The Art of Death

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

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

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis

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

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

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

Verdict

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

Rating: 8/10

The Cannibalists

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

Writer: Jonathan Morris

Format: Audio

Released: August 2009

Series: EDA 3.06

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Lucie

Synopsis

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

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

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

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

Verdict

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

Rating: 8/10

The Other Side

"We need to make contact with the future."

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

Featuring: Ninth Doctor, Rose, Adam

Synopsis

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

Verdict

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

Rating: 9/10

The Clean Air Act

"The air has vanished from your little patch of England."

Writer: Matthew Sweet
Format: Short Story
Released: October 2009
Printed in: The Target Storybook 04

Featuring: Third Doctor, Jo

Synopsis

Returning from a scientific conference at Tarminster University, the Doctor and Jo discover a number of people lying in the gardens of a housing estate in Oak Green. All have been inexplicably choked to death, except for a young girl named Sally Hesketh, who sits among them unharmed.

Verdict

The Clean Air Act was not a great story to continue along my reading of The Target Storybook. For all of the things that could have bene done to accompany the Third Doctor era and a specific story, I felt that this was not the best usage and a great deal more could have been done which was a big shame. I had a bad feeling right from the off when it seemed that the adventure was going to be told in the first person when we had the first extracts from Last Chance for Man. I was thankful that it wasn't going to follow that format as I really am not a fan of that in a Doctor Who story, especially if the narrator is neither the Doctor or a companion. When I realised what was happening I was glad, but then the extracts kept coming throughout the story and they just seemed to be getting in the way a little bit. That's slightly unfair of the last extract where it was penned by the Doctor as a message to Sir Charles Grover where he declined writing the foreword of his book. I thought it worked well having that in a different text format as it made it distinct and to its credit, seemed like it could be written by the Doctor. I didn't think the era of the Third Doctor was captured all that well and I definitely think it was a case of trying to fit in too much in a short amount of space. We had Yates, the Brigadier, Tarminster and even a suggestion of the Master all competing for time and part of the story which was just a bit too much. Despite that, the initial reaction when Anoushka revealed that her surname was Mastersson was undoubtedly the highlight of the story. I loved that and I actually think it would have been terrific if the Master actually was using her as a disguise. Even for him that would have been quite extraordinary. I was certainly not a fan of Mr and Mrs Hesketh and I think the author was trying to be a bit funky with the way he wrote them, but for me it just made me dislike them more and more as the story went. I didn't really care about their wine. The idea at the heart of the adventure actually had a lot of potential with the global warming issue and the concept of replenishing the Earth's atmosphere. I really didn't understand why that wasn't focused more. The vacuum was really good and something that's a big threat and the death that resulted from it was what set things in motion, but it never really seemed to get going as a whole which really did make it somewhat of a slog to read. I might be being a little harsh, but it was just a bit boring in parts. There just wasn't a great deal going on despite all the cluster and there really was just a whole lot of nothingness. Jo didn't offer much at all as companion which was a shame for her companion, but it did foreshadow the events of The Green Death and her getting accustomed with saving the planet. Again though, that would have been perfect as the central idea of the plot but that didn't seem the case at all. The loose connection with Invasion of the Dinosaurs was also good with the book extracts, but I felt they interfered too much and again should have been the focus. I think it's fair to say that I felt that there was just a bit too much going on for an adventure of just 28 pages. It seemed that everything was revolved around Sally, but then it just wasn't? Odd. It also would have been better to learn who the Heskeths had bargained with to replace the Earth's atmosphere as new. There would only be a brief pause while the old air was replaced. I liked that and could definitely work in a longer story where it was the key focus. I also didn't enjoy how rushed and slightly farfetched it was for the Doctor to go tter and get the answers regarding the perpetrators intending to steal Earth's atmosphere. It was all too quick and easy, even for the Doctor. And then he got to see the whole life events of Hesketh in something that needed much more clarity. The weed-like creature lacked explanation which was very off-putting. Overall, not the greatest of short stories sadly.

Rating: 4/10

The Best of Days

"You always think you're dating a goddess at the start of a relationship."

Writer: Steven Moffat
Format: Webcast
Released: 7 June 2020
Series: #DoctorWhoLockdown

Featuring: Bill, Nardole

Synopsis

After the terrible events of World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls, Bill Potts and Nardole are trying to keep their spirits up...

Verdict

The Best of Days was a lovely way to conclude the brilliant bonus content that has accompanied us Doctor Who fans through the lockdown over the past few months. I was only able to take part in a couple of the watch-alongs on Twitter for The Girl in the Fireplace and The Fires of Pompeii, as well as Big Finish's The Chimes of Midnight listen-along, but I have thankfully scoured and enjoyed every bit of bonus content that has accompanied nearly every watch-along there has been. With all that is going in the world with Covid-19 and the horrors of the Black Lives Matter protests, it's a shame that Emily Cook was unable to enjoy one last lockdown event, but this accompanying what would have been a watch-along of World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls was magnificent. It was brilliant to hear both Matt Lucas and Pearl Mackie reprising their roles as Nardole and Bill, with the latter rightfully getting more of the time and putting the spotlight on rightful issues. I thought the image of the black hole was excellent throughout and it was quite funny to have Nardole describing the swooshing imager that we were literally watching on the screen. The idea of Nardole and Bill giving each other updates on their lives after leaving and seeing the Doctor go off to regenerate was magnificent. Nardole was typical to his character with the comedy that came with the broken leg revelation. It hid the pain of the other one! I was almost stunned when Bill described how she and Heather were on a break as I thought she meant from their relationship, but she actually just meant from all the travelling. It was nice to think that she was back at St. Luke's University as that's where everything started for her. The insight into Bill and Heather's relationship was great and I loved the comment that I took as my quote for the adventure. In any relationship, the newness wains as time goes on but for Bill, Heather never stopped being a goddess which I thought was a very fun dynamic! Her speech turning very serious but in a lighthearted tone that perfectly summed up the nature of Bill Potts was fantastic. She perfectly incorporated the events of the current day with the social distancing measures that have become the new normal in life as well as including the Black Lives Matter marches of which she emphasised the importance. That was really good and surprisingly quick work from Moffat which was commendable. The comment about not all Cybermen having handles was incredibly apt. I liked the idea of Bill asking Nardole what he would do if the Doctor came back and if he had heard from him and it left me wondering what she would do if she saw that tall Scotsman rock up in his blue box. Her joke about snogging him was a shock that quickly turned into sheer brilliance when she stated. how she wouldn't really snog him if he was a man. I loved that. I think the chemistry between Bill and the Thirteenth Doctor would be off the charts and she would definitely have a crush in my opinion. I'd love for that to somehow happen one day, but I doubt it ever will. Regardless, it was something very fun to think about here and a lighthearted break from all that is going on in the world. Overall, a delightful adventure!

Rating: 8/10

The Macros

"This is the most exciting time of my life."

Writers: Ingrid Pitt & Tony Rudlin
Format: Audio
Released: June 2010
Series: Lost Stories 1.08

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Peri

Synopsis

The TARDIS materialises on the USS Eldridge, after the Philadelphia Experiment has gone disastrously wrong. Most of the crew are dead, the ship is disintegrating, and the Doctor soon realises that the problem comes from another dimension...

