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Its good to hear the Doctor pushed to his limits, making mistakes and needing help. Often the Doctor seems to walk right already knowing the answer, which is dull.
A word must be said about the bad guys, they play on all our human weakness, just perfectly and sound excellent.
This is fun, fast and holds your attention, go and buy it.
Big Finish seems to have re-invented the Daleks by going back to basics. Good solid stories, although almost always set on a universal level.
Colin Baker continues to impress and the return of Romana was welcomed although her role was a little weak in places.
The idea that not only the Time-Lords can travel in time was a little shocking but handled well.
Another good story that would have made great TV, although audio is able to give a level of action and violence that TV would never permitt.
| What: | The Creed of the Kromon (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Phil Ince, Highbury |
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| Date: | Saturday 21 February 2004 |
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| Rating: |   3 |
Another poor entry in the consistently weak 8th Doctor series.
Philip Martin seems to have written with the 6th Doctor and Peri in mind; he of his weakest TVs and she at her glibbest. The lines for Charlie are just completely wrong; throwaway wisecracks of a very feeble sort.
The unsurprisingly half-hearted and unconvinced performances (a disappointing 1st for them) of Fisher and McGann underline the poverty of the writing.
The failure is partly tied to the comedy elements which simply make the Kromon look stupid. Perhaps they are. But comedy villains need to rise above this bleak level of wit to be either funny or threatening and, without that, I'm left twiddling my thumbs for the thing to finish.
The pale humour; the interminable gun-toting in part 2 where a pair of defenceless people in the heart of an alien stronghold can hit and disable the villains with mud but these villains can't shoot a single blast that hits its target; the conviction of the Kromon that their drug will subsume prisoners' personalities and link them to the Kromon - yet the strapping of C'rizz to a wheel as a demonstration to the slaves; if the drug does what they believe, why do the slaves need to be taught a lesson?; the Doctor constructing a bomb instead of a TARDIS and then simply walking away before it goes off. Conversely, if the Kromon have cause to be suspicious of the effect of their drug, it seems unlikely that their greatest minds and most senior figures would all gather in one room and let the Doctor excuse himself just before his device's activation; these misjudgements and irrationalities constitute a form of insult to the audience simply by being so slipshod.
The play's remnants consist of an endless-seeming set of events which go nowhere.
| What: | Wonderland (Telos novellas) |
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| By: | Phil Ince, Highbury |
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| Date: | Tuesday 17 February 2004 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
On the publisher's website, entries from Mark Chadbourne's online diary are less than warm and distancing about the commission. Curiously and to its inevitable disadvantage, the least successful element is the main character, Summer; Chadbourne's creation and Wonderland's protagonist, Summer is a leaden, grudging, toneless bore.
The 2nd Doctor himself is usually watchful or distant (and often absent) but largely speechless; Where Troughton might have done a great deal to suggest a Doctor whose 'eyes are open but whose mouth is shut', it's difficult to gauge how accurate Chadbourne's characterisation is because there's not alot to go on. Polly and Ben seem to be caught just right; I can hear the actors speaking the lines and the cafe scenes can easily be visualized in ancient video.
The story is 3-parts 'X-Files' (secret government agency using alien and hallucinogenic drugs to undermine threat of youth culture) to 1-part Nancy Drew.
Recommended for some strong 'Who' sections which share territory if not talent with Philip K Dick, particularly 'A Scanner Darkly'; less so for the doom-laden, gloom-monger Summer.
| What: | Ghost Ship (Telos novellas) |
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| By: | Phil Ince, Highbury |
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| Date: | Monday 16 February 2004 |
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| Rating: | 2 |
Topping completely misses the story inside this tale. What if there is an afterlife? Is there such a thing as a soul? Are there consequences after death of the way a life is lived?
Now that's something to be afraid of.
Instead, Topping has written a novelisation of a late-60s Hammer horror in which Baker was the star. Blood runs down walls, skulls laugh and scream, every lame cliche of teen horror movies is present. Cardboard stalks the galleys and corridors of the Queen Mary in the stiff shape of stereotypes.
The 4th Doctor is travelling alone - apparantly "wracked with guilt" - after 'Deadly Assassin'. Disasterously toneless, the 1st person narrator repeatedly and entirely unconvincingly describes himself as afraid and yet with no clear explanation as to why.
After all this man has seen, there isn't the slightest persuasive rationale for his terror.
