The Underwater Menace

"Life can be very beautiful here under the sea."

Writer: Nigel Robinson 

Format: Novel

Released: July 1988

Series: Target 129

Featuring: Second Doctor, Polly, Ben, Jamie

Synopsis 

When the TARDIS lands on a deserted volcanic island the Doctor and his companions find themselves kidnapped by primitive sea-people. Taken into the bowels of the earth they discover they are in the lost kingdom of Atlantis.

Offered as sacrifices to the fish-goddess, Amdo, the Doctor and his companions are rescued from the jaws of death by the famous scientist, Zaroff.

But they are still not safe and nor are them people of Atlantis. For Zaroff has a plan, a plan that will make him the greatest scientist of all time - he will raise Atlantis above the waves - even if it means destroying the world...

Verdict 

The Underwater Menace was a very good novelisation and was a much welcomed relaxing break from work after seven days straight of early wake ups and long days. I'm amazed I've been able to keep up with the blog but I'm very glad that I have because I'm on quite the daily streak at the moment. I do hope I can make it continue through most of the summer! I read this novelisation on the usual train journey from south to mid Wales and with my speed of reading randomly increased since starting university, I broke with my tradition of doing the c.120 page Target novels and went with this one which was closer to the 140 page mark. And despite not having a seat until nearly an hour into the journey, I still managed to finish the book before arriving at my destination. I was quite impressed with that. I made it adamant to myself that I would be doing a Second Doctor story today because since October, this is only my third story to solely feature Patrick Troughton's incarnation of the Doctor and that's simply not good enough. I try to do my best in varying the Doctor I do in a story but I've simply not done enough that features the Second Doctor. Even this was my first ever Target novelisation of one of his stories! I've also only done one previous novel solely featuring him as the Doctor but I have blogged every televised story he appeared in as well as quite a few Companion Chronicle audios. I was quite surprised with the amount of deviations from the television story and despite half of it being missing from the archives, it's a story I knew very well and whilst the changes weren't major, they were certainly noticeable and deviation between television and book is a common thing. I'll soon be embarking on the A Song of Ice and Fire novels and I'm sure that'll be mightily different to the HBO TV series. I really liked the uniqueness of this novelisation having a prologue and epilogue to separate things out. We saw the aftermath of The Highlanders as well as the lead into The Moonbase which I thought was great. Jamie's reaction to what was going was fantastic with this being his first full story. His relationship with his new companions blossomed wonderfully as things went on. I was impressed with how well the relationship between Ben and Polly was captured in print and was done so in a similar way to my relatively recent reading of The Smugglers, a story that got a good reference here. The other references to Galaxy 4, The War Machines and The Tenth Planet were also terrific. The setting of Atlantis in a close to present day time is certainly an interesting place to set a story but actually worked very well indeed. Professor Zaroff's madness was presented very well in prose which impressed me and I like how his infamous line got itself a chapter title. The book cover is brilliant and I liked how the novel made me realise how little the Fish People actually feature in the story - it wasn't much at all. The revolt was planned well but I loved Polly's earlier reaction to the fact she was almost operated on and would become a Fish Person. She admired what had happened but didn't at all want it for herself. Zaroff's plan for Atlantis was just ludicrous and calling him a mad scientist was a bit of an understatement really. I enjoyed his relationship with the Doctor, whose characterisation was very strong, very much. The way his defeat was brought about was excellent and I liked the idea of Atlantis being preserved under the water, just as its inhabitants wanted. Overall, a great little read!

Rating: 8/10

Abslom Daak... Dalek Killer

"You have chosen exile as a Dalek-Killer!"

Writer: Steve Moore 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: February 1980

Printed in: DWM 17-20

Featuring: Abslom Daak

Synopsis 

Hardened criminal Abslom Daak chooses a suicide mission as a Dalek Killer as an alternative to vaporisation. Arriving on the newly colonised Dalek planet of Mazam, Daak joins forces with Princess Taiyin and sets out to kill as many Daleks as he can before he gets killed himself.

Verdict 

Abslom Daak... Dalek Killer was a very good little comic strip adventure! After listening to the Cyberman spinoff audio series for eight days straight, I wasn't expecting to be doing another story that didn't feature the Doctor so soon. But hey ho, plans became what they were and after a busy day at work and other things to do, I was just glad to be doing something and when this little gem of a story presented itself as an opportunity to read quickly, I pounced at it. I've been keen to do this story for quite some time now due to the ongoing Eleventh Doctor adventures in Doctor Who Comic in which Abslom Daak has returned and is pretty much a companion at the point I'm currently at with the UK release. I'm assuming that this was Daak's first story in the Doctor Who Universe so I think it's definitely beneficial for me to have read it with the next DWC issue out this week. His trial was interesting with him getting the choice of being vaporised or to become a Dalek Killer. The choice was obvious I would think. Even though the odds were severely against someone surviving a Dalek onslaught, there's still a chance of survival and taking it is surely a must? Even if someone was going to die, killing a few Daleks prior to perishing must at least be a little bit of a consolation. I'd certainly have thought so anyway. The planet of Mazam didn't have much to it other than the Princess Taiyin who Daak didn't really seem interested in until she died, despite sharing a rather passionate kiss during the events of the story. I thought he was a little bit sexist and quite vulgar at times and I get that it's his character as a murderer and what have you but I imagine some female readers of 36 years ago were quite offended. I'm a male but even I found things like "dumb broad" a step too far. Sexism and degrading of women are things I absolutely despise and with his actions, I was amazed that Taiyin wanted to remain with him and even go as far as being with him! If I was in his position and had a women want me like that, I'd jump at the opportunity and do everything in my power to treat her well. I'm not at all convinced that Daak would have done the same. I'm a little confused how in The Then and the Now that she is referred to as Daak's wife because she kind of died at the end of this story. The extermination was brutally but brilliantly timed with Taiyin professing her love for Daak just as she was killed. Doctor Who at its sinister best. I liked that. The action that came in the comic was fantastic with numerous Dalek killings! I liked Daak's vow to kill every Dalek and he would soon get that nickname that the story titles him as. I'm not too sure how he got from this story to where we see him now in travelling with the Eleventh Doctor but one way or another, via a route of some kind, I will find that out by eventually getting through all the comic strip stories. It'll be long and potentially expensive task but I'll certainly get there. Overall though, an insightful and excellent little comic strip that I very much enjoyed.

Rating: 8/10

Vengeance on Varos

"This place is where the innocent are tortured..."

Writer: Philip Martin 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 19th-26th January 1985

Season: 21.02

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Peri

Synopsis 

The TARDIS is adrift. Deprived of a vital power source, the Doctor and Peri have one last hole - the planet Varos. But Varos is a dangerous place. Trapped in the dreaded Punishment Dome, the Doctor and Peri must fight for their lives - and save the starving population from the machinations of the villainous reptilian Sil...

