A nice story that actually references Cross-Media canon. I've put this after the Radio Times stuff, simply because I think having 8 go from meeting Benny, straight to meeting a slightly older Benny is a bit crazy. That being said, this was a perfectly fun story with a nice long way around for the key and coat buttons. That being said, I think it would've been nicer if it was longer, and if the Roberts Master was mentioned, or the Vortex Shark got a bit more fleshing out, but this is certainly a way to kill 25 minutes.

That was it? That was it? That was it?! I know that this series got cut short, which sucks, but that was it? That was our resolution to Stacy being a shapeshifter? The Doctor throws a convenient switch, and it's revealed? We ended on a cliffhanger, only to lead into that? TBH, I think I would've preferred if Perceptions was 12 parts long, and these two got absorbed into it. I would love to see more of Stacy and Ssard, since they're very much blank slates. Not to mention, maybe an eventual return to Mars, and what would have happened if this strip wasn't cut short?

Okay, look. This one has an absolutely brilliant idea behind it. Shapeshifting alien horses get trapped in Victorian London, and one gets taken to a freak show. Genius, absolute genius. What follows is very much not. The art style is great, and the plotline itself is servicable, but everything feels flat, and just a touch too convenient. It was very much a surprise when they killed the kid, I was not expecting that. And that ending? Holy cow, I can't wait to see how they resolve the cliffhanger of Stacy being replaced by a shapeshifting energy monster.

TBH, I can't say I remember much about this one. It didn't really warrant being a two-parter, but felt more like a 20-part miniseries (emphasis on the mini) Again, the Ice Warriors were nice, if a little dull by this point. I binge-read the others on the train today, and this one kind of blurred together with the previous one.

From one Ice Warrior story to another. I think this has helped grow my enjoyment of these creatures, and the plotline's simple enough to follow. The art is nice, even if the characters are a little flat. The cliffhanger's alright, but I'm definitely still getting the hang of these shorter, simpler stories.

I'll be honest, this one's a bit lukewarm to me. Yes, it's the 8th Doctor and the Cybermen, a pairing that doesn't happen very often. Stacy was a bit flat, but what can you do with a total of 10 pages of 6 panels? Part of me wishes this got adapted into a DWM style, but I think that ship has sailed. That being said, I did enjoy the design work, especially the Cybermen and the slight purple tones of 8's outfit. Also, I have to say it. If I had a nickel for every time a Bill was turned into a Cyberman, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice. I'm somewhat optimistic about the others, but don't have too high of hopes.

So, here we are. Yes, this is technically a step back in 8's EU timeline, but quite frankly, I'm not starting again. This was my first full foray into the VNAs, and I have to admit that I enjoyed it, even if it was a definite departure from the BBC Books. The 8th Doctor was enjoyable in this, and his "death" was definitely surprising. I have to admit, I enjoyed Bernice, even if she did differ somewhat from my prior experience of her (I've only listened to the Big Finish freebies with her in it, and their version of Theater of War) But I found the side characters enjoyable. The Ice Warriors was a new game for me, as I've only really seen them in Cold War. I also loved the Brigadier and the love he has for his wife, it's so adorable. Not to mention, Bambera was an interesting force, and it was nice seeing the differences between the two Brigadiers. I found Eve and Alan to be interesting side characters, even if I was hit with a bit of a surprise when Eve slept with Greyhaven. How have I gone this whole time without mentioning another of the main antagonists? I found Greyhaven to be an interesting antagonist, considering he wasn't truly evil. When it came down to it, I was more dissapointed that Staines took over. I think it would've been more interesting if if Staines was just an unfortunate party, caught up in Greyhaven's schemes. I think that's all I have to say on this book, but it was fast enough to keep my attention, even if the lack of Doctor made some parts drag a bit. I'll finish this review by stating my sheer surprise that it's implied that Benny f**ks the Doctor at the end. Overall, a definite read that I found interesting. Next stop: The Radio Times Comics with Stacy and Ssard.

Wow. That story was spectacular. It was fast-paced, and somehow managed to spend enough time getting us attached to Kadijk and Cockaigne. Even Zaterday was likable. The mystery of the Jax society was an interesting one, and the sheer revelation of Gray being infected, and then Sam too! It was insane, and the sheer size of the planet was really something that I loved. Not to mention the death of Amy Saraband. Given the tone, I thought they would've actually "shown" her mangled body beneath the wreckage. Overall, this book gets a 4/5, only dropping one star by being a little too Chekov's Gun with the escape pod. But definitely worth a read.

Ho. Ly. Crap. That was absolutely insane, and I loved it. The sheer concept of the Doctor turning up to an auction for his own body is absolutely wild. The wide cast of characters never outstayed their welcome, which is somewhat surprising. Faction Paradox was a very morbid thing, but by god, I want to make their shrine in LEGO.

The concept of the Doctor suddenly finding himself out of continuity with Gallifrey was a pretty good idea, and it gave Homunculette a fun added detail. I also really enjoyed Marie, even if she wasn't in it that much. Trask was a wild piece of continuity that I was very much not expecting, but gladly welcome. The Shift was an interesting character, at least with the way he conversed. Faction Paradox may now be a new favourite, and I want to see how they would work in the Time War (The 2005 one, not the one that I'm certain is imminent)

Speaking of the imminent Time War, the hanging revelations of Sam having two different sets of biodata is an interesting move, as it creates another mystery. Not to mention, there's now twelve Gallifreys?! What the?! TARDISes are now at type 103, and more than a bit sentient? I feel like I've been flung in at the deep end and I absolutely love it. I even think that the vault, in all it's horrifying glory, fit perfectly. A vault that finds out your DNA's worst nightmare and turns it against you? It's absolutely horrifying, but I love it.

