Men of War

"My dreams were haunted by the faces of lost soldiers."

Writer: Justin Richards

Format: Audio

Released: May 2018

Series: BBC Audio 02

Featuring: First Doctor, Steven, Sara

Synopsis 

"The Battle of the Somme is the pivotal moment of this conflict... History hinges on it!"

It's the start of August 1916, and war is raging on the battlefields of France. In the front line trenches, British soldiers are vanishing without trace. Captain Mark Steadman witnesses one of his comrades being pulled down beneath the mud, and realises that something is terribly wrong.

When three civilians and a large blue box arrive on the scene, Steadman finds himself helping in their enquiries. The Doctor declares that something has gone wrong with the timeline of the War; the Battle of the Somme should have already begun, yet there is no sign of it. He demands an audience with Field Marshal Haig! A crater in no-man's land reveals the grisly horror of the the missing men's fate, and brings the Doctor and his friends into terrible danger. There are forces at work here which even he can't fully comprehend.

Verdict

Men of War was a really strong story to kick off this trilogy of war adventures from BBC Worldwide! I’ve been very excited for a long time to blog this trilogy and it started really well here. I thought Peter Purves made an instant impact with the narration as he’s just a really strong actor and whilst he wasn’t narrating as Steven, he was brilliant and really added a lot to the listener experience. Establishing that soldiers Peterson and Hodge had gone was intriguing and Steadman served as a strong character for the narrator point of view. I’m not usually a fan of unfamiliar characters telling the story from their perspective, but I thought he worked well! The description of the tendrils from within the trench emerging and dragging Michaels down was excellent and really helped establish the threat at hand. It was pretty eery. The arrival of the TARDIS trio was good stuff and I really enjoyed how Sara’s uniform was taken as being of the military. Her gender caused issues there though and she didn’t react too well to the outburst from Haig about women not being recruited for the military when she was a high ranking officer of the SSS herself. Steadman’s first impression of the Doctor as being an ant antithesis of war was fantastic and I liked how he could just feel the aura of the old man. The Doctor effect was very much in play! I loved the Doctor’s reaction when he found out that the date was 1 August 1916 as there was no sign of the Battle of the Somme which was of course rather problematic. The importance of the battle is not lost on me and a whole month where it should have been raging not actually happening was quite the interference with history. Steven’s unfamiliarity with the First World War felt a little odd but it was a good reminder of just when he came from. His allusion that nothing was worse than the Daleks was great and a healthy reminder that this story takes place during the events of The Daleks’ Master Plan. They were still on the run from the Daleks with the Doctor having the taranium core in his possession. That was really good stuff. The story from Sara about being part of a military organisation and respecting rank was so powerful as she described taking orders and killing her own brother. Brett was lost now and that wasn’t something she would forget easily, carrying that burden with her wherever she went. Haig wasn’t exactly welcoming of the Doctor and his companions which presented a fun dynamic but the Time Lord’s credentials being a letter from Churchill was rather fun! By this point in 1916 he didn’t have a place in office but when the credentials were given he was Home Secretary so the Doctor pounced on the authority given by the office rather than the man in that position. Brilliant. He was a special adviser given all access which felt like an approach that would come later than the First Doctor era, but I certainly welcomed it. The Battle of the Somme getting back on track thanks to the Doctor was decent and I thought Headman’s reaction to finding that the battle would last until November was palpable. It really showed what it was like to be caught up in the perspective of the war. The direction of the story moved well when they all fell below the crater and the search for the bodies was good stuff. Upon finding them though they weren’t quite what they seemed! The concept of the mud actually stripping the skin from them and leaving bones within uniforms not even remotely muddy was excellent and pretty eery. The mud being sentient was decent to play around with and I liked how it was linked with time energy seeping out due to the Somme not starting as history intended. The tendrils actually being a means of the web of time trying to heal was really well done and I loved the Doctor’s explanation of that web. The mud becoming inert as the soldiers were dying putting history back on course was intriguing, especially when not enough were dying to compete the reversion. The threat of even the Moon moving as the absorption threat rose was fantastic. The mud not knowing that the battle had started was good and I really liked how it couldn’t measure by the lives lost, only from the time taken from its victims. That meant it needed something old and the Doctor was the perfect person. The fact he was prepared to sacrifice himself was admirable and I loved how he pondered on not getting to regenerate and wondering what those future incarnations would be like. Talk about a sacrifice! The use of the taranium core in his pocket in absorbing the mud was very clever and outstanding continuity with the story placement. The allusion at the end of there being a British girl that actually stoped the Arch Duke from being killed at the start of the War was interesting and appears to set us up for what’s to come, with the First Doctor preoccupied by the Daleks they would find him if he’d stay too long. This would be a job for a future incarnation after all. Overall, an excellent listen!

Rating: 9/10

 

Queen of the Mechonoids

"The moment of vengeance is at hand."

Writer: Jonathan Morris

Format: Audio

Released: January 2021

Series: Diary of River Song 8.03

Featuring: River Song, Anya, Mark Seven

Synopsis 

Sapce Security agents Anya Kingdom and Mark Seven answer a distress call – and find River Song, ruling a city of Mechonoids.

But another shock awaits beneath this planet's icy surface. The Mechonoids have been upgraded and are about to be unleashed upon the galaxy!

Verdict 

Queen of the Mechonoids was an excellent episode to conclude the eighth series of The Diary of River Song! After a somewhat shaky start, this turned into a really strong series and what a way to finish! I really liked the idea of River crashing on an ice planet and her distress call being picked up by the familiar characters of Anya Kingdom and Mark Seven of the SSS. They had quite the run alongside both the Fourth and Tenth Doctors, so it was nice to hear them alone and encountering River Song. Upon investigating the ship, Mark wasn’t so sure that the ship had actually crashed with the source of the signal actually coming from within in the city. The introduction of the Mechonoids was good and I loved the loose idea of River being their queen! She was welcomed into luxury after her arrival which was fun. It was never going to be as simple as just leaving with Anya and Seven, and that was evident when the Mercury core had been removed from the SSS ship. It seemed the Mechonoids didn’t want their Queen to leave! I really liked how Mark was constantly suspicious of River’s crashed ship story which made their relationship rather testy. The artificial tunnel below the city leading to River’s ship was far more than a coincidence and a good mystery to explore, whilst the action that was injected from crossing the ice bridge with the giant tentacled creature beneath was brilliant! The discovery of finding the diamond encrusted Mechonoid was terrific and the discovery of a half man within was quite the surprise. It turned out to be former Earth councillor Annam Henic who had been missing for 1,600 years and thought destroyed. It was certainly hoped he was destroyed as far as Anya was concerned! River wanting to bring him to justice after his crimes was a good direction for the story to take but he had the golden Mechonoids protecting their master! The story of how they’d saved him from certain death by putting him into a Mechonoid was fantastic. The golden Mechonoid image was tremendous too! I liked that River hadn’t revealed all information and she was actually tracking Henic all along with her archaeological routes shining through. Anya had cottoned onto that which was brilliant and showed her qualities. It was actually River that had built the tunnel but caused the ice sheet to collapse on her ship in an accident that led her to then sending out the distress call. It tied together nicely. River instructing the city Mechonoids for defence was very good and I loved the development of the golden ones being able to fly! With the traditional versions not able to shoot up, the numbers advantage was completely eradicated. The battle that ensued was exciting and I liked that Anya now had the mercury core intact from River’s ship with the battle then causing the ice sheet to collapse amidst the detonation countdown. It really was all going on! River trying to not leave with Henic in her clutches to ensure he served justice was admirable, but there was no other option than to leave him to his death. Or so we thought! River ending up with the idea of writing a book instead as she wouldn’t get a finder’s fee now was fun stuff, but the cliffhanger finish of Henic not actually being dead and with enough Mechonoid power for a millennium was a fun surprise. Might be back to torment River in the future? Overall, a fantastic conclusion to the series!

Rating: 9/10

A Forever Home

"Our pet requires food."