As they attempt to find a way to get the ship home, the Doctor and Peri visit the distant planet Capron and meet is tyrannical ruler Osloo. But the search for a possible solution only creates increasingly dire problems. Osloo's horizons have been widened – and space and time are hers for the taking...

Verdict

The Macros was an excellent audio adventure to conclude the first series of The Lost Stories! It has taken me rather a long time to complete this series and I think my blogging of The Nightmare Fair occurred a good six years ago, but better late than never! This served as a very strong finale for what was a great series. I think this one would have worked really well on television back in the 1980s as the initial premise for Season 23, but thankfully we get it reworked here. I didn't know what the Philadelphia Experiment was prior to listening, but thankfully I read the synopsis before starting and did some quick research and found myself very intrigued! I love the idea and it's a perfect place for a Doctor Who story to take place. Historical and sci-fi all blended into one very neatly here. I enjoyed the continuity with Planet of Fire here and how the Doctor was trying to take Peri back to Baltimore to let her family know that she was okay after what had occurred in Lanzarote, but he didn't quite get them there. Their arrival instead was on the USS Eldridge and I liked how they saw those that were repeating events in a loop without having any impact on their lives. Peri initially thinking she was being snubbed was very funny. I thought the adventure worked well as a two-parter and I loved how the Doctor was in his element once he found that the reason for the Philadelphia Experiment's mishaps were in another dimension. His unconvincing confidence that he could navigate the TARDIS into the micro dimension was terrific. The reference to Planet of Giants was magnificent to go alongside that. The adjustments needed to alter to the new dimension were interesting and I thought the Capron setting within was brilliant. Osloo made for a fantastic villain and I was quite shocked that when she found out that her source of authority and the planet's source of power stemmed from the Eldridge being trapped in dimensions, she wanted to extract more power and essentially put her source out of its misery and wither into nothingness! She was utterly ruthless and that made her great. I loved the cliffhanger with Peri rushing into exiting the TARDIS once back at the Eldridge and in her normal dimension as it meant she was dying, ageing and looked set for a death similar to that of Sara Kingdom in The Daleks' Master Plan. The use of the Zero Room to restore her was great along with the usual Castrovalva reference. The reactions of the Eldridge crew when the Doctor told them they had actually been trapped in their state for sixty years rather than the six months or so they had expected was brilliant and it was a very good twist finding out that there was no possible way to restore them in 1943 from when they had come. They could only get back in 2010, but that was no good with all that would have happened to their families and society. The Doctor and Peri's efforts to go back in time and to try and change history and stop the experiment altogether was a surprise because our Time Lord hero doesn't usually advocate that sort of thing! It was a nice change to be honest as the result without that was just tough to accept. Of course, they failed anyway and the Experiment went ahead. Osloo getting her horizons expanded and journeying through the dimensions to the Eldridge to see for herself what damage she was causing was excellent, but still she was seeking power for herself in the TARDIS. I loved her referring to that as a special chariot. That seemed quite a nice description. Her offering the resources to continue the experiment if the crew joined her was good, but the subtly with which the Doctor defeated her was superb. He used the dimensional effects against her and reverted both her and Bosun to babies to relive their lives again. With all that wouldn't be there for him in 2010, I thought that was nice touch for the latter. Overall, an excellent audio!

Rating: 9/10

Ghosts of India

"It is not safe for an English gentleman to walk alone at night."

Writer: Mark Morris
Format: Novel
Released: September 2008
Series: NSA 25

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Donna

Synopsis

India in 1947 is a country in the grip of chaos – a country torn apart by internal strife. When the Doctor and Donna arrive in Calcutta, they are instantly swept up in violent events.

Barely escaping with their lives, they discover that the city is rife with tales of "half-made men" who roam the streets at night and steal people away. These creatures, it is said, are as white as salt and have only shadows where their eyes should be. With help from India's greatest spiritual leader, Mohandas "Mahatma" Ghandi, the Doctor and Donna set out to investigate these rumours.

What is the real truth behind the "half-made men"? Why is Gandhi's role in history under threat? And has an ancient, all-powerful god of destruction really come back to wreak his vengeance upon the Earth?

Verdict

Ghosts of India was an excellent novel that has finally seen me introduced to Donna Noble as a companion in prose form! Her time in the TARDIS has obviously been extended by a number of Big Finish audios and some comic strip outings in DWM, but I was delighted to be reading a novel featuring her as she is just a magnificent companion. I really enjoyed the characterisation of her character in this one with Mark Morris pretty much nailing her traits and humour. The relationship with the Doctor throughout was really good and I loved how she didn't want to be left behind, even if the Doctor was heading for trouble. The setting of Calcutta in 1947 was brilliant and I am really glad that I never got around to reading this book at the time of its release in 2008 as I just wouldn't have appreciated it enough. The copy I have is actually an old library copy from my comprehensive school that I conveniently never returned and since then I have gone on to achieve a Master's Degree in History with a module on the British Empire taken along the way so I definitely know about the Partition period post-World War Two now. I think even Demons of the Punjab educated me regarding that as well which shows just how positive of an impact that episode had. However, the Doctor visited Calcutta rather than Punjab and got to meet the famed Ghandi. The plan being for 1937 was very good and I was quite disappointed Donna never got her curry! The Doctor's reaction to being in the presence of a man and historical figure that he clearly adored and thought was incredible was marvellous and the essence of the Tenth Doctor and David Tennant's portrayal shone through in those moments. Once Donna was introduced to him, her blurting out how he looked exactly like he was portrayed in a film was hilarious. Even she was pretty much gobsmacked to be in his presence which showed just how crucial of a person he was in history. I thought the use of Calcutta as a cultural and geographic location was also really good with the laughter that came from the Doctor and Donna riding elephants being a real highlight of the story. Just imaginging David Tennant and Catherine Tate atop one of those each was quite something! When it came to images that showed what you were most scared of, I was very intrigued to find that Donna saw the Empress of Racnoss. That took us back to The Runaway Bride and with her losing her husband there, it probably wasn't that much of a surprise. The Gelem Warriors were a very good aspect of the story and I liked how they were referred to as half-made. Their abilities to shimmer in and out of a location were very helpful and the moment they took the TARDIS was terrific. I thought the characters that made up this story were all pretty much fantastic with the likes of Ranjit and Cameron really standing out with their courageous childhood relationship. They were excellent together in showing that friendship transcended the boundaries of race and nationality. Donna pretty much destroying Mary's thoughts on the Indian population was superb. The Jal Karath was an interesting dynamic into the adventure and the enemy being revealed as Darac-7 all along after the initial expectation of it being Veec-9 was a good little twist that I didn't see coming. The way the Doctor accepted he was being told the truth was great and I loved the humour that came with him explaining his rationale to Donna. His desire to create a 10,000 strong army of Gelem Warriors meant 50,000 humans would have to be sacrificed. The added danger that came with killing Ghandi here a year before his assassination was deadly and the desperation in the voice of the Doctor was palpable even in prose. He needn't have worried though, because Ghandi was literally one in a billion and the nature of the extractor that he was placed in worked against the Jal Karath as he didn't actually have an ounce of badness in him, something that the machine fed off. That sent a feedback loop back on Darac-7 and destroyed him. The analogy with the kettle and the kitchen utensils was terrific. I loved Donna's reference to Planet of the Ood when she helped free those already caught and her reaction to being told the fate of Ghandi was a strong and powerful way to end the book. Overall, this was a fantastic novel!