Verdict 

Vengeance on Varos was a brilliant story! The story has been widely criticised in the past but despite its admittedly extremely violence, it is very good. Watching this story actually made me realise how little Colin Baker actually did as the Sixth Doctor on our screens as I now only have three televised stories left to blog featuring his controversial incarnation! I think it'll be a while now before I watch another story with him as I really don't want to run out anytime soon but after eight straight days of the Cyberman spinoff audios, it was great to be doing a story again that featured the Doctor. Despite both things being from the world of Doctor Who, they were so different and I think that's the dynamic that the Doctor brings to a story. He owns the place and that's how it should be but after doing the Cyberman spinoff, I can appreciate how good things around him are a lot more when he isn't actually there. Colin Baker was as magnificent as always in this story and I really can't understand why he's so unpopular amongst fans. It baffles me. I love him in the audios but even here he displays his brilliance as the Doctor. Talking about being on display, Nicola Bryant didn't leave much to the imagination with her attire in which she looked spectacular! Peri was marvellous in this serial and I loved her questioning of the Doctor in the TARDIS, so much so that she brought him the long forgotten TARDIS manual. I really liked that. I thought the Governor was an excellent character and the main antagonist in Sil is obviously just terrific. He's a slimy slug creature, what's not to love? That laugh is absolutely devious. It's no wonder that he made a relatively quick return in The Trial of a Time Lord. He's since returned in the very good Mission to Magnus and as far as I'm aware has also appeared in a pretty recent Main Range audio. I'm still way behind with those and the length of my next story is proving rather difficult to fit in but I'm hopeful I will do it on my next day off from work. The violence in this story didn't personally bother me but I can see why some had negative reactions. The concept of death being a form of entertainment is pretty despicable but that was the culture on Varos. As I'm a huge Game of Thrones fan, a smile was brought to my face as I saw Owen Teale on my screen as Maldak. His character was terrific but far different from Ser Allister who he portrayed in GoT before being hung earlier this season. Quillam and the Chief Officer were intriguing characters but I thought they could have been more aggressive. The cliffhanger wasn't bad at all and I liked how the story ended with what it proposed at the start with the Doctor getting his Zeiton-7. I liked that. The whole adventure being spectated upon by the Varosians was terrific but the concept of the vote for the Governor seemed incredibly harsh! I liked the rebel factions on the planet with Jondar being key to that after his rescue. Sil representing the Galatron Mining Corporation was good but his negotiations would prove terrible by the story's end. Overall though, a fantastic serial! 

Rating: 8/10

Extinction

"The Cybermen will not tolerate weakness."

Writer: James Swallow

Format: Audio

Released: December 2009

Series: Cyberman 2.04

Featuring: Samantha, Barnaby

Synopsis 

In the war for the future,

Fear is the only weapon.

The Cybermen are triumphant; nothing can stand in their way. First they will absorb mankind, and obliterate their android spawn; then they will stride the stars once more, to transform the galaxy into an empire of icy, flawless logic. The battle must end; only one race will emerge victorious.

Verdict 

Extinction was a fantastic audio adventure to sadly bring a close to the second, and thus far final, series of the Cyberman spinoff series. I've now quickly matched my listening of Dalek Empire and whilst both spinoff series are extremely different, I think they're both actually of similar quality and I do think it's a great shame that there has yet to be a third Cyberman series. Dalek Empire went on a four series run but I must admit that whilst I'm saddened that this series only did two series, I can see why there hasn't been a third as everything concerning the Cybermen was mopped up nicely. I'll get to the ending later on though as there was a lot that led up to it. My favourite part of the audio had to be the reunion of Samantha and Barnaby after they were separated at the end of Outsiders at the start of this series. It hasn't been quite the same in the last two stories having them apart so it was wonderful to hear them reunited during this audio. It was a great shame how things panned out for them at the end but I did like how we heard Samantha reveal her true feelings about Liam. She loved him. We already knew he loved her so it was brilliant to see an android and a human in love during the midst of the Orion War. They had united against a common enemy and even Samantha's android identity would soon be known to more than just Hazel after she found out at the close of Machines. Yan and Dane were very good in this story and I also enjoyed the idea of a rebel rising against the Cybermen. I mentioned in yesterday's blog that I thought the small numbers of Cybermen would prove to be a weakness and that was ultimately the case here. Paul Hunt was as sinister as ever with his story about Barnaby being a war criminal and I liked how disgusted Janice sounded with the orders she was given. Hunt would be given a justified end though as the Cybermen's use for him had ran out so they fully converted him from Cybrid to Cyberman. Hunt wasn't happy with that at all, as so many people working for the Cybermen are not, but he didn't have much choice against the might of his superiors. Chessman was pretty cunning in this story too and I liked Samantha's reaction to seeing that he was the traitor. Her willingness to sacrifice herself to see the Cybermen defeated was admirable and it just showed how terrible the Cybermen really were in the grand scheme of the Orion War. An android was willing to die to save Earth and the human race. This spinoff really has come full circle! This story will be remembered for an emotional ending with the death of Samantha. She sacrificed herself to defeat the Cybermen and more directly the Cyber Planner and I loved her emotional speech about their position on the planet. So, using the cold logic that the Cybermen are best known for, they simply packed up and left. That seemed to be that but then the departing Cybermenv were greeted by an angry Android fleet who gave them quite a chilling ultimatum. I also loved how the story, and with it the spinoff series, ended with the line of "there is nothing to fear." That's been the cornerstone of the entire series really so it was quite a fitting way to end things. It's been a tremendous little spinoff and completing both series back to back over the last eight days has been fantastic. It's been a great run but I do now look forward to a return to a story featuring the Doctor! Overall though, a solid and consistent second series and the second series ended very well.

Rating: 8/10

Machines

"A fusion of flesh and steel..."

Writer: James Swallow

Format: Audio

Released: December 2009

Series: Cyberman 2.03

Featuring: Samantha, Barnaby 

Synopsis 

All war is deception.

As the conspiracy of hate and distrust brings death in its wake, the sinister plans of the Cybermen are revealed, and events move on a collision course as the invaders prepare for the final phase of their rebirth. Only a handful of rebels, human and android, stand ready to confront their common enemy; but if they cannot trust themselves, then the battle is already lost...

Verdict 

Machines was another very good audio adventure to continue along the second series of the Cyberman spinoff! It doesn't seem too long since I started this excellent spinoff with scepticism and after a shaky start I have been absolutely chuffed with what I've listened to if I'm honest. And just as it began a week ago, tomorrow the spinoff ends after I will complete an unprecedented back to back series. I explained in my blogging of Outsiders why I decided to do the second series immediately after the first and I must say now with things nearly complete that I'm very much thrilled with my decision. I think I've definitely become more acquainted with the characters than I would have done with a lengthy break and my understanding of the story has absolutely been enhanced by following the first series with the second. My initial thoughts about the humans and androids joining forces to combat the Cybermen was technically realised for the first time in this audio with Samantha joining up with, or rather being rescued by, the humans we have been introduced to over the past two stories in Hazel, Yan and Dan. I mentioned in my last blog that things on Earth under the rule of the Cybermen were very similar to life for humanity in The Dalek Invasion of Earth and I like how this audio series has provided us with the Cybermen ruling supreme on Earth. It's not just the Daleks who conquered the planet. Although in saying that, I wouldn't quite call what the Cybermen have achieved here as conquering. The continued deployment of 'SCUs' is very good and the Cybermen along with Paul Hunt have, it would seem, tricked the nation into believe something that simply wasn't true. That is very reminiscent of recent events here with a horrifying referendum result. But I'm not going to talk real life politics on my blog. I will talk about Earth Government in this story though as I liked the scheming by Hunt in convincing Janice that the recording he had obtained, or rather forged, saw a brief flashback of Karen Brett. She really did come to an unfortunate end and it would appear that Barnaby might soon be joining her as he found out that the truth about a traitor being aboard. He first figured that it was Taggart and that was also my assumption but it was soon revealed, admittedly to my surprise, that it was Chessman who was working for the Cybermen. Well, it was disturbingly more than that. He was a Cybrid. That concept seems to be contradictory to the existence of the Cybermen and I think that might be why it's so shocking. I was also quite surprised to hear that the Cybermen were cloning human beings to convert into Cybermen. That says to me that they're running thin on the ground and I think that may have a part to play in their ultimate defeat which is bound to occur in my listening of the series, and spinoff, finale tomorrow. I'm very much looking forward to listening to that after this audio's conclusion with Hazel finding out that Samantha was actually an android - something she labelled as the enemy. But she was soon brought around to the thinking that it was the Cybermen who were the true enemy. Humans and android needed to unite and the agreement between Hazel and Samantha might just be the first step. Notably a small step, but at least it's one step in the right direction. I look forward to seeing how things pan out next. Overall, another brilliant little story to continue the spinoff series!

