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| What: | Blue Box Boy (Cast biographies) |
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| By: | Trevor Smith, Nottingham, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Thursday 19 August 2010 |
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| Rating: |  10 |
This really is a wonderful, witty unputdownable book. I can not recommended it highly enough. And it makes no difference whether you are/where a fan of Adric or not.
| What: | The Space Pirates (TV episode audio soundtracks) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 18 August 2010 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
It really is sad that the bbc saw fit to demolish some of the best Doctor Who stories in the universe back in the sixties and seventies. It is especially sad when a story as good as the Space Pirates is a casualty of that rather stupid decision made by those chaps.
This story has plenty to keep one hooked and plenty of brilliant acting by all of those involved. Caven is the typical brilliant Rob Holmes Jerkoff, a real nasty piece of work with some brilliant lines.
The crew of V41 LO are all brillaint too. The scenes between Milo and these guys are particularly funny and memorable.
But I love the character of Madeleine Issigri the best. A real pity she couldnt have become a companion. She may have been a little devious but she was brilliantly emotional which is rare for this period of Doctor Who. Its believable in her scenes when Caven reveals that her Daddy is actually alive, if not very well after all. What a manipulative moron. One of the best in this season of Doctor Who.
Is it alright if i blow my nose or is that another offence is one of the classic brilliant lines written for a Doctor Who character. And the peril, particularly in episode two is very well acted by Pat and the gang.
This story is all that I love about Doctor Who and Pat's time in particular. This is not boring and uninspiring, in fact for me itis anything but.
The six episodes just fly by, and dont drag on forever like many a six parter seems to in Doctor Who. Well cool story. Pity like I said that it is no longer available in its entirety on video. A real tragedy....
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 | Im going to start a Slipstream fan club! |
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| What: | Night of the Humans (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
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| By: | C G Harwood, Dunedin, NZ, New Zealand |
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| Date: | Sunday 15 August 2010 |
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| Rating: |  8 |
This book has done something to me that no other Dr Who book has done. I was actully worryed for the Doctor. When he was standing on the plank about to go for an acid swim i generally feared for his life. Also when they were running for the TARDIS, I was yelling 'SHUT UP AND RUN!!!'. Then when it dematerilises and they were safe - WOW there is still 40 pages to go.
the whole book is based around a huge junk yard in space that is colecting all the rubbish that is out there, which i thort was a really good idea for a setting and you really get a feel for the horrible, hostile enviroment in Llewellyn's writing. Also I loved the sollogs, would love to see them again.
And I loved the way they used a real comet name for the one that was about to hit them. The writing of this book is so good that you really get a since that time is running out, and when the small bits a comet start raining down, you can really see it hitting the surface and exploding in your mind.
But the one caractor that did it for me was Dirk Slipstream. He was fantastic, and even thoe he was killed at the end (However all we hear is a scream and gun fire, so he could get out of it) I would love to see him again. He reminded me a lot of Sabalon Glitz from the classic series - only a little more nasty.
Deffenitly a good read (especialy the last 80 pages). Not as good as Apolo 23, but the first two Matt Smith novels have been of a very high standared.
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| Harry Sullivan is an imbecile! |
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One has to say that Revenge of the Cybermen has gained so much flack over the years for being a stupid comeback from the silver giants from Mondas, but I have to wholeheartedly disagree now.
True, not so long ago even I didnt like this story a whole lot. But upon watching it on DVD after all these years, I wondered why I hadnt liked it originally. There is quite a good amount of brilliant material on show here and I will list it.
The first thing is Tom Baker's humour. Clearly he appears to be having a great time as he finally sinks his teeth into the role of the Doctor. This story is literally littered with brillaint gems of dialogue. He really reminds me how good he was as the Doctor in this story.
The second is the slightly more emotional cybermen. Maybe their conditioning isnt 100% as they appear to be easily angered and riled, and never before or since has a cybermen had a farewell line to the Doctor like Chris Robbie has in this, totally human and nothing else. So quite uncharacteristic. They still do own emotions, they just dont want to admit it. But this is a good thing. Simply going around converting all over the place does become rather tepid and boring in the end.
And then there are the fantastic location scenes, shot in Wookey Hole. They really are atmospheric and believable. Dark and watery and very alien looking. And the gold actually looks like gold...