Rating: 9/10

The Guardian of the Solar System

"A clock only measures time, it doesn't dictate it."

Writer: Simon Guerrier
Format: Audio
Released: July 2010
Series: Companion Chronicles 5.01

Featuring: First Doctor, Steven, Sara

Synopsis

Space Security Agent Sara Kingdom is dead, her ashes strewn on the planet Kembel. But, in an old house in Ely, Sara Kingdom lives on...

Now joined in the house by her confidante Robert, Sara recalls her travels in the TARDIS with the Doctor – and a particular adventure when the ship appeared to land inside a giant clock, where old men are caught in its workings...

And behind this nightmare is an old enemy: Mavic Chen, Guardian of the Solar System.

Then and now, Sara's past is catching up with her. The cogs have come full circle...

Verdict

The Guardian of the Solar System was an outstanding Companion Chronicles audio adventure! This really was magnificent and serves as only the third outing from the range to receive full marks for my rating. I loved it from start to finish! I was really looking forward to this one and it certainly didn't disappoint. I liked how things started with a brief recap of how Sara came to be with her essence in the house with Robert following on from Home Truths and The Drowned World, and a theme that is very much prominent in Sara is the regret she still feels for killing her brother Bret Vyon. That has come into full force lately with her in this audio range, but I wasn't expecting the siblings to actually be reunited here! Well, it wasn't quite that way. I loved the idea of the TARDIS landing within a clock and the sound effects of the clogs that went along with that throughout the story were outstanding. They really did add a lot. The image of a number of old men caught up within the clock working as slaves was disturbing, but the imagery of the story itself was very impressive. There was a lot of description that was just wonderful. This adventure took place quite early on in Sara's time travelling in the TARDIS as she acknowledged the relationship Steven had with the Doctor which I thought was nice. Sara finding out that the woman within the clock and in a position of power was a member of the SSS was intriguing and then we found out that the timing was very close to that of The Daleks' Master Plan. I loved that. Sara's reaction when she saw her brother alive and well was fantastic and we got to learn a great deal about why Mavic Chen ultimately sided with the Daleks. Here, in 3999, just a year prior to the events of the First Doctor televised epic, Earth held an empire but it was now on the brink of collapse. I thought it was interesting that Sara had faced the Daleks before we first met her on television and more so that Mavic Chen knew all about it from her file. He was quite clued up on her which presented a good dynamic. I thought some of the dialogue regarding time was brilliant and the use of a clock to go with was just sublime and right up my ally. I'm all for it and it's probably no surprise that Time Works is one of my very favourite audios. I just love time! Finding out here that the Clock with which they had within was actually dictating time rather than potentially just measuring it was very interesting. I loved the revelation that it turned out to be the secret of Earth's power and the problem that presented to Sara was phenomenal. I do love a paradox! If she saved the old men by putting a stop to their slavery, then Earth's Empire would fall and alter the events of The Daleks' Master Plan as we knew them. That was fantastic in its own right, but then the perspective of the narration had a brilliant story in of itself with Sara seemingly becoming alive again in a body as the cliffhanger! That was terrific and opened up a number of possibilities. Discovering that the clock was crucial to Earth's hyperspace lanes was very good and provided a neat plot twist for this adventure and the First Doctor mammoth adventure that it is ultimately set within. Sara struggling to deal with the timey-wimey nature of the Doctor and Steven being unable to meet Mavic Chen here as he'd recognise them when they first met in The Daleks' Master Plan was tremendous and presented yet another problem. The relationship between Chen and Sara was an intriguing one as he took a liking to her and actually offered her a promotion. It seems that the Doctor hadn't quite given Sara his The Aztecs speech just yet about changing the past because she saw this opportunity as a chance to set things straight before they went off track! Of course, the Doctor wouldn't allow it as that would change her own personal history. This turned out to be quite a heartbreaking tale for Sara as she realised that her correct self of 3999 was on Venus and her promotion was actually what set everything up as it happened, she just set it all in motion here. That was troubling for her as she came to terms with the fact that killing her brother was fixed in time. She had to accept it that it couldn't be changed. Sara also realising that saving the old men and destroying the clock was what would ultimately lead Mavic Chen to siding with the Daleks was outstanding. A truly incredible plot development. I loved everything about it. The conclusion was also intriguing and possibly setting us up for a reunion between Sara and the Doctor? It seemed that the TARDIS was back at Ely, but would he be inside? Would she be going off on more adventures? I look forward to finding out. Overall, just a sensational Companion Chronicle. One of the best.

Rating: 10/10

Save Yourself

"The Fountain flows."

Writer: Terrance Dicks
Format: Short Story
Released: October 2019
Printed in: The Target Storybook 03

Featuring: Second Doctor

Synopsis

The Doctor is on Gallifrey and about to be put on trial by the Time Lords for breaking the rules of interference in other worlds. Except, the Time Lords see value in the Doctor's meddling and with him not in a position to negotiate, they utilise his talents and set him on a mission to Karn. The War Lord awaits, but is this really his first mission?

Verdict

Save Yourself was a fantastic story to continue along my reading of The Target Storybook! I must admit that I was really looking forward to this one prior to reading for a number of reasons. It is a poignant note that this has now turned out to be the last contribution of Terrance Dicks to the world of Doctor Who and I am really glad that it falls in a Target collection of adventures. He was the King of Target novelisations, of that there is no doubt whatsoever. This one was also sit within The War Games which is, as I have made no secret about sharing, my all time favourite Doctor Who story. I think it's phenomenal so to get a little extension of that here was magnificent. This really did have some terrific ingredients with the likes of the Second Doctor combining with the War Lord's return and the setting of Karn! That's quite brilliant and it would really be difficult to fail with those elements all coming together. I loved the idea of the Doctor being used by the Time Lords for missions they require being carried, but for which they have no volunteers. With the Doctor on trial, at this point in his life he isn't really in a position where he can negotiate. That was handled really well. This story also had the advantage of being written in hindsight and there were a number of additional details about the Time Lords that just hadn't come about when the Second Doctor's era was over in 1969. We had the Celestial Intervention Agency pretty much recruiting the Doctor and then also the details of the Elixir of Life. Although I would have loved a bit more time with the Second Doctor doing battle with the War Lord on Karn, what we got was still quite the image and a great deal of fun. The Doctor's reaction to the War Lord still being alive after it was revealed his mysterious 'superiors' had saved his atoms and reassembled him after his death shortly before the Doctor was captured for trial was intriguing as he wasn't overly surprised. I know that I was! I'm delighted that he returned though as I thought he was a tremendous villain. The description of his black-cloaked attire was excellent. His threats regarding the Elixir Flame and what it meant for regeneration was really good, but I loved how once it appeared that the Time Lords would arrive when the Doctor utilised the remote control TARDIS summons that had been added on to his person for the mission, the War Lord pretty much just fled in fear! That was really good and well suited to the time of the story. I really loved that as it showed how powerful the Time Lords were for someone who had fled their own people. The brutality in which the War Lord's fate was ultimate sealed was good and seemed pretty complete going by the charred description and quite frankly the mess that was left of the War Lord after falling into the pit. The Doctor seemed quite assured that he was no more. The twist that came at the end with the Time Lords revealing that the Doctor had actually been on a number of missions for the Time Lords already was outstanding and alone improved my rating by a full mark. I loved the audacity of what they were doing and the reasoning behind it was sublime in that they wanted the Doctor to have the full passion and desire of someone fighting for their life. That was cruelly excellent. The little reference to that with the battered appearance of the TARDIS before the Doctor set off for Karn was fantastic. The way Dicks concluded the story with its own first paragraph and setting things up again for further mission was just wonderful. Overall, a brilliant story and a fitting farewell adventure from the great Terrance Dicks.

