimate price. Overall, an excellent audio!

Rating: 9/10