The Turning of the Tide

"The animals were pulling the skeletons apart to try and drink the marrow."

Writer: Jenny T. Colgan

Format: Short Story

Released: October 2019

Printed in: The Target Storybook 12

Featuring: Meta-Crisis Doctor, Rose

Synopsis

"We're all stories in the end..."

In this exciting collection you'll find all-new stories spinning off from some of your favourite Doctor Who moments across the history of the series.

Discover what happened next, what went on before, and what occurred off-screen in an inventive selection of sequels, side-trips, foreshadowings and first-hand accounts – and look forward too, with a brand new adventure for the Thirteenth Doctor.

Each story expands in thrilling ways upon aspects of Doctor Who's enduring legend. With contributions from show luminaries past and present – including Colin Baker, Matthew Waterhouse, Vinay Patel, Joy Wilkinson and Terrance Dicks – The Target Storybook is a once-in-a-lifetime tour around the wonders of the Whoniverse.

Verdict

The Turning of the Tide was a very good story to continue my way through The Target Storybook! This was probably the most unique setting within the collection yet but it was actually a brilliant use of the Tenth Doctor era. There are so many stories from this time in Doctor Who history so presenting us with something brand new and hardly done before was a wonderful idea. It's a really good move to take us into the parallel universe of what is so often dubbed Pete's World and see how Rose and her Meta-Crisis Doctor are getting on following the ending of Journey's End. Well, things have certainly been eventful that's for sure! Rose is pregnant which is an incredible development and it really is nice to know that she and the Meta-Crisis Doctor had engaged in a relationship and followed through on what we already knew that couldn't be said by the Doctor at the end of Doomsday. The issue of trying to pick a name and eventually setting on being referred to as Corin was amusing, although I don't fully understand why he couldn't just have continued to go by Doctor. Even if he was part Donna! My favourite element of the story was undoubtedly tackling the lack of the sonic screwdriver and the TARDIS, with specific reference to no TARDIS translation circuit. If that didn't get a mention them I'm sure it would have slipped my mind but I'm so glad that it was referenced because it was a fantastic thing to consider. Clark stepped in to fill that role as the little metal worm who was an amusing if not slightly annoying character. His warning of the Cask Men served its purpose and I thought they made for decent enemies. The sighting in the fog provided a good atmosphere to what was a pretty lengthy adventure as far as short stories go. Their plan being to take the water from the Earth was extraordinary in scale, but when it came to impressing the Cask Men had that in abundance with their ship which was described as something close to overwhelming! It worked well. Festle made for a good head of the Cask Men and I enjoyed her interaction with the Doctor very much. His battling with not quite being the Doctor was a little difficult to read at times because it must have been incredibly frustration. He wasn't quite Time Lord and having to actually think slower was a really intriguing part of the story. One thing I liked about that though was how it gave Corin a newfound appreciation of all of those human companions he had. That was very nice. I thought Clark's involvement in defeating the Cask Men with the screech was pretty good and quite similar to A Quiet Place Part II which I watched in the cinema this evening. He was still a little annoying with his neediness but the line towards the story's end when Corin instructed Rose it was time to start pushing was a delight as he took it as him being talked to! That was very clever indeed and a fun little moment to finish on. But now, the Meta-Crisis and Rose were going to go on an adventure unlike any other. An adventure that I myself am due to set sail on any day now! Overall, a very good adventure.

Rating: 8/10

The Architects of History

"Your past itself might not be your own."

Writer: Steve Lyons

Format: Audio

Released: March 2010

Series: Monthly Adventures 132

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Klein

Synopsis

The year is 2044. Earth is enjoying a Golden Age of peace, prosperity and technological advancement... but somebody is plotting to destroy all that. The Selachians, shark-like alien monsters, launch a crippling attack on Earth's Moonbase, using deadly weapons from the future.

Help is at hand. A police telephone box appears in a Moonbase hangar. A time-travelling hero has returned in the hour of Earth's greatest need. Now, Elizabeth Klein must fight to save not only the Galactic Reich but Time itself from the mysterious prisoner who has orchestrated these fateful events... the Doctor.

Verdict

The Architects of History was a very good audio adventure and an interesting way to conclude this trilogy of Monthly Adventures with the Seventh Doctor and Klein! It's certainly been eventful and it was clear that the world and Time itself had changed considerably following the events at the end of Survival of the Fittest and Klein taking control of the TARDIS. She had been changing history and restoring her own timeline which was a very fun prospect and placing the setting in 2044, a century after the glorious Reich victory, was magnificent. Having the likes of changing history and the Nazis together is such a fun concept and Klein makes for an excellent figurehead at the top of her organisation. It was obvious that the prisoner Klein referred to was going to be the Doctor, but having him imprisoned while Klein was out causing chaos to history was brilliant. It's not often we see or hear the Doctor helpless like that, and the fun fact is he had his sonic screwdriver with him all along! He was feigning imprisonment and could have escaped at any time, but this was all part of a very large and wide ranging plan. This felt very much like the Seventh Doctor and with the absence of Ace meaning she couldn't be manipulated, having Klein in that role made for an enjoyable listen as it felt like she deserved it. That was never the case with Ace. The manipulative nature of the seventh incarnation really was taken to new levels here, and that fitted in well with what was a very complex adventure. Given everything that comes with alternate timelines, the talk in Klein's organisation concerning remembering the future and changing events of the past did get confusing, but they worked well once fully explained. There was a possibility that things would become difficult to follow, but considering everything that was going on there did feel to be something of a contained setting which was in the story's favour. The return of the Selachians was quite fun and whilst I preferred them in The Murder Game than I did in The Selachian Gambit, it was nice to have them interact with another Doctor. Their shark-like nature is amusing and it was cool to learn that even their spaceship was shaped like one. They're bit over the top as far as enemies go though. Their silliness doesn't always appear to match their threat. Rachel and Sam were really good characters and whilst I enjoyed their relationship thoroughly throughout, particular with the former wanting to show the latter the stars, I couldn't help but feel so sorry for Rachel as the audio concluded. She had talked of her travels with the Doctor and defeating the likes of Sontarans and Daleks, but now that time would never be written which must have been tough for her! Sam's slow death after being caught by a Selachian shot compounded her misery and made for a strong impact. I loved the confidence shown by the Doctor throughout the story and despite everything that was happening, it never seemed like Klein was in full control. She always assumed the Doctor had something up his sleeve and that meant she was never believable as an outright villain in getting the upper hand. The ambiguous ending with the Doctor having the ability to wipe out her existence was good, and I'm very interested to hear if there's any more to come from this pairing! Overall, a great listen! 

Rating: 8/10

Dreamland

"You're on your way into space!"

Writer: David Bishop

Format: Audio

Released: April 2006

Series: Sarah Jane Smith 2.04

Featuring: Sarah Jane

Synopsis

Sarah Jane Smith is still dealing with the tragic consequences of recent events when she is offered the chance of a lifetime – a place on the world's first tourist flight into space.

The trip's sponsor, Sir Donal Wakefield, believes it is her destiny. But after her recent experiences, what does Sarah still believe in?

