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This is probably one of the few target novels that is actualy better than the TV story. The problem with the tv story is that its 7 episodes long, and thats probably 2 epsodes to long. This book gets rid of all the padding of the tv. But the best thing about this book is that you can do the special effects in your mind (in my head the dinosaur looks real :) ).
Malcolm Hulke is my favorite writer of Doctor who, and with this book he delivers a great story again. I would have loved to see what he could have done with the new series of novels.
But like his War Games, i would read this novel before i watched the tv story.
| What: | Death Comes to Time (Miscellaneous audio dramas) |
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| By: | Doug, Pocono Summit, PA, USA |
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| Date: | Monday 9 August 2010 |
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| Rating: |   9 |
In a sense, Death Comes to Time finally gives us Time Lords as they always should have been. Much here seems to bring them back to their original conception, as seen in The War Games, in which they made their first appearance. Finally, we see here some great and mysterious powers once again... not just a highly technically advanced but degenerate society.
However, with the Time Lords like this, and indeed the Doctor very much being one of them, the inescapable question of the entire premise of the original series comes up. If this is how the Time Lords really are, why would the Doctor have gone on the run from them? And having done so, how could he ever regain such a position among them?
And so, in this respect, Death Comes to Time is both tantalizing and troublesome at the same time.
Aside from the question of the Time Lords' characteristics, this is a very interesting production and a good story, and it gives us a look at some real Time Lord spirituality, or profound philosophy, if you prefer, in the scenes featuring Ace's training, which also seems a natural but previously unexplored development. We also have the military campaign of General Tannis, who is well-played in a very full-on way by John Sessions, and we find out that there is much more to this than first meets the eye. The cast overall offers a high-quality array of talent, which is mostly used pretty well.
Whether or not the total structure of this drama really works is debatable, as it seems rather disjointed at times, but it cannot be said that the script was unambitious. It's almost like each episode is a separate story, joined together in an arc.
I first viewed this story online as it was first broadcast. At that time, I was very unhappy with the ending. On listening again recently, I would now say that the ending does work. In my first viewing, the diversion into the Bush and Blair impersonations, along with the sudden and brief appearance of the Brigadier just seemed too jarring and schlocky, but somehow this didn't cause a problem on the second listening. I also remember being initially perplexed over the choice of Sylvester McCoy for this story, after the TV movie, and with the Eighth Doctor line of books being in full bloom at the time. But this story makes great use of the seventh Doctor, and McCoy really shines here.
Unique, and too interesting to miss.
| What: | Sword of Orion (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Andrew Shaw, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Monday 9 August 2010 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
This story reminded me of the Tom Baker story Revenge of the Cybermen, because of the background musicit made it feel as though it was part of that story after it happened or before, I guesses early on about the new female captain and I thought they should have left them and saved themselves because they said they had waited so long and time didnt matter so what would a bit more time hurt otherwise I enjoyed this Cyberman story + I might of enjoyed it more than I should because Ive been listenig to stories mainly around places on planets and was looking forward to being back on a ship.
| What: | Apollo 23 (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
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| By: | C G Harwood, Dunedin, NZ, New Zealand |
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| Date: | Sunday 8 August 2010 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
If this is going to be the standared for the 11th Doctor novels then we are in for a great period of Dr Who. I went into this with no expecttions and was absolutly thrilled with what i got. All the charactors were well writen and i generaly cared about all of them. The Doctor and Amy were also well writen and the bit with the parking warden at the start was one of the funnest things I have read or watched in Dr Who (always wondered what would happen if you showed the wrong side of the psychic paper).
The plot was good, even if the aleans were a little bit hard to belive but it didnt take me out of the story. And i like the nod to the Troughton story Seeds of death with the with the T-mat transport system between the earth and the moon.
Great story, great writing and if this is what we have in store for us, then I am one very happy fan. I would love to give this to Mr Moffit and see what he could do with this on TV (wishfull thinking).