Writer: Alfie Shaw 

Format: Audio

Released: January 2021

Series: Diary of River Song 8.03

Featuring: River Song, K9

Synopsis 

River finds herself caged and feeling under the weather. Luckily, her new owners are on hand to take care of her in her 'forever home'. 

But which of River's keepers can she trust? Is robot cat FE- all she seems? And is K9 still a girl's best friend?

Verdict 

A Forever Home was an excellent episode to continue my way through the eighth series of The Diary of River Song! This was easily the best story of the boxset so far and it was very amusing to have a situation where River wasn’t in control as she was forced into her new home after seemingly being deemed dangerous. The robotic cat Feline was all I was expecting as the robot element that has been the theme of the series, and having her come to buy River from the Pound was hilarious! However, the arrival of K9 was just joyous and he was here to adopt her! Magnificent stuff that had River rather shocked. The moment where it was mentioned she would have to be house trained was truly spectacular. The very idea! K9 soon revealed a truth beneath the deception with him saying that the Doctor actually sent him to rescue and she needed to stay in her cage for protection. It felt odd as she was also instructed to eat the sludgy food, and she also had to be walked! It kept getting better. K9 suggesting that she put on a collar was tremendous and I was fascinated that we had more than one version of the robot dog. There were also copies of houses as we soon learned of the an attack by the Master on the SS Polyamer! That was an unexpected revelation but I loved the idea of River doing battle with the renegade Time Lord once again. The use of an organic weapon made sense with robots not being affected and the copies of houses on the street were the result of the Doctor having saved River and she was being quarantined in a time loop. The sludge was her treatment which was pretty logical. The maestro shop was a funny way to have a disguise for the Master and it was obvious even more when rules said you couldn’t go inside. The Master looking on at River like she was a subject was good and the ruthlessness of him killing a robot because instructions weren’t followed was important to highlight. There was a strong air of suspicion when River was advised not to talk to strangers by K9 as not all of them were aware of the Master and figures from their own lives had been used to enable the time loop to make sense to them. Feline believing everything that K9 said was true was intriguing as River was able to challenge her on the truth about the time loop and the Master. She took her opportunity and pounced. K9 actually being an agent of the Master was a very fun dynamic, and it was soon clear that the Master was not the true article. River ridiculed that idea nicely. I wasn’t expecting Feline to actually bring a woman trapped as a robot so that took me by surprise! The fake Master being Balthazar Drix made for a fun character and he got the info to trick River thanks to a mind probe. River being offended by him calling Feline ‘it’ was nice to hear as she defended her new friend no matter what she was. The story of Drix suffering from ruddle’s syndrome was quite powerful with his unique chameleonic DNA just causing mutations and adapting to each different treatment. Maria being the woman inside Feline led to an incredibly emotional story of how she was picked up as Drix’s deputy. We learned all about the research being focused on a cure despite her advances and Drix’s ruthless side was massively highlighted in the flashback moment to him expelling all of the other crew members except Maria! It soon became a plague ship and Maria was left to the disease which quickly took her body, but her mind was now in a computer imprint. Her help coming in the form of K9 looking for Sarah Jane Smith after being sent by the Fourth Doctor was sublime! River offering to help cure Drix if all of the prisoners were released was a bit of a shock after all he’d done, but the villain really was able to show his horribleness with the all cats have their day secret code instructing the K9 copies to terminate them instead. The scale of that was extraordinary! Drix wanting use the regenerative qualities of River’s DNA to heal himself was a good move but Maria then being killed really highlighted Drix being a total bastard. I thought it was fun for River to put the cure into herself whilst destroying the genome data to prevent Drix having his own cure. Having the original K9 kept was fun and I liked that he restored all of the other unit copies and River quickly ordered them all to stun Drix! It was nice for her to also find Maria’s personality file and she would send the cure back to Drix’s people. The conclusion with K9 headed for Croydon and leading into A Girl’s Best Friend and the chameleonic crate was delightful. He’d find Sarah Jane after all! A fantastic episode. 

Rating: 9/10

A Brave New World

"You're using too much oxygen."

Writer: Tracy Ann Baines

Format: Audio

Released: January 2021

Series: Diary of River Song 8.02

Featuring: River Song 

Synopsis 

Rache has made a choice and joins a new society at the start of its journey. But she has not bargained for the worst instincts of humanity. 

After leaving her ward behind, can River make it back in time to save her?

Verdict 

A Brave New World was a great story to continue my way through the eighth series of The Diary of River Song! This was a vast improvement on the Slight Glimpses of Tomorrow opener, but I did like the continuity with that episode in having the colonist ship named as the Armis 20 and a neat reference to the star map. River and Rachel were thought of as stowaways and proclaiming that they’d be disposed of was a fine way to lead into the opening credits as well as introducing Bryson. Captain Linos spared their blushes and River didn’t waste any time in pouncing on her opportunity and rather humorously put Bryson in the cell instead! That was River at her best. I was intrigued that Rachel was welcomed on the ship due to the fact she was synthetic, but it did seem a little quick for her to feel a sense of responsibility and wanting to stay on the colony ship. She had a connection with Armis of course and this was her legacy but it did catch me a little off guard. Aaron talking of a shift lasting a lifetime on the colony ship was dark but showed the sacrifice needed to preserve the future of the race. Some were needed to perform manual tasks! Linos clearly had something in the works for Rachel as her tone immediately sensed an opportunity with her. River having left Rachel behind meant she could catch up with the Doctor in some fun short bursts of scenes. The Doctor was turning the TARDIS swimming pool into a sauna where she’d join him and I also liked how she’d had enough of war and made reference to the name Doctor being a touchy subject in a first encounter with the War Doctor! She also met the Ninth Doctor for dinner which was fun whilst doing battle with some robots alongside the Eleventh Doctor shortly after! Linos and Bryson thinking less of Aaron was a little bit of a shame and the confirmation of the voyage having no route back set into motion their plan for Rachel. She was put to work on the ship rather literally as she was plugged in whilst they went into stasis in a selfish bid to save their own lives. Rachel eventually remembering River and who she was thanks to a water reference was a nice touch. The cameo appearance of the Tenth Doctor voiced by David Tennant himself was a wonderful surprise! He and River were chasing a demon and we got a cheeky comment about fezzes but then she received the distress call from Rachel and had to leave him to it! A wonderful scene. I was glad River kept to her word. The revelation that Rachel had been a slave for 497 years was rather shocking and it was nice that Aaron had wanted to protect her. The fact she still put the colonists firsts was admirable and the threat of electric eels was actually a lot better than it sounded. River waking up Bryson and Linos to threaten them with being shot was excellent and I liked that she went ahead to the planet alongside Rachel and Aaron. The latter repairing the eye of the former was nice and their relationship was wonderful to hear throughout. The eels killing Bryson was a little surprising and I really enjoyed the concept behind them in technically always being dead. They were bacteria with an electrical charge which was a fun concept and they were the result of Aaron’s experiment going unchecked for nearly half a millennium! They’d mutated over the years and this wouldn’t have happened if Linos had kept him around to check on the progress. The moment where the computer didn’t comply with the instructions of Linos was superb and it was clear she had lost right there. It didn’t recognise Aaron’s supposed mutiny and the action packed conclusion that came with Rachel being disrupted by the electromagnetic field was great. The moments shared on the new colonised planet with Aaron proclaiming his love for Rachel were lovely and she was just super nice in not wanting Linos punished. Overall, a great listen!

Rating: 8/10

Slight Glimpses of Tomorrow

"I wish there was a way to bring the stars close again."

Writer: James Goss

Format: Audio

Released: January 2021

Series: Diary of River Song 8.01

Featuring: River Song 

Synopsis 

River feels responsible for synthetic person Rachel, left alone on a dying world. So she shows her the history of another, and teachers her the responsibilities of time travel.

But can an android understand what it takes for a civilisation to evolve?