Verdict

Dreamland was a very good story to conclude the second series and the entire range of Sarah Jane Smith Big Finish audios! This is a strong adventure to conclude the series and I think it's a massive shame that things end on a cliffhanger that is yet to be resolved. There is nothing worse than that in television or audio series with Agent Carter's end still irking me, and this is no different. As I predicted, the first commercial flight into space played a big role which worked well, but something I wasn't massively fussed on was the slight time jump from Fatal Consequences with the cliffhanger not being followed up immediately. It appeared that Josh killed the Keeper before Sarah was shot and he had also killed Will which was a little less of a surprise. The Keeper's fate was very repetitive as far as Josh's actions go. The Dauntless being ready to fly was excellent and the issue of the unrecognised comet provided a good threat as well. Ben as the pilot turned out to be a very good character and I was also delighted to hear Nat was back for the finale. She did the duty of driving Sarah Jane to Will's funeral which was admirable. I liked that Wakefield offered Sarah and Josh the trip to Nevada to see the Dauntless lift off which wasn't a surprise, and the issues that stemmed from Josh not having told Nat that he killed Luka back in Buried Secrets really strained their relationship. Josh turning out to be Wakefield's son was not something I saw coming I have to admit, but it did make sense given his position as part of the White Chapter. I really enjoyed Sarah's reflection on her travels with the Doctor and how much she missed him. Wakefield's cancer kicking in was a great development and his desire to see Sarah, Josh and Nat together at his bed was intriguing. Donald passing away before getting to voyage into space was a sad moment but from there things kicked into action in a huge way. Ben going unconscious as the Dauntless ascended to space with Sarah and Josh on board was obviously problematic, with the pilot then not releasing the boosters as the ascension continued. Ben was part of the Crimson Chapter which was fantastic and a nice way to round out that story arc. Josh had promised Sarah no more guns, but here was pulling one out on Ben in space! Josh was shot in the stomach and another stray bullet hit the controls which was clearly an issue. That sparking a fire on the Dauntless was brilliant and a big problem and coupling that with Josh appearing to pass away leaving Sarah helpless in space. The Dauntless was still ascending with something seeming to approach it very bright and almost like shooting stars. Frustratingly, for Sarah she had found what she was searching for, but sadly we won't get to know what this was! It's a real shame as I thought this was a very strong finale to what was a very good second series of the spinoff range. It's a shame there's no more and even more so that there was no resolution to an excellent cliffhanger! 

Rating: 8/10

Fatal Consequences

"The doomsday cult wants a doomsday weapon."

Writer: David Bishop

Format: Audio

Released: March 2006

Series: Sarah Jane Smith 2.03

Featuring: Sarah Jane

Synopsis

Sarah Jane Smith has been attacked, stalked and shot by the acolytes of a doomsday cult.

When she tries to turn the tables, Sarah discovers the Crimson Chapter has a weapon that could claim millions of lives – and her own actions may have instigated their genocidal plan.

Verdict

Fatal Consequences was another very good story to continue the second series of Sarah Jane Smith! I really am enjoying this spinoff a lot more than I thought I would and that's strange to say because I don't really have anything to base my negative assumptions on! I'm a huge fan of Sarah Jane as a character and I thought the first series was good, and I'm glad to see the standard remaining high for the second go around. The mention of Wakefield again in the news bulletin at the start of the audio made me absolutely certain that he would play a role in the series, but I must admit I wasn't expecting him to be the Keeper of the White Chapter! That was a fun revelation and I'm intrigued to see how his illness will play into things as we head into the finale. The Mandrake medical facility at Pangbourne made for a unique setting and the issue of a virus outbreak was difficult listening given everything that has gone in the world over the last eighteen months. It definitely provided a new perspective listening to the plot of the Crimson Chapter here. The return of Maude was some good continuity from the first series and I enjoyed her relationship with Josh. Mandrake needing a high profile job to push the value of their IPO was excellent and I liked how Sarah realised that Dexter could lead her to the Crimson Chapter. Little did she know! He was with the Keeper and had provided the bait as the doctor to get Sarah where the organisation wanted her. Wakefield calling Sarah directly and telling her that she had the attention of the White Chapter was fantastic and I really liked how her position as the Herald was utilised. She had power she didn't even want. Dexter having used human protestors as the guinea pigs on the virus vaccine was horrific and using Will to provide that to them as a demonstration of his loyalty was brutal. Even more so when it wasn't actually the vaccine but a super variant of the virus. Emily being on the verge of death provided tension and excitement and the talk of the prophecy behind the Chapters was really intriguing. They both believed it would come into fruition in the year 2000 but when that prophecy proved untrue, it was found that the Herald had been missed and this is where Sarah fitted in. Sarah's reaction to Will being part of the Crimson Chapter could have been a little more impactful, but the threat of the Crimson Chapter creating their own apocalypse event made up for that in no time! The virus as the cause of that was very good. The authorities cordoning off the area instead of sending help left Emily in a bad predicament with them favouring stopping the spread. Will's murdering of Dexter to prove his worth to the Keeper and to try and save those infected was both awful and admirable, and the idea of a traitor amongst the ranks was fun eve if it wasn't Dexter. Yet he was killed anyway! Sarah's position as the Herald stemming back to Giuliano and events surrounding The Masque of Mandragora was delightful and really clever. I was a big fan of that and it was such a good and logical development. I wasn't so fussed on Josh being an agent of the White Chapter, though I did like the mental battle between he and Will. The cliffhanger was powerful with Sarah supposedly being shot dead, but of course we know she survives so I'll be interested to know where those bullets landed! Overall, a very strong audio to continue the series.

Rating: 8/10

Snow Blind

"Whatever you do, don't come to Antarctica!"

Writer: David Bishop

Format: Audio

Released: February 2006

Series: Sarah Jane Smith 2.02

Featuring: Sarah Jane

Synopsis

Sarah Jane Smith travels to Antarctica where her friend Will is part of a research team studying global warming. But someone at Nikita Base is a murderer and everybody has a guilty secret. When a massive storm severs all communications, the killer strikes and the truth is revealed.

Will anyone get off the ice alive?

Verdict

Snow Blind was another very good audio adventure to continue the second series of the Sarah Jane Smith Big Finish spinoff! This was a great continuation of what was started in Buried Secrets and I liked the little recap at the start which proved very helpful in reminding us of the future orphans and their belief that aliens have interfered in the development of humanity. The White Chapter believed that the aliens would come back for good whereas the Crimson Chapter believed that the aliens would return to take over. This presents such an exciting and intriguing direction for the series. I was a little surprised to find that events had moved two months since the previous episode and the news bulletins prove enjoyable and presumably hint towards the future. It can't be a coincidence now that Wakefield has been mentioned regarding the first commercial flight into space. I will be very surprised if that doesn't come back around into featuring prominently in a story. Will playing a big role in the episode was good and I liked how Sarah missed his call about warning her about coming to Antarctica at this time. Munro was on the verge of pulling the plug amid great tension at the site which was a good element for the setting. I thought going to Antarctica was excellent and a pretty unique place for a story with a lot of possibilities. The discussion about how deadly fire was on the continent was terrific. Morgane as the French scientist drilling expert was a fun character and I liked how she was proving problematic for Will and Munro. Two males and only one female in a cold and contained setting meant, well you can do the maths. Tensions were clearly high at Nikita Base which made for a very good atmosphere and I liked that Munro was thinking Morgane and Will were conspiring against him. Jack as the pilot was another strong character and although his true intentions were a little predictable, it was still a fun moment. Sarah being knocked out and suffering from hypothermia before going snow blind was fantastic and I loved that she didn't know that had happened to her. She merely thought she was in darkness. Her suggestion that Morgane had found a seed pod was an excellent throwback to The Seeds of Doom and Sarah's last visit to the ice. In fact, she'd actually found incredibly powerful uranium that was seemingly uncovered by the Russians in the 1950s which was intriguing. Munro being shot was a very powerful moment and Jack being revealed as in line with Morgane before she was killed to made for some quick developments. The knowledge of the Crimson Chapter was fun and a good way to tie in the series arc and Sarah's feigning blindness and showing confidence that Jack's gun had frozen was brilliant from our lead character. A great moment. She also managed to activate the fuel dump which meant Jack wouldn't get far. She was now intrigued in what was happening and it was clearly too much of a coincidence for research she was funding to be cover for the Crimson Chapter and a mighty fundraiser. If they needed to sell the uranium for millions, then just what are they planning? The cliffhanger at the end with the Keeper and Will being part of the Chapter was unexpected and sets things up nicely for the next episode! Overall, a good story as a whole.