Rating: 8/10

Terror

"The humans have brought this upon themselves."

Writer: James Swallow

Format: Audio

Released: December 2009

Series: Cyberman 2.02

Featuring: Samantha, Barnaby 

Synopsis 

A secret war is raging; a war with no soldiers - only casualties...

Two species - one organic, one synthetic - face their greatest challenge to their existence: the cold logic and ancient power of the Cybermen. Earth lies trapped between oppression and destruction, and the future is shrouded in darkness. Plans are drawn and choices are made; but the hidden truth that lurks in the shadows may be more terrible than anyone could imagine...

Verdict 

Terror was another fantastic audio in this superb Cyberman spinoff series! After listening to this story I am very happy with my decision to do both series back to back because they really do follow on immediately from one another. I kind of wish I did that for Dalek Empire now because that spinoff's first series pretty much led directly into the second and I can definitely see, or rather hear, the benefits in doing things back to back. I think this story actually marks the longest run of stories in my blog's history not to feature the Doctor after it eclipsed the five episode run of Torchwood's Children of Earth third series. I might soon beat that record as I am planning on watching the Miracle Day fourth series at some point soon but for now I'm just enjoying this brilliant spinoff. And I hate to admit it, but I was very sceptical going in to listening to Scorpius just six days ago. That seems a lifetime ago now and thinking back over the last week or so, it's fantastic to think how much story development occurs in each hour long audio. Things advanced hugely in this story with Barnaby starting the story as a prisoner continuing on from Outsiders but actually ended the audio by helping depose Richter of his status as captain. I must say that I missed hearing Samantha and Barnaby together as I have absolutely loved their relationship in both series and to hear them separated is a bit of a shame. I think both will develop without the other but I can't envisage them not reuniting in one of the next two stories. I will be devastated and hugely disappointed if that does not occur! There was a good reference to Telos and I liked the struggle that Barnaby had in trying to explain to Richter, Taggart and co about the position of Earth's Governnent and how it was under the control of the Cybermen. Hearing Yan and Hazel sneak around into the city, something that was not permitted, really took me back to how life was for humanity after the Dalek invasion in The Dalek Invasion of Earth. There were striking similarities and with the 26th century setting, I was kind of expecting a nice little reference! It sadly did not arrive but that was not a problem. Samantha was as terrific as ever and I think she's probably topped Suz as my favourite spinoff series main character. It's so easy to forget that she's an android but then you hear her literally hook up to her ship to quickly remind yourself. I do really like that. Barnaby feeling rejected by Samantha's escape was rather sad as we know that certainly wasn't the case. It was clear at the end of the last story that she didn't want to leave him but sadly she had no other choice if she wanted to live. Samantha did at least help Barnaby's position in pretending that he wasn't aware of her true identity. I liked how much the Cyber Planner featured in the story and Paul Hunt seems to be getting more devious by the story, which is great. This audio was very good, as the rating shows, but I felt that if it had a bit of action or shock moment then it could have achieved a higher score. Nonetheless, it was still very good! Overall, another great story in the Cyberman spinoff series.

Rating: 8/10

Outsiders

"There is nothing to fear..."

Writer: James Swallow

Format: Audio

Released: December 2009

Series: Cyberman 2.01

Featuring: Samantha, Barnaby 

Synopsis 

Earth has fallen to the Cybermen;

But the war has only just begun...

Across the planet, the silver legions stand impassive in every city; mankind has sacrificed its freedoms for the sake of a distant conflict against its android creations, and now the price must be paid. On the streets, in the depths of space, a web of lies and deceit draws ever tighter, and the lines between human and android, between enemy and ally, are blurred. Only one choice remains - resist or surrender...

Verdict 

Outsiders was an excellent start to the second series of the Cyberman audio spinoff! I must admit I was not expecting to be listening to the second series immediately following the first but after doing some research on purchasing the boxset of series two, I found out that getting a physical copy of the CDs, something I always prefer to have, would prove either extremely difficult or very expensive. I have just started work for the summer (something else that contributed to my listening of this today) and my intention is to save a considerable amount for sight seeing holidays abroad and Wales away trips in the football. After watching my beloved nation at the Euros recently, I absolutely loved going to France to support my team and I'm now hoping to watch us away as often as I can. University will get in the way of that but once my student loan comes in again, I'm looking forward to saving up the money. That might mean I have to choose my Doctor Who purchases very wisely and really concentrate on what I already have, something I really should do more of. However, having a large supply of unblogged Doctor Who is beneficial. But as I say, purchasing this audio physically would be around the £50 mark whilst downloading alone would've been £25. So thanks to Audible and a free trial that I immediately cancelled, I was able to download this second series completely free of charge which is just incredible! With the length of the audios, and starting work, I thought I may as well continue straight away with the second series and complete the spinoff. It's going to be hugely beneficial considering there was a four year gap between each series original release but I liked how despite a change of writer, the atmosphere and style of the stories remain very much the same. One thing I must criticise though is the covers. I think they're horrific I must say which is a shame because I thought the ones for the first series were fantastic. I'm delighted that Samantha and Barnaby are going to continue to be the main characters and I liked where their story went here. They were separated at the end after Samantha blew her cover as an android on the Antares and the rescue team were soon quick to arrest Barnaby and chase after Samantha who escaped. Some of the new characters were great with Hazel, Yan and Milo particularly standing out. I love the situation on Earth with the Cybermen ruling supreme and Paul Hunt being used as nothing more than a puppet. The Cybermen really are in control now and I'm looking forward to seeing how their plans come into action. I certainly got a similar to feel to how life on Earth was in the year that never was under the Master's rule in Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords and that was excellent. The reference to Telos was great and I liked the action packed ending with the main characters getting separated. Overall, a fantastic start to the series!

Rating: 9/10

Telos

"Blank faces, dead eyes and the power to kill us all."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs

Format: Audio

Released: December 2005

Series: Cyberman 1.03

Featuring: Samantha, Barnaby 

Synopsis 

Now there is a common enemy.

The Earth's government is under Cyber control.

The only hope for civilisation is that androids and humans can work together.

But the Cybermen intend to activate their Master Hibernation Vault on Telos, releasing billions of Cybermen...

THERE IS NOTHING TO FEAR...