Verdict 

Slight Glimpses of Tomorrow was not the greatest start to the eighth series of The Diary of River Song unfortunately. I thought this was probably the poorest episode of the entire spin-off range that I have listened to so far which is a damn shame as I’m a massive fan of River and her having her own series. I’m sure this will just be a blip but it’s not how I was hoping to kickstart the series! I found it difficult to really buy into what exactly was happening as there seemed no clear objective or plot that was being built. The premise of River showing Rachel history and even encountering cavemen that were on the hunt for dinosaurs was very good and something I wish was explored a little more. There’s untapped potential in the prehistoric era in my opinion so this could have worked. River pointing out the significance of one of the cavewomen making the first piece of jewellery was tremendous, but it barely had any significance to what came after it which struck me as odd. Armis was a strong character who I wish featured throughout the episode as she was very strong minded for a woman in her time. She would build a pyramid amidst the male oriented society and that era was begging for River to challenge the social norms, but instead we had her championing that interference in the past couldn’t be done! Of all the people, that was just silly. Women were allowed to oversee the building of their husband’s future tombs though and that’s what Armis was intent on doing. The metal on top being a star chart was intriguing and I thought Dubontis confronting her because he claimed she’d angered the gods by staring at them was pretty amusing. I wasn’t a fan of the time jumps though as there were far too many throughout and after getting comfortable with Armis, we jumped forward a millennium and found she was thrown off the pyramid. That was very sudden and just a shame! The star map metal now being a part of Cassie’s ceiling in Jade City was fascinating but things just seemed to get all mixed up as we were also following the origins of the plague. Rachel bring with an inmate that knew of the star map and its significance was good and I liked how he realised that the stars had moved since the time that they were drawn. How could someone of ancient times see more of the stars? The prison break that ensued seemed odd though and not really a part of the overall plot with it being linked to those who were possibly carrying the plague. River locking the Energy Minister in a linen cupboard was very characteristic and a fun moment for her to shine in a story where she seemed to be in the background. The growth of the plant owned by the old man was a little odd and didn’t seem important at all when Rachel offered to look after it. The historical elements of wanting to invent really big fireworks to prove a point was pretty good stuff, but Rachel was struggling with all of the jumping from time to time. That was understandable but I wasn’t expecting her to escape with River’s vortex manipulator! I quite liked that her destination was to go to Cassie and try to show her the significance of her star map ceiling, but she was far from interested in working out why someone in the past could see more stars. Rachel then being in Parliament felt like a bit of a stretch as she was trying to show the kestrel star map and appeal against the missile strike plans. But she soon realised that in this world of men in power she wouldn’t be able to save the world. When she was set for execution, River returned to save the day without any explanation as to how she got there without her manipulator. I’m glad she came for Rachel but a better explanation than ‘I found a way’ was required. Heading back to Armis to try and ‘win’ was good intentions and I’d loved that she turned her pyramid into a school for young girls. The story seemed to petter out from there as Rachel just seemed to learn a lesson that she didn’t change much at all other than dead people being better informed. The fact she didn’t impact change was a little disappointing and just weird to conclude. Overall, some good in places but as a whole slightly disappointing. 

Rating: 5/10

Student Bodies

"Cybermen do not possess morale, and therefore will fight to the last."

Writer: Dave Rudden

Format: Short Story

Released: October 2018

Printed in: Twelve Angels Weeping 05

Featuring: River Song 

Synopsis 

On every planet that has existed or will exist, there is a winter...

Many of the peoples of Old Earth celebrated a winter festival. A time to huddle together against the cold; a time to celebrate being half-way out of the dark.

But shadows are everywhere, and there are some corners of the universe which have bred the most terrible things, lurking in the cold between the stars.

Here are twelve stories – one for each of the Twelve Days of Christmas – to remind you that to come out of the darkness we need to go into it in the first place.

We are not alone. We are not safe. And, whatever you do: don't blink.

Verdict 

Student Bodies was a fantastic story to continue my reading of the Twelve Angels Weeping collection! I thought this was a tremendous short story and I was very close to giving it the perfect rating. It was a fantastic use of the Silence without them actually doing a whole lot and that’s part of their appeal. They made such an impact when they debuted in The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon and the way this story fitted in with the story arcs of the Eleventh Doctor’s first two series was superb. I was really impressed. I particularly enjoyed the unique style of a short story in the format of multiple audio recordings and I must admit that when that was stated on the first page, I had my trepidations. However, it was brilliant from start to finish and PhD student Claire made for a really insightful and interesting character. The subject of cartography is not something I know a great deal about but putting it on an interstellar scale is fascinating. She was trying to map out the stars and make routes easier, but when a planet went missing around Christmas time things really did start to go wrong. The micro bead recordings were fun and I liked that Claire didn’t feel confident enough in herself to go back and listen to them. It would have been quite helpful if she did though! The inclusion of the Silence was excellently done and I loved how their infamous chilling shiver noise was referred to throughout as an unidentified recording. That came more and more throughout and only increased once River Song arrived on the scene. She made a usual spectacular entrance and just having her as an actual student at Lunar University was really fun stuff. River exudes fun and the reputation she had garnered was terrific to learn about from Claire. She wasn’t at all surprised to find that it was River who had set off the fire alarm. That very much sounded like her. It’s fun to think that she’d even been a student at the university for three years and the reaction from Claire when River revealed she was studying archaeology was very amusing. Once they finally met I thought the direction of the story moved well and you felt like the Silence could be tackled and potentially defeated. There was no explanation of the motive of the Silence but that almost made them scarier. That constant reference to an inaudible sound became very eery indeed. The way that Claire’s work was changing before her very eyes was great and the desperation she had in wanting the computer to find her references to planet B4 was palpable. She knew the planet was there and had made orders that required delivery diverting past it, but now they had no such records of any kind of diversion. That planet turning out to be Saturnyne was a brilliant touch and sublime continuity with The Vampires of Venice. That was really impressive and a welcomed explanation! The Silence had erased a whole planet from memory with the cracks. The cameo appearance of Madame Kovarian was really well done as well, although her significance wasn’t massively important to the story. She was keeping tabs on River Song which was good continuity. Overall, this was a terrific read!

Rating: 

Ghost in the Machine

"Cybermen do not possess morale, and therefore will fight to the last."

Writer: Dave Rudden

Format: Short Story

Released: October 2018

Printed in: Twelve Angels Weeping 04

Featuring: Cybermen, Cyber Controller

Synopsis 

On every planet that has existed or will exist, there is a winter...

Many of the peoples of Old Earth celebrated a winter festival. A time to huddle together against the cold; a time to celebrate being half-way out of the dark.

But shadows are everywhere, and there are some corners of the universe which have bred the most terrible things, lurking in the cold between the stars.

Here are twelve stories – one for each of the Twelve Days of Christmas – to remind you that to come out of the darkness we need to go into it in the first place.

We are not alone. We are not safe. And, whatever you do: don't blink.