Rating: 8/10

Blinded Secrets

"The end days are upon us all."

Writer: David Bishop

Format: Audio

Released: November 2005

Series: Sarah Jane Smith 2.01

Featuring: Sarah Jane

Synopsis

Sarah Jane Smith believes her days as a crusading investigator are behind her, safe from those who tried to destroy her. But others believe she has a destiny and they will stop at nothing to prevent her fulfilling it.

A trip to Florence to help an old friend leads to the unearthing of a murderous conspiracy buried within the city's catacombs...

Verdict

Blinded Secrets was an excellent start to the second series of the Sarah Jane Smith spinoff from Big Finish! I must admit that I was a little sceptical about getting back into this range for a strange reason as I actually quite enjoyed the first series, but what I listened to here was excellent! I think it might have something to do with the lack of destination from here and how the Sarah Jane Adventures would come to be the 'true' Sarah Jane spinoff, but this was a lot of fun. I enjoyed the continuity from the end of the first series with the news bulletin reporting on the deaths of Winters and Harris after everything that occurred in the previous finale. Josh and Natalie were on the phone which was a good way to reintroduce them to listens and I thought it was a good move for there to have been a time jump from the events where we left the main characters. Nat was now in Italy which seemed like a great gig! Sarah Jane was done with the extraterrestrial and the strange and she was doing her bit for the course with her aunt's money and putting that to good use. Dr Edmons was a fun character as the new professor heading to Florence and the mystery planted by the revelation that the previous person in his position had disappeared without a trace. Placing Natalie as the archivist on his team worked well and provided a good way for Sarah Jane to get involved. The emergence of Will was a big surprise and a pleasant one with it being revealed that he was Harry Sullivan's step-brother! That was unexpected, but I did love the idea of Sarah and Harry having an annual dinner together. That was a lovely touch. The uncovering of Brunetti (sp?), the former professor, was gruesome and the description that his arms and legs had to have been broken to get him into the child casket was quite something! Will explaining how he had plans to head back to Antarctica was good and I liked the coincidence of him being part of Munro's team that Sarah was actually helping financially. That came back post-credits in a nice little lead into the next episode. The letter received by Josh for Sarah being from Winters beyond the grave was brilliant and I loved the warnings and the mentions of future orphans and the book of tomorrow. The lack of clarity provided from the need to translate adds a good sense of mystery. The reveal of the Keeper was intriguing and I found her role and desire for the letter very interesting indeed. Luca was a terrific character and him being the one that had killed Brunetti was a logical development. His confrontation of Sarah in the chamber was a strong moment of fear and I liked how he had been searching for the identity of the Herald. Who else but Sarah Jane would that be! The need to prevent her ID being revealed to the White Chapter was very good and I loved the chaos that ensue from there with Edmons being shot, as well as Luka. The latter was killed by Josh in order for Sarah's life to be saved, and whilst she was happy to be alive she wasn't thrilled that this was the second time Josh had to do something along those lines. For Nat, it was all a bit much and she needed to get away which was understandable. I do hope she features in future episodes though! But for now, this was a fantastic start to the series. 

Rating: 9/10

Timelash

"Few were ever given an audience with the Borad. Most never returned."

Writer: Glen McCoy

Format: Novel

Released: May 1986

Series: Target 105

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Peri

Synopsis

The inhabitants of the planet Karfel are suffering under the tyrannical rule of their leader, the Borad, who has brought his world to the brink of interplanetary war.

Those who dare to oppose the will of the Borad are mercilessly sacrificed to the Timelash, a fate considered by many to be worse than death.

When the Doctor arrives on Karfel he soon discovers the Borad's horrifying plan, a plan which will directly affect his young American assistant, Peri...

Verdict

Timelash was a decent novelisation of the televised serial of the same name! I was intrigued to find what I would get from this book as I am not the biggest fan of the on screen version, but depending on the mood I've been when it came to watching it I have ended up giving very different ratings in the past. I think this novelisation fell somewhere in the middle and it was definitely an improvement on my thoughts upon my last viewing. Given his brief stint on screen in terms of story numbers, there aren't many opportunities to read the Sixth Doctor in prose in novelisation style so this was a real treat and I think one of the book highlights was the relationship between the Doctor and Peri. It could only be described as feisty on times which made for an interesting read and I loved the idea that the former was purposely making comments to annoy the latter so his day would be more interesting! That was a lot of fun and well in line with the characterisation of the Sixth Doctor from screen. The TARDIS scenes between the pair were a real treat and it's crazy to think that they didn't exit its doors until somewhere around pace forty! A third of the book! I also liked the addition to the TARDIS console with it being described that the Doctor had a sneaky little switch that would ensure the TARDIS visited Earth despite his claims of it all being random. That was delightful and it could go a long way to provide feasibility to just how often the Doctor landed on the planet. I thought the setting of Karfel was very good and the basis of the battle between the Karefelon and Morlox was pretty good. I do enjoy the style of pitting two different species against each other and the Borad being a mixture of the two was a fun reveal. I liked the mystery behind his presence throughout the book and whilst his reveal isn't as impactful without the visuals, it's still a big moment that has been built towards. The concept behind the titular Timelash was great and I enjoyed how the Doctor used the analogy of swimming in a whirlpool when explaining how the TARDIS couldn't escape its pull. It serving as a death sentence on Karel was horrific. I'm not a massive fan of the fact that the Third Doctor had visited Karfel before and actually played a pretty big role in the way of life on the planet after defeating famine. I always prefer sequels to be of stories that we've actually seen! It was fun though to have Peri remembering Jo Grant when pushed into naming the image she saw to prove that she had indeed come in the TARDIS. Katz and Mykros were fantastic characters and I really did enjoy their relationship and roles throughout the book. They play an important part of the story and I think there is more room to appreciate them and other guest characters in the prose style rather than on television. In the prose, the ending comes quite quick and somewhat predictably with the Borad ending up going into the Timelash to seal his fate. It was a fitting to conclusion to what is on the while a decent little read of a pretty good story, but it does have some pacing issues and moments where more clarity is needed. Regardless, an enjoyable book! 

Rating: 7/10

Pop-Up

"Make it stop!"

Writer: Dave Curran

Format: Audio

Released: May 2011

Series: Short Trips 3.03

Featuring: Third Doctor, Jo

Synopsis

Jo Grant takes pity on a tiny advertising robot from the Epsilon Cluster with disastrous consequences.

Verdict

Pop-Up was a fun little Short Trips adventure! It seems such a long time since I have blogged anything from the first four series of Short Trips and whilst the range has come on leaps and bounds in the decade or so since this volume was released, it was nice to go back and listen to a shorter take on the Doctor Who story. Even for the Short Trips range, this is a short adventure at just sixteen minutes but when times are busy this works out as a nice little thing to be able to quickly listen and blog. I was doing some research on my blogs and this volume and it's incredible to think that it has been seven years since I blogged the preceding story in the boxset of The Five Dimensional Man. Time really is flying as that just doesn't seem like it should be possible! It's a mad stat that the stories comprising this release will have covered such a long period of time and I honestly wouldn't be surprised if that happens again on the other side. Although, with a baby very close to being born I think it's likely I will be in need of smaller length stories! This one was a lot of fun and just an enjoyable little listen and a lot of that had to do with Katy Manning's narration. She really is a fantastic actress and I was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked her impression of Jon Pertwee's Third Doctor! I had to take a step back for a moment and realise what I was listening to as it was very impressive. Her shift into full on Jo mode was also wonderful. I liked that we had a story focused on advertising as I think that's clever theme for an adventure to focus on giving everything that comes with it and consumerism. I thought it was quite a fun idea to have the TARDIS systems infiltrated by the micro servo robots and making them all spurt out advertisements for a number of different things. It was a nice touch to have Florana advertised which was great continuity for the Third Doctor era, and I also loved how the TARDIS food machine was even impacted. I'm a big fan of continuity like that. This story worked well for the Third Doctor and he was a great incarnation to have given the frustration that was needed to be shown by the Time Lord. He wasn't best pleased to have his TARDIS systems infected so to speak! There was a decent amount of excitement in the audio given how quickly the servo robots were able to act and spread, but the resolution in defeating them ended up being pretty simple with the Doctor essentially pressing the off switch on the TARDIS. That in itself seems like a dangerous concept, and that moment of silence was unmoving, but in the end it was relatively simple and that's what you want in a Short Trips story like this one. There just isn't enough time to have anything overcomplicated or fleshed out. But for this one while it lasted, it was solid and a lot of fun whilst not being anything overly special! 