Rating: 9/10

The Scapegoat

"Something truly terrifying is coming your way."

Writer: Pat Mills
Format: Audio
Released: July 2009
Series: EDA 3.05

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Lucie

Synopsis

Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome to the Theatre des Baroque!

Oh, but if you think you've seen and heard all that Paris by night has to offer... the exotic sights of Le Moulin Rouge, perhaps, or the horror tricks of Le Grand Guignol... if you think nothing could cause your mouth to dry and your heart to pound... you're wrong.

Ladies and gentlemen, mesdames et messieurs – not forgetting our honoured guests from the Gestapo – tonight, it is my privilege to present you to the star of the Theatre des Baroque! A man who has died on stage nearly ten thousand times! The Most Assassinated Man in the World... Max Paul!

And joining him, in a playlet we call 'The Executioner's Son' – from Blackpool, England: the enchanting Lucie Miller!

Ah, la belle Lucie. She's got no idea what she's let herself in for. Heh. Should you feel faint, or nauseous – never fear. Tonight, we have a Doctor in the house!

Just pray he lasts 'til the interval...

Verdict

The Scapegoat was a very good story to continue along the third series of the Eighth Doctor Adventures! I really enjoyed this one which was a solid audio from start to finish. I was hooked immediately from the setting of Paris during the Nazi occupation and whilst it didn't perhaps go in the direction I was expecting based on that, the reaction of Lucie when she realised that was where the TARDIS had landed was excellent. Could there be anything more daunting in history than the Nazis? From there I was expecting a Nazi story as I hadn't read the synopsis for the adventure prior to listening, but had I done so I definitely would not have thought that was where this was going! I loved the image of the TARDIS being a carousel and whilst it turned out that it wasn't actually the doing of the chameleon circuit being functioning once again, it was a lovely thought and an amusing scenario. What I really liked was that there seemed no way in, so if Lucie couldn't get in then she was going to get on! That was marvellous and just a lot of fun. I thought this was a strong pairing for the Eighth Doctor and Lucie together with their relationship blossoming really well. They weren't split apart for too long which I think was beneficial. The play of The Executioner's Son going ahead with Lucie actually starring was quite spectacular and I loved some of her improvisations that were getting a lot of laughs from the crowd. Max Paul was a very interesting character and the idea of him being the Most Assassinated Man in the World was terrific! They really weren't lying either as when Lucie saw him have his head cut off, that was precisely what had occurred. Learning how that was done retrospectively was really intriguing with Mother Baroque actually using a Quantic Reanimator to heal his body and essentially send that part of the body, for example in the case of the beheading at the hands of Madame Guillotine, back in time retrospectively to a time when it was attached. That was so unique and just something brilliant to play with. The cliffhanger was great with Max Paul's scars of over 10,000 deaths coming back to manifest. That would be quite the image and I doubt there would be any part of him without scarring. As we learned more about the Baroques, the story didn't quite reach the exceptional heights I had hoped for as the unique feel slightly diminished, but as my rating reflects this still remained a very good adventure. The Scapegoat aspect of their background and the analogy that was made with the Doctor pretty much being a scapegoat of his own people was good and something to think about. Things turned out to be really entertaining and the use of the play being performed in front of the theatre audience was really good. I do though wish we could have gone with the Doctor as he was reading up on the Baroques to learn about them and what their endgame was. Alas, that was entirely necessary but I think it would have just added to the story that little bit more. The ending was good with the Doctor revealing to the Baroques that their planet was okay now, but I still can't quite wrap my head around their reverting to goat-like states! The noises of them as the animal was just disturbing! That worked in its favour of course. One little aspect I wasn't sure I liked was the Doctor leaving quantic technology in the hands of the Nazis, surely he wouldn't be so confident that it wouldn't get utilised? The quantogram use on the TARDIS ending was good but certainly a lot of fun whilst it was around. The end conversation between the Doctor and Lucie was excellent with her recalling the events of Orbis and wondering if he ever regretted that or longed to go back. That was good continuity and I'm intrigued to see where the series might finish from here. Overall, a great audio adventure!

Rating: 8/10

The Piggybackers Part 4

"The Piggybackers turn worlds into temples dedicated to themselves."

Writer: Scott Gray
Format: Comic Strip
Released: 28 May 2020
Printed in: DWM 552

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Ryan, Graham

Synopsis

Ryan remains lipless. Graham is still tied up at the mercy of Hank. Edith Harcourt runs rampant as she takes the whole school out on a trip, but the danger lies with the Piggybacker that has taken her over. Will it turn Earth into a temple for its own desire?

Verdict

The Piggybackers concluded in fantastic style! Firstly, I will talk about the latest issue of DWM and it looks set to be another excellent issue! I'm very much looking forward to the feature on 50 Brilliant Things About Doctor Who (Not Including Doctor Who) as they should be really intriguing and I'm sure will be a feel good read. I was very pleased to take part in every vote of the World Cup of the First Doctor so I look forward to reading the results as I'm a huge fan of the way they are presented and they're just a real joy to read, especially with this being one of my very favourite eras and Doctors. The unpublished interview with Pip & Jane Baker should be intriguing and I'm also looking forward to discovering their title in the Apocrypha section as that is turning into one of my favourite sections of the magazine. Isolating With the Doctor should be another good look at some very good stories from across the years. The section with a number of writers from the Thirteenth Doctor's era interviewing each other should also be quite a bit of fun. I'm intrigued by the Fact of Fiction covering the third instalment of The Trial of a Time Lord as the timing of that seems weird without the other parts, but alas I look forward to the read. Now, onto the comic strip itself. I really was a tad sceptical about where the story would finish after a somewhat shaky three parts to start things off, but I was delighted with the final part and I just think it's a slight shame that the story as a whole wasn't as good as this part alone was. It was by far and away the best of the four instalments! I really don't understand why the revelations regarding the Piggybackers were not revealed earlier than the first page of the final part as with the reduction in pages allotted to the comic strips for the Thirteenth Doctor's era, there isn't actually a huge amount of room to play with. I really don't understand keeping the details of the monster until the end as by the time that has had an impact, the story is over! That was definitely the feeling I got here which was a tad frustrating because the concept of the Piggybackers was actually superb. Why couldn't we have seen more threaded throughout of their desire to build a temple dedicated to themselves? The pomposity there is off the charts and something that would have been terrific. I can see the Thirteenth Doctor dealing with that terrifically. I just didn't understand. I thought Graham was the strongest of the companions by far throughout this comic strip adventure with his being tied up and pleading to Hank and Lizzie about who he really was and that the Cuban Missile Crisis wouldn't come to disaster. The setting was brilliant and full of potential, but I really don't think it was utilised as well as it should have been which was a shame. The way the Piggybacker and Edith's hold on its silent slaves, again another concept that should have been revealed much earlier, was great and using Mr Endicott to show her that she didn't need the alien menace on her back was very good. It all made logical sense and I thought it was fitting that for a woman of her stature in the community, she sacrificed her life to save those generations she had tought for nearly half a century. Overall, this was a fantastic part that pretty much saved the story as a whole from not being considered at least decent. It's perhaps harsh, but I'm being strict! Overall, a decent comic strip adventure.