And to top it all off the acting is high standard. From all of the cast including the vogans. David Collings and Kevin Stoney work together really well.
And it was humans who looted voga of its gold....perhaps the vogans didnt truly realise how lethal gold was to the cybermen....but otherwise the plot is very stable and gos along nicely all the way.
And then we come to Silver Nemesis.
Im sure that (if you watch the Industrial action extras) if the Doctor somehow was God then he would not have said since life crawled out of the sea, he would have said since I raised them from the dust wouldnt he? So that rather silly plot thread is better for its absence from the final story, and John Nathan Turner showed good sense in not allowing this viewpoint to truly manifest in this script. Good man indeed.
Aside from that, the story is so enjoyable and funny and entertaining. It again boasts the excellent fact that the Cybermen do more than just convert people yet again. This time they, like the neo nazis and Lady Peinforte are after the Nemesis, a statue made out of valedium, a living metal. The fight scenes in this story are some of the most impressive ever in the history of Doctor Who. Both the nazi-cyber fight and the Ace scenes with Ace towards the end of the story!
And Sylv is rather like Tom with this story, really finally getting his teeth into the role and coming up trumps with brilliant acting and charisma.
But one has to say it is the humour of this tale that is at the fore. "They will eat us" still cracks me up to this day every time I see it. And though my Dad thinks the chess castling scene with the Cybermen makes them look stupid, I think it is flipping funny!!!
But this story does bring the mystery back to the character of the Doctor. Leaving it open to debate was a good idea....he is half human...and what else more is to come? I dont know. I just hope they continue to make stories as good as these two stories for a long time to come...or at least for another 3 years til the shows fiftieth anniversary...it really doesnt seem possible...
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| What a brilliant story... |
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| What: | Legend of the Cybermen (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Sunday 15 August 2010 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
At last...a cyberman story with a difference.
I can think of no better thing than a sequel to the brilliant Mind Robber all those years ago when dear old Pat was the Doc and time travelling was exhilerating and fun and scary all at the same time. And as a sequel to that masterful story, this story also succeeds admirably.
It is good to have a plot invloving cybermen when they are doing more than simply converting people. This time they are after the master brain!
And what brilliant twists and turns there are all along the way in this tale. Jamie not being real as the big reveal at the end of episode two is quite brilliantly done and scripted, and rather saddening. It adds a dark overtone to this trilogy of Colin Baker stories.
And when the good old Doc finally gets Zoe away from the Land of Fiction and she loses her memory once more, it really is a sad end to the series.
And to hear the toy soldiers clunking along again! What nostalgic brilliance. And that creepy void echo is back again. A real otherworldy score which definitely chills one to the bone.
I have only one complaint about this story: The white robot sound isnt the same!!! What a felony! But one cant have everything and maybe Big finish wanted to put there own touch onto these classic robots. After all, they have been updated I suppose. This is one of the strongest Doctor Who audio tales since No Man's Land....Brilliant stuff!
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| Pretty flipping good to be honest... |
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| What: | The Day of the Daleks (BBC classic series videos) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Sunday 15 August 2010 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
If the Dakeks had totally conquered the earth in the 22nd century, then actually they probably wouldnt need to go about exterminating everything. They are simply shown realistically as rulers, which is what they have become. With 7 8ths of the worlds population destroyed and all that!!!! They still convey menace and alienness in this story, their presence is not belittled or wasted. They are just totally self assured of their victory over the earth and time that they become careless. Nothing too unbelievable there.
And I cant believe that neither Jon or Katy particularly liked this story, when it is perhaps one of the strongest stories of the whole of Jon Pertwee's time as the Doctor. It has very good acting moments, good amounts of action. Very good desisgn, especially with the Ogrons, a very convincing alien for once.
And the paradox is very well unravelled and portrayed. Jon's acting is as usual brilliant and commanding. He truly was excellent as the Doctor in his time.
The ending may not have been the absolute million dollar action packed finale some had hoped for, but unlike many scenes of Doctor Who it is still competent and believable, and not quite as bad as all that. This really is a story packed with good vinatge DOCTOR WHO.
Oh, and i dont see how it could be many other aliens in Who that could have been the villain in this piece. Well, at least not the Cybermen, as they would have converted, and not exterminated almost everyone....absolute Doctor Who gold!!!!
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.