Atrocious.
| What: | Heart of TARDIS (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Janet Harrison, UK |
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| Date: | Friday 13 February 2004 |
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| Rating: | 1 |
I don’t mind the odd reference to other TV shows being hidden in a text, but this book is so unrelentingly full of them that it got annoying. Heart of TARDIS isn’t really Doctor Who – it’s a schoolboy spoof on lots of other shows, and it isn’t even a good spoof. The only good thing about this book is its cover - it's a pity the contents didn't live up to it. Avoid.
| What: | Zagreus (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Russell Gillenwater, Atlanta, GA |
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| Date: | Monday 9 February 2004 |
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| Rating: | 1 |
An utter piece of crap. Just proof that if BF released a steaming turd some people would like like it. If I could have voted zero I would have, to think I spent $22 for this.
| What: | Verdigris (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Stephen Carlin, Bangor, Northern Ireland |
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| Date: | Monday 9 February 2004 |
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| Rating: | 1 |
Imagine a Carry On film with some of the lesser Carry On cast, you know - Jim Dale, Jack Douglas and June Whitfield. From the very start you wish that Sid James, Kenneth Williams et al had signed up for this one - at least there might have been some redeeming feature.
That's what this book is like. Instead of a clever satire on Doctor Who and The Tomorrow People its a collection of ideas (UNIT is just a conspiracy to make aliens look evil, the Doctor look like the world's saviour, the Brigadier running a convenience store - Benton and Yates his staff). Unfortunately it comes across as a drunken rambling with the inebriated author chuckling at his own jokes while his sober audience politely smiles.
I enjoy humour and I enjoy clever satires, but I do not enjoy out and out silliness. Its like Monty Python does Doctor Who with Graham Chapman popping up as the Brigadier and saying "Stop this right now, you are all being very silly".
I did not enjoy this book at all.
| What: | Happy Endings (New Adventures novels) |
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| By: | Dylan, Melbourne Aust |
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| Date: | Friday 6 February 2004 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
I liked this book! It was never meant to be anything but a bit of light fluff and a bit of fun, which it was....I quite enjoyed the and it was nice to see Ishtar and a few of the others from earlier NA's come back if only briefly...
| What: | Camera Obscura (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Dylan, Melbourne Australia |
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| Date: | Friday 6 February 2004 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
To be honest, this was a well written good book - but I'm really sick of reading about the Doctor and Co in Victorian London....over it!!! That said, it was a good book and I did like the carnies :)
A controversial piece because the Doctor's character has been quite dramtically changed. It works wonderfully, though, and Collings' performance is truly exceptional.
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 | Better than "Attack of the Cybermen" |
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btw, that was sarcasm. I don't consider AOTC (hmm, where have we seen that..) good, but I do consider it typical of the Sixth Doctor stories. "Summoned by Shadows" is closer in look and feel to a Seventh Doctor story (ala "Ghost Light") and so wedges nicely between "Revelation of the Daleks" and "Trial of a Time Lord", if you are that type of person. Many of the extras are not bad. The audio-only prequel to the story was quite good, even if it seemed to lose itself at times. The reminicenses with Colin Baker and Pip and J(essie?) Baker (writers) gave me new understanding into the behind-the-scenes politics of the last 2 parts of "Trial of a Time Lord". Just because your budget is a shoestring, doesn't mean you can't tell a good story.
| What: | Time Lord (Miscellaneous activity books) |
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| By: | James, England |
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| Date: | Tuesday 20 January 2004 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
Time Lord has a lot to offer:
FOR THE ROLE-PLAYER: An elegant, easy to use system with the emphasis definately on character interaction and fun instead of combat and rules lawyering. The book is VERY well written, with a great sense of humour and a solid sample adventure. Background sections provide EVERYTHING you need to know; the book does not assume you are a Doctor Who expert and there is never an offputting 'obsessive' feeling; this caters perfectly well to somebody who has seen a few episodes and thinks an RPG would be a laugh. The thing I liked best was the way it captured the genre in the rules; skills like 'Screaming', 'Gloating' and 'Resourceful Pockets' really add to the TV atmosphere and are great fun to roleplay. No real character generation or experience system though, so probably best for running one-off's in the style of the Past Doctor novels and Audio Adventures, rather than camapaigns.
FOR THE WHO FAN: Ideal for somebody who likes the new novels or audio dramas and wants to make their own 'missing episode' with the help of their friends. Rules are very easy to learn if you've not played RPGs before, and can be explained quickly to friends. Although the background section serves as a useful series companion, it can't provide rules for every alien or character in the series, so you may have to write some of your own if you want e.g. the Mara or Rutans, but this should be quite easy.
I'd love to see a new edition, with a classy Black Sheep cover and rules for the 8th Doctor and his companions. Download 'current' edition from www.torsononline.com and other places!
| What: | Emotional Chemistry (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | John Ellison, Atlanta, USA |
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| Date: | Sunday 18 January 2004 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
Although the book didn't grab me at first it became more and more compelling. The introduction of OGRON and a number of people who have the Doctor at a disadvantage by knowing him (from previous incarnations) when he doesn't remember them keeps the pages turning. In the end a satisfying performance emerges.