Verdict 

Ghost in the Machine was another great story to continue my reading through the Twelve Angels Weeping collection! The Cybermen were obviously a no brainer when it comes to having a volume of short stories featuring some of Doctor Who’s greatest villains and monsters, with them realistically only being second in the hierarchy to the Daleks. This was an intriguing adventure as save from a few lines on the final page, there was no appearance nor even a mention of the Doctor and this was all focused on one special Cyberman in particular. 9.9P-VIV was an interesting designation and I thought it worked well to get some inner workings of a Cyberman laid down in print. I thought it was a good move and actually rather refreshing to explore the Cyberiad as much as we did here as that has a lot of untapped potential since it was introduced on screen. It also just seems logical and well suited to what we know of the Cybermen. Of course it’s efficient to have shared knowledge! The instantaneous way that 9.9P could just upload words or knowledge to the Cyberiad was good stuff and I appreciated it playing a major role. This felt like the basis for a Cyberman spinoff and I could definitely see that happening beyond what Big Finish did with their Cyberman series. Deep down, the Cybermen always feel a little bit vulnerable when it comes to tackling them on an emotional level. That’s pretty ironic given that they’re supposed to be devoid of emotion and it actually being something they pride themselves on. Deep down though, they are comprised of human parts and the importance of their organic nature is tough to shake off. It is surely no coincidence that the Cyber Controller has his brain on display in his helmet! I thought the description of that was tremendous and the make up of his polished torso and what have you made him feel important. He was the Cyberman giving the orders and questioning 9.9P on his inactions to stick to the firing sequence which had thrown everything out of whack. The way the story started on Hyf felt a little odd I must admit as I’m not sure why it was questioned that the Racnoss weren’t compatible for conversion. I mean, just look at the size of them! They’re not exactly going to fit into a traditional Cyber armour suit, are they? Were the Cybermen trying to create a Cyber Arachnid? If that was specified I think it could have been tremendous, but sadly that wasn’t the case. We did get a good battle though and whilst I’m not sure the timing would work out with the Racnoss being as ancient as they are, the description of the race being devoted to their Empress was a nice touch. This was also a fun way to get another villain featured. There was strong talk of the Cybermen doing battle with the likes of Daleks, Judoon and Slitheen, and I must admit that I don’t see either of the latter two causing them much of an issue! Any chance to pit the Daleks and Cybermen against each other though would be more than welcomed in my book. The issue of 9.9P seeing the girl and ceasing firing was intriguing, and I initially thought that once it was obliterated by the blaster that we were getting an origin story for Handles! That didn’t happen but I maintain it would have been great fun and definitely something that could happen in the future. When events moved from Hyf, I enjoyed the conversation between the Cyber Controller and 9.9P very much. The idea of challenging the Controller was good and I thought it was pretty humorous when he repeatedly questioned why he couldn’t be linked with the Cyberiad in full. He wasn’t complete with his body anymore! I thought the build up to the conclusion was good with 9.9P almost becoming consumed by the girl he’d seen that prevented him shooting, only for her not to be seen in the memory bank recording. He was essentially a new Cyberman after having all parts replaced and upgraded, and yet she was still there in memory without any evidence. The ending with the punishment and Peri talking to the Doctor about the Cyberman was unexpected. I was intrigued that the Sixth Doctor knew about the ‘Delete’ catchphrase as we wouldn’t hear that on screen until the Cybermen, parallel versions at that, did battle with the Tenth Doctor! The idea of them wanting to delete the humanity within them was brilliant though. Overall, a great read!

Rating: 8/10

Celestial Intervention – A Gallifreyan Noir

"We've got the CIA out there treating history like a game.."

Writer: Dave Rudden

Format: Short Story

Released: October 2018

Printed in: Twelve Angels Weeping 03

Featuring: Time Lords

Synopsis 

On every planet that has existed or will exist, there is a winter...

Many of the peoples of Old Earth celebrated a winter festival. A time to huddle together against the cold; a time to celebrate being half-way out of the dark.

But shadows are everywhere, and there are some corners of the universe which have bred the most terrible things, lurking in the cold between the stars.

Here are twelve stories – one for each of the Twelve Days of Christmas – to remind you that to come out of the darkness we need to go into it in the first place.

We are not alone. We are not safe. And, whatever you do: don't blink.

Verdict 

Celestial Intervention – A Gallifreyan Noir was an outstanding story to continue my way through the Twelve Angels Weeping collection! This really is shaping up to be a sensation volume of stories as the first three instalments have been consistently brilliant. Having a story focused on the Time Lords in a collection of adventures centred around villains is a bit of a bold move, but it works so well here as we explore Gallifrey in the immediate aftermath of the Doctor’s initial departure in stealing a type-40 TARDIS. That premise alone was enough to put a smile on my face and I am so in favour of further exploration of early Gallifrey. The Doctor doesn’t actually appear in the story but we do learn that his departure caused quite a ruckus on the planet! The first person storytelling narrative is not usually something I am a fan of in the slightest, but here from the perspective of Maris it worked tremendously well. There was so much to cover and him being a retired CIA operative added a lot to his background and character. Having him hired to investigate the Doctor and where in the universe he could be found opened up a serious can of worms! I loved the conflicting information surrounding the Doctor with the Virgin New Adventures acknowledged nicely with the Doctor being depicted as born to the House of Lungbarrow, whilst another said he was the product of a human and a Time Lord which captured what we learned in The Movie very well. It was really good to get an in-universe explanation for a lot of the conflicting information surrounding the Doctor and his origins, with it being said that the CIA had interfered in his timeline so much that who knows what even made sense anymore. That didn’t really conflict with The Timeless Children either which of course aired two years after this book was released. It’s always nice when that happens. I doubt that Chris Chibnall read this story! Maris was under considerable strain in trying to get some answers so having him confronted by a troublesome pair that we can safely assume was the Master and the Rani was terrific. The idea of encountering very early versions of these villains was magnificent and I liked how the goatee was described as being the sign of evil. The Master didn’t quite have it fully grown out yet, but we know he’d get there! The Rani experimenting with mines was also good to consider. I was a big fan of the discussion on different types of TARDIS and the one the Doctor stole being described as in terrible condition and not even worth stealing was wonderful. The concept of type-45 and 50s being able to disguise themselves as human was sensational and definitely I would want something more of in the future. There’s so much that could be done there! Maris being the subject of an attack and surviving thanks to a TARDIS was good, and said TARDIS being outraged that the Doctor didn’t take him to travel the universe was an unexpected twist! It tied up with what we learned in The Doctor’s Wife about the TARDIS potentially stealing a Time Lord rather than the other way around. I liked that a lot and it was genuinely saddened given all of the defects of the Doctor’s type-40. But he was too big for Gallifrey. He was out there exploring and timelines rewriting, seeing the universe as it should be. He wasn’t scared to change things for the better. Overall, a sublime read! Give me a Big Finish spin-off set during this time on Gallifrey please! 

Rating: 10/10

Rulebook

"All who are transmatted are dead."

Writer: Tony Jones

Format: Audio

Released: October 2016

Series: Short Trips 6.10

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Peri

Synopsis 

The Ellani of Beadledom 3 lived their lives in regulated harmony until they were invaded by the Valtor. Of course the Doctor and his new companion Peri were delighted to help out, but they didn't know their biggest challenge wouldn't be the Valtor army, but the Rulebook...

Verdict 

Rulebook was a decent little Short Trips adventure! This one felt quite short at 37 minutes and change but it still managed to tell a really solid story that I enjoyed. I thought Nicola Bryant’s narration was very impressive and she did a stellar job in differentiating from Peri and the narrator. Making that distinction is something important in this kind of format in my opinion and she did it tremendously well here. She was almost unrecognisable in her narration! Starting things out with a reading from the titular rulebook was good and the tease coming out of the opening titles referring to the dead heroes of the Doctor and Peri was superb! That was very enticing and with it being read as the listener you were enticed to believe it as a stated fact. We soon learned that the Doctor and Peri were immediately post adventure following a war between the Ellani and Valtor. They seemed to have an interest on both sides with them having helped the former side and the latter were now in hibernation after their encounter. So the mystery of the missing TARDIS was good because neither side seemed like they should be out to oust the Doctor and Peri. I’m not a massive fan of catching up with events after what seems like an entire story has happened, but I can understand taking that approach for a Short Trip. Something as simple as a transmat back to the bay where the TARDIS had landed became very problematic and with the Doctor firmly believing they were back at the same one, the TARDIS going missing was the issue to lead us through the story. The concept of the transmat being used for the living as a crime was fantastic and it really did catch me off guard. It should only be used for freight here and with those used they became copies moving forward! Peri’s gasp of thinking they were dead was quite amusing. I was quite impressed with the writing in giving this a feeling of being very new for Peri which is what you would expect alongside the Fifth Doctor. The TARDIS being claimed as state property was very fun because the Doctor would certainly be contesting that, although he now had no claim to his own ship under Ellani law! Seeing him try and tackle the legal system there was good but any kind of potential appeal could take weeks! That didn’t go down well. Yorvil was a good little character as the one professing the forms and she was quite to the point and informative without being annoying. That was admirable. It’s always good to have the Doctor protesting his innocence and there genuinely was a misunderstanding here, but the use of the transmat had been a complete waste of fuel despite the success in addressing the war on both sides! That was good stuff and the Fleet Commander was quite adamant in his assertion of the wastage. It really did feel like the Doctor was fighting a losing battle. I thought Peri came into her own towards the end of the story as when it seemed like they were to be the ones set to pay for the wastage and supposed damage caused, Peri was able to blurt out that under the laws that gave them no claim to the TARDIS they were legally dead! That is good to play around with. Peri wanting to appeal that rules could be the be all and end all was good and what I would have expected from the title of this adventure, and just having a rulebook in play as the key focus was a concept that I thought worked pretty well for the most part. The conclusion injected some much needed action as the fleet were seemingly destroyed and that absolutely outraged Peri. That was the highlight for me as she thought the Doctor had committed mass murder, only for him to have done the opposite and something rather clever. The fleet actually ended up appearing in orbit all undamaged as the Doctor didn’t have time to explain his plan to Peri before executing it. It tied everything up nicely for a pretty strong conclusion to what was overall a good listen! 