Rating: 7/10

The Secret of Novice Hame

"Once I was such a wild cat."

Writer: Russell T Davies
Format: Webcast
Released: 30 May 2020
Series: #DoctorWhoLockdown

Featuring: Tenth Doctor

Synopsis

On the last day of her life, Novice Hame has a final, terrible secret... but who will she tell?

Verdict

The Secret of Novice Hame was an outstanding webcast adventure to go alongside the #NewNewYork watch-along of New Earth and Gridlock. Unfortunately, I did not take part in the Tweet-along as I had other plans on the Saturday night, but I was very excited to watch/listen what went alongside it and I have to say that it was absolutely tremendous! It was such a wonderful little story with Novice Hame on her deathbed and like the Face of Boe, she had one last secret for the lonely traveller. The parallelism there was just brilliant and whilst it was clear that she knew all about the Doctor and his different faces and many men, woman (and even animals!) taking the name, it was terrific that her Doctor came to see her. The Tenth Doctor. I thought the music that accompanied the narration of Novice Hame was magnificent and it was just marvellous to have some additional music from Murray Gold to go alongside Russell T Davies's fantastic writing. The background history we got on the character of Novice Hame was magnificent and despite Hame being on her deathbed, the feel good factor in this story was off the charts! She seemed extremely content with the fact she was going to die and she needed to tell the Doctor the truth about New Earth. The arrival of the Doctor to say goodbye to Novice Hame, presumably during his farewell tour in The End of Time, was wonderful and I thought it was brilliant that David Tennant was back voicing the Tenth Doctor! It made the story excel even further than it already had and just added a huge amount of credibility. This really was a fitting farewell for the character and it was nice to have those little holographic images of her appearances in New Earth and Gridlock. It was nice that she was back to being Novice Hame but seemingly dressed in her Sisters of Plenitude attire as that brought everything around nicely for her character's story. Discovering that she had been sold by her family to the Plenitude was very good and I loved that it was the Doctor who sent her parents to New Earth to find her. That was really nice and a touching moment. The imagery in this story was excellent and even though there weren't too many differing images, it was just great and looked spectacular. Hame wanting to know if the Face of Boe's dying secret was true or not and that the Doctor was indeed not alone. His recalling of the events of Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords and even further adventures he'd had since last seeing Hame encountering the likes of Scarecrows, Weeping Angels and the Flood was brilliant. It seemed to put a smile on Hame's voice, at least that's the impression I got from Anna Hope's narration as she reprised her role very impressively. The team behind this webcast was pretty sensational if I'm being honest. The music and the delivery of the incredible writing made for a stellar combination and this really might be the best #DoctorWhoLockdown bonus story yet. Hame's secret being that she believed that New Earth itself was actually a trap and that there was something within the planet was fantastic, but her secret would have to wait as she had already passed with her final words being 'I Wonder', which the Doctor really thought fitted her character. It was a lovely way to send off such a good character, whilst exploring her history and potentially setting something brilliant up for the future. Overall, a superb story!

Rating: 10/10

Speed of Flight

"Nothing ever comes back from the Dead."

Writer: Paul Leonard
Format: Novel
Released: October 1996
Series: Missing Adventures 27

Featuring: Third Doctor, Jo, Mike Yates

Synopsis

"Those who are intelligent, strong and virtuous are promoted. The stupid, the weak and the unworthy will die. How else is it possible for the world to make progress?"

The TARDIS lands on Nooma, a world in the middle of an industrial revolution. But the Third Doctor, Jo and Mike Yates quickly discover that there is no limit to upheaval. The sky is alive, and at war with the ground. The continents are on the move, competing for a place under the sun. And somewhere, there is a starship...

Mike finds himself committed to a fight where his only option is to kill or be killed. Jo is caught in a workers' revolt. And the Doctor must find out what is really happening to Nooma before the struggle for survival kills the world and everyone on it.

Verdict

Speed of Flight was a decent read for the most part and quite the interesting Missing Adventures novel! This is definitely one of the most uncommon novels that I have the pleasure of owning and I was intrigued from the start to see how things would fare with Mike Yates accompanying the Doctor and Jo on their travels. It presented an interesting dynamic and I liked how with him joining the pair in the TARDIS for this outing, it presented us with something different from what we saw on television with this incarnation of the Doctor. Once Mike was inside the TARDIS and off on his travels, I loved how he suddenly realised that the Doctor's travels in time and space were legitimate and definitely no joke. That was tremendous. I enjoyed the way Mike was thrown along on the journey after he and Jo were set up on a blind date together and that fitted in well with the era. It was also intriguing placement having the story set prior to The Green Death with Jo contemplating if she wanted to continue travelling in the TARDIS by the book's conclusion. I thought the novel for the most part was pretty good and the alien planet presented a very good setting. It was distinct, unique and unlike anywhere the Third Doctor had been before which worked in its favour. The slow reveal that the planet was actually artificial was really good and I thought that was fun to play with, even if it is something I have come across at least a couple of times in everything I have blogged so far. It works. The idea of the Flight didn't get put into as much detail as I might have expected, and what interested me more was the planet's inhabitants' desire to fight. It was natural and almost uncontrollable which was very good. The evolutionary cycle involving children of the forest becoming men and then becoming naieen was intriguing and I really think there ought to have been more emphasis on that. With the latter cycle involving the ability to fly, it should have been used as more of the basis for Epreto's plot to destroy the world. His relationship with the Doctor was intriguing throughout and I liked how he was intent on not letting the naieen in on the truth regarding the sun. Finding out that it was artificial was good and worked well for what was to come with it being where all sights were set towards the end. I thought Jo had a very good story and I liked how she was referred to as a man and a cripple after what initially happened to her in the forest, despite her supposed to be staying in the TARDIS. I mean, surely the Doctor didn't think she would have stayed put! The TARDIS being taken by the Dead was great, but I loved how the Doctor was confident of getting it back and never seemed worried. The moment where book one ended with Mike Yates being dead was terrific, but despite the impact of the moment I think the seeds of his safe return were given a little too quickly. And then he was barely mentioned for sixty pages! Jo and Yates being taken over from within, but on a somewhat partial basis, was good and I enjoyed the moments where they told the Doctor that he should needed to be dead. That image in the TARDIS was great. The contrast between the Land and the Sky was very intriguing, but I still think there should have been a bit more background of the mythology and legends of the planet. Epreto's dismissal of legend seemed a tad strange. Mike's eventual return was not much of a surprise, but his not being in his own body was good and I was very surprised that he was pondering staying Dead. That was very unexpected! The ending seemed like it was excellent and exciting with Mike shooting Jo dead, but from then on I was not impressed with how things ultimately ended. The Doctor realised that there was repair work to do, but we had Mike as Dead and not in his body, and Jo literally dead after being shot, and then the epilogue started with the pair back to normal without too much explanation? That was not something I enjoyed and that alone brought the book down a full mark for me. As a whole, I enjoyed the story and setting, but that ending needed a great deal more clarity and just seemed a bit too easy of an escape. Overall though, a decent read.

