Frostfire

"Cinder to flame to egg."

Writer: Marc Platt

Format: Audio

Released: January 2007

Series: Companion Chronicles 1.01

Featuring: First Doctor, Vicki, Steven

Synopsis 

Vicki has a tale to tell. 

But where does it start and when does it end?

Ancient Carthage. 1164 BC.

Lady Cressida has a secret. She keeps it deep in the cisterns below the Temple of Astarte with only one flame for warmth. And it must never get out. 

Regency London, 1814 AD. 

The First Doctor, Steven and Vicki go to the fair and meet the fiery Dragon, the novelist Miss Austen and the deadliest weather you ever did see. 

But which comes first?

The future or the past?

The Phoenix or the egg?

The fire or the frost?

Or will time freeze over forever?

Verdict 

Frostfire was an excellent audio story to kick off the Companion Chronicles range! It's quite scary that it's been over eight years since this story was first released and the extremely successful range of eight series first began. I've delved into numerous Companion Chronicles so I thought it was about time that I saw where the whole range began. I've listened to two other stories from the first series, the great Fear of the Daleks and the just above average The Blue Tooth but this story quickly became my favourite of the series. Maureen O'Brien was a wonderful narrator and I liked how she not only told the story but gave us an insight into what she experienced and how life went for after she made the tough decision to leave the TARDIS and the Doctor and Steven behind in The Myth Makers. The decision certainly came from out of nowhere during that story but it's nice to know that she was extremely happy being with Troilus. It was great to hear that the pair had two children together as well! Despite her youth during the time spent in the TARDIS, I think Vicki definitely would make a good mother. I hope she'd learned a thing or two from Barbara before she left in The Chase, a story that was nicely referenced in regards to talking about Steven. I loved the reference to The Time Meddler also and it was good that this was set early into Steven's travels with the Doctor so he was still getting used to the whole travelling through time and space thing. Surely the fiasco with the Monk would have eradicated any doubt but it doesn't seem to have been the case! It was intriguing how Vicki looked up to Steven as an older brother despite her acknowledging that he was rather "dishy". It was clear throughout the adventure that Vicki missed both the Doctor and Steven very much. Did she perhaps regret cutting her travels short? She almost seemed angry by how primitive everything was in her new time. She was trying to explain the theory of the elevator but it just wasn't any use. I liked the enigma surrounding the person she was telling the story to and the revelation surrounding the Cinder was superb. The setting of the adventure that took place in the TARDIS was a tremendous one - the last frost fair in 1814. I loved the references to the Regency period and Napoleonic Wars (I only sat an exam on subjects concerning those very events last May!) and I also found Vicki's acknowledgement of St Paul's Cathedral still standing in her time despite the invasion (presumably the one we saw in The Dalek Invasion of Earth) and four world wars. It has also survived two Cybermen attacks! The mystery surrounding the egg that frightened Vicki so much was magnificent. The First Doctor was captured elegantly by Maureen O'Brien as she gave us one of the best impersonations by a female narrator in the entire range's history - and this was story number one! There was nothing to drop back on so I found that particularly impressive. The moment that he met Jane Austen was simply stunning and this really did feel like the Classic version of The Unicorn and the Wasp. Where the Tenth Doctor clearly adores Agatha Christie there, it seemed the First Doctor felt the same way about Jane Austen. It was splendid how she accompanied the Doctor, Vicki and Steven in the adventure and I quite liked how this was at a time where she had only written two novels. What a memorable author she'd later become! Vicki's relationship with her was lovely too. The enigmatic nature surrounding the egg which hatched and then patted its shell back up again was brilliant. The Phoenix was presented eloquently and I liked the link with the person Vicki was telling the story to in Carthage. It begged that the Phoenix be allowed to hatch and be born. The question of the Doctor having the right to basically make the species extinct was a strong one. But even he didn't believe nor want that right. The Phoenix was for too dangerous to stay on Earth as the planet would be destroyed almost immediately if every ounce of heat was just sucked from it. That wouldn't be necessary though as the dying frostfire still lived on in Vicki. Literally. It existed to be born. It was a terrific twist that the Phoenix was a temporal paradox and it tied in wonderfully with the narration. I liked how it was implied this wasn't the first time that Vicki had told the story to the Cinder and it seemed to know that yet wanted it to end in a different way. But the Cinder was trapped in a loop and the story always ended the same. 

Rating: 8/10