No hesatation in giving this a 9 out of 10
| What: | The Marian Conspiracy (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Andrew Shaw, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Saturday 7 August 2010 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
This was an enjoyable historical story great characers and it showed queen mary in a different light a few small problems tho the stuff Evelyn takes back with her could change or alter history by giving people ideas about things and they brushed off the idea about witchcraft just because she said it wasnt it would take moe than that to convince people back then I dont like it when the Doctor breaks his own laws by saving peopl especially a whole family.
| What: | Whispers of Terror (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Andrew Shaw, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Saturday 7 August 2010 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
This story I think couldnt have worked as a TV episode with it being on audio you get all the atmosphere and character quality to noy i at its best, you can sit there listening t this and imagine the story going ahead.
| What: | Loups-Garoux (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Andrew Shaw, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Saturday 7 August 2010 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
reading the review on the back of the CD case I didnt think I would enjoy this story as much as I did the characters were great as was the parts they played like te grey wolf being taken from the real life story, it had a really good horror feel to this story nice background eeling to go with the characters it was hard to stop listening.
| What: | The Gunfighters (TV episode audio soundtracks) |
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| By: | Huw Davies, Taunton, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Friday 6 August 2010 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
'The Gunfighters' is not one of Doctor Who's best. Although the premise of the rogue dentist and the mistaken identity thread do work reasonably well, there are just too many problems with the story to balance this out.
For a start, the whole thing is riddled with historical innacuracies - clearly the 'education' message of Doctor Who had been lost by 1965!
The story itself is pretty flat generally. The characters are pretty poorly portrayed, and the "American" accents of some of them are god-awful!
However my main criticism is something that runs throughout the story and just won't go away - the bloody Ballad of the Last Chance flippin' Saloon! It's a bad song for a start, and when it's played as almost the sole incidental music it just gets tedious.
Hilarious! Amazing Performances! Biggins!
It's a story that the greats of Holmes, Dicks and Adams would have applauded. It's perfect who right down to the action, you'll love it, the great exploration of classic who with the comedy which goes hand in hand with it. It'll please everyone. Stand Out of the rest of the cast outside the two TARDIS/ STARDIS crews is Matt Lucas as the Jelliod, it was written for him! The Best scene involves some a game of monopoly. Buy It, Colin is great, Bonnie is amazing. If you only listen to one Doctor Who Audio make it this, I'm sure it'll make you want more and more.
It's like a Doctor Who Panto, it's even got Biggins...
The Accents are rubbish, the aliens are crummy and facts are wrong (cause of the web of time), on paper this is a recipe for disaster but some Gatiss genius and perfect casting makes this a fun filled adventure. Gatiss says he didn't like the fact Americans put it down cause of the accents, fair point English just grit there teeth when the US shows do an awful English accent, I just got on with it and just enjoyed it. The aliens are perfect for the episode, we became used to 'nearly' unstoppable aliens that it seems stupid to have a rubbish set of invaders but it makes sense. Charley is on form in what feels like a small portion of the action but as always with Doctor Who, the Doctor is great. Paul proving that Gareth Roberts statement every Doctor has been right if it goes wrong it's not cause of them. The idea is great and the plot carries ok through the story. So if you want the whole the invaders are unstoppable game, this ain't for you but if you want a laugh and a romp of rubbish aliens and great performances then this is for you. It's not amazing but highly enjoyable and not bad.
| What: | Solitaire (The Companion Chronicles audiobooks) |
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| By: | David Thomas, Liverpool |
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| Date: | Monday 2 August 2010 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
I love India Fisher as Charley so was thrilled she came back to do this CC. It is one of the best too with David Baillie also on fine form. Totally recommended.
This story brings this trilogy to end and very successful it is too. Great to hear John Leeson as K9 too and Louise Jameson excellent as ever.
One really should review the whole "Hornet's Nest" fiasco instead of just each one part at a time. That said, here goes part one. Fans will go dewlally at the return of Tom Baker, so many will likely ignore the obvious weaknesses of the story and realization. Just why Paul Magrs is called "acclaimed" I have no idea. Though set in the 21st century (other parts have trips back in time), the whole thing has a 19th century feel to it. It opens with narration from Mike Yates, taking a train ride to meet someone in response to a mysterious newspaper ad. Immediately, one is plunged into 19th-century dialogue and storytelling technique, with a slowly developed exposition. Apparently, Magrs just loves the word "benighted." He finds out that the Doctor, incarnation 4, placed the ad, though why he just couldn't use the phone or the internet becomes the first of many unanswered questions, but again, one must remember that Magrs really wants this to be 19th century. So, the Doctor is living in a country cottage, and has a strange housekeeper something like Mrs. Danvers from "Rebecca," but without the obsession. Strange goings on happening, haunted house style, provide excuse number one for what will be a sequence of awkward plot "developments" meant primarily to provide some character with the occasion to do some storytelling. And tell they do. One of the main weaknesses is that the whole thing is more narrated than dramatized. Again, this is all 19th century storytelling, like "Wuthering Heights," wherein a narrator goes to a strange house, in which strange doings are afoot, and then gets told in backstory what it is all about by other characters who take over the narrator role. The first part of the backstory itself is fine enough, typical UNIT type Doctor Who with animated stuffed animals terrorizing locals and only the Doctor to figure out how to stop it. However, the telling of most of it instead of the dramatizing of it reduces the tension and drags out the story, especially when all the narrating is in languid 19th century elocution. I am not quite sure what the BBC producers of this series were really thinking to accomplish.