Rating: 7/10

Blackout

"We don't believe in aliens in New York."

Writer: Oli Smith
Format: Audio
Released: September 2011
Series: NSA 14

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis

It's November 9th, 1965. New York City is plunged into darkness, a taxi driver has bad dreams, and an invisible spacecraft hovers ominously above the skyline.

As an extra-terrestrial disease sweeps the populace, Amy and Rory must sabotage the city's water supply to slow the spread of infection, and a dying Doctor holds another man's life in his hands.

With the death toll rising, and his companions stalked through the streets by alien businessmen, the Doctor is forced to make a terrible decision...

How far must he go to save his friends?

Verdict

Blackout was an excellent New Series Adventures audio! I thoroughly enjoyed this one from start to finish and even though it was relatively lengthy for a single episode in the format a 77 minutes, it seemed to fly by! It was a really great listen. The way the story started as we were introduced to Clint was very good and I liked how he was immediately talking to the Doctor. The story began at a point in the middle of events which can work really well and this was definitely one of those occasions. I really enjoyed the setting of 1965 New York and although this is set prior to Series 7, I think it is a lot of fun to think of what happened to Amy and Rory in The Angels Take Manhattan and the fact that they would have been in the city when all that occurred here was transpiring and were helpless to do anything about it. They'd have known all abut the contaminated water and how it was resolved which is fun to consider. Clint being a black man was addressed well in line with the racial environment of 1960s America. I was a very big fan of Stuart Milligan's narration and I think it's quite fun that an actor who played Richard Nixon told an American-set Doctor Who story. He was pretty perfect it has to be said. Clint having dreams was an interesting element and I really liked his reaction to the simplicity in which the Doctor uncovered the alien spaceship above the city. Something like that just shouldn't be so easy! Amy and Rory were separated from the Doctor for much of the audio which I think worked well and it was good to have them doing their own investigative work. The water being contaminated was very good as a central problem for the plot and it was obviously going to be connected to the aliens that the Doctor had discovered were sticking around which gave him time to defeat them. I loved the use of Times Square in a story with this name and it was fantastic to have the lights actually used as a loose plot device. The contrast in the audio between heat and ice was excellent and it worked very well to have them complimenting each other. Finding out that Clint was actually not poisoned by the water contamination was intriguing and what came later with the revelation of the alien experiment was superb. I loved how he turned out to be the anomaly needed to control the experiment and the terminology really took me back to my schooldays in chemistry. It was really fun and explained a huge amount. The Doctor wanting to use that knowledge to get the vaccine that it clearly proved they had was terrific and I really liked the characterisation of Matt Smith's Eleventh Doctor. The exploration of the woman in Clint's dreams was good and I also enjoyed the excitement of Amy and Rory being chased across New York. The aliens talking telepathically inside the head was very good and they sounded quite creepy but without being threatening. That suited the audio well in my opinion. The image of the Doctor being in a sports car was fantastic and I could just imagine this particular incarnation having the biggest smile on his face. Sports cars are cool! The aliens wanting to leave their experiment despite it failing and leaving humanity to die was an unexpected twist, but the calmness in which it was delivered was terrific. The use of the sports car from the Doctor to drive it through a magnetic field and bring about the vaccine amidst the alien message was a great way to conclude what was an excellent audio! Overall, a brilliant adventure.

Rating: 9/10

Wirrn Dawn

"This is the way it used to be. The way of nature."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs
Format: Audio
Released: June 2009
Series: EDA 3.04

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Lucie

Synopsis

"This is full scale war. Wirrn and Humankind locked in a deadly struggle for survival. When did that happen?"

The Doctor and Lucie land right in the middle of one of the human race's bloodiest periods of history. Trying to make a difference here would be like standing up and calling for a cease-fire on the Somme. Certain death...

Or worse.

Survival can be a messy business.

Verdict

Wirrn Dawn was a decent continuation of the third series of the Eighth Doctor Adventures! I really enjoyed the pairing of the Doctor and Lucie again and they really have blossomed into a favourable TARDIS pairing. The return of the Wirrn was why I recently read Doctor Who and the Ark in Space to affiliate myself with the enemy once again, but I was quite surprised and somewhat disappointed by how far removed they seemed from their televised appearance. I'm all for developing on a villainous monster that only made one appearance on television, but they just seemed completely different which was strange. I really liked the idea of the TARDIS arriving amidst a terrible period in human history with their war against the Wirrn, but I think there was a lot of potential here that wasn't realised. There really ought to have been more of a link to The Ark in Space surrounding the war, but there was actually more of a link to The Sontaran Experiment which was strange but not at all a bad thing! I found it great that Daniel Anthony appeared in a Classic era Doctor Who story given that he played Clyde Langer in The Sarah Jane Adventures and I thought he gave a good enough performance. Paul McGann was very good as the Eighth Doctor and I loved the humour at his and Lucie's arrival with her wanting to turn around and depart immediately because of the muddy surroundings. The Doctor had promised! Of course, they didn't end up leaving at all. I wouldn't have expected anything else! I thought the first part was definitely the better of the two with it being a bit more tense and exciting, with the second instalment sadly dragging out a little towards the end. It seemed that the war had been resolved a little too early with the installing of a new Wirrn Queen, and then the speeches that followed were unnecessary. I liked the development of the Ingens (spell check needed) stemming from the indigenous species of Humankind and the history of that was really interesting. The Wirrn swarm was very good and the imagery that came into my head when they were in space and essentially slicing through some of the Humankind was excellent. If they had stayed that way then I think they would have been more of an effective enemy, but I genuinely believed they were hurt a little by the format of the story. Once they started talking, and thankfully that was mostly kept to a minimal for the most part, they just didn't seem able to be taken seriously which was a big shame. It felt a bit normalised by the time the Queen started speaking during the conclusion, but we knew the threat was over by then. Their voice just wasn't impactful in an audio format and I think their look was so distinctive and crucial to them being quite a famed monster. The story that came with the TARDIS being lost is always fun and I liked hearing how desperate Lucie found the situation. Of course, this has happened to the Doctor several times so he was rather calm. The comedy surrounding his location of the TARDIS key after they were out wearing spacesuits was brilliant. I really am enjoying the dynamic between the Doctor and Lucie in this range, but I am a little surprised there doesn't appear to be a story arc for the third series. Admittedly, I have done this series much more on a sporadic basis than the first two series, but even so I thought there would be some threading through. Regardless, that's not what is always needed and this remained a good little audio. Overall, a decent tale that brought the Wirrn back, but I think they were slightly impacted by the format.