The story does suffer some from the recent trend to spread the Doctor and his companions too thinly (in my opinion). One can always hope the next author will break this trend. Just one story where they don't all end up seperated would be nice...
Also buried in the book is a real gem where the Doctor is forced to lay the seeds of doubt about why he is always running from one place to the next...could he be avoiding dealing with an issue he doesn't want to remember?
If any of the regular authors frequent this site let me assure you there is at least one reader who wants to see the Doctor come to grips with his past actions!
| What: | The Eight Doctors (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | Spike, Gloucester |
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| Date: | Sunday 18 January 2004 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
Nostalgic and at times predictable, however a well written introduction of Sam and a good starter for Mcgann's character.
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| Hollywood-style Who that actually works |
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Now this is more like it! Blum and Orman ably demonstrate how the Eighth Doctor could have worked, had the TV series been taken up. They even treat the reader to what is, essentially, a pre-title action sequence in chapter one. Yes, we’re handed a whole collection of Vampire clichés; but these are all undermined and gently mocked by the authors, making for a lighter tone to what could have been a very grim tale, given the subject matter’s roots. There are some genuinely amusing moments here, and some tender ones too (the birthday card was a nice touch), and there’s excitement aplenty. The Eighth Doctor now feels like a character in his own right, and Sam is a wonderfully human foil for him. Maybe it’s not classic Who, or classic Vampires, come to that, but it is great fun for a modern, post-buffy, horror-savvy, adventure-loving audience. Not perfect, but damn good.
| What: | Timeless (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | John Ellison, Atlanta, USA |
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| Date: | Saturday 17 January 2004 |
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| Rating: | 4 |
It pains me to say that this may be the "dullest" installment I have read since "Cold Heart". I agree with my counterpart above that the first half of the book was incredibly slow.
I found myself tempted to count the Doctor's actual page time to determine if the book could even be considered a "Doctor" novel. I love Fitz and Anji (and am sure Trix may yet grow on me) but I hate the formula some author's seem to use where the three are split up and used as devices for telling three seperate subplots. The Doctor should have learned by now, even minus his memory, that everyone should stay together! Fitz, the poor boy, should have at least had it beaten into him!
I agree the bright point in the novel is when we finally get a glimer of hope that there are still a few "elementals" who survived the destruction of Gallifrey. Now if only Sam Beckett could leap in and put right what once went wrong...
In the end, the book put me to sleep on more than one occassion and as an Anji fan--while the "departure" was given adequate page time--I found myself saying, "that's it?"
Read for youself...am I wrong?
This was my first NAA, so I didn't know what to expect. Action sequences don't work well in Audio, so a story needs to concentrate on having an excellent plot and engaging dialogue. This has latter but not the former.
Positive: All the main cast were superb. Evelyn is an instantly likeable character, and the interplay between her and the Doctor really works. Nicholas Pegg and Colin Baker make a great job of characterising a 6th Doctor who is not only arrogant and vain but also caring, witty and humane. Nicholas Courtney was a welcome addition who made a real difference to the story, though the Brigadier did seem to rather fall into step with the Doctor and didn't express much curiosity about this new incarnation. There are some great pieces of dialogue, especially when the Doctor shouts down the archaeology professor, then gets admonished by Evelyn. Sometimes things get a little silly (the villain gloats), but never unenjoyable. The script was skillful in setting the visual scene without being too obvious (no "Doctor, we're in a 10*10' room with a brown carpet and..."). The supporting cast were alright, but nothing special. The music is sometimes atmospheric, sometimes hammy, but never annoying.
Negative: The plot is VERY traditional Pertwee fare, and EXTREMELY predictable. The "terrifying" creature just sounds silly; work on those vocodas, Big Finish. Fights (which are fortuneatly kept to a minimum, this being Doctor Who) are pretty hard to visualise (bang, crash, fake growl, oh no he's dead).
Overall, whilst it is always enjoyable, has some gems of dialogue and acting and would have been a welcome addition to the 6th Doctor's TV outings, the Spectre of Lanyon Moor doesn't have any surprises. This, and the hefty price tag on NAAs mean I'm not overly inspired to buy more.
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| Douglas Adams would have been proud |
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Its good when someone can laugh at themselves. Its evan better when it is one of the best stories to date.
The One Doctor, could have been written by Mr Adams himself and hitch hikers all over the universe would have noticed right away, the pace, humour and delivery.
Mr Biggins as ever was entertaining.
This is one of the best.
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| Peter Davidson and Gang at their best |
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I used to find some of the historical plots a little flat but this story has a good solid plot, strong charaters and the right amount of humour.
The 5th Doctor always seemed to work better with a gang and his newest member is great, far better than charley with the 8th Doctor, as she seems to not understand things, questions and confidence is not misplaced, but because of who she is.
A good listen - would have made great TV
