Hooklight started out with building up just a ton of lore about this realm called Morning, one of the oldest places in the universe and the spark that gave it life. Behind the scenes was the mysterious oracle, which ends up being the Eighth Doctor. Now, there is very little lore left to reveal and tie together, and it's more about the characters. He's not sidelined from the action, but the Fifth Doctor doesn't have quite the character development his companions have.

Tegan gets all of part eight dedicated solely to her leaving three years with a man, Oscar. It is very similar to her storyline in The Edge of War from a couple years ago so it feels slightly trodden ground. Adric discovers that he is not, in fact, the Doctor, and shoots (non-fatally) Davlin Crux. Nyssa has a lot of inner dialogue with Neura, the power at the heart of Hooklight. Ultimately, it is the death of our fourth companion, the resolute Kessica Myles who manages to successfully stamp everything with a big reset button.

Ultimately, despite my Fifth Doctor fandom, I am not as Hooklight-pilled as most after this volume. I think it's getting harder to explore different facets of these characters, and was ready for a more complex story involving the wild lore that Tim Foley put together. In many ways, the tale of Morning is not quite finished, as seen by the fact that the Eighth Doctor decides to travel with Davlin at the end of the story. They should've leaned into the Fifth Doctor and Davlin having a relationship more.

Still, it's a big massive story with excitement like the queen of the space spiders, many close calls, and a good blend of action and contemplation. Definitely a good candidate to return to one day and see how my feelings evolve.

In the ancient realm of Morning, a massive danger is about to be unleashed across the universe. The planet Rift has been attacked, a tear has been created in time, and one of the Doctor's companions has been taken over by the ever-shining Hooklight. As the rest of the TARDIS team struggles to resist the oncoming chaos, victory seems remote. This is especially true when a presence from the future reveals itself and it's going to make things extra complicated for the Doctor.....both of them.....

"Hooklight 2" is the second half of a grandiose Fifth Doctor epic, advertised as something different compared to the usual audio faire this crew gets. Tim Foley's script picks up right where part 1 left off with some weird flourishes that paint the bigger picture in a whole new, if less interesting, light. The unique setting remains strong, and the soundscape still feels massive, but in making the Hooklight itself a sentient force (no matter how big or multi-dimensional), the plot falls into somewhat predictable territory with unsurprising roles for all involved.

To that end, it certainly remains a Davison era story through & through. Nyssa becomes evil and possessed by a sentient malevolence, Adric gets stuck handling the TARDIS, and Tegan goes on a long personal journey that's different but is surprisingly the most emotional part of the saga. The biggest addition that shakes things up is the presence of Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor, venturing in from the early days of the Time War to intervene but soon getting caught up in the Hooklight's grip. His influence as the Oracle is wider than you might think, and the writing makes full use of the potential in having two very different Doctors caught up in different threads of the same story.

The second half of "Hooklight" then is a fascinating and fun listen, not any better or worse than the first, but in a way that feels appropriate. Enjoyable & recommended along with its first half for all fans looking for something new.

-- 8.5 / 10

Oh my god didnt think I'd love this story at all but in the end 5 stars for me love it! Fivey my goat.

Another hooklight banger it STICKS the landing