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"THE STRANGER: A WAR DOCTOR TALE WITH HEART"

The Stranger is another entry in the ever-expanding Time War saga, but rather than indulging in grand, paradox-laden storytelling, it zooms in on one often-overlooked aspect of the war: the children caught in its chaos. Taking inspiration from The Terminator, the story sees the War Doctor travelling from the later days of the war back to its early years, arriving at a weapons factory where children are employed. His mission? To warn them of an imminent Dalek attack and lead them to safety.

THE WAR DOCTOR AS A BEACON OF HOPE

The War Doctor is as gruff and battle-hardened as ever, but what makes this story stand out is his ability to inspire. Despite being weighed down by war, he still finds a way to instill hope in the young workforce and their senior. His presence is commanding, his urgency palpable, and his final message clear—no matter how dark the war gets, they must never stop fighting.

STRONG SUPPORTING CHARACTERS, BUT A FORGETTABLE PROTAGONIST

The story is told through the eyes of Rojan, a young Time Lord child. While he serves as an effective viewpoint character, there’s little that makes him particularly memorable beyond his cleverness and bravery. The real standout is the senior in charge of the children, who undergoes a compelling arc. Initially skeptical of the Doctor, he soon becomes an inspiring figure himself, recounting legendary tales of the Doctor before ultimately sacrificing himself to save the children. It’s a moving moment that adds depth to the story’s emotional core.

VERDICT: A SOLID, SMALL-SCALE TIME WAR STORY

The climax delivers a tense and well-executed action sequence, ensuring the story ends on an exciting note. The Stranger may not reinvent the Time War formula, but its focus on the war’s youngest victims and the Doctor’s role as a reluctant saviour gives it a strong emotional weight. Heroes and Monsters is off to a promising start!

📝70/100

I've never been a huge fan of the Time War or how it's been explored by Big Finish in particular.  I find the overall concept a bit uninspiring.  That said, this was an enjoyable and strong start to the Heroes and Monsters collection.  It's quite a chilling tale with Gallifreyan children being kept safe from the war by working in factories making weapons.  The fact that the safest place for children is combined with them contributing to the war effort hints at how devastating the war truly is for Gallifrey.  The War Doctor is well-written here and I liked the supporting characters of Senior Tahl and Rojan, a young boy who becomes the 'leader' of the children escaping from a Dalek onslaught.  Good stuff.

I'm a sucker for a time war story, and this definitely is one, but without all the complex trappings that you often get. I like the idea of a late-war doctor coming back to the early-war and seeing what people's thoughts about where it'll go and how long it'll last contrasted with the the doctor's knowledge.

Daleks are fun here, definitely more threatening and that than I thought they would be. Being a collection of mostly shorts aimed at children I didn't expect to be about attempted mass child murder. I think it's probably helped by the fact they're not given much 'screen' time.

The characterization of War here is also interesting, you can tell how late in his tenure this is and it's great, especially in how he deals with children. He's grizzled, but it's gone on for too long, he's lost too much, and he just wants to be a doctor again.