Rating: 7/10

Curiosity Shop

"The Doctor doesn't exist."

Writer: James Goss

Format: Audio

Released: February 2023

Series: Eleventh Doctor Chronicles 4.03

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Valarie

Synopsis 

Mr Foreman owns a junkyard. He doesn't get many visitors. In fact, all anyone ever seems interested in is Barbara. 

One woman informs Mr Foreman she knows the truth about Barbara, that she went on impossible adventures with a man called the Doctor. This woman, this Valarie, will do anything to be reunited with Barbara and the Doctor. Even if it kills her.

Verdict 

Curiosity Shop was a decent story to conclude the All of Time and Space anthology serving as the fourth series of Eleventh Doctor Chronicles! I must admit that from the synopsis and the preview in Doctor Who Magazine for this whole boxset focusing on Barbara Wright, this was a very different story to what was advertised. I didn’t appreciate the slight misleading here but it was still a good story. Having Valarie at the junkyard was fun stuff and I loved that there was a Mr Foreman present. That all led to Valarie getting involved in events close to An Unearthly Child but that was actually very far removed from the truth which was a shame. Valarie wanted to look at the police box and knew of the original owner which was nice, but Foreman wanted money for her to lay eyes on the TARDIS. Foreman taking  a dislike to the name of TARDIS was interesting but I wasn’t a fan of him referring to it as Barbara. That’s not the Barbara I was hoping for in this adventure! The allusion to the ongoing war above them was good stuff and it was nice to know that the Doctor and Valarie were pulled into the battle against their will. It started to explain things. The Doctor having turned the fleet’s weaponry against them into EP and knocking out the TARDIS along with Valerie as she was an enhanced human was quite something and filled me with intrigue. The fact that Valarie was paying Foreman with literal bits of herself was shocking and showed the extent to which she was desperate to ensure the TARDIS was still around. Foreman reliving elements of being the Doctor was quite good and I liked that Valarie recalled their arrival and negative thoughts about the Governor following the IT glitch that opened 73% of cells! Valarie was audibly hurt when Foreman mocked her in having better sight capabilities after she’d paid with part of her orbital components and the moment he said he forgot things that weren’t important when it referred to her name was extremely powerful. Dudman’s performance as Foreman was impressive in parts when it came to the impersonation of other incarnations of the Doctor such as the First, Fourth, Ninth and Tenth all audibly present. It was good to have the twang of the Eleventh Doctor in those impressions though, if a little odd. Valarie’s hope and faith in the Doctor was admirable and I’m really impressed with how she has settled as companion. It’s crazy to think we’re already halfway through her run! The way she struggled to recall the story featuring heat shields was good as she had lost too many of her parts now. The war above them waking up was good stuff and it coupled well with Valarie’s short term memory being completely shot. The atmosphere when it was left to just Valarie and Golas was really well presented and the former was horrified to find that Foreman had sold the TARDIS! At that point Valarie just gave up which showed the extent the turmoil of the episode had on her. She told Foreman of the Doctor and how he kept on going just because. That was fantastic and it resonated in Foreman as the Doctor was returned. He had to give the fleets a chance of leaving peacefully but of course they didn’t take it. The Doctor actually having a sculpture of all of Valarie’s parts was nice given that she would be okay and they hadn’t been flogged. In the TARDIS though she was extremely angered at literally being used for parts which was completely understandable! The stories of the Doctor had helped him rebuild his back up brain and it was a long old plan all along, but as a whole despite the episode’s quality I can’t help but feel slightly cheated. Regardless, a good listen! 

Rating: 7/10

The Yearn

"We tried to resist."

Writer: Angus Dunican

Format: Audio

Released: February 2023

Series: Eleventh Doctor Chronicles 4.02

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Valarie

Synopsis 

The people of Medruth are under siege. Forced into underground bunkers, the Medruthians are desperate for a way to escape. When the Doctor and Valarie arrive, it seems like they've finally got everything they wanted. Except, that's when the nightmares really begin.

Verdict 

The Yearn was a decent adventure to continue my way through the All of Time and Space fourth series of Eleventh Doctor Chronicles. I liked the mystery of how things started with the arrival on Medruth and the discussion about windows and Valarie realising they may not be needed showcased her companion credentials. She has really settled in quickly and I think she’s pretty great so far! I’m certainly a fan. The recycled air pointed to there being arrival on a spaceship, but that wasn’t the case which was cool. The disappearance of the TARDIS was fantastic and I liked how that coupled with eighteen people having also vanished recently. The Yearn were an intriguing race to start with and I liked the description of them being like panthers and composed of unrecognisable energy. Roanna was a tremendous character and I loved the development of her relationship with Valarie. They immediately hit it off and the comms listen in where the companion heard herself described as beautiful was great. The Doctor was his usual awkward self when it came to situations like this. Wyler was a pretty good character but I was more interested in Hoster with him being suspicious of the new arrivals. The line from the Doctor relating to a number of friends settling with people they’d just met was a lovely nod to several companions departing for love interests they barely knew. Valarie didn’t seem interested in following suit though. The Yearn effect being psychokinetic was unique although I felt things did get confusing when the three crew members seemingly died before quickly being resurrected as Wyler found them. The Doctor devising the trap for the Yearn was pretty good though I can’t pretend I understood the science behind it which was a tad frustrating. I thought the origin story that Roanna believed was really quite beautiful with the story of being at one in the circle and all life splitting off to then become one again after splitting. That was one hell of a way to get a kiss from Valarie! It certainly succeeded but things soon shifted when the Yearn seemed to literally emerge from within Roanna. That was a disturbing image. Hoster being taken again was decent and I liked that the Yearn were all trapped in the Doctor’s gizmo, but it did happen a bit quick. He was then taken and reunited with the TARDIS which was fun as Valarie was left behind hoping for a reset. The hint that Roanna knew she’d been taken once before fed into the truth nicely. The discussion the Doctor had from within in finding that the Yearn were born this way and poured some of themselves into the crew was interesting as we learned of their efforts to become physical form. They hadn’t intended on being evil all as one and that was clear when they asked the Doctor for genuine help. The Yearn traps overloading was a logical development and I did enjoy the reveal that the origin story of them all splitting and becoming one was actually true. I loved that Valarie had worked it out. She really is rather good. The Yearn had put them in living hell but now the Doctor used the TARDIS to free them and keep the crew alive in a neat and tidy conclusion. Roanna asking Valarie to stay was a lovely moment and whilst the companion declined, she did provide the TARDIS phone number which was a nice consolation. Overall, a decent adventure to continue the series!

Rating: 7/10

All of Time and Space

"This is the tale of Doctor Who!"