Rating: 7/10

The War Machines

"No man becomes the servant of his own creation."

Writer: Ian Stuart Black 

Format: Novel

Released: February 1989

Series: Target 136

Featuring: First Doctor, Dodo, Polly, Ben

Synopsis

London, 1966 – when the TARDIS materialises outside the Post Office Tower the Doctor becomes aware of a powerful and evil force nearby, so he and the ever-curious Dodo set off to investigate.

Inside the tower they track down the source of power to Professor Brett and WOTAN, his revolutionary new computer. 

Designed as a universal problem solver, WOTAN has suddenly begun to think for itself and has formulated a deadly plan. Using its phenomenal power it will programme humans to build mobile fighting computers, and with these indestructible war machines WOTAN will take over the world...

Verdict

The War Machines was an excellent novelisation of the televised serial of the same name! Even though I have never given this story a perfect score across a number of times having watched it, it has always remained one that I fondly remember and ranks right up there as the best of the non-perfects for me. It's such a brilliant story and I love that we see the First Doctor in a contemporary setting. Right from the off there's a sense of mystery with the Doctor getting that tingly feeling when taking sight of the Post Office Tower and that was exactly the same here in the book which set the tone well. It's intriguing for the first quarter or so of the book where we just have the pairing of the Doctor and Dodo because this is the only instance where that occurs. The memory of Steven is still felt which I like following his recent departure in The Savages and it isn't long before we have two brand new funky companions. The introductions of Polly and Ben are wonderful and the former is just magnificent. Polly really is an outstanding companion and that's evident right from her very beginnings. It's no surprise that I managed to ensure our cat was named after her! The Inferno club setting is excellent and her working her charm on Ben who was very gloomy was great stuff. It's lovely to read over the course of the book how much he comes to care for her and in a quick way. Dodo is used really well until her sudden departure and I was intrigued to see if that would be handled any differently in prose compared with how it played out on screen but that wasn't to be. She is quickly taken over by WOTAN and subjected to the super computer's will, and her constant checking to see if the Doctor has realised her changing is very good. I really liked how she tried manoeuvring against Polly when it came to carrying out WOTAN's order of obtaining the Doctor. Sneakiness wasn't exactly her strong point! The fact that she is simply put into a deep sleep and then never returns is both amusing and ridiculous. I love the concept behind WOTAN and the speed in which things develop really did feel rapid in prose which was good for the pace and excitement of the story. The Doctor forging documents in the name of Ian Chesterton's recommendation was a lovely addition and I always enjoy the moment where WOTAN knows what TARDIS stands for. The Doctor isn't too pleased with that! Brett as the puppet of WOTAN works really well and I like how much more of a villain he seems in the novelisation. Naming another of the War Machines in the form of Valk was another interesting deviation and I liked how with the essence of the War Machines being that they could think that this gave them some personality. The Doctor eventually pitting Valk against WOTAN to see off the threat of the super computer works well, and it's nice that Polly is returned to normality after being under its spell for so long. I really was taken aback by how much of the story she wasn't quite herself. The scale of the story is fantastic and the threat encompassing all of London works well. The building of War Machines is great and I actually really enjoy the logic behind WOTAN's destruction meaning the others are put out of action with no instructions to come. Other than Dodo's departure, everything works well in this adventure and it made for a brilliant read!

Rating: 9/10

The Resurrection of Mars

"Every passenger on this ship will boil in their own blood."

Writer: Jonathan Morris

Format: Audio

Released: November 2010

Series: EDA 4.06

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Tamsin, Lucie

Synopsis

Deimos, moon of Mars – where Lord Slaadek's plans to revive the ancient Ice Warrior civilisation hang by a thread. Only the Doctor can stop him... but an old enemy, hiding in the catacombs, has an alternative plan. A plan that will test the Doctor's heroism to its limits. Just how far will the Doctor go to prevent the destruction and resurrection of Mars – on a day when his friends become enemies, and his enemies have right on their side?

Verdict

The Resurrection of Mars was another excellent adventure in the eighth series of the Eighth Doctor Adventures! This concluded the story that was brilliantly started in Deimos and I think as a two-part whole, this has to rank right up there as one of my favourite stories from the range. It was fantastic. The combination of Lucie Miller's return along with the Ice Warriors and the Monk is just magnificent! What's not to like, really? It was good to start off with Lucie and how she was unceremoniously dumped off by the Monk after the cliffhanger last time out with her sending a message to the Doctor. She didn't seem too surprised to find him on Deimos, but given the chaos that was ensuing who could blame her? It was both fun and slightly annoying that the Doctor revealed he had already sabotaged the reioniser all along and that meant Tamsin's anger towards him wasn't entirely necessary. I did enjoy her constant disagreements with the Doctor though and the Monk's efforts to then recruit as his new travelling companion were delightful. That was such a fun prospect and with Tamsin still being quite new, she was a prime target for the meddler. His taking her to Halcyon was really intriguing and him showing her the aftermath of the direct results of the Doctor's actions on Deimos and Mars was superb. With the Ice Warriors prevented from taking Mars, the Halcyon disaster would ensue as they came to reap this planet as their new Mars. Finch wasn't as standout as the first point but she was still great and I really enjoyed her refusing to give the Doctor up to the Ice Warriors because of his value, even though she wasn't fully aware of what that was. The reunion between the Doctor and Lucie was really heartfelt and whilst events of Death in Blackpool were still prominent, I loved Lucie's line about the Doctor being her lift home! The cliffhanger was brilliant with the threat of repairing the ioniser or Lucie dying going hand in hand with the craft being destroyed and the Monk's monologue talking about the greater good. That was really well done. The Doctor talking to Lucie about his past and why he has companions was really nice and for him it was so he had a constant reminder of how important a single life was. That was powerful stuff. It was so much fun for the Doctor to put on an Ice Warrior armour suit and McGann's take on the ssss speech so frequently associated with the Martians was terrific. Lucie and Tamsin meeting was very good and their bickering over the Doctor and the Monk was great stuff. The Monk having had a scheme all along was wonderful and I wasn't too surprised to find that he'd woken the Ice Warriors early than should have been the case, hence their presence on Deimos. Tamsin saying that she'd had enough of travelling with the Doctor was a surprise and her wanting to be with someone who made a difference for good was extraordinary, more so because she believed the person to do that was the Monk! The reinoniser feedback causing the Deimos explosion was a fitting end to the Ice Warriors and whilst again the Doctor having already adjusted the process last minute to save Mars was a bit of a cheap way out, the comments of a new dawn on the red planet were excellent. I loved how the Monk was angered and his suggestion of gaining revenge and dropping in on some old friends was very intriguing. I look forward to hearing where the series goes from here! Especially with what's to come and the Doctor owing Lucie Miller Christmas! Who knows what that will be like. For now, a magnificent audio!

Rating: 9/10 

Deimos

"The final resting place of the Ice Warriors."

