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 | Making Ace having is difficult |
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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.
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| Beginning to think im strange.... |
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| What: | The Robots of Death (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Sunday 18 July 2010 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
I am starting to wonder if im wierd or something. Because it seems to me that a lot of Doctor Who stories people rave about around me to me just seem to drag on tediously and arent really all that entertaining.
The Robots Of Death is another one of those tales to me. its nothing to do with the acting or the design. the voc robots are very impressive indeed. But the plot just seems like another one of those easily figured out who dunnits. Whilst David Bailie is brilliant as Dask, he isnt enough to keep the story from being tepid and strained. It is probably just me, but this story is boring. It doesnt fall apart in the last episode like in Pyramids Of Mars, but it is still another let down for me. I just cant get into it in the massive way so many others have.
| What: | The Dominators (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Sunday 18 July 2010 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
Patrick Troughton has always been my favourite man in the role of the Doctor. It is his childlike entusiasm and wonderful comic timing that make him shine.
They say that The Dominators is one of the very worst examples of Doctor Who in Pat's time. But I would not agree with this statement in any way at all.
There is so I enjoy about this underrated story. The first is plot. Unlike quite a few Doctor Whos it is not overly complicated, and unfolds at an acceptable and followable rate.
The action scenes are well done, as are the explosions. The typical high standard of recording from the BBC.
And in this story for me the characters are all likeable and well defined. There is no deeper than deep something or other lurking in the wings to spoil the flow of everything.
The Quarks too are quite a lovely design. Some may say they are childish and rediculous, but I just find them pretty camp and amusing. Its no wonder they were so popular in the magazines of Doctor Who for so long.
And Ronald Allen and Geoffery Ives are excellent as the two squabbling and officious Dominators. Good to see a bit of depth to a villian and some in fighting. Quite a few aliens in Doctor who are all just single minded. But here not so.
And theres even the appearance by Brian Cant. Now with all these elements the story sint bad at all. So, the skirts the blokes are all wearing may not be very flattering to the male physique, but everyone just gets on with it and the story is better for it.
This story sums up all i love about the series. Good plot, decent dialogue, and good acting by all those involved. Let me say id rate this story over Pyramids Of Mars and The Brain of Morbius at any rate.
Thanks for doing this story all you guys back then in 1968!!! Its appreciated.
| What: | Castle of Fear (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Phil , London |
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| Date: | Saturday 17 July 2010 |
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| Rating: | 2 |
Well enough played but laborious comedy.
| What: | Storm Warning (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Andrew Shaw, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Friday 16 July 2010 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
I was apprehensive at first about the 8th Drs return especially his first story nut I did enjoy it and thought he played the Dr very well I found it hard to get into at first but then I got into it I thought they could have left the Vortisaur bit out and changed that bit and I thought Charley a good character but would she really be bossing about and arguing with special agents and army officers.
An almost total Rip Off of Seeds of Doom.
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| Well....not a total hit series... |
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| What: | Series 5: Volume 1 (BBC new series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Thursday 15 July 2010 |
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| Rating: | 5 |
But Matt Smith is an excellent Doctor, that much cannot be disputed. Just sad that first the THE ELEVENTH HOUR and then that shoddy and oathetic finale were such tripe.
The Eleventh Hour isnt as bad as the finale though. It does boast some good scenes, like the food scenes for a start. But otherwise what the hell does Prisoner Zero do other than stand about hissing at people? It does scrap all else along the way. So it takes on the image of a man and a dog..wow, highly original stuff I must say...NOT. I am surprised that after the brilliance of BLINK and Silence in the Library Steven Moffat should come out with pure nearly disastrous rubbish. The only thing that saves this story at all is the nice hark back to the past foes and Doctors scene, and Matt and Karen's acting. Otherwise this story is tedious and totally forgettable.
Thank goodness the series really picks up with THE BEAST BELOW, one of the best examples of the new series, and basically one of the few of them not to suffer from many bad elements along the way. This is a classic tale. The Star Whale is sadly only seen at the very end of the tale though, the one bad thing about it. But it is a lovely looking creature. The plot runs along at an engaging and brillaint pace though. The sick scene is good fun and this is what the new series should have been more like: very entertaining with a good storyline to go with it.
And then we come to the only just about good Victory of The Daleks. They copy almost word for word there statements in power of the daleks, doing the same deception all over again, making sure humans believe them to be on their side and then change as soon as the Doctor turns up. And yet again no one believes him until its too late. And then we get spitfires in space...well, didnt Mark already write something similar in his bbc novel Last of the Gaderene? Well, maybe im just too picky but please stop just reusing elements of the past and think of something new. The daleks slatted new sections make them look like christmas trees in all. The normal battle daleks are far better and more mean looking than these techinclour oafs. What saves this tale again is mostly the acting of all involved. Sad that overall this first set is such a let down. And for the rest of the series its just as up anf down im afraid in my opinion....
One thing you can always be sure of with a script adapted and written by Marc Platt is brilliance. The guy's writing is always different, with many fresh ideas floating around and good dialogue that really engages you into the story.