Verdict 

Telos was a very good conclusion to the first series of the Cyberman spinoff audios! I was very happy that it finished well because it has been an excellent set of stories, despite a little bit of a shaky start. Paying just £8.97 combined for all four audios is a bit of a steal to be honest and when things are good it just makes the cheap price even better. I really was delighted that the spinoff matched up to its Dalek Empire counterpart, a series of which I have the third series and will soon get to listening to it. But for now it was all about the Cybermen and I loved how they continued to be central to the story here, following on from the previous audio after they had a bit of a sideline role in the first two stories. The highlight of the story was once again Samantha and Barnaby and I have absolutely adored them together. They really have been wonderful. I do hope that the second series of this Cyberman audio spinoff, something I am very interested in buying and will be actively looking to purchase, remains centred around the pairing and despite the series finishing here, there's still some questions that need answering. I was quite surprised to find that Telos had been partially destroyed and that meant finding the Master Hibernation Vault would be extremely difficult. But Samantha was determined to stop the Cybermen from activating it and in the end, with the help of Barnaby and the sacrifice of others, she prevented that from happening. Her method didn't come without luck though but I did like the fact that radiation was used to kill the Cybermen. It had a devastating effect and it meant that the Cybermen on Earth would not receive the activation signal to resurrect billions of Cybermen. I love the name of this story because Telos is a fantastic planet and has played a huge role in the excellent The Tomb of the Cybermen and Attack of the Cybermen. I believe this was the first depiction of the planet to feature in a story I have blogged since those two television stories and I certainly hope it shows up in some other audios, as well as comic strips and novels. It's surely inevitable I would think. As much as I love the Big Finish audios, one thing they often do that bugs me is have an extra scene after the end credits. I don't get why they do that because a lot of people will turn off the CD as the end credits hit but I've learned my lesson now after a little research and I thought the so called bonus scene was excellent. I must admit I'm surprised that Paul Hunt is still alive and I like the idea of Cybermen being pretty useless on Earth whilst waiting for the activation signal and not wanting to blow their cover. That indicates to me that the second series will surely follow the first in terms of the story arc. I don't think Dalek Empire does that for their third series but I imagine this second series will follow. Karen Brett's character came to an unfortunate end in this story with her uncomfortable voice in being controlled by the Cybermen. Barnaby's reaction to that was superb. I thought Spavin and Brynner wee good characters and I also liked how the Prime Reordin had disdain towards Barnaby for the constant kissing shared in Conversion. I liked the other references to Scorpius and Fear and the ending of the story with Samantha and Barnaby united, android and human, and headed to Earth to try and stop the Orion War and join forces against the Cybermen. I do hope the whole story hasn't been told because I really have enjoyed it. Overall, a very good conclusion!

Rating: 8/10

Conversion

"You will not die. You will belong to us."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs 

Format: Audio

Released: November 2005

Series: Cyberman 1.03

Featuring: Brett, Samantha, Barnaby 

Synopsis

Fear is humanity's greatest enemy. The Cybermen can free us from it.

The Cybermen...

The great civilisation we could have been...

If we'd taken another path. A purer path.

The Scorpius strategy is now in full operation.

There will be victory in Orion...

THERE IS NOTHING TO FEAR...

Verdict 

Conversion was another excellent audio to continue the first series of the Cyberman spinoff wonderfully! After a shaky start things have really been set in motion and I loved how the Cybermen were a lot more prominent in this story. For the first time in the series, the story became about them. I thought that would have happened straight off but we were introduced to the Orion War between humans and androids but I just love what the role of the Cybermen is going to be in that battle. Through partially converting Paul Hunt, something the story started with in a neat flashback, the Cybermen had replaced the President of Earth and had now somehow persuaded Brett to go ahead with a plan to convert a sample of humanity into Cybermen. We as listeners know they won't stop there but they might delay things to make conquering humanity a lot easier by destroying the androids. The Cybermen need humans to extend their race so they'll obviously be against the side of the androids in the war but their reasons will absolutely be selfish. The continuation from Fear was excellent with Samantha and Barnaby suffering from the effects of the first stage of Cyber conversion in very different ways for obvious reasons. Barnaby was falling under the influence of the emotional inhibitor fluid as he was human but to Samantha, an android, it had a similar effect on her to food poisoning. Our Samantha does love a good kiss as we heard in the last story with the Prime Reordin but here she was constantly snogging Barnaby to keep his emotions and feelings in check and ensure he didn't submit to the Cybermen. With it already established that he found her attractive, I imagine Barnaby was delighted with what was happening. The dialogue between him and Samantha was once again superb and I really do love their relationship. It was strengthened so much that she would ensure he, the enemy, would not die and even admitted that she didn't want that to occur. She was more focused on the threat the Cybermen would soon pose. I get the feeling the Cybermen are actually going to unite both sides of the war in the next story which is set to be an epic finale to the series. I did not expect things to be headed for Telos but I'm very excited for it! There were fantastic references to The Tomb of the Cybermen and Scorpius which I always love and I'm now just intrigued to see the dynamic shift with what I imagine will primarily be a story not set on Earth. But a lot happened before we got to that point. I was interested by Brett's speech and considering she's the President of Earth she wasn't half being directed and listening to others rather than making the choice herself. Paul really is manipulating her brilliantly. I'm not sure how long it will continue but I'm interested so they're doing something right. I must admit I was a little sceptical about this spinoff series before listening because it didn't get a second series for a long time but after Big Finish offered the first story for free and the other three stories at a combined £8.97, I just couldn't not buy them. I'm now delighted I have though because it's been fantastic thus far! Overall, another brilliant story and the series finale has been set up very nicely. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this concludes!

Rating: 9/10

Fear

"They're not like us and they're not human..."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs 

Format: Audio

Released: October 2005

Series: Cyberman 1.02

Featuring: Samantha, Barnaby

Synopsis 

There is a conspiracy at the heart of Earth's Government.

The Orion War is worsening by the day. The human race is sleepwalking towards extinction. Now, the time is right for the next phase of the Cyber plan to begin...

THERE IS NOTHING TO FEAR...

Verdict 

Fear was an excellent audio story and much improved continuation of the Cyberman spinoff series! After a good but shaky start I was delighted with the quality in this story and it absolutely topped the first story in this first series of the audio spinoff. Once again, I was surprised by how little the Cybermen featured but that wasn't a problem because after getting familiar with the characters in the first story, I loved the development here. The audio was mainly focused on Samantha, making a more prominent appearance than in the previous story, and Barnaby who was just sublime. The dialogue between the pairing was nothing short of brilliant and really was the highlight of story. The revelation that Samantha was actually an android was fantastic and I loved the humour that came with Barnaby finding out that piece of information. Just as he was starting to find Samantha attractive, she spilled the beans on her actually being an enemy spy. His reaction to that was superb as it highlighted just how much hatred the humans have towards the Android Horde and I think that was really important in getting people interested in the story being told. I must admit I was not expecting the premise of a Cyberman spinoff series to be a war between humans and androids and in my blogging of Scorpius yesterday I questioned what the role of the Cybermen in that war would be. The previous story was nicely referenced in this audio and my questioned also got answered. The Cybermen were what the humans, or rather what Earth Government, wanted to become. The war against the androids had gotten so desperate that the human race was willing to become something else to ensure victory. I was quite surprised with how little Brett appeared in this story but I liked how that provided some heated discussion between Paul and Barnaby. The latter really doesn't like the former and is rightfully suspicious of him. Just what he's up to is to be fully revealed but I do look forward to it. Barnaby soon became desperate to stay alive after surviving one attempt earlier in the audio and I liked how the Cybermen weren't too pleased with Paul for not killing him. They weren't aware of Samantha's true identity though and I liked that. Contradictory to my comments in yesterday's blog, I think she'll be the strong female character I love similar to Suz in the Dalek Empire stories. She really was terrific but it got a little uncomfortable with how much kissing she engaged in with the Prime Reordin. That made me realise just how similar the androids are to humans which was very good. There were excellent references to The Invasion and Sword of Orion which I always love and I thought the Cybermen sounded fantastic here. The ending was terrific with the Cybermen beginning their conversion of the human race, something rarely if ever depicted in the Classic era (which is where I would place these audios despite the futuristic setting). Barnaby and Samantha look to be in considerable trouble and I do hope they get out of it! I'd rather not see them become Cybermen as I think they're brilliant! Overall, a much better audio that was full of pace and, ironically, emotion. The humans want to become Cybermen. Oh how the times have changed. 