Writer: Jonathan Morris

Format: Audio

Released: October 2010

Series: EDA 4.05

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Tamsin

Synopsis

Millions of years ago, the noble Ice Warriors fled to Deimos, moon of Mars, hoping to sit out the radioactive death throes of their home planet. When the TARDIS lands on Deimos, the Doctor discovers that the Warriors' ancient catacombs are now a popular stop for space tourists.

But the Martian dynasties are more than history, and the Warriors are far from extinct. It's not for nothing that 'Deimos' is the ancient word for 'dread'...

Verdict

Deimos was a brilliant audio adventure to continue the fourth series of the Eighth Doctor Adventures! This really was a magnificent opening part of what is set to be a double-episode and it was oh so close to getting full marks for my rating. I loved how there was no messing around when it came to introducing the Ice Warriors into the story and with them being one of my favourite enemies to feature in Doctor Who, it was terrific to see them firmly in the role of villains. There have been far too many adventures where they haven't been seen as the bad guys and I think this is where they thrive so I was delighted that they didn't take long to start killing. That sounds pretty grim but that's exactly what you want from a revered monster. The references and continuity from Red Dawn was really good and I liked the museum setting on Deimos and how the speech came back into being a recording as part of the exhibit. That was very clever. Harold and Margaret as tourists made for very humorous character and hearing the former mention that the events of The Seeds of Death had been made into a documentary was wonderful. That's a sublime adventure. The arrival of the Doctor and Tamsin was good and I was intrigued given how The Book of Kells finished to find that the TARDIS arrived of its own volition. Tamsin's efforts at humour were great as she sarcastically mocked the Doctor and made him think she had already travelled in time when reading information from a plaque, but her efforts to deceive Schooner were less fruitful when it came to trying to convince him the pair were security inspectors. She's a lot of fun though and she really is growing on me. Schooner as the excavator and curator of the museum was a fantastic character and I loved how he was aiding the Ice Warriors purely as a means of furthering his research and the chance to study them up close and personal. I get the feeling that it's only going to end one way for him though! Finch was a wonderful character in charge and perfectly portrayed by a familiar Tracy-Ann Oberman, and I also thought Grenville was a good character to compliment the guest cast. His initial refusal to believe that there were real and living Ice Warriors was very good indeed. I liked the use of micro waves and how they powered the ships, with the Doctor using it to heat up the Ice Warriors who were departing as a warning sign. The cliffhanger with the Doctor being shot and then Finch and Grenville agreeing to wipe out the Ice Warriors was outstanding, but the resolution was a little naff. I couldn't buy that the Doctor's spacesuit insulated him from the full effects of the sonic resonance emitted by the Ice Warriors. Schooner turning on Tamsin was brilliant and I also like the looming threat of the Ice Warriors having the reioniser and their plans to recolonise Mars despite the 300,000 settlers living peacefully on the planet. The Doctor trying to appease them and revealing they aren't the last of their kind was great and this was a superb performance from Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor. Schooner cooling the temperatures to aid the Ice Warriors was fun and I thought the excitement towards the story's end with the escape to the hatch was fantastic. It was such a powerful moment when Grenville was left on the other side after not making it in time and Tamsin's desperation to open it was not advocated by the Doctor. Grenville had given Tamsin the control to the bomb to detonate, but before that could get fully explored the Doctor had received a text message from Deimos. Lucie Miller was stuck in the middle of disaster! I thought that was a superb cliffhanger to take us into the next episode and serves the overall series arc very nicely. Overall, a really strong audio!

Rating: 9/10

A Full Life

"If the dead don't stay dead, the universe will end."

Writer: Joseph Lidster

Format: Audio

Released: September 2016

Series: Short Trips 6.09

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Romana II, K9, Adric

Synopsis

Adric's life is full of death. His parents died when he was a child. His brother died a few months ago. Now, travelling with the Doctor and Romana, everywhere he visits, people die. But now they have arrived on Veridis. And on Veridis, the dead come back...

Verdict

A Full Life was a decent little Short Trips audio! It seems forever since I have done anything featuring Adric so despite my thinking of him being the worst ever companion, I was keen to get this audio adventure done today when it came to deciding on a Short Trip to listen to. I was definitely enticed by the fact that Matthew Waterhouse was the narrator and I thought he did a stellar job in that role. Getting new content with Adric during the events of the E-Space trilogy was absolutely welcomed as three stories with the quartet of the Fourth Doctor, Romana II, K9 and Adric just wasn't enough. I really enjoyed hearing Adric describe some of the events experienced over the course of Full Circle and State of Decay and although we didn't get to see it an awful lot on screen, it was terrific to hear him explain how much the Doctor and Romana meant to him. It was good to establish that Adric and Romana didn't exactly get on at the start, but they came to grow fond of each other which was nice. I thought the recording style of the story and how it was all a message from Adric to his grandson was unique, although in my opinion it slightly lost its charm by around the halfway mark, I think it hurt the pace a little on what could have been a more exciting tale. However, I do appreciate that the style made for a more emotional story which was an understandable direction. Matthew Waterhouse didn't really do many impressions given the format of the story which probably helped things, but his brief take on K9 was absolutely delightful. His memories of the robotic dog being fond and laughing about how he could easily outsmart him were great and I think it would have been so good to have a full on Adric and K9 battle of wits and logic. The possibilities would be endless. The fact that the Doctor and Romana died here in E-Space is actually incredible and I don't think enough was made of that development. Considering that Adric went back in time and changed it, we presume, successfully, doesn't that mean that the normal course of events was for Adric to grow old? That's something big to think about. I also thought their moments of death should have been more impactful given the permutations! The Veridis setting was good and I thought the Tivorg was excellent as a concept. I also really enjoyed how it took something from all of those it brought back. That felt very much in line with dark Doctor Who. If this had more time to expand, I feel like it could have been an excellent adventure. The timescale of the story is incredible with Adric going on to have a happy life and talk about his family and relationships. Not that it's important, but I think it's good to establish Adric had a relationship with a man in this strange alternate timeline. It won't get mainstream attention but it really is good in my view. I liked how the story went so far that the food machine in the TARDIS stopped working and the time machine itself was breaking down without the Doctor. I really liked that aspect and it was intriguing to leave Adric stranded. Overall, a good little story. 

Rating: 7/10

The Taste of Death

"They come here to eat."

Writer: Helen Godwyn

Format: Audio

Released: April 2018

Series: Tenth Doctor Chronicles 1.01

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Rose

Synopsis

The Doctor and Rose sample the high-life on resort planet MXQ1, run by the famous Bluestone brothers. It has everything: exotic beaches, luxury accommodation and extravagant dining. Something's cooking in the kitchen, and it's to die for...