After Ghost Light this has to be the most macabre story yet by Marc for the big finish range of stories. This lost story has a gruesome main character, an almost fleshless cadaver...very pleasant. And then there's the torture and all those wonderfully penned scnes that really do come across as sick and unsettling. This is definitely the most dark of the lost stories. A air of menace round everything along the way.
Nicola Bryant again does good with her Queen mimicking scenes. What a brilliant actress she truly is! And I dont really need to say anything about Colin Baker. Just good to have him in so many brilliant audio tells now.
The Omnim are a different race and there scheme is a cool one. Being trapped in an asteroid is an interesting notion too. Sorry but I cant think of anything bad at all to say about this tale apart from my shame that it was never done in the eighties. Strong solid stuff!
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| This series really has been excellent... |
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One might ompare this to the Best Below episode with Matt Smith. Is it as good as that episode though?
Well, for a start there is more of the whale although it is only to hear. But one can easily imagine a beautiful mile long whale in the depths of space.
All the different elements of this story are highly enjoyable and exciting. The Peri delirium section made me laugh more than i have for a while in Doctor Who. Nicola's acting in these scenes is spot on. Comic genius.
And yet the more nasty aspects of the show are all thought provoking too, and add into that mix the addition of the two dunderheaddy guards and you get a brilliant story oozing with brilliance that should have been done on the TV. Budget must have kept this brilliant tale from matierialising for so long.
And the TARDIS landing in the belly of the whale like cool old Jonah (no legend at all) is a good addition to the plot too, with so many beings caught inside it for thousands of years. This has a good dose of humour, a good dose of action, a good dose of all that makes Doctor Who the classic and audio series far better overall than the new series. This is a brilliant audio story.
(but just cut out evolution comments please. thats just me because of what i believe in)
| What: | The Holy Terror (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Andrew Shaw, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 14 July 2010 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
I really enjoy the Frobisher stories and wish there were more they are like a relief break inbetween the really serious stories but that doesnt mean they are worse in any way they are just as good and better than a few you get to see Colin Bakers humour come out in this and I think he makes a really good doctor and the audio stories have proved it this was an enjoyable story with a comicly dark side.
| What: | The Apocalypse Element (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Andrew Shaw, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 14 July 2010 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
This story I thought was great it spanned across several planets, Galaxies and again on audio they can show the Daleks to be truly evil and sadistic it goes along waY from what can be shown on television because of the amount of deaths and the massacre the Daleks achieve in detail..
| What: | The Genocide Machine (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Andrew Shaw, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 14 July 2010 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
I enjoyed this story I thought it was well wrote and it kept me listening I didnt want to turn it off, the good thing about the Dalek stories on Big Finish is you get to find out how evil they really are and they dont have to be toned down so it gives you a proper picture of how the Dalkes should be.
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| A Book should not be judged by cover... |
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| What: | The Fearmonger (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Andrew Shaw, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 14 July 2010 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
When I saw the cover for this story I was expecting it not to br very good but Im glad I bought it ecuase it is not bad and I certainly didnt guess the outcome yes its a not bad story...
| What: | Plague of the Daleks (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Thursday 1 July 2010 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
And considering this happens to be Mark Morris's second audio tale and first full length one, its very impressive indeed.
The story is flipping gripping from the outset. When the good old Doc and Nyssa arrive in creepy Stockbridge once more for the last of this trilogy. And then come them freaky crows! and then to top it all off you get the rain clouds and the cricket zombies and the moaning old git of a woman in the exploration group. Man that kind of person may just start to grate on you after a while. but her husbands storyline is sad and disgusting indeed. But the fact that the daleks arent in it to the end of episode two is no bad thing: prooves you dont need daleks all the way to have a thoroughly repulsive story with many nasty things going around in it.
Nice to hear Keith Barron back again. He was so good in Enligtenment, and he is pretty good again here.
The Doc becoming a dalek but misleading them dumb pepper pots has never been done in quite so an amusing way. The elements of the story all come together for a rather brilliant end to the trilogy in stockbridge. This is fine story writing of the first degree. This is more like a horror story than a doctor who: one of those really sadly rare types of stories...
| What: | Paper Cuts (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Thursday 1 July 2010 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
1: The implied first doctor scene, although of course he doesnt speak, is rather nice. A good touch to get the feel of the past before the main slice of the story starts.
2: The whole way the draconians are realised in this story is very well led on from the fantastic Frontier In Space. but this gives ever more depth to the intracacies of a rather japanese style society. Though there is nothing at all wrong with that.
3: What a cool inventiona are the origami warriors! Just a pity it wasnt a tv adventure, and they could have been seen. That would have been quite a cool thing to see. But they are well executed once again. And they all add to the overall impact of this quite fascinating story.
4: Colin Baker and India are on top form as ever. they land in a nasty tomb in space. Quite the most unusual tomb ever in Who history it has to be said. Marc is quite brilliant with these wierd and wonderful wacky tales he produces all of the time.
This story really could have been a great addition to the Colin Baker tv period. It would have had just the right sort of stuff to thrill the socks off me! This doesnt rely more on violence, but is more of an in depth society study and is the better for it. Such a very involving and well directed story. So Im sorry if i cant find anything wrong with this story at all like other people. This is an excellent follow on to Patient Zero.