Writer: Tim Foley

Format: Audio

Released: February 2023

Series: Eleventh Doctor Chronicles 4.01

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Valarie

Synopsis 

As concepts for shows go, it's a good one. An adventurer and his friend travelling through all of time and space, righting wrongs and defending those who can't defend themselves. Yet, as its creator is about to discover, there are those who'd rather this show never existed.

Verdict 

All of Time and Space was a great start to the fourth series of Eleventh Doctor Chronicles and the anthology of the same name! This was a very intriguing adventure and I liked the follow on from The End with the TARDIS having exploded and the opening credits being twisted into a pitch for a television show was quite the way to start an episode. Mr Quest was describing most of the key aspects that make Doctor Who but he was actually pitching it as a play at the theatre rather than a television show which was an interesting twist. His out of tune imitation of the theme tune was horrible to listen to despite its humour! I was intrigued that his pitch was specifically focused on the Eleventh Doctor and Valarie as they are obviously from an era fifty years after the show started. Mr Darling was the artistic director of the Regal Theatre and he was very much not keen on the concept of Doctor Who. That’s amusing. I thought the format was a little disorienting with the short cut scenes to the Doctor and Valarie but I was intrigued that Darling wanted the notes on the Doctor Who show and he didn’t even know why. The Doctor and Valarie talking to Quest through the radio was good stuff but I thought the extended sequences of them talking as puppets was pretty bad sound effects. I wasn’t a fan of that from a purely listener perspective. The multiple versions of Darling trying to get Quest was good horror though! The idea of the Doctor and Valarie being transported into Quest’s head was very good and the concept of the pitch being as a way to get them onto the page as a story was fantastic! I really did enjoy the idea of the Doctor and Valarie being able to manifest anywhere there was a story. That had a lot of potential! The setting of London 1956 worked well and the need to find something recognisable in London being a police box was tremendous. The plan for it to carry Quest’s idea of the story and act as a psychic echo chamber to bring the Doctor and Valarie back was good, although given the truth later on it didn’t seem too logical. The moment where Darling realised he didn’t have a motive was good and it was quite surprising that the Doctor was actually using Quest! That felt uncharacteristic. They weren’t actually in his head at all. They needed him. The significance of Jeremy Castle with his name always on the notes was fascinating as we learned he was the author who’d invented both Quest and Darling! I must admit I hadn’t seen that coming. Valarie explaining that Quest was in a place of negative perception and had literally fallen down a plot hole was a fun use of the story theme. The significance of Quest’s lucky coin was a good inclusion and I thought it was an interesting explanation that upon explosion the TARDIS telepathic circuits had put them into the writing machine. Castle was also writing a biography of the Doctor’s life whilst having Quest as his passion, but the idea of the Doctor’s adventures being documented was very dangerous. He’d missed this collection in his efforts to delete all reference to him as it wasn’t yet published, but even so the threat of the Doctor’s life being mapped out was a big one as someone could find where he was weak. And that seemed to have been exactly what had happened in having the TARDIS explode. Valarie’s moment as the narrator for Quest was fun and I liked that he’d also seen scenes that hadn’t happened yet and knew the Doctor was looking for Clara as well as there being a woman calling the TARDIS. Might we get an encounter between the Eleventh Doctor and Missy? I do hope so! The moment of the explosion had actually been deleted and Valarie was extremely angered by that due to not being able to save her mum in The Innocence. That was understandable and it did seem that there were different rules for the Doctor. She did come around to understanding and I like the direction of the series now I’m wondering who commissioned the biography as we hunt for answers. Overall, a great start to the series!

Rating: 8/10

Red Planet

"I led my people into the storm."

Writer: Dave Rudden

Format: Short Story

Released: October 2018

Printed in: Twelve Angels Weeping 02

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Leela

Synopsis 

On every planet that has existed or will exist, there is a winter...

Many of the peoples of Old Earth celebrated a winter festival. A time to huddle together against the cold; a time to celebrate being half-way out of the dark.

But shadows are everywhere, and there are some corners of the universe which have bred the most terrible things, lurking in the cold between the stars.

Here are twelve stories – one for each of the Twelve Days of Christmas – to remind you that to come out of the darkness we need to go into it in the first place.

We are not alone. We are not safe. And, whatever you do: don't blink.

Verdict 

Grey Matter was another excellent short story to continue my way through the Twelve Angels Weeping collection! I really like the style of this book in that each instalment tells you which villain the adventure is focusing on and whilst we started strong with the titular Weeping Angels, following up with the Ice Warriors is tremendous! I’m a massive fan of the natives of Mars so I was surprised to find that much of this book was actually focused on the Sycorax! That was an unexpected treat as I do think they made a big impact on screen in The Christmas Invasion and getting what I believe to be their earliest encounter with the Doctor so far here was excellent! It was really intriguing to have them depicted as pirates and their belief in stolen technology being christened as new was superb! I thought that was really good and a new take on theft in a way to try and legitimise it. It was a very fun concept. You can’t really go wrong with the pairing of the Fourth Doctor and Leela with their relationship depicted really well here. All of the familiar traits in their relationship were present although the comedic values of the companion were on the back burner here which was the right move given her role in the story’s conclusion. Kyrss as the Ice Warrior was a fantastic character and I loved the description of him and his ability to fight. He was almost indestructible and that had led to a number of Sycorax betting on him and winning time after time. The Fourth Doctor getting an encounter with the Sycorax was great and painted a fun image of my head of them clashing. Kyrss believing himself to be the last Ice Warrior provided a strong moment for him to reflex and explain that he kept on fighting simply because his body wouldn’t let him die. The Great Diaspora was an intriguing event to reference and Leela’s method of dealing with a storm being not to do anything was contrary to the Doctor wanting to tackle or head on. What else would he do? Only he could try and take on nature. The line from the Doctor about imagining being the last of your people and giving up looking for them was incredibly powerful given what we know is to come in his future. That was pretty poignant. The Doctor involved in the Sycorax betting affairs was amusing as they really didn’t seem interested in his comments on probability. He was right though when it came to anyone getting rich if they bet against the seemingly indescribable Ice Warrior. He had a trick up his sleeve though in the form of Leela! I thought she had a tremendously strong outing here and having her encounter the Ice Warriors was a perfect match. She knew all about honour and that was a code sacred to the Ice Warriors so she could talk on the level of Kyrss. The way she challenged him to buy time for the Doctor and Bathast was sublime and she really was on another level here. The way she was able to interact with him and understand how he felt lost was just brilliant. He’d been tormented to fight after fight in the Cage which was a fascinating facility in its own right. Bathast accepted death when it was decided she would have to do battle with him which said everything we needed to know about his combat skills. A Nimon or Rutan were on offer but the Ice Warrior meant death. The honour Kyrss felt was something to live by and when he heard other Ice Warriors had survived the relief was clear on the page. Leela was able to have him surrender and he just wanted death, but the way he would get an honourable one in saving the rest of his diasporic race was really well done. It’s a shame the Doctor didn’t get the happy ending he wanted and his feelings on honour were laid out very clearly which was terrific, but as a whole this was a brilliant read!

Rating: 9/10

Grey Matter

"He'd seen it, in the corner of his eye."

Writer: Dave Rudden

Format: Short Story

Released: October 2018

Printed in: Twelve Angels Weeping 01

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor

Synopsis 

On every planet that has existed or will exist, there is a winter...

Many of the peoples of Old Earth celebrated a winter festival. A time to huddle together against the cold; a time to celebrate being half-way out of the dark.

But shadows are everywhere, and there are some corners of the universe which have bred the most terrible things, lurking in the cold between the stars.

Here are twelve stories – one for each of the Twelve Days of Christmas – to remind you that to come out of the darkness we need to go into it in the first place.

We are not alone. We are not safe. And, whatever you do: don't blink.