Verdict

The Taste of Death was an excellent audio adventure to start the Tenth Doctor Chronicles! I thought this was a fantastic opener and it was really good to get an additional story in the era of Series 2. The Tenth Doctor and Rose are an incredibly renowned pairing and whilst they are not my favourite, I cannot deny their qualities so it was great to hear them together again here. Of course, we didn't have David Tennant or Billie Piper back reprising their roles, but Jacob Dudman did a more than sufficient job filling in as the narrator. Whilst his impression of the Tenth Doctor isn't quite as good as that of his Eleventh or Twelfth Doctor take, it's still really well done and I thought the writing and characterisation of the Tenth Doctor worked very well to compliment that for this adventure. I was very impressed with how natural the writing felt for this incarnation of the Doctor. It was fun to start with the Doctor intending on taking Rose on a holiday and actually stated that there was nothing dodgy for them to encounter this time around. Well, that came back to bite him! They arrived on MXQ1 which was a funky resort setting for the mega rich and I loved the description of Rose trying to fit in and take on the luxurious personality. She wasn't very good and that's really what I would have expected. It felt very much like what we saw of her in Tooth and Claw which was marvellous. Chef Orentino made for a great character alongside the Doctor and Rose and his feeding Rose resulting in her being obsessed with what she was eating was an interesting scene. She wasn't the only one though and that immediately got the Doctor's senses tingling as the food was having an effect on everyone at the resort. To make matters worse, Orentino was at the resort to find his brother who had gone missing without a trace which was very much out of character. The Doctor and Rose were down to help immediately which I admired. The Doctor's comment about being a dab hand at a food machine was tremendous and I love how in a food-themed adventure that famed device of the First Doctor era got a mention. So much fun. The Doctor taking on the role of a fake chef was enjoyable and meeting the Bluestone brothers as owners of the resort was very good. Both Dench and Delta made for good villains and there was no messing around with them when they caught Rose snooping. The Brula as a slave species were an important element in the adventure and the Presha that was in the food resulting in the addiction was good storytelling. Everything tied together nicely with the Doctor having seen similar on a familiar planet of Raxicoricofallapatorius. It's no secret from the boxset artwork that the Slitheen would be returning, but I didn't know in which episode and I really didn't get the feeling of their presence early on so this was a fantastic reveal! They had taken on the Bluestone brothers and including an addictive crop in the food to feed up their exports. The fact they were using chefs as meat due to their cultivation and having tasted all of the dishes was horrific but brilliant. I thought that was so unique and a really good use of food for a theme for the whole adventure. The fact we had a butcher Slitheen was excellent and I liked meeting the Hazrateen as the big buyers from the Slitheen who had the scent and wanted the meat. Except, Orentina and his brother were chefs and they knew how to deal with that. Overall, a terrific audio adventure to start the first volume of Tenth Doctor Chronicles! 

Rating: 9/10

Dancing the Code

"Sweet sweet good good honey dancing to be dancing."

Writer: Paul Leonard

Format: Novel

Released: April 1995

Series: Missing Adventures 09

Featuring: Third Doctor, Jo

Synopsis

"The Brigadier is going to shoot you, Jo, and then he's going to shoot me. Both of us are going to die."

The Doctor builds a machine designed to predict the future. It shows the Brigadier murdering him and Jo in cold blood. Unable to tell where or when this event is destined to occur, the Doctor and Jo decided that they must stay apart.

Jo is sent on a top-secret mission to the war-torn Arab nation of Kebiria. But upon arrival, she is immediately arrested and consigned to a brutal political prison. The Kebirians have something to hide: deep in the North African desert, an alien infestation is rapidly growing. And the Doctor and UNIT soon discover that unless stopped, the alien presence will spread to overrun the entire world.

Verdict

Dancing the Code was an excellent Missing Adventures novel! I thought this was an excellent read from start to finish and the contemporary setting and political climate worked together really well. I loved the premise that was set early on with the mystery of dancing the code and the sweet honey statement that would feature on numerous occasions throughout the book, as well as the Doctor's machine predicting the future and the sight showing that the Brigadier was going to shoot him and Jo dead in cold blood! That was an incredible premise and taking precautions to avoid that coming into fruition was obviously logical and absolutely something that should be avoided. The Doctor seemed quite calm about the situation which was infuriating for the Brigadier and Jo and his simple statements of how it was over 99% likely to happen was madness! It was nothing less than I expected from the Doctor though, with the third incarnation brilliantly characterised in the book. This one really did feel right at home in its era which is a big compliment and the political aspect with everything that was going on in Kebiria and the FMGL was fantastic. Political tension is never going to go away and the use of human killings on a vast scale was superb with Jo describing how her experiences in the TARDIS and all the death she saw at the likes of Autons, Daleks and Axons was one thing, but humanity inflicting such suffering in front of her was difficult for her to handle and comprehend. I really enjoyed that element because it felt so real. Catriona was a standout character as a reporter and that added another realistic aspect to the story. There was always going to be news coverage of something like the situation in Kebiria and her efforts to cover it and record tapes on non-existent records were terrific. I really did think she was great. Her horrified reaction to having to kill a guard in her escape and take a dead person's shoes was just brilliant and I loved how she was stunned by fake Jo's claim of not knowing her when it came to the plane takeoff. The whole duplication process of the aliens as they were simply referred to throughout was intriguing and the later plan of Zalloua to gain peace was to duplicate everyone and replace them. Now that's audacious! The vision of the Brig shooting Jo and the Doctor dead came to fruition in excellent fashion at the end of book two with it turning out to be the alien duplicates that fell victim, albeit on a temporary basis. The use of insects and communication by scent was good and the honey perfume smell that accompanied the aliens and their duplicates was very good. I thought the Xarax as helicopter-like species were intriguing and the image of them in the sky was amusing. They worked well though. The Brigadier going against direct orders when it came to government officials ordering Jo to be handed over with her accused of murder was fantastic, and it was really good to see how the whole ordeal of killing Jo and the Doctor was impacting him. The deaths of Catriona and Vincent were very sudden, with the former in particular taking me back because it pretty much came out of nowhere. Akram was another great but short-lived character and the scale of death in the book really was uncharted territory. It was really powerful and just real. Benari as the Prime Minister was good and I liked how he was controlling aliens. That's quite the political manoeuvre! His death was another sudden one and at one point I really was wondering who was going to survive. The Doctor's plan of cancelling out the pheromones of the queen was excellent and I liked how that came into effect quite simply, with the final threat of the American missile strike on the nest forcing a last moment of danger. The way the defences were taken control of was good and I liked that we had an exciting finish. By the end, the politics remained which was an important point to finish on and it was nice that Jo still wanted to do something about it. Overall, a fantastic read! 

Rating: 9/10

Ravagers: Food Fight

"We eat to survive."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs

Format: Audio

Released: May 2021

Series: Ninth Doctor Adventures 1.03

Featuring: Ninth Doctor

Synopsis

The TARDIS is starting to get a little crowded! Audrey finds herself haunted by a ghostly Doctor.

Verdict

Food Fight was an excellent conclusion to Ravagers and to the first series of Ninth Doctor Adventures! It really has been a blast to get brand new content featuring Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor and I really do look forward to the next three boxsets (and hopefully more!) to come. Whilst they are rumoured to all be standalone adventures, I thought the way this series tied up here was very impressive and brought everything from Sphere of Freedom and Cataclysm full circle very nicely. The Doctor doing all he could to defeat the Ravagers and stop Audrey from making her fortune from them and the Immersive Reality games was great and it was wonderful to hear this incarnation of the Doctor in a pacy episode. I think that excitement might have been slightly lacking from the first two episodes, but despite being the longest of the three stories this just felt full throttle which worked magnificently. It was fun to have the Doctor meeting both Audrey and Nova out of sequence and his going back to Nova at a point before she knew and travelled with him was brilliant because he could open up and really question her about the knowledge she had on time travel. She was clever, sure, but there were some things she shouldn't ought to have known and I liked that the Doctor had cottoned onto that fact. The plan to use DNA with the TARDIS to reverse journeys was very good and I thought the issue of it picking up other people's DNAs such as Lieutenant Farraday was terrific. Once all of the drones were added we had quite a packed TARDIS by the midway point of the story! That didn't seem something that the Doctor would enjoy. His promise to Nova of finding her somewhere nice to live was still felt which was good and I loved at the end where he offered her a journey with him and he already knew the destination she wanted to go. That was a really nice touch. Finding out that the Ravagers were intrigued and addicted to the Immersive Reality games of Audrey's was good and it actually turning out that their 'sweetness' that they craved was actually their own fear was a brilliant twist. Audrey had thought that it was the fear of others and that's where the time eddies had come in, but in actual fact the Ravagers liked feeling scared. I thought that was very unique and something I didn't see coming so I very much enjoyed. The Doctor getting to meet one of the Ravagers at the very centre after sacrificing himself to save Audrey was very good and I loved that the TARDIS came back to find him. Although I think the title of this episode is atrocious (like come on, seriously?), it actually ends up being a fantastic finale! Speaking of which, the moment we get to hear the Ninth Doctor utter that famous word once again was really good and a terrific occasion, as it should have been. Everything came full circle in an impressive way and even though we didn't get to see the game loop that would keep the Ravagers happy with their sweetness, we didn't need to and it actually ended up being a relatively simple conclusion to the story and the series as a whole. Overall, a fantastic audio to finish!