Rating: 7/10

Decline of the Ancient Mariner

"Events here are somehow mirroring some old poem."

Writer: Rob Nisbet

Format: Audio

Released: March 2020

Series: Short Trips 10.03

Featuring: Third Doctor, Sarah Jane

Synopsis

When NASA has a problem they can't quite understand, they quickly turn to the Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith to investigate. Their Mariner 10 probe disappeared for 30 minutes, with no apparent explanation. What starts out as quick investigation ends up having catastrophic consequences for the time travellers.

But the reason for the probe's disappearance sounds a little too familiar for the Doctor...

Verdict

Decline of the Ancient Mariner was a very good little Short Trips audio! I recently bought this one as part of the Big Finish sale on UNIT adventures and whilst the only involvement from UNIT was the familiar setting of the Third Doctor era and the Doctor himself being sought after for his knowledge, I still thoroughly enjoyed this story. I liked Ross as a representative from NASA and I loved how when they couldn't quite work out what had happened to their Mariner 10 probe close to Mercury, they turned to the Doctor as he was UNIT's Scientific Advisor. That was a lot of fun. Mark Reynolds did a very good job as the narrator of the story and playing Ross and I also thought his take on both the Doctor and Sarah Jane was pretty decent! That definitely helped things. I think that was also aided by how good the characterisation was from Rob Nisbet. He really did write well for the two lead characters. The reference to The Time Warrior was good and I liked how that made it seem that this was very early on for Sarah Jane, but she was clearly still quite comfortable in her new life and surroundings. The Mariner 10 picking up detailed pictures of Mercury was intriguing and the idea of a number of craters and an explosion sounded very exciting. Of course, these were just new photos and the Doctor indicated that the explosions may have happened long in the past. The Doctor's curiosity regarding the Mariner 10 going missing for half an hour got the better of him and he took the TARDIS to last Friday, from the story's perspective in 1974, to Mercury and in sight of the probe. That caused a paradox though as it turned out that it was the TARDIS itself that drew the Mariner 10 off course! I loved the idea of the Doctor's meddling going wrong. I also liked the details we got of Mercury itself and how, even for the TARDIS scanner, at the proximity they were to the planet closest to the Sun the light would just be too much to bare. That's almost incomprehensible to imagine, but I love thinking about it. Mercury isn't exactly a planet that can do a lot in Doctor Who, but along with Mercury from the Short Trips books now, we are getting a bit more which is terrific! It's a familiar planet and that adds a lot to the story in my opinion. The idea of a Vortex craft was terrific and is definitely something I would like more exploration of in a longer in-depth story format. Host made for an intriguing villainous character and her capturing the Mariner 10 was intriguing for her to assess the technology. The potential of a Jagon invasion was very good and I liked how they would disguise themselves as technology to take over. In this case, they would be disguised as humanity to take over Earth and that was what we saw with their personalisation of Ross. Sarah Jane believing that this was the Ross they'd met from NASA on Earth was good and the Doctor had to keep reminding her that it was not the same person. The idea that Earth was rich in minerals and resources wasn't exactly unique, but it does work well. What I wasn't expecting was for Marilyn Monroe to manifest as the TARDIS in a sort of opposite of what Ross represented as the Jagon Vortex craft. I wasn't sure if I enjoyed that so much, as the lack of reaction from the Doctor was quite a surprise. What I did enjoy was the linking between the classic poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and the events of this adventure. They seemed to be mirroring which was good and I actually always remember the poem well from a project I did in comprehensive school some nine years ago now. Overall, this was a very good story and I wonder if there will ever be any development on the potential relationship between Sarah Jane and Ross.

Rating: 8/10

Doctors Assemble

"This is the Doctor... calling the Doctor!"

Writer: James Goss

Format: Webcast

Released: 23 May 2020

Series: #DoctorWhoLockdown

Featuring: First Doctor, Second Doctor, Third Doctor, Fourth Doctor, Fifth Doctor, Sixth Doctor, Seventh Doctor, Eighth Doctor, War Doctor, Ninth Doctor, Tenth Doctor, Eleventh Doctor, Twelfth Doctor, Thirteenth Doctor

Synopsis

Planet Earth is in terrible danger. Trapped inside the TARDIS, the Doctor calls upon some familiar faces to help save the day...

Verdict

Doctors Assemble was an incredible webcast adventure to continue the wonderful Doctor Who Lockdown series of stories! I absolutely loved the premise as I am more than a sucker for a multi-Doctor story, but the idea of every single incarnation together was just mesmerising! The result was outstanding despite the cluster it could have become, but James Goss did a stellar job in organising a total of fourteen Doctors together. It worked really well in having them talking through the TARDIS interface and it was just a joy to have differing incarnations arrive one by one. Unfortunately, the original actors of each Doctor were unable to voice their incarnation, but the impressions that came were pretty impressive. I have to say, Jon Culshaw's take on the Third Doctor was sublime and definitely the most accurate in my opinion. It was quite uncanny how good it was with all of the mannerisms on display in stellar fashion. As if that wasn't great, the takes on the Ninth, Tenth and Eleventh Doctors were also sensational! I was delighted when I did initially hear the Ninth Doctor speak because the impression was definitely an improvement on what I have heard thus far in my listening of the Ninth Doctor Chronicles. I thought the mannerisms and traits of the Fourth, Fifth and Eighth Doctors were also very impressive and I loved the arrival of the Seventh Doctor and his constant reminders that what had trapped the Fourth Doctor in his own TARDIS was a deadly force of evil. That was a great deal of fun. I thought the use of cat pictures was a little cheap initially, but it coming from the Sixth Doctor made a lot of sense given his badge on that famous attire and them actually turning out to be important as location vectors was very amusing. I thought it was brilliant to have the War Doctor arrive late on the scene and the impression of John Hurt's incarnation was also superb. I was really impressed with that. This was my first experience of David Bradley's take on the First Doctor outside of Twice Upon a Time and I have to admit it didn't fill me with a huge amount of confidence for when I do get around to the First Doctor Adventures. The writing of the incarnation from James Goss was magnificent though and full of comedy with the voices stemming from the food machine. I also wasn't overly thrilled with the impression of the Thirteenth Doctor, but it was just magnificent to have her there alongside thirteen men that preceded her! The line about Sunday now being an important day was very good though. I was a big fan of the little TARDIS animations and I found the choice of photos for each Doctor rather intriguing. They were definitely personal, I'm just not sure who to! I would love for the Thirteenth Doctor to do battle with the Sontarans as was shown in her photo. I really am just longing for a Sontaran story! Anyway, the idea of the Third Doctor not enjoying the Eleventh Doctor's outfit was terrific and I liked the idea of the Doctors splitting into teams. The Third and Twelfth definitely seemed like they would be on the same page which was fun to play with. The Sixth and War Doctors combining to ultimately bring about the solution to save the Fourth Doctor was great and unexpected, and I also loved the continuation of the bickering between the Second and Third Doctors. That's always a great deal of amusement. In the end, as acknowledged, it was a tad bit of anti-climax, but what we got was just an absolute treat and I can't thank everyone involved enough for this delightful lockdown treat. Just magical. All of the Doctors together, probably for the first and only time. Overall, just wonderful.