Rating: 9/10

Scorpius

"The only trouble is they keep killing us."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs 

Format: Audio

Released: September 2005

Series: Cyberman 1.01

Featuring: Brett, Barnaby, Paul 

Synopsis 

The human race is about to become extinct.

Mankind is fighting a long and costly war with its android creations in the Orion System. The deadlock must be broken at all costs. The President of Earth must think the unthinkable...

THERE IS NOTHING TO FEAR.

Verdict 

Scorpius was an interesting listen to kick off my listening of the first series of Cyberman spinoff audio adventures. After listening to a successful first two series of Dalek Empire, albeit not for a while now, I thought I'd venture into another spinoff series featuring one of the Doctor's greatest adversaries. There's a lot of potential with the Cybermen but I must admit it does seem strange to be doing a collection of stories featuring them without the Doctor or any recognisable characters. However, I originally thought the same about the Daleks but after eight terrific audios, my thoughts on that soon changed so I do hope that occurs here with the Cybermen as well. In saying that though, Dalek Empire started off better than the Cyberman stories did here but I'm more than willing to give the next three stories a listen and I'll base my opinion on the spinoff after I get to the end of the first series. Things have been set in motion which is good and I like how the spinoff seems to have stemmed from Sword of Orion which was an excellent Eighth Doctor audio story featuring the Cybermen. Judging by the audio cover, the Cybermen present are reminiscent of those that appeared in The Invasion which would suggest a point in time rather early in Cyber history which, with a 26th century setting, is an interesting move to go with. I liked the mentioning of the battle on Orius Beta VIII and it certainly sounded like quite the battle. Just like Suz in the Dalek Empire audio series, I think I'm really going to like Karen Brett in this spinoff if first impressions are anything to go by. I do like female lead characters in a series of stories that doesn't feature the Doctor and when I write that, I'm still quite surprised that the only Bernice Summerfield story I've blogged is Silver Lining. Ironically, that also featured the Cybermen. Paul Hunt looks like he's going to be a decent enough main character but I'm still hoping to get something more from him as my listening continues over the next three years. Liam Barnaby though was a character I enjoyed more and I think his relationship with Brett will be very good as things move forward. Before Brett became President of Earth, something I'm sure the Twelfth Doctor might dispute, President Levinson was a good president before her and I liked how he thought she was dangerous whilst recognising her popularity with the people. Something I wasn't expecting the Cyberman audios to start off with was a war between humans and androids. There was quite a history to it which I found intriguing and I'm still not sure about the role of the Cybermen in that war. Their wanting of Brett to be President of Earth was excellent and I can't wait to hear what happens with that. The Cybermen will have some sort of plan in mind and with them being devoid of emotion and full of logic, I look forward to that being revealed. I was actually quite surprised with how little the Cyberman featured considering it's their own spinoff series but I'm sure they'll now be more prominent in the three stories that complete the series with their plans starting to be put into fruition. The Cybermen are known for devious plans and I do hope that once it's revealed it isn't a let down. The plot for the overall series was laid down but I thought things were a little slow to get going with the pace a little bit of a problem. Overall though, not a bad start at all but it could have been better.

Rating: 7/10

Clara Oswald and the School of Death Part 4

"We, the Sea Devils, intend to bring about the extinction of your whole race."

Writer: Robbie Morrison 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 2nd June 2016

Printed in: DWC: Tales from the TARDIS 07

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis 

The shadowy puppet masters behind the darkness of Ravenscaur are revealed, as the body count climbs and the shocking revelations add up! Can the Doctor and Clara, armed with a hundred years of secret history, triumph over the conspiracy and drive out an ancient evil?

Verdict 

Clara Oswald and the School of Death concluded in excellent style with this fantastic fourth and final part! It's been the longest opening story of the second year of adventures in Doctor Who Comic's Tales from the TARDIS but that doesn't mean it hasn't been great. I really like the differences the three segments of the comic have taken after four issues of the second year with these Twelfth Doctor comics having the feel of just getting started while the Tenth and Eleventh Doctor stories seem well into an ongoing story. However, this story brought back the Sea Devils which was just terrific. In saying that though, despite the Doctor identifying them as a warrior class differing to the type he previously met in The Sea Devils, this fourth part confirmed my disliking of the change in appearance. I just didn't like it which was a shame. I think they tried to be a little too different and with the hatchlings being present in the story I'm not sure it was needed. I liked that concept and the whole Ravenscaur setting was superb. Based on the way this story ended though I don't think we'll be getting a return to the mysterious school. The Prime Minister announcing his resignation whilst in his native Sea Devil form, live on television, was rather humorous and with the events of Aliens of London/World War Three and Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords, it does seem that this story adds to a list of modern Doctor Who stories that likes an alien Prime Minister! I loved the inclusion of UNIT in this story and it was magnificent to see the two Osgoods present but there was some contradiction with things there because that means the story has to be set prior to Dark Water/Death in Heaven but the Doctor exercised his role as President of Earth, something he wasn't aware he had until that aforementioned story. It doesn't take much from the comic strip but sadly it does prevent a perfect rating, not that I'm sure I would have given one anyway. This last part, whilst good, was the worst of the four that made up the story as I think it was filled with a little too much action. Action works well in comic stories but I thought there was just a tad too much here. I thought the characterisation of Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor was as tremendous as always and I also liked how well Jenna Coleman's likeness as Clara was captured within the pages. It was done very well and the relationship definitely seemed very Series 9 which at my point in reading is something I'm happy with. It would appear that Witch Hunt was the comic strip bow of Clara in Doctor Who Magazine so it seems that these comic adventures are the last new stories I have to feature Clara. She's been an incredible companion but thanks to DWC her story isn't quite finished yet and that's just the beauty of the comic strip format. The Doctor having Kate's picture edited with a moustache in his phone was stunningly good and I just had in my mind the moment the Doctor set it to that and him just chuckling to himself in the TARDIS. Sonny was an intriguing 'companion' in the comic and was rather reminiscent of Handles in The Time of the Doctor and I loved how Clara eventually just gave up about him being a stuffed fish. The Doctor proclaiming him to be the best companion he's ever had was quite a shock but it was mere humour which was good. The way the Doctor defeated the Sea Devils was very good by using the sonic devastators against them and in turn destroying Ravenscaur with the isle safely evacuated. The ending with Jack and Lucy holding hands was a nice touch and I liked how Clara let them keep the neural enhancers as a souvenir for their help. Overall, an excellent start to the second year of Twelfth Doctor adventures!

Rating: 9/10

Medicine Man Part 1

"All two-feet are our kin."