Rating: 9/10

Ravagers: Cataclysm

"You think my intelligence is some sort of pollution?"

Writer: Nicholas Briggs 

Format: Audio

Released: May 2021

Series: Ninth Doctor Adventures 1.02

Featuring: Ninth Doctor

Synopsis

Nova is dislocated in time while the Time Eddies are out of control. Meanwhile, the Doctor is about to face the end of the universe. Or is that just the Battle of Waterloo?

Verdict

Cataclysm was a very good audio adventure to continue the Ravagers boxset comprising the first series of the Ninth Doctor Adventures! We are very much into the swing of things now with the new series for the Ninth Doctor and whilst I would have preferred the story to start with more focus on the Doctor rather than Nova, he grew into the episode and came into his own by the end which was really good to hear. Audrey continued to be a very good villain and I like how there's something more to her than is evidenced by what we know of her thus far. The Doctor knows that she knows of him and I loved how that turned out to be from the fact that the Time Lord had met her in the wrong order. Now, if she turns out to be River Song that really will be quite something! Of course, I very much doubt that will be the case but it's a fun thought. I thought the continuity from Sphere of Freedom, whilst expected, was very good and the Doctor initially believing that the Ravagers were actually just another element of the Immersive Reality games was fantastic stuff. That was actually really logical and it's still not something I'm ruling out coming into play in the final episode of the series. There is definitely going to be something where the truth isn't exactly what we have heard. The playing around with time in this story was great and it's always something I enjoy having fun with. The Doctor meeting the younger Audrey was a fun moment and I also liked the echoes we heard of him at different points in the episode. The issue of the node and what that was causing for the Doctor was intriguing with the effect being quite considerable on him! It's always a big moment where the Doctor shows sign of weakness and that was no different here. I thought Nova had a decent showing in the story although I'm still not overly sold on her. She has big shoes to fill as far as the listeners are concerned with the Ninth Doctor as we are so used to Rose so it's still a little strange to have someone new in that role, even if she isn't a full on companion. Her questioning of the Doctor's everyday life and if he just shows up and gets himself into trouble was excellent though. Hearing it out loud always makes me smile because it's so ludicrous. The end of the universe actually occurring in the story wasn't something I expected but it showed that the Ravagers meant business, and the Doctor's plan then backfired in a big way. The node was supposed to be used as a way of firing the Ravagers back through time, but instead they just absorbed the energy like they did with everything else. How were they going to be defeated now? That was a fantastic cliffhanger finish to lead us into the final story of the boxset because it's difficult to see how they will be defeated from here. I think Nova will have a role to play, and I'll be interested to see how the Doctor reacts if he isn't able to keep his promise. I wonder if her calling the psychic paper silly will have any bearing! Overall though, this was another very good audio to continue the series! I'm looking forward to the finale and hopefully a moment of triumph for the Ninth Doctor. 

Rating: 8/10

Ravagers: Sphere of Freedom

"Immersive reality games are great!"

Writer: Nicholas Briggs

Format: Audio

Released: May 2021

Series: Ninth Doctor Adventures 1.01

Featuring: Ninth Doctor

Synopsis

On the Sphere of Freedom, the Doctor is about to shut down an evil Immersive Games business empire. He's assisted by a valiant galley chef called Nova. But his plan spectacularly fails... And who exactly is Audrey?

Verdict

Sphere of Freedom was a very good audio adventure to kick off the Ravagers boxset that kickstarts the long awaited audio series of the Ninth Doctor! It was so good to hear Christopher Eccleston reprise the role of the Doctor for Big Finish on audio and it's just so good to be getting new content! I am so glad that he was able to be convinced to return to the role and this one certainly felt new and unique for his Doctor, given that there was no Rose Tyler as companion. For the Ninth Doctor, these events took place prior to Rose which is something I'm not massively in agreement with, but for it to be the way that we get more adventures with this incarnation then I'm willing to ignore it. I thought the theme of Immersive Reality was very good and quite different to everything we got with this Doctor on screen. The very fact that most of the setting wasn't on Earth was different too and I like that we will get to explore the Ninth Doctor away from Earth. Although there was no Rose, we did have Nova in that companion role and it appears that she is here to stay for at least the remainder of the boxset. Her being a chef was a nice sense of normality, although the fact she wasn't paid for her job and just got some food credits and access to the low-end games screamed slavery, and that was something that the Doctor didn't agree with. I thought jumping around different times of the audio was an intriguing move and having the Doctor tell a story to Audrey and revert back to Nova was decent, although I think that format works better with visuals. Audrey made for a mysterious villain and I liked how she had feigned  being an old woman, but that deception didn't work on the Doctor which was terrific. It was a very impressive audio for the Ninth Doctor who was in his element when it came to bypassing security and translating Latin of the Roman soldiers. That element seemed to disappear quickly, but the image of a legion thrust nearly two millennia into the future was brutal. Farraday and Halloran were fun characters and the Doctor disagreeing with the military way was really good to hear and true to character. The use of a time eddy, or rather billions of them, in the story was interesting and I liked how time was used to help enhance an immersive game that only the very richest had access to. Who cared that time was being ripped apart along with the fabric of reality when there was money to be made? Talk about high rollers! That took things to a different level. I quite enjoyed the pace of the episode and there was a good mix of action and dialogue. The Sphere of Freedom name is quite ironic given that it was anything but that, and Audrey revealing herself as the CEO was a fun moment even if the Doctor was far from surprised. I liked the danger of Nova being swallowed up by a time eddy, as well as Farraday, and the Doctor was determined to get the former back. He had made a promise and he was going to keep it. Except now the TARDIS had been swallowed by an eddy and he was inside, with Audrey able to show him the true extent of the Ravagers that seemingly inhabited the collapse of a star going nova. Not even the TARDIS could escape it, so how could they live in that habitat? The Doctor was next on the menu in what was a very good cliffhanger to lead us into the next adventure of the series. Overall, a very solid first episode and it was brilliant to have new Ninth Doctor material from Christopher Eccleston himself! 

Rating: 8/10

One Enchanted Evening

"You're the last of your species because you ate the rest!"

Writer: James Goss

Format: Audio

Released: June 2017

Series: The Lives of Captain Jack 1.03

Featuring: Captain Jack

Synopsis

Captain Jack Harkness – time-travelling con-man, saviour of the Earth, and intergalactic adventurer. He has lived many lives...

Captain Jack and Alonso Frame have only just met. But why did the Doctor want them to be together?