| What: | Cobwebs (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | writingbluebear, jersey |
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| Date: | Wednesday 28 July 2010 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
It's great to have the old gang back together all bumbling around fighting and squabbling with each other. Without giving it away the crew are brought back together smoothly and believably, quickly thrown into a fast story that gets you thinking how will it end. Nyssa stands out in the story and the plot is perfect for her, it would have been a 10 but the ending was a little to easy in parts for me.
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Rapture starts off in typical style, with the compelling idea Ace has finally had enough of all the doctors tricks and watching people die. But this strong start in parts one and two, quickly tumbles into a weak fumbling plot which just seems to ramble on. Whilst good to finally see Ace's long standing subplot resolved, she is ready to start moving on, but Rapture is just a bad story.
| What: | Adventures in Time and Space (Miscellaneous annuals) |
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| By: | Andrew Shaw, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Friday 23 July 2010 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
I enjoyed this book alot more than the normal annuals because i was full of stories and it didnt have all the fill up bits like quizzes and pages and such I thought it was a good read with stories from different Doctor's.
| What: | Winter for the Adept (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Andrew Shaw, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Thursday 22 July 2010 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
I thought this story started out Ok I was enjoying listening to it Nyssa is quite good on these audio adventures but I didnt like the ending I think they could have left aliens out of this because they didnt really play much of a part until the end and then I thought that was rushed and badly finished, but I enjoyed the rest of the story.
| What: | Phantasmagoria (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Andrew Shaw, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Thursday 22 July 2010 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
I loved the way they didnt reveal the mystery until the end, it seemed a bit out of character for Turlough wihich can only be good instead of him standing about complaining he gets his own part of the story and might have been better on the TV series if hewas given the chance one thing that I couldnt understand was when ( Lovemore/The Maid ) was talking to people before going after Valentine telling them I think ive found them Ill try to meet him, then when they found him says she was on a revenge mission alone and didnt contact anyone after that. when I was listening to this I could vision the Fourth Doctor doing this story very well, but Peter did it very well and I did enjoy it.
| What: | The Architects of History (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 21 July 2010 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
Steve Lyons is a really good writer for Doctor Who. He seems to know exactly how to make me really interested in everyone of his tales for Big Finish. Competent and believable tales with big themes running throughout. This tale really feels like an epic ending to the Klein trilogy.
And at last we get the brilliant shark heads! The selachians were my fav monster in Steve's previous novels The Murder Game and The Final Sanction. They could and should have been included in the original series. Pity they were thought of after it had already been stupidly removed from our screens. They are a very brutish and appetising race.
What also grabs the attention is the usual likeable characters that Steve pens. Rachel and her friend are two rather sad individuals. You feel genuinely upset at their fate towards the end of the story.
I am sad though that this is the last story of the Klein trilogy. This could have gone on for so much longer. Tracey was brilliant as Klein. Despite the fact that she is nazi you cant help but find her not the usual 2d ranter youd expect a nazi to be characterised as. This was just taking off as a brilliant story arc and then it comes crashing to a halt.
And the final scene is actually very confusing for me. So what happened after the Doc took Klein away once more in his TARDIS? Are we supposed to believe she joined UNIT? Or is it a totally new timeline that the Doc has fiddled with? I find this last scene confusing in what is otherwise a brilliant and exciting tale. Can someone explain it to me cause I think I may be a bit dumb...
| What: | A Thousand Tiny Wings (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 21 July 2010 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
...that this is a rare kind of story. It may not be absolutely brimming with action all the way through. It is more focused on unravelling at an easy pace and is therefore very easy to follow.
The return of Tracey as Klein is such a good idea. The Cayliss happen to be a really interesting and different race of aliens. Rather pretty but deadly hummingbirds from another planet.
This also is highly atmospheric. The sound score is paticualrly impressive, giving a real feel of this being in the middle of Africa. The plot is easy to follow and so that is another good thing.
Sylvester Mccoy and Tracey make this story though. They roll off each other in really good ways. And all the characters here are interesting and well acted by all those involved.
Yet again just a little grating evolution talk once more. Gets a little boring after a while. But apart from this this story is highly recommendable. One of the best audio stories from Big Finish in recent months. A real creepy tale.