Writer: Nick Abadzis 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 2nd June 2016

Printed in: DWC: Tales from the TARDIS 07

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Gabby

Synopsis

It's back to the deep, deep past and the dawn of humanity for the Doctor and Gabby, as their travels take them to the Pleistocene - and the epic struggle between Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon forces for the future of humankind! 

Verdict 

Medicine Man started off very well with this fantastic first part of the comic strip! I always look forward to continuing the comic adventures of the Tenth Doctor and Gabby and that really is a lot down to the latter as I think she's just truly wonderful as a companion. She's everything I look for and want in a companion and there's no doubt in my mind that she's my favourite character to come out of the comic strip format. She really is just magnificent and that was highlighted here yet again. I was a little surprised we didn't get immediate continuation from Cindy, Cleo and the Magic Sketchbook after that incredible cliffhanger where Captain Jack made a surprise return but I'm sure that will come soon after this story concludes. I've no problem with waiting because this story looks to be very good in the interim. The setting of the Pleistocene era is an intriguing one because it really is prehistoric and pretty soon after reading Only Human, I was glad to see another story featuring a Neanderthal. Gabby's feelings about what homo-sapiens did to them echoed a lot of the same comments Rose mentioned in the aforementioned Ninth Doctor novel and I really liked being able to draw similarities between the characters. Munmeth was a terrific character and I loved how ahead of his time he seemed to be. He must have psychic powers of some sort to draw what he was and that just added a lot of intrigue to his character which always a good thing. The first few pages being about his background and the threat of the sky hunters was great and I loved Gabby's rushed arrival that immediately changed the feel of the story. Even though she's a comic strip character, Gabby looked amazing with her fashion sense being right on point. The story title is something I adored before reading but after turning the pages of this first part I appreciate it even more. It has an ambiguous meaning which I like with it referring to either the Doctor or Munmeth. The characterisation of David Tennant's Tenth Doctor was very good which is just like usual in these comics so that's always a bonus. He and Gabby make a sublime partnership and I do hope their time together goes into at least a third year of comic adventures yet. The mystery of the 'sky hunters' was very good and I liked how Munmeth was appealing to Longtusk for help whilst also warning him of the danger that was soon to come for their clan. His efforts were in vain however and it would later appear that his warning attempts would prove costly. Once reunited with Noomin, Munmeth was not happy at Muthmunna being lost and taken away. At this point we weren't sure who or what was taking the people, but it seems like some people will be willing to help against the mysterious sky discs. The cliffhanger was good and Gabby seems in serious danger but I think it would be more effective if we knew who the alien quintet were. I'm pretty sure they haven't appeared in a past story that I have yet to blog so I look forward to seeing who they are! I just Gabby doesn't get hurt. Overall, an excellent start to the comic strip story with some wonderful references to City of Death, Image of the Fendahl and Pyramids of Mars! Excellent start.

Outrun

"All aboard the Time War bus..."

Writer: Rob Williams 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 2nd June 2016

Printed in: DWC: Tales from the TARDIS 07

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Alice, Squire, Abslom Daak, War Doctor

Synopsis 

Bounty hunters are tracking the TARDIS anywhere in time and space - which should be impossible. Alice is getting visions of the Time War - which should be impossible. The Squire's very existence - should be impossible. The Doctor does ten impossible things before breakfast - but other people doing the same? That's just cheating!

Verdict 

Outrun was an incredibly good little comic strip and continued the Eleventh Doctor segment of Tales from the TARDIS wonderfully well! I was delighted with what I read and I'm loving the story arc for this year being centred around the Time War. We keep getting cameos from the War Doctor which I think is fantastic and with these adding to the hugely successful (and very good) War Doctor audios from Big Finish, we're starting to learn a lot more about the lost incarnation of the Doctor. It's intriguing to have the Eleventh Doctor open up so much about this version of himself with the setting being prior to The Name of the Doctor in which he was first revealed. I still remember my reaction of shock and confusion upon that broadcast and it sure as hell brightened my day up after my local football team lost in the Playoff Final to a last minute goal. Despite the date, this blog entry was actually written a couple of days previous as on publication date I will be in France watching my nation at the Euros. That's partly why I chose to start this month's issue of the comic in the middle because I knew it was a one parter. I didn't fancy rereading the first three parts of the Twelfth Doctor story nor did I want to start the Tenth Doctor story with a lot going on over the next few days. So I did this for its quickness and I must say I flew through it, even if it only was one part. It was just magnificent from start to finish and I'm really intrigued by the identity of the Squire. Is she really a he? Or vice versa? And how did she escape the Time War? I think she's hiding something and knows more than being lets on but one person who doesn't hide his feelings is Abslom Daak. The Doctor made it clear that he holds him in just about the same regard as the Daleks so I'm interested as to why the Time Lord continues to travel with him. Daak putting forward the question of who has killed more Daleks, himself or the Doctor, was tremendous and I loved how the Doctor was being challenged over what occurred in the Time War. The Veestrax setting was good and I was surprised by the brief cameo of the Cyberman. I do hope there's more to its presence. The continuation from where Pull to Open finished was excellent and I liked how we saw a form of retro regeneration once again. The metallic spiders provided a good threat and I really liked how Abslom soon put a stop to them. Alice experiencing a form of time distortion reverting her back to the days of the Time War really fascinated me and that fascination was increased by the young Squire recognising Alice. It was quite reminiscent of recent events in Game of Thrones but with the Time War being time locked, I'm very intrigued to see how that fits. The demonstration of the time lock on the Time War was superb and it was excellent to see it presented physically for the first time. I thought the characterisation of the Eleventh Doctor was decent with Matt Smith's likeness being captured a lot better than some previous stories, particularly during the first year of adventures. The highlight of the story for me though was the indication of the return of the Master! He didn't actually appear but his TARDIS did, and in the form that would suggest the Anthony Ainley incarnation which gets me very excited. The one thing about the Matt Smith era that disappointed me was that the Eleventh Doctor never met the Master but I finally got what I wanted in The Choice which was a sublime comic strip adventure. It now seems that another meeting between the pair will occur which is something I really can't wait for. It looks like it was the Master who has framed the Doctor for the events we saw in The Then and the Now and I just can't wait for him to appear now! Adding the Master to the mix of a Time War heavy story arc really can only mean greatness, and I'm incredibly excited for the next issue. Overall, a simply superb comic strip!

Rating: 10/10

Festival of Death

"A graveyard of ships in space..."

Writer: Jonathan Morris

Format: Novel

Released: March 2013

Series: 50th Anniversary Collection 04

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Romana II, K9

Synopsis

The Beautiful Death is the ultimate theme-park ride: a sightseeing tour of the afterlife. But something has gone wrong, and when the Fourth Doctor arrives in the aftermath of the disaster, he is congratulated for saving the population from destruction - something he hasn't actually done yet. He has no choice but to travel back in time and discover how he became a hero.

And then he finds out. He did it by sacrificing his life.