Verdict

One Enchanted Evening was a very good little audio to continue my way through the first series of The Lives of Captain Jack! I love how we get a continuation from the scene during The End of Time where the Tenth Doctors bids farewell to Captain Jack, whilst also setting him up with Alonso Frame who he obviously knew very well from the events of Voyage of the Damned. It was very good to have two familiar characters together for the first time and even though they ended up being split up quite quickly, they worked very well as a pair through their communication devices. The contained setting of the ship was good and the innuendo that the small elements of it provided for Jack and Alonso was great. It was clear that Jack was more experienced in any kind of act involving sexual innuendo, but it was still fantastic for the pair to be hitting it off. They were aiming for that to happen in more ways than one! Alonso's uniform making him out to be someone with authority on the doomed ship was fun and I loved how he was still feeling the impact of what occurred on the Titanic and how he wasn't set out to be captain or to save people. I thought the writing was very much in line with what the character was in his televised appearance and it's crazy to think that it has been fourteen years now since that Christmas Special! Reprising the role so long after was excellent. I thought Ginny was a nice character to come between Jack and Alonso and her taking a shine to the latter was a nice touch, especially with her getting to kiss him goodbye and the continued taking a shine to his smile. Jack was also very much impressed with the smile and that being the motivation he needed to defeat Mother Nothing was really nice. I thought the enemy was certainly unique and the speech which was very different and certainly stood out. Its desire for the giant diamond that powered the ship was amusing and it wanting it for no other reason than it being the 'shiny thing' was brilliant because that was no real reason, it was just evil. Hearing of Mother Nothing's nature and it being the last of its species because it had actually eaten all of the rest, even including its own offspring! The thought of that is just crazy. The bulk of the episode involving Jack and Alonso reuniting was nice and I thought the moment where they thought they were on the same level and coming to the same exit, only to find that Jack had made a mistake and was actually a level below. That was good, if not a little sad, but I couldn't quite believe how things ended with them ending permanently separated! It was a really touching moment for Alonso to stay behind and help Jack ensure that Mother Nothing was defeated, and him taking a little while to understand Jack's message about letting it go was terrific. The image of Jack riding a diamond in space and coming to Alonso was magnificent and certainly right up Jack's alley. The battle for the last remaining escape shuttle was a last moment of torment as there was no way for Jack and Alonso to escape together, so Alonso knocked Jack out and sent him away anyway without knowing that Jack was immortal. That was a big shame and just when it seemed that hope was restored and Alonso managed to reboot another pod, a meteor storm alternated their respective courses and they wouldn't meet. A big shame! Overall though, a very good audio adventure! 

Rating: 8/10

The Splintered Gate

"You may be going on a long journey."

Writer: Justin Richards

Format: Short Story

Released: April 2003

Printed in: Short Trips: Companions 02

Featuring: Ian, Barbara 

Synopsis

Adventures in time and space are no fun if there's no one to share them. The Doctor has taken along many people on his travels – humans, aliens and robots. Did he really care for any of them? What in their previous life fitted them for the role of companion – and how did they cope after they left the TARDIS?

These seventeen stories look at the Doctor's trusty companions, before, during and after their travels with the eccentric Time Lord. Discover the truth about Romana's regeneration, find out what happened when Zoe encountered the Doctor again, and learn which of his companions the Doctor cared for the most...

Verdict

The Splintered Gate was a very interesting little story to continue my way through the Companions edition of short trips prose. I say little in the literal sense because at barely six pages, this particular adventure must surely go down as one of the smallest and shortest stories I have ever blogged! That fact alone makes it a fun blog to write and I actually managed to get this one read and blogged whilst on holiday, as planned given its incredibly short length. Whilst Gemma was in the shower between daily activities and going out for food, it was the perfect opportunity to keep with the blog and get another adventure in the bag. I'm not normally a fan of the first person perspective for storytelling, but I don't really think this story could have worked any other way. It was a nice little twist to go back in time and feature Ian and Barbara prior to the events of An Unearthly Child, and I think that could be done again with Susan included which would really make me sit up and take notice. We got a lovely hint here as to how Ian felt about Barbara when he hoped that he had spotted her whilst he was holidaying in Dorset, but alas it wasn't to be unfortunately for him. I find it incredibly amusing that the title of the short story comes from the fact that Ian got a splinter from a wooden gate. That really is something else and I don't think anything comes close to being so literal for a story title. Especially for something so ordinary in human life. Having a passage describing how Ian was able to pluck out the splinter was just amusing but I did like the image of him unclenching his fist so long after removing the splinter and that resulting in his hand being awash with blood. For a palm reader, that must have been most unexpected and it's fair to say that she was stunned and horrified, so much so that she ran away out of Ian's presence before he could explain the situation. Ian then attending a party of Barbara's was nice and somehow the writing of just ordinary events for characters we know that so much will happen to was great to read. Normal life for this pair is not what we know of them so it was just a nice inclusion. Ian being introduced to Rosemary who was another palm reader was good and I really liked how she took it upon herself to give Ian a true reading, whilst also keeping emphasis on the meaning of the blood that soaked his hands the first time he wanted a reading. She was a good and interesting character and I liked the temptation she provided to Ian with her comment about the journey he would soon go on, and then stealing his money as he was refusing to pay for the service she provided. A service he thought was a sham. He was a man of science so he couldn't resort to this. I liked that. The feeling of just pondering on the future as the story came to a close was intriguing and despite it being set prior to Ian and Barbara going on their travels aboard the TARDIS, it was a perfect opportunity for reflection which was nice. Overall, not a huge amount happened but it was a good little read! 

Rating: 7/10

Survival of the Fittest

"I can hear the dead."

Writer: Jonathan Clements

Format: Audio

Released: February 2010

Series: Monthly Adventures 131

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Klein 

Synopsis

On a distant world, the Doctor and Klein discover that the insect-like race that they have come to know as the Vrill have been all but wiped out by the mysterious and terrifying Winterlack. Discovering the true nature of the Winterlack, Klein is cast out of the Vrill nest into the jungle beyond. There, she is forced to confront the Winterlack threat alone.

In the Vrill nest, the Doctor desperately searches for a way to save the Vrill from extinction. But the odds are against him, and time is running out...

Verdict

Survival of the Fittest was a great audio adventure to continue my journey through the Monthly Adventures! Although this was part of the same release that included Klein's Story, this was very much a different entity and it was clear that some considerable time had passed since those events took place. They were a testing time for the Doctor and Klein with the latter realising she had been tricked by the former's alternate future self into erasing the entire timeline that she knew which saw the Reich in full control, and I really liked how that wasn't forgotten about. Before we actually got to the nitty gritty of the personal story behind the two lead characters, we had a good and very unique tale. The Vrill were a decent little species and I really liked the idea of them communicating via smell. How that mixed with the TARDIS translation circuits was fantastic and certainly challenging, and I just enjoyed the concept of the TARDIS translation featuring so prominently in a Classic era tale. The relationship between the Doctor and Klein seemed amicable at first and I was intrigued to see how the title would fit into her ideology and beliefs. She was almost laughing at the fact that there still remained facists in the Doctor's apparently perfect future for humanity. Her reaction to Steffen gloating about the master race was a magnificent moment and probably the highlight of the entire story in all honesty. It was moving. Finding out that the nest had been infiltrated for greed wasn't exactly a surprise, but the unique qualities of the Vrill made for an intriguing listen. I particularly liked how they believed everything they heard as that is just so much fun and Klein falling victim to that by proclaiming she was the dreaded Winterlack was very good. Of course, the Winterlack was their name for humanity and the scavenges for the nutrients of the Vrill and particular the part that created their new Authority as a wonder drug was good, and just greedy. Jackson alongside Steffen was a good character and I liked how he was taking the escape mission in his stride. The Doctor naming two of the Vrill as Rose and Lily was a nice touch and I thought they were a very good paring. I wasn't a massive fan of the cliffhangers in the story which isn't a huge negative, but they definitely could have been improved. A lot more jeopardy was required. The Doctor not revealing to Klein that he'd actually lost the TARDIS key was good and the fact she found it made for a superb ending to the story and a great cliffhanger finish to lead us into the next story. The Doctor was taking in his stride pretending to be part of the GeoPolice after his initial reservations and his acceptance of a bribe was out of character, but he was doing everything he could to get the mercenaries off the planet to save the Vrill. His striking of a bargain to ensure the Vrill had one nutrient left to create a new Authority was very good and his manipulation of logic to make them think he could grant a new Authority was very good. The issue of Klein's taking the TARDIS was incredible because not only had she been watching and learning and set off into history to do with it as she pleased, but the translation was also gone between humanity and the Vrill. It was an exciting ending full of possibilities and danger, and the Doctor being part of the escape and orbit was very real and normal, something he's not entirely used to. Overall, a very good audio!

Rating: 8/10