Verdict 

Grey Matter was an outstanding way to kick off my reading of the Twelve Angels Weeping collection of short stories! I’m a big fan of the works of Dave Rudden that I have blogged so far and this looks set to be another stellar collection. I’m enjoying making use of my local library and getting twelve new stories like this feels great as this book is somewhat under the radar! I like the premise of exploring a story with a popular villain and you can’t go wrong in starting with the Weeping Angels! The title of the book itself is brilliant and I loved that we knew the Angels were coming throughout this opening instalment, but they didn’t really do an awful lot and it was just the fear of the plague that was rife. The atmosphere created in this adventure was sublime and it felt tense throughout. The concept of entire cities being wiped out in a day was fantastic and with the planet being a medical one devoted to finding cures and essentially one big hospital, they figured that everyone dying City by City was down to something like a disease. The image of City Ten just leaving a goodbye message displayed was incredibly powerful and really sold the helplessness of its inhabitants. They had the time to set this up knowing that the end was coming. Perrine was a very strong character as the Chief Medical Officer and he was clearly in survival mode. That was something he was challenged on by the Doctor fantastically by the conclusion of the story.  The way the Doctor did arrive was amusing as he just showed up in the middle of a quarantine when it just shouldn’t be possible. That’s his way to make an entrance! I thought it was a strong outing for the Twelfth Doctor and I was so thankful that we didn’t get the tired fierce eyebrows description to show which incarnation was present. What we got was really good and simple which is how it should be. I liked the setting of the thirty-fourth century though it wasn’t really important to the overall story. We just needed to know it was somewhere and when in the future. With the medical theme of the story, the importance of the role of a doctor in the professional sense was highlighted in sublime style. It was really so good and showed just what the Doctor stood for. He was horrified that a supposed medical facility had closed its doors to the sick. That was really powerful and he showed no qualms in standing up to Perrine and his failings as a Chief Medical Officer. The use of the image of an Angel becoming an Angel was fantastic and the significance that played in Perrine as patient zero with the Angel inside his mind was superb. The fact he was tormenting a Weeping Angel to try and research and use the quantum lock reverse engineered was incredible, but the Angels were never going to let one of their kind suffer like that! The image of the people becoming Angels behind the masks was excellent and for once this was something the Doctor couldn’t really fix. The ending was very emotional as Perrine realised what needed to be done to stop the plague and despite the offer, he couldn’t accept leaving in the TARDIS with the Angel in his head. The Doctor was genuinely devastated to have to leave the medical officer behind, but there truly was no other way. There would be no happy ending. Overall, a sensational start to the collection! 

Rating: 10/10

Tempered

"This is me thanking you for making me who I am."

Writer: Dave Rudden

Format: Short Story

Released: September 2022

Printed in: Origin Stories 11

Featuring: Missy, The Master

Synopsis 

We all change, when you think about. We're all different people all through our lives...

Amy Pond looks for her Raggedy Man, Jo Grant remembers her childhood, the Master hunts the past... a young girl discovers a love for explosives.

Eleven incredible stories from the world of Doctor – the early lives of friends and foes that have never been told before.

Verdict 

Tempered was a good, if not a little bit of a convoluted, way to conclude the Origin Stories anthology! It’s fair to say that this has been an impressive collection of stories and whilst I think as a whole there was probably a little too much of the Doctor and an unnecessarily big focus on school time for a lot of companions, I’ve really enjoyed reading this book! Concluding things with Missy and the Master all in one is no bad thing, although I do think labelling it as an epilogue was an odd decision. It didn’t have the feeling of an epilogue in the slightest and was exactly like any other adventure in the collection! That certainly was a strange title to put on it. Regardless of that though, it was a decent tale to serve as something of an origin story for the Master. Although I would argue that we saw with him in The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords and the subsequent interference in his life by Rassilon and company in The End of Time would serve as that. With Missy featuring, it could have been a tremendous way to depict a regeneration of the Master into Missy which would have been rare but of course we’ve already had an origin for Missy picking up that name in The Missy Chronicles collection. I felt this one was a little all over the place with the different people and places we were jumping around to. With the pictures adorning the front cover of so many familiar characters old and new, it’s a shame that Missy’s appearance here is known simply from the process of elimination. But I did love the surprise of the Master appearing alongside in that famous goatee. Two incarnations of the Master teaming up is not new but it’s awfully exciting. The Death Zone’s prominence in the story was terrific and I think that’s an untapped area of potential on Gallifrey. More could be done there with how it was set up and then ultimately left in The Five Doctors so I was delighted that it featured here. Foyo’s exploration of dying planets was good and a Moon exploding and having different death tolls despite being the same event was excellent but he wouldn’t be around to fully investigate. The ominous nature of the voice of the Master feeding through was good and whilst I was confused I liked that I didn’t always know what he was planning or up to. It’s good to keep guessing on times! It definitely keeps me on my toes. The long game of the Master was in full swing when it came to Codubo which worked well as the background setting for Hendor and Ella. They seemed like a normal and nice couple until the Master showed up and turned their life completely on its head. He demanded that Hendor reveal that he did in fact know him and was bitterly angry when that was said to be false. Ella using the emergency to transport the Master out beyond the shield was good but he was determined to get back in and didn’t stop shooting. He knew Hendor had something valuable and that was very much the case when the fob watch was introduced! I’m a huge fan of the Chameleon Arch and how it was utilised here was brilliant. The Master was out to hunt Hendor and didn’t waste time in ensuring he was killed almost immediately after becoming his Time Lord self once again. If only he’d acted against the Master when it wasn’t too late and he realised the truth about this individual. Right around the time he chose his name. Except he wasn’t really the Master anymore. As Ella was actually Missy! That was glorious and the idea of her playing his wife for so many years as part of a long plan just to break his heart fitted in so well with the character and a lot of the disguises we’ve seen utilised in the past. Pondering on childhood and that fateful moment staring into the Untempered Schism was nicely done. Overall, a good read!

Rating: 7/10

Time War: Homecoming

"This is the final day of Gallifrey."

Writer: Matt Fitton

Format: Audio

Released: February 2021

Series: Gallifrey 12.04

Featuring: Romana II, Leela, Narvin

Synopsis 

Rassilon receives an ultimatum from an envoy of the Dalek Emperor while Leela and Narvin return with a dangerous strategy to end the Time War.

All roads to Gallifrey. For some, this is where the fight will end.

Verdict 

Homecoming was an outstanding conclusion to the fourth volume of Time War and twelfth series of Gallifrey overall! I thought this was a sublime finale and really tied up the last four series as a whole whilst pushing into the next batch of Gallifreyan Time War adventures. It was fun to start with Livia showing her concerns about Rassilon and why he wasn’t taking charge of the War effort. Rassilon listening in was good and I liked the twist of him appreciating that she had a backbone. The Lord President was concerned with other matters though as he was readying for ascension. It was consuming him and that made Rassilon extremely dangerous which I loved. Narvin and Leela communicating with Eris as they planned to explode the stealth battle TARDIS in the Untempered Schism was strong continuity as they attempted to destroy the Vortex once and for all and put an end the temporal aspect of the Time War. The Daleks getting to Gallifrey undetected was superb and getting confirmation from both sides like this was exactly what I had hoped for from this series. Rassilon wasn’t concerned though and I loved how he challenged them. He was almost goading them. Romana telling Rassilon to call the attack of at the behest of the Daleks was a fun way to bring her back into the fold and it was a little surprising that the Dalek Emperor and Time Strategist wanting to make an offer on terms of surrender! That was most unexpected but in all outcomes they wanted Rassilon exterminated. Of course, that was never going to be accepted! The moment where the Dalek Supreme questioned the Emperor on his display of mercy was sensational as the blasphemy resulted in instant extermination! Leela showing courage in going to the Dalek ship to save Romana was terrific, as was the way Rassilon tested Mantus and Livia by wanting them to prove their soldiering abilities and go to the front line. Gallifrey needed everyone it could get after all. Narvin saving them was unexpected but it was important as they revealed that the plan to destroy the Vortex was pointless. The Daleks had found time travel without use of the Vortex in the form of a null space drive and they needed the Eye of Harmony for power. They needed Gallifrey which was a fun contrast. Rassilon having a standard overwrite on all TARDISes was fun as he discussed Narvin and Romana’s return. Mantus making his sacrifice was admirable and I liked how our main characters were all offering themselves up to detonate the battle TARDIS bomb. The impatience of the Dalek Emperor was brilliant and I loved how the Technician defied orders and made the Emperor return to Skaro anyway after Narvin detonated the bomb and seemingly died! I wonder if he’ll have escaped but it didn’t appear so. Rassilon planning to archive Romana in her own pocket dimension was brutal but I loved that he challenged Leela to fight for the Time Lords if she wanted to protect her. She was taken to the War Room which sets us up nicely for the next series and I adored her retort to Rassilon about her coming for him after she’s killed all of the Daleks. I loved that line. Romana pondering on her situation was good and the conclusion of Rassilon scribing was excellent and someone from the Sisterhood joining and the General being there was brilliant. He seemed to have neglected the War Council up until now but it was time to crush and win the Time War. Overall, a superb episode! 