Verdict 

Festival of Death was an excellent read and finally, after 764 blog entries, saw me read an original Fourth Doctor novel! I have of course read Heart of TARDIS and The Eight Doctors in which the Fourth Doctor appears heavily, and I've also read numerous of this incarnation's Target novelisations, but there's just something different about an original novel. I guess it's different for me with Target novelisations because the first one I read was well after I had finished my marathon of every story so there's a degree of familiarity to pretty much every story. I try and avoid that where possible but it can be difficult now. That's where the beauty of the original novels come in and I was thrilled to finally get a Fourth Doctor one on the list. It seemed rather lengthy but when the story is brilliant like this was then it's no problem. I was reading the reprint version that I've actually owned since around the time of the anniversary but for whatever reason I just haven't gotten round to doing it. That changed though and it looks like I've missed a treat all this time. The plot was incredibly timey-wimey but that's part of why it was so fantastically good. When I was reading and things were jumping all over the place, I didn't experience any problems or confusion which was really positive because in a story as complex as this it could be easy fi lose track of what was going on. However, things were done with such clarity and precision that ensured there were no issues with the timey-wimey nature of the plot. It was superb. I must say how good the characterisation of both the Fourth Doctor and Romana II was and I think it was the best capturing of a TARDIS team's relationship that I've probably ever read. It really was that good. The likeness of both Tom Baker and Lalla Ward was presented with absolute ease and I think that's why the book was a huge success. I really liked Jonathan Morris's introduction, which I read after completing the novel to avoid spoilers, and it's nice to see a writer be so pleased with what they have written. And after reading the story, he had every write to be. It wasn't quite perfect but it was definitely close to receiving a rating that would suggest that. The Doctor and Romana arriving on the Cerebrus ship after everything was all well and good was terrific and we knew right from the start that things were going to end well, yet the read that followed was still tremendous. We wanted to know how everything was going to be okay and that involved a lot of hopping back in time for the Doctor and Romana which provided considerable humour on more than one occasion. Every time they met new people, they were already known. I liked how towards the end of the book that was really starting to annoy the Doctor. There was a wonderful City of Death in the novel and there were also a number of characters in the story that I loved. I thought ERIC was excellent and the way we felt sympathy for the computer throughout the novel was great. Hoopy was barmy which ess brilliant and I thought Harkan Batt was really good with his documentary. The concept of the Beautiful Death was rather strange but it was the secret of the Aboretrans that really struck me. Their ability to relive their lives after death, putting right the wrongs, and eventually living on the Path of Perfection was an envious life cycle. So much so that Paddox nearly wiped out the entire species. Gallura being the last of the race and helping the Doctor defeat the Repulsion was brilliant but I thought the ending was incredibly harsh even for a villain who attempted genocide. He would have to watch his life over and over, without being able to change. The revelation that he was Koel was magnificent. I thought Evadne was a good character and her role in freeing the earliest Doctor and Romana was terrific. Metcalfe and Jeremy were also good characters and creating good characters certainly adds a lot to the story. Despite these characters, it was the plot that stood out and although I think it went a little haywire towards the middle, it was excellent. Overall, a fantastic novel!

Rating: 9/10

Planet of the Daleks

"When we start acting and thinking like the Daleks... the battle is lost."

Writer: Terry Nation

Format: TV

Broadcast: 7th April - 12th May 1973

Season: 10.04

Featuring: Third Doctor, Jo

Synopsis 

The TARDIS arrives on Spiradon, an inhospitable planet where the vegetation is hungry and extremely dangerous. The Doctor has been badly hurt and has fallen into a coma, so it's up to his concerned assistant Jo to leave the safety of the TARDIS to find help. She soon discovers a jungle containing invisible creatures, and that the planet is hiding a terrible secret about the Doctor's oldest enemy, the Daleks...

Verdict 

Planet of the Daleks was an excellent story! It was another great little watch with my young cousin whose Doctor Who knowledge is continuing to expand. He's nearly seen every episode from the revived series and he has also watched a decent chunk of the Classic era so the more he watches, the more interest he has in the show. Sadly, this will be my last watch with him for a little while as I head back home tomorrow but that will at least allow me the chance to read a novel. After a lengthy spell reading The Amazing World of Doctor Who, tomorrow's reading will see a very quick return to the Fourth Doctor as he's the only incarnation of the Doctor that I haven't read an original novel of (where he's the only Doctor). After watching Revenge of the Cybermen and Arc of Infinity together, this story was a little longer at a quite lengthy six parts but we almost seemed to watch it quicker than our previous two viewings as we watched in two sessions consisting of three parts back to back. It worked well I think and having a break halfway made things a lot more effective. I thought the cliffhangers were strong which is always important and although I thought some of the Dalek models were pretty poor, the story more than made up for that. I loved the Spiradon setting but the thing I loved even more about this story was the fact it was pretty much a direct sequel to The Daleks! With such a lengthy period in between, I remember not expecting anything of the sort on my first, and up until today only, viewing when I watched every television story back to back in just over 260 days. The mentions of Ian, Barbara and Susan were wonderful and I loved how the events of the second every serial had saw the Doctor become a bit of a legend in Thal folklore. The fact the Thals themselves were returning was terrific and I liked how they were still at war with the Daleks after all this time. However, it did appear that the Thals had overrun the Daleks on Skaro as it was the former who ended up returning home. I thought the design of these Daleks was gold and suited to the story and I really enjoyed the appearance of the Dalek Supreme. That particular version would later return in The Genocide Machine and I liked how it was left open that these Daleks were not defeated, just merely delayed. I was quite surprised that the Doctor and Jo ran away at the end but after freezing the entire Dalek force you can hardly blame them! The few surviving Daleks would, I doubt, not take any mercy. The idea of the Daleks aiming to capture the ability of invisibility is a frightening concept and the consequences are actually rather incomprehensible. Invisible Daleks would be incredibly powerful and the Doctor would even be testing himself in trying to stop them if they had that ability. I thought Jo was terrific as companion in this story and I really liked how concerned she was for the Doctor as the story started immediately where Frontier in Space left off. It really did have a feel of the First Doctor era with stories starting how the last finished. I really liked that touch. Terry Nation is a favoured writer of mine and I thought he produced another strong script here despite being away from the programme for a considerable amount of time. The Thal characters were great with Rebec my personal favourite whilst Taron and Vaber were also very good. Wester was a nice friend for Jo and allowed us an insight to the Spiradons which was certainly beneficial. I thought the ending was decent and full of action and just when you thought we might be finishing a little early, the Dalek Supreme emerges from the jungle leaving a return very open. Overall, an excellent story and another wonderful watch with my cousin.

Rating: 9/10

Arc of Infinity

"Each and every time the Doctor returns to Gallifrey there's violence."

Writer: Johnny Byrne 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 3rd-12th January 1983

Season: 20.01

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan

Synopsis 

Travelling with Nyssa in the TARDIS, the Doctor is attacked by a malign entity - a being of pure anti-matter seeking to cross the dimensions. Although the invader is successfully repelled, the TARDIS is immediately recalled to Gallifrey, where the High Council of Time Lords sentence the Doctor to be executed to prevent any further attempts at bonding.

It seems there is a traitor on Gallifrey. And what links the Renegade and the disappearance of Tegan's cousin in Amsterdam? Two fates intertwined must battle for the future of the entire universe...