Rating: 10/10

Doctor Who and the Ark in Space

"You can at last begin the great awakening of your people."

Writer: Ian Marter

Format: Novel

Released: May 1977

Series: Target 04

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane, Harry

Synopsis

At a time in the far-off future, Earth has become uninhabitable. A selection of humanity is placed, deep-frozen, in a fully automated space station, to await the day of their return to Earth...

Thousands of years later, Doctor Who arrives. He finds things going suspiciously wrong, and the station under attack from the giant Wirrn, deadly creatures who, in their lust for power, now threaten the future of the whole human race...

Verdict

Doctor Who and the Ark in Space was a very good novelisation of the televised story that served as the Fourth Doctor's second serial on screen! I was a little surprised by how different this was to the televised version with Space Station Nerva being renamed as Terra Nova which I wasn't a fan of, and I also thought the linkage into The Sontaran Experiment was very strange in having the Doctor, Sarah and Harry go down to Earth in the TARDIS. That didn't seem to fit in with the arc of Season 12 in my view and just seemed a strange deviation. Ian Marter as author was an intriguing dynamic given that he starred in the televised serial this book is based upon as Harry. I was expecting a tad more of an insight from his character, but the story didn't really need that. I just thought it might have come given the authorship. One element of the adventure that I was a tad disappointed by was the lack of description of, what would be in this one, Terra Nova. It's such an iconic setting and that might be heightened because it was also a primary setting for Revenge of the Cybermen, but that just seemed lacking and quite generic with just a number of different rooms. Right, that's the negatives out of the way and now I can talk about the positives. It is a very good story and the concept of the entire future of humanity being on board is great. It works well for Harry's first venture in the TARDIS after his introduction in Robot and I liked how the Doctor didn't want him wandering off, but of course that is exactly what he did. The characterisation of the Fourth Doctor was decent with this being his early days and I also thought the writing of Sarah Jane was pretty good. I loved the moment where the Doctor challenges Sarah Jane to get through her tight squeeze, although it did seem quicker here for her to realise that she was just being gently encouraged. The Wirrn, weirdly referred to without the novelisation with three of the letter R, didn't come until pretty late in the game which I didn't expect, but I think they make a very good enemy and benefit from the novel format because the frame of reference to go off for their appearance is the tremendous cover. The cliffhanger moment of part one worked well in prose as a chapter conclusion with the Queen Wirrn falling out of the cupboard. One thing I noticed about this book was how frantic the pace was and I think that definitely worked in its favour. It was certainly a lot of fun and the decision to only have eight chapters definitely helped in my opinion. I found that I whizzed through things! Vira was an excellent character and I liked the development of her opinion on the Doctor throughout the adventure. It went from trepidatious to trusting in quick time. Noah was also good and him serving as the focus for the enemy was very good with him being infected by the Wirrn. The threat that befell Sarah Jane when she was put into cryogenic sleep was brilliant. Harry's desire to touch things made for some amusing moments. Rogin was also a very good character and I enjoyed his relationship with Vira a lot. The final two chapters in particular were very pacy and just exciting which is exactly what you want in a conclusion. Rogin's sacrifice along with Noah leading the Wirrn to be ejected from within was very good and a nice way to let Vira live on and essentially restart the human race. The brief moment where Sarah Jane and Harry firmly believe that the Doctor is dead was fantastic and it shows in the latter's reaction that he was new to travelling because he didn't seem so impacted. I'm not sure the Brigadier would be impressed though! Overall, a great novelisation.

Rating: 8/10

The Song of Megaptera

"Here be Space Whales."

Writer: Pat Mills

Format: Audio

Released: May 2010

Series: Lost Stories 1.07

Featuring: Sixth Doctor, Peri

Synopsis

Deep space in the distant future, and Captain Greeg and his crew are hunting mile-long Space Whales on a vast harvesting ship. By pure accident, they also capture the TARDIS.

The Doctor and Peri must use all their wits to survive. But what is the creature running loose in the ship's bowels? And can the Doctor save Megaptera before its song is extinguished forever?

Verdict

The Song of Megaptera was a very good Lost Stories audio! The name of this one has always fascinated me and I think it's because when I first saw the title I misread as Menoptera and thought it had links with The Web Planet. Alas, the only story it might have links with would be The Beast Below! After listening, I was quite intrigued to discover that the initial story was actually to be featuring the Fourth Doctor and later reworked into a Fifth Doctor serial introducing Turlough, but it was of course replaced by the sensational Mawdryn Undead. Regardless of the form and TARDIS team, I am delighted that we are able to get the story in some shape here. It works really well and I love the pairing of the Sixth Doctor and Peri. They work so well together and it's also testament to Colin Baker's performance that his take on the Doctor here is more closely resemblant of his televised days than what we would later get on audio with his softer side. That's really impressive. Their arrival on the Orca was excellent and I thought it was admirable that Peri wanted to do all they could to save the space whales from being hunted and captured. The Doctor taking on the persona of a WILF investigator was magnificent and he certainly had a great deal of fun in that role. The humour that came with his comments about saving flies and even contemplating bacteria was excellent. I liked how the Doctor had in fact utilised the flies to infect the ship with a virus that temporarily stopped whale capture. In the meantime, Peri's scenes after she had been infected were marvellous and the comedy that came with her being delirious was brilliant! I loved how she referred to the Doctor as an imposter because she momentarily forgot about his regeneration and she also contemplated wanting a pet Dalek in the TARDIS! She thought they might be cute under that armour exterior. Loopy is definitely what Peri was. I thought it was a good twist by having the TARDIS responsible for why Megaptera was unable to escape by diving through time. The Doctor and Peri were there to save the Space Whale, but the presence of their ship was interfering with the time element of the creature and had actually resulted in both things being stuck! The materialisation at the end of part two was intriguing and I couldn't help but think of what the sets for inside the Space Whale might have been like back in the 1980s. I'm not sure how they would have looked, but I'd love to have seen it! The Caller was a good addition as the story developed and I enjoyed the creepiness of the voice. It brought a very good atmosphere. The inclusion of Sontaran weaponry in the audio was an unexpected bonus and it was just nice for continuity to know that they had been in this sector of time and space previously and been somewhat unsuccessful. Captain Greeg made for a good villainous character and him ultimately being responsible for the wrongdoing behind the hunt for Space Whales was good and not a surprise, not that it was intended to be so though. I thought the computer voice of the ship after being infected with a virus was quite a bit of fun with its differing voices and the frustration that was causing to Greeg. The devotion those had to Megaptera was really good and I liked how that also provided frustration to the Doctor as he wasn't able to convince them of his methods. They believed that they'd be saved. Megaptera ultimately being rescued was good and definitely how things should have concluded and it was quite nice for the Doctor and Peri's mission to be a success, even if it went in a roundabout way! Overall, a great audio adventure. 

Rating: 8/10