Rating: 10/10

Time War: Beyond

"No solution to this war will come without compromise."

Writer: David Llewellyn 

Format: Audio

Released: February 2021

Series: Gallifrey 12.03

Featuring: Romana II

Synopsis 

Romana met her fate on Unity, but Braxiatel isn't ready to give up on her. In a forbidden realm, he offers one last hope to escape the chaos of a universe at war. 

First, they must enter the Beyond and confront the ghosts and monsters within...

Verdict 

Beyond was a very good and intriguing episode to continue the twelfth series of Gallifrey! This fourth Time War instalment really does seem to be building towards an empathic finale which I’m excited for, and picking up straight away with Braxiatel saving Romana was excellent. They were flying into a block hole into the Beyond which was a fascinating concept! I loved that it was a product of the Time War and contained timeliness that never were and essentially acted as a depositary of lost events. The potential there was brilliant! The description of layers of time was good and I liked the issues of only going down through layers rather than heading backwards to the TARDIS. Brax revealing that Romana may be the only person he trusted was a nice touch. He’s an intriguing character but it’s nice to know he has that kind of admiration for her. Zara was a good character who arrived quite suddenly and she’d gone through a lot in living the moment of an exploding star over and over again. She was more than trepidatious at seeing two newcomers! Brax wanting to use her TARDIS and heading for the Dreadnought Servia was a good story direction. I liked the horror in Romana’s voice when it was stated that in this timeline it was actually her who gave the order to destroy Cannovar, but she didn’t have much time to ponder on that after Zara was cocooned in the TARDIS with the paradox neutralising her. When she reverted back to the start, the inclusion of the Ravenous alongside her was a good surprise! They were aiding her and whilst I’m still far from catching up on the events surrounding the Ravenous, it didn’t feel like any prior listening was necessary here. Brax going to the Beyond in search of the Parallaxe was good and I always like the potential of something proclaimed to be able to end the Time War. The story of the engineer of the Beyond was fun to ponder on with it being rumoured to be a Time Lord. The elision to another man crossing paths with their TARDIS was good and whilst it was perhaps meant to be the Doctor it turned out to be Narvin. Gaining the access codes through Romana still being considered President in this timeline was fun but for Narvin there was a large emotional turmoil and I loved that he didn’t want Romana to tell the version of him that she knew about what was happening in the Beyond and the timelines that never were with the attack on Cannovar. Romana’s shock at being the one to give the order was good and I enjoyed the transformation of Zara into becoming part of the Ravenous. They were relishing the Beyond in feeding endlessly as timelines reset. The Parallaxe removing entire species from time and space in attacking the genome level was brilliant and a deadly weapon. The cameo from Leela as the energy source in the Beyond was good and I liked how it was alluded to that she may be the reason Romana gave the order in the first place. Hearing her last moments was full of emotion. The talks between Romana and Brax about the Doctor, whilst unnamed, was intriguing as they pondered on him changing for the worse. The Parallaxe weapon ensuring that Gallifrey was safe whilst other worlds were not highlighted the selfishness of the Time Lords but at least two Gallifreyans were needed to activate it. The moment they found the engineer of the weapon was great and Romana had worked it out already with it being an older Brax! That was a fun twist and the Parallaxe actually led to a universe without Daleks and the Time War. It wasn’t a weapon but a way out. Brax wanting to be the one to end the Time War was terrific and he’d used Romana to get her here. The younger Brax being oversaturated with temporal energy to kill the Ravenous was nicely done and I liked that Romana took the decision to head to Gallifrey and not use the gateway out. A frantic finale awaits! Overall, a very good episode. 

Rating: 8/10

Time War: Dissolution

"Gallifrey will fall to my empire."

Writer: Lou Morgan

Format: Audio

Released: February 2021

Series: Gallifrey 12.02

Featuring: Leela, Narvin

Synopsis 

With young Rayo in tow, Narvin looks for respite in an ancient bolthole and turns to an old mentor for help. But a Dalek has been hunting him through space and time, and it will not give up his trail so easily.

Verdict 

Dissolution was a good episode to continue my way through the fourth volume of Time War and the twelfth series of Gallifrey as a whole. I must admit I found this one slightly odd in how it followed on from Deception as it didn’t seem to quite add up with how that one ended, but it still worked well. It started full of action with the shields being down and a Dalek ambush ensuing that meant Leela had to be left behind. She knew Narvin had a secret but I was surprised that after all of the efforts to find her again, she was left so easily. That wasn’t strong continuity. The Micallon setting was decent and I liked the Apothecary a great deal as an old friend and cosying of Narvin. He was a reluctant member of the Patrex Chapter and this planet was a retreat. That didn’t seem like Narvin’s idea of fun! But Rayo was injured and shocked so he didn’t have many other ideas, especially with the TARDIS seemingly dying! The sound effects for that were brilliant. Getting a conversation between the Emperor Dalek and Dalek Supreme was a real treat and they weren’t best pleased that Narvin had escaped, especially at it seemed he had information useful to the Dalek cause. The retreat on Micallon being designed for the contemplation of beauty for the Patrex Chapter was nice and sounded good, but something that wouldn’t be favourable to Narvin. No wonder he got on better with the likes of Romana! Rayo is not my favourite character to be honest and I already think he’s outstayed his welcome. He just doesn’t offer a lot in my opinion and is pretty boring. He doesn’t seem to fit a temporal war the scale of the Time War. His efforts to steal the damaged TARDIS didn’t make much sense but he was committed to the Resistance and wanted to get back there. His discussion of the plans to make the Vortex unusable was good and does sound like a logical way to end the Time War. The Hunter Dalek was a fun category of Dalek and I liked the action that came from one being on Micallon. It was seeking Narvin but the Time Lord was quick to make himself a distraction whilst Rayo and the Apothecary would find a way to defeat it. What trouble could one little Dalek possibly cause? The way Narvin stood up to the Dalek was fantastic character moment and he knew the threat of surrender or extermination was an empty one because if it was the latter they’d have done it already. He was needed and used that to his advantage for Rayo to arrive on the scene armed and deal with the Dalek. I was a little confused that Narvin seemed unaware of the plan to position the Vortex through the Untempered Schism given the ending of the previous episode in needing to return to Gallifrey, but maybe I missed something? I’m not sure but it didn’t feel right. Narvin telling Rayo the truth about Romana as his secret was good and Leela knowing something was hidden from her was good, and now Rayo knew what it was. Romana had faked the chameleon arch change to get Leela to leave. Rayo staying on as the Apothecary’s apprentice was decent and I do hope this is where he stays! Narvin heading to Gallifrey and knowing of what Eris may try is great and sets us up nicely for a showdown. The cliffhanger finish going back to the moment where it seemed Romana was to be exterminated was great as she was saved at the last moment by Braxiatel! That was someone unexpected and his comment about hurrying her up before they came around the back was very funny. I’m excited for where things go next but as a whole this was a decent, if not a filler, episode! 

Rating: 7/10