Verdict 

Arc of Infinity was an excellent story to kick off the landmark twentieth season of Doctor Who! That celebration would of course be celebrated with The Five Doctors after the season concluded but I liked how the entire season saw an enemy from the show's past return. Omega is an interesting choice of villain to bring back but I think he's fantastic and I must admit, I do love a Gallifrey story. There's just something about the Doctor's home planet that guarantees a good story. Omega only appeared previously in the tenth anniversary story The Three Doctors and although I loved the appearance in that story, I was a fan of the costume change for the renegade Time Lord. It kept his identity hidden until the end of part three and that revelation moment is always superb, even if it wasn't as impactful as it could have been. I was quite surprised on my first viewing that there was no mention of Time-Flight early on but that would come later once Tegan arrived on our screens in part two. The pairing of the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa is something we have had an incredibly lot of in the Big Finish audios but this is the only real chance we have to see them as a TARDIS pair on screen. They're really terrific together here and we would learn, in hindsight of course, that they had numerous adventures after abruptly leaving Tegan behind. She has since lost her job as an air hostess which I strangely found a little amusing but it at least it was good to see her in a new costume! With the audios that occurred between the nineteenth and twentieth seasons, I do hope the TARDIS has a quick and efficient washing machine where Nyssa is concerned. Seeing Borusa again, now regenerated, was a good continuation of past Gallifrey stories. The Invasion of Time got a terrific reference with the Doctor wondering how Leela was and I also liked the reference to Warriors' Gate with Romana choosing to remain in E-Space following her arrival in the TARDIS at the beginning of the Key to Time season. Having recently read The Five Doctors, it was interesting to watch the Gallifrey story immediately before it and I liked how the memory of what was to follow was fresh in my head. It offered an interesting viewing point and I very much enjoyed that. Speaking of my viewing point, just like Revenge of the Cybermen I watched this serial with my cousin who continued in giving a perfect rating for this story. I didn't quite agree with him because of a large proportion of part four but it still wasn't far off. It's just great seeing him watch a story for the first time and that's even more enhanced by the fact his Doctor Who knowledge is now very detailed. I thought the story had good cliffhangers and it was also interesting to see Colin Baker play a prominent role in the show before his casting as the Sixth Doctor. It of course happened with Peter Capaldi in The Fires of Pompeii so there's no confusion with anything there. The fourth part was a bit of a mixed bag and although I liked Peter Davison playing the double role, I wasn't keen on the length of the chase around Amsterdam. It seemed to needlessly drag on and once the Doctor caught up with Omega, I was surprised that the former shot the latter dead. The betrayal of Hedin was a little surprising but I did like the other reference to Earthshock. Overall, a very good story and another blogged story with my cousin! 

Rating: 9/10

The Mission

"The planet was alive, although he was the only thing living on it."

Writer: Paul Crompton 

Format: Short Story

Released: 1976

Printed in: The Amazing World of Doctor Who

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Sarah, Harry

Synopsis 

The Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane and Harry are thrown into the midst of trouble when a long dormant giant robot suddenly wakes up and emerges from a swamp.

Verdict 

The Mission was a great little story to finish my reading of The Amazing World of Doctor Who! I was very happy with what I read and I'm glad that the book finished on a high after some low points, most notably with yesterday's Neuronic Nightmare. I finished the book with another text story and although the layout wasn't really great - it didn't seem to have been planned out well at all - the story itself was actually very good. After coming up to my grandparents over a week ago fresh off reading The Five Doctors novelisation on the train journey up, I noticed this little gem of a book in the bedroom and with my cousin temporarily living here I knew there could only be one owner. I still can't quite believe he has it and actually acquired it at a car boot sale for a mere £1.10. My auntie got one hell of a bargain there and I'll be forever envious. However, whilst I had the chance I took advantage of the resource and have since, unexpectedly, blogged all seven stories within its pages as well as watching Revenge of the Cybermen to tie in with the time period in which the collection of stories was printed. Unlike the common saying, I actually started with the best in A Fresh Start rather than saving the best until last and although the rating for that story wasn't matched, this collection does house a couple of stories that I thoroughly enjoyed, most notably with this short story and The Vampires of Crellium. It's certainly been an eventful week in which I have continued my reading of the 500th issue of Doctor Who Magazine and I must say I'm really enjoying it. Something else I'm enjoying is the Doctor Who Legacy game even if some of the levels are starting to prove pretty difficult. But I do like a challenge so I'll be continuing to have one with my team that includes an Ood and Osgood. It's quite a combination but I think that's the beauty of the game and is certainly a huge part of the appeal. My cousin absolutetely loves watching me play it but I have finally persuaded him to download it himself. Anyway, back to the story itself and I thought it was excellent for the length that it was. Even for what it was, it seemed longer than the usual Doctor Who Annual stories which was good and maybe that allowed for it to have some added quality. The idea of the Bremtonians and Tyranians being split across time and having different ideas for the planet was superb. I thought Tamrik was good but I wasn't buying into a chance signal setting off the giant robot (no, not the one from Robot) after years of being dormant. That was the only real issue with the story for me but it was a pretty big one and that's why the story suffers a little despite securing a brilliant score. I would have liked Sarah to appear a little more but it was good to see more of Harry in a story, even if it was only one of a length like this. The characterisation of the Fourth Doctor was pretty decent with Tom Baker's likeness being captured well. The ending was not as climatic as I might have hoped but it still worked very well which is all I can ask for. Overall, a very decent story to finish the book! 

Rating: 8/10

Neuronic Nightmare

"We are not all evil."

Writer: Paul Crompton 

Format: Comic Strip

Released: 1976

Printed in: The Amazing World of Doctor Who

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Sarah, Harry

Synopsis 

The Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane and Harry run into some trouble in neurotic space. Something strange is happening on Skarol, and Harry isn't quite what he seems...

Verdict 

Neuronic Nightmare was rather a mixed bag of a comic strip. I'm still not quite sure what to make of it but it did at least continue my reading of The Amazing World of Doctor Who. It's a book of my cousin's that I'm currently reading whilst we're under the same roof but sadly those days are almost at an end. It's been a wonderful week plus here but soon I head back home to South Wales where a novel will be read to take up the time during the journey. But before that, I'm confident of watching at least another one television story as well as reading the final story from this collection of what is mostly reprints. The fact the book contains reprints is absolutely fine by me as, especially with A Fresh Start, I doubt I'd be able to find the magazine in which it was first printed. The other stories are mostly from the 1976 Doctor Who Annual but there are two original text stories that appear in the collection's pages to give the book some sort of appeal to those who may already have the 1976 Annual but not this interesting little item. It would add to any location and I am very envious of my cousin for being so lucky as to find it! However, some of the bargains I have had in the past have been quite incredible so in the grand scheme of purchasing I don't have much at all to complain about. But with this story, the same cannot be said as I have a number of complaints to make. As you can probably tell from the picture above, the artwork for this story was absolutely appalling and I honestly could say I can't remember it ever being worse. Even some of the comic strip stories in Doctor Who Adventures have surpassed this story, which is saying quite a lot considering what I think of the comic that appear in the pages of that magazine. The only recognisable character of the TARDIS trio was the Fourth Doctor but even he was badly drawn. Well that's maybe a tad unfair as it is actually the attire that is so terribly wrong. He looks like he's wearing something more suited to the Sixth Doctor which was just strange. Both of the companions were terribly drawn with neither Sarah Jane or Harry resembling anything close to the actors who played the characters. It really does have an adverse effect on the story and in this instance it was recognisable pretty much at its beginning. The story itself wasn't too bad and although it wasn't amazing, it did have its moments riding for it. The ending with the Harry revelation was the highlight with him dropping the bombshell that he was actually a Lektra Neuroid. I imagine the natives of Skarol were pretty peeved with that. Not an awful lot happened and the Doctor even stated "I'm Dr Who" which is something that really bothers me despite the early years being filled with that intention. Overall though, something that wasn't too bad but could have been a lot better.

Rating: 6/10