And the Krotons?! Of all the villains, they chose the Krotons? I have no fault with this, quite the opposite. I love that they brought back such a forgotten villain, and actually made them intimidating. Overall, 5/5. Perfectly Paced, absolutely bonkers, would read again in a heartbeat.

Okay, this one was good. I started reading this one in 2024, but only recently got back around to reading it, so I started from the beginning. To start off with, I think that 8 and Sam have a very good dynamic, and enjoyed 'watching' them in action.

While this story is a bit separationist with these two, that tends to happen in Doctor Who. I enjoyed the callbacks for Planet of the Daleks and the original Daleks. I did, however, find the events of the Dalek Civil War to drag a bit. This may be due to me not really recieving Daleks outside of TV and the Audios, but I found that it tried to inject some pacing where it wasn't nessecarily needed. That being said, I did enjoy the pacing for the most part, the chapters flowing somewhat well between each other. I liked the moral dilemma with the Thals, and how it impacted Sam.

And now, for the retcon. The fact that the Doctor didn't destroy Skaro in Rememberance, but a planet the Dalek Prime had made to look like Skaro, from Destiny onwards. This twist, was so unfathomably complicated and timey-wimey, I had trouble understanding it. So, the Prime moves Skaro, because Davros had already destroyed it circa 1963, because in the 2150 invasion, they found out that he'd destroyed it in 1963? It doesn't make sense, and while it does fit with canon, and actually explains how 7 got there in the TV Movie, I still don't quite think I understand it.

A story that's fast-paced, and still somewhat nice. That being said, it has not aged well. Between the deus-ex-machina of Tegan speaking the exact language that Kurkutji spoke, and the slightly racist undertones, it probably wouldn't be made today, but it was a very nice story nonetheless. The resolution did feel a bit rushed, and it was a tad convenient that the Doctor happened to have the poison needed and Monarch happened to be at least partially organic. In all honesty, I enjoyed the character dynamics in at least the first and last TARDIS scenes. Overall, a story that's still nice to have, but maybe not one of the earliest to watch.

Almost as soon as his adventures start, Cole's ends. This story was entirely okay, with the Master utilising a plot point from the previous story, but there's one slight nitpick I have with this story. If Earth was time-locked (as shown in the Shoreditch Intervention) how could the Master have made it through? I am aware that this is a slight nitpick, and you can get through Time Locks, but I thought it'd be more difficult. However, the Master was pleasantly evil in this story, and he's slowly becoming one of my most favorite incarnations. I'm not sure about this story, but I'm leaving it as entirely adequate to finish off this box set, and leads into the events of Utopia, with one small sidestep on the way.

This story was a masterpiece. I can find no faults with this story, the Master manipulating Cole to create a paradox to play into the next story is genius, and the War Master is one that I have no issue visualising sitting down in the TARDIS gardens with a glass of wine. I also enjoy how there's a large gap during this story, where the War Master can duck off and do whatever. The rise of a new kind of Cybermen was such a gut-drop moment, especially the moment when Cole activates Elidh's emotional inhibitor. This story feels relevant now more than ever, with the recent political events.

This story was alright. It works as a Part One to the next story, and Delgado was fun to have again. Pertwee and Manning were excellent together as usual, but this story did feel a bit bland, at least compared to the other six-parters. Overall, it's a fun story that could do with a bit more fleshing out regarding the Ogrons, but I do enjoy the impending feeling of war. This story links into the next one, so off to the Planet of the Daleks.

Okay, this one was a bit odd. I know it leads on from the events of 'The Devil you Know' but I kinda felt like this one was a step down. By no means was it bad, but it was just alright. I can't particularly remember most of this story, but I still didn't mind it. The introduction of Cole as a companion for the Master was a nice one, though.

I may be slightly biased, due to my love of this story. But I believe this story is exactly how the Time War should be. A compact, fast-paced story, with the Daleks lurking in the background. The whole story is based around the Master trying to get his TARDIS back. The War Master is on point here, and perfectly demonstrates why he's not even close to the Doctor, or whatever he called himself during the Time War. I like to imagine the Daleks in this story are of the same style as the ones in 'Jonah' (I'll get to that one eventually) but I still enjoy even the supporting cast, who are still in my memory. Which is no mean feat, considering how often supporting casts leave my mind.

Desperate Measures is a perfect title for this story, given the outcome. This story is a return to 'Gallifrey' traditions, being more based around politics, rather than wartime efforts. While I haven't touched much of the Gallifrey range, I still enjoyed the political aspects of this story, and found it a fitting end to a boxset that I found worth the price. That being said, I would've preferred they explicitly refer to Valerian as 'Rassilon' after the takeover. It was a perfect surprise, though, even seven years on.

This story was absolutely great. All six episodes were quick, and a very good watch. Pertwee was absolutely spectacular, with the Brigadier back to his blowing-up days. I'm somewhat unsurