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The second of the Warner-Doctor and Brigadier stories is written as if it is the end of a full season's worth of stories. We get the sense that the Doctor and the Brigadier have had several adventures since they met in Hong Kong. The pairing works very well, with the Brigadier as the perfect practical and reality-minded foil to a very idealistic Doctor. David Warner makes an excellent Doctor, something like a mix between Doctor 3 and Doctor 5 in his confident bravado tempered by self-reflective doubt. The story itself sees Nick Briggs rewrite Dalek history, perhaps as in a way closer to what he would like the Daleks to be. Thus, we have two Dalek factions, one loyal to a memory of Davros, the other disavowing Davros. We get an entirely new rationale for the Kaled-Thal war. And, we get a third term, so to speak, in the new alien species, the Quatch. I wonder whether Briggs knew that Quatch is German slang for nonsense. Be that as it may, these aliens are not all that convincing, and the notion of a passage to another dimension sitting in the center of Skaro steps a little beyond credulity.
| What: | Starlight Robbery (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Thursday 12 May 2016 |
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| Rating: |   8 |
Sylvester McCoy's time in TV Doctor Who was spent at the extremes, either extremely trite and jokey (first season) or too deeply brooding and mysterious (the other two). Starlight Robbery strikes the right balance between these two ends, with a fairly comical first two parts transitioning to a much more serious tone in the second two parts. Matt Fitton has handled this pretty well. Fitton also handles Sontaran psychology well. There are still some problems with big scale and small cast, which always makes it difficult to make the scale convincingly big enough. Another negative for me is the character of Will Arrowsmith, who is just too awkward, geeky, and so on for me to tolerate. He just irritates me. This is not a knock on the actor, just on the character. The acting throughout this story is very good, with Dan Starkey magnificent as four or five different Sontarans.
On a side note, while I was listening to the exchange between Klein and Marshall Stenn, it suddenly struck me that were Big Finish ever to decide to do a serious series with a female Doctor, Tracey Childs would be the perfect actor for the role.
| What: | The Cloisters of Terror (Fourth Doctor Adventures audios) |
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| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Monday 9 May 2016 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
Big Finish are sticking to their pattern in the 4th Doctor stories of making them feel like the TV series of 1977. This story fits that well. Actually, it is very much in the Gothic style of the Hinchcliffe years. An all-girl college at Oxford, run by the cloistered order of St. Matilda, is haunted by three sisters, ghosts of nuns who take girls under mysterious circumstances. Of course, the only ones who could stop this madness are The Doctor and Leela, with help this time by Dame Shaw, mother of Liz Shaw. It's a spooky story played with gusto by all the cast. The Doctor 4 - Leela combination is working exceptionally well, better than on TV. The story itself is kind of a ho-hum "Image of Fendahl" thing. The small cast makes it all quite predictable. Altogether, this drama is entertaining, but light.
| What: | Recorded Time (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Wednesday 4 May 2016 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
Another in the anthology series of releases, Recorded Time and Other Stories has the usual characteristics of these things: varying quality of stories, a generalized theme, and a sort of wrap-up at the end. The first story, Recorded Time is the least effective. This one has the Doctor and Peri in the court of Henry VIII, who has been forcing a man to use time technology to write the future. There is a bit too much magic rather than science and Henry is just too bombastically egotistical. Better fare is served in Paradoxicide, an interesting twist on the Time Paradox story with a bunch of warrior women seeking a master weapon. A Most Excellent Match is a virtual reality story set in a virtual re-creation of Jane Austen's world. It is quite funny in places. The best of the stories is Question Marks, which has all its characters trapped in a building/ship on the brink of catastrophe. The trick is that no one can remember who they are. The generalized theme of the stories would be virtual reality, of things being imaginary rather than real, of the mind's role in shaping reality. Because no story is allowed to develop to full brilliance, the best I can say is that it is an entertaining listen on the whole.
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 | Worst. Big. Finish. Adventure. Ever. |
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| What: | The Game (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Trevor Smith, Nottingham, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Thursday 28 April 2016 |
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| Rating: | 1 |
3 discs of utter tedium.
This story is so very good and so very clever. Michael Jayston and Bonnie Langford work very well.
I particularly love the way the Valeyard goes through the Doctor's past and does the opposite of what the Doctor had done! The Valeyard is wonderfully sarcastic and rude - what a wonderful actor - and his nastiness knows no bounds.
We also hear a very different Melanie Bush - and a very enjoyable change to her character for a one-off. She gives Ace a run for her money!
It's now for sale at such a cheap price - do consider this one. Truly brilliant.
| What: | Ghost Ship (Telos novellas) |
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| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Monday 4 April 2016 |
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| Rating: | 3 |
"Ghost Ship" is an attempt at a traditional 19th-century or early 20th-century style horror story. Doctor 4 traveling alone lands on the Queen Mary in the early 1950s to find that there are ghosts lurking around the mysterious Cabin 672. In this respect, the story is not all that interesting since it adds nothing new to the genre and mostly just follows the cliches, down to the mad scientist at the heart of it all. What really brings down the story is having it narrated by The Doctor himself. Topping never gets the voice or character right. It is like having The Doctor wear a different skin, one that would be good for the narrator of a standard horror story. The mismatch between character and narrator is just too great to be overlooked.
The story is develop in this novel where the author does brilliantly. The title sounds plain old simple and still prefers the original title. Overall, a wonderful classic you should grab and read.
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| John Hurt is definitely sublime |
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Only The Monstrous has to be one of my favourite audio drama sets ever. It has it all:
1: The return of John Hurt as the War Doctor! And John is a brilliant actor, and as with every other actor to play the Doc, he instantly adds his own touch to the character which is immediately memorable and catching too. I love this Doctor's dry sarcasm and flat out rudeness that even tops the first Doctor in my opinion! His sarcastic quips made me wet myself! But he also has those moments that truly still say here is the man we all know and love. And I instantly love John as the War Doctor. He is such a brilliant actor and I'm glad he's come aboard the Doctor Who boat. And I'm glad he's been given a far better story than the TV anniversary show. For me it was only John who saved that from being totally forgettable!
2: The characters: Ollistra, played by Jacqueline Pearce is a wonderful time lord deviant creep. And Jacks Pearce is totally awesome in the role of the high up ponce of a time lady. He sparks with John Hurt are really riveting and made me smile a whole lot. Rejoice is a lovely character, for me rather in the line of Nyssa, in that she's not an overblown scheming or loud mouthed little minx. No, she's just a brilliant and instantly lovable character. I loved her character to bits. Her aiding and caring for the weary and injured Doctor makes for some moments of great pathos.
3: The production and sound design: this set sounds truly cinematic. The score is absolutely excellent, and gives the three stories such a breadth. Its like going to the cinema with your eyes closed!
Nick Briggs finest hour as a writer I think is presented here. The war themes are very strong and convincingly portrayed. The psychos are diverting and really nasty. Everything Doctor Who should be is encapsulated in this opener of the War Doctor on audio. I cant wait to get Infernal Devices! John Hurt IS the Doctor now along with every other one....
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| Slow Start Worth The Wait |
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As part of the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, Big Finish returns to 1963, when it all began. One of the key facts of British culture at the time was Beatlemania. So, Doctor Who takes on Beatlemania. Sort of. The premise is that the Doctor is taking Nyssa to witness the Beatles' famous arrival to screaming fans. However, it is not The Beatles getting off the plane, but instead a Merseyside trio called The Common Men. No one has heard of "The Beatles." Uh, oh. Someone is playing with time again. Part 1 is a bit slow, being mostly setup. By the end of Part 1, I was not sure whether I was getting into it. However, the story improves as it goes along. Some interesting aspects include separating Nyssa from The Doctor early in the story, so that each gets a separate adventure. Another is the jigsaw narrative that has the pieces scattered over a 13-year period, with quite a bit of jumping around. This might seem a confusing way to tell a story, but it works. There are a few lesser bits. One is some rather dodgy New York accents. Another is that it is hard to determine just what the villain is after and why he goes to such extraordinary lengths to get it. In sum: This story is not deep, but it certainly is entertaining.
| What: | Dying in the Sun (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Alexander Amos King-Grey, Campbell Town, Tasmania, Australia |
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| Date: | Wednesday 23 March 2016 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
There so many great ideas in the book!
Quiet tragic and dark in some places.
Only nickpick is Ben doesn't get to do much.
| What: | The Krillitane Storm (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
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| By: | Alexander Amos King-Grey, Campbell Town, Tasmania, Australia |
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| Date: | Wednesday 23 March 2016 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
Let me just say, the Tenth Doctor is much better here than in "Sting of the Zygons". I found him more like himself.
Great stories, a really cool villain and a brilliant one off companion, Lucy, with an interesting back story.
I like the Krillitanes in this as their not the main threat until the end.
Overall, would sit perfectly in the 2009 specials, a great read, highly recommended for someone who wants an easy to read, not over-the-top sciencey. Good Luck with it!
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| Great Doctor! Great Story! |
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| What: | Engines of War (BBC prestige novels) |
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| By: | Alexander Amos King-Grey, Campbell Town, Tasmania, Australia |
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| Date: | Tuesday 22 March 2016 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
What a brilliant book! One of my favourites in fact. It just a shame that it took me a whole year to read. I think the reason was it was difficult to get into, nut once I got into the story, it was totally worth every penny!
Some lovely references in there, the best being from "The Five Doctors" [which is a great anniversary special].
I love John Hurt's doctor and George Mann really knows how to write the War Doctor, a battle-worn and grumpy-man. He is great in every scene he's in.
Great subsitute companion, Cinder, she just awesome and has a great character story; going from hard foot soldier to compassionate and hero companion, I like how her name is never revealed.
The Daleks are incredible and frightening when they show up; their plan to wipe out the Time Lords is believable, scarily insane and genosidle. Their only used for a few chapters but totally make an inpact to the reader and the universe.
The Time Lords are also great villains, you can just see how the Time War has change them for the worst, just like the Doctor says, they are like Daleks now and that the Doctor's own people he's talking, he's even talking about himself to a certain degree.
Overall, get this book! Highly recommended, Well done George Mann! I hope you do some more books soon.
| What: | Sting of the Zygons (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
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| By: | Alexander Amos King-Grey, Campbell Town, Tasmania, Australia |
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| Date: | Tuesday 22 March 2016 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
Let me just say the Zygons are brilliant in this story, having pretty much taking over the entire countryside. I read this before watching "Terror of the Zygons" but it was easy to understand their biological make-up. I think I perffered this to "Terror of the Zygons" which I found slighty dissappointing!
A great example of a alien invasion story.
Great supporting characters and Martha is as brilliant as ever.
Only two criticsim with this book is the fact that it is, and this is purely trivial, Broton on the cover [of the original print; thankfully they cleared that up on the Monster Collection Edition], and the tenth doctor felt too much like the eleventh doctor for me.
Anyway that did not sway my opinion on this fantastic book.
Highly recomended if you're a fan of "Terror of the Zygon."
| What: | Foreign Devils (Telos novellas) |
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| By: | Alexander Amos King-Grey, Campbell Town, Tasmania, Australia |
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| Date: | Tuesday 22 March 2016 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
My only critisim of this book is the Jamie is poorly used because he gets written out in chapter 1 then does reappear until the second-last chapter! By which he is in a coma for the whole chapter.
Good short story from William Hope Hodgson with Caranaki at the end of the book.
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| Good Start, Boring Ending |
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| What: | EarthWorld (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Alexander Amos King-Grey, Campbell Town, Tasmania, Australia |
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| Date: | Tuesday 22 March 2016 |
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| Rating: | 5 |
The problem I had with this book was the over arching themes from the previous books and the fact that the Eighth Doctor has again lost his memory; he must have a severely damaged brain by this point in his life. Anji is a good reluctant companion; highly capble with the amneshaic doctor and supporting cast but Fitz I found highly annoying.
Good supporting characters, my favourite being the teenage terorist group. The three sisters are great physiopathic villians with a very tragic backstory.
Good references to "An Unearthly Child", "The War Machines" and "The Web of Fear" but are so under-used.
Alright book, but overall one of my least favourites.
| What: | The Justice of Jalxar (Fourth Doctor Adventures audios) |
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| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Monday 21 March 2016 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
Yes, it really is 1978 all over again with this one. Doctor 4 and Romana I are on the trail of some alien tech that Earth people shouldn't get their hands on. They trace it Victorian London, where, or course, the Doctor meets his old friends Jago and Litefoot. The pair, well really just Litefoot, have become interested in the doings of an apparently superhuman vigilante called The Pugilist. Litefoot is also interested in several cadavers of people apparently cooked to death. It all works marvelously well in an entertaining way. The old hands really seem to be enjoying themselves. Romana gets much more to do than be a damsel in dsitress. Mary Tamm is simply great in this one. My only reservation is that the time constraint of two episodes so compresses the story that it all becomes rather obvious who The Pugilist is and how he got his powers. Not much is surprising, though it all is very entertaining.
| What: | The Butcher of Brisbane (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Andrew Shaw, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Sunday 13 March 2016 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
This was a great story best one in a while< I like going back to hear about TV characters and in my opinion this didnt disappoint, I recommend it and if you like Talons of Weng Chiang even better.
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| Awesome Sixie send off!!!! |
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These four stories produced to finally explain the circumstances of the sixth Doctor's parting from the series is absolutely excellent. Every single story is totally different, and all have a separate feel, but together they give Colin the send off he always deserved but never received on screen in 1986.
The End of the Line begins the story arc eerily. Its brilliant drama mixed with some atmospheric sound design and some great performances from the entire cast. There's only a cameo from the Valeyard in this story, but that's not a downer on the story as the build up is superb to the first cliffhanger on this set. And yet again, Miranda Raison makes a brilliant companion for the Doctor. The sound design like Ive said is particularly good here.
The Red House is a little bit more of a tongue in cheek story but it has its brilliant macabre moments. Michael Jayston too is superb again as the Valeyard, and the sound design once more lifts the whole story into another Alan Barnes cracker. And its great hearing India Fisher again as Charley. A real treat.
Stage Fright is absolutely brilliant in so many ways. First it brings back those two brilliant characters of Jago and Litefoot, who as always are welcome light humour and the performances of Trevor Baxter and Chris Benjamin need no introduction. And Michael Jayston sparks off Colin with such brilliance. And then theres one of my all time favourite BFP Companions, Flip, brought to life brilliantly by the wonderful Lisa Greenwood.
and to finish the set, The Brink of Death by Nick Briggs is superbly written. Colin really delivers an exceptional performance as the wonderful and totally underrated and under appreciated SIXIE. This set is absolutely brilliant and Im chuffed to own it. Great drama and a brilliant bow out for Colin. The ending he really deserves!!!
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| The Monochrome years back again |
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| What: | The Isos Network (The Early Adventures audio dramas) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Monday 29 February 2016 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
This story follows on from one of the very finest Doctor Who episodes of the 1960s, The Invasion. Its always been a favourite of mine. And Big Finish actually produce brilliant cybermen stories, and this follow on from the Invasion truly feels it could have been a simple follow on from the Invasion. Its vividly brought to life the black and white era. And now we have the brilliant classic Cyber controller back for another stab at the Doc and friends. Nick Briggs is brilliant on the voices, and yet again writes a decent story for the metal men from Mondas.
The feel of this story too really feels true to the era too. There's a feel of claustrophobia just as In the Invasion and The Web Of Fear. And there's a new alien species added to the mix for additional good measure. There is also some great character sections in this story, And there's some few decent comedy pieces sown between the seriousness too. Everything then that a Doctor Who story oughtta be.
And again Frazer Hines seriously evokes the late great Pat Troughton with ease, and he's great to listen to as Jamie too, who was always my favourite Doctor Who companion. And Wendy Padbury just slips back into the role of Zoe with consummate ease. And its also brilliant hearing exactly the same Invasion cyber voices again. To me one of the best and eeriest cyber voices ever done for the silver giants.
The Isos Network brings this second Doctor early adventures set to a brilliant climax. This is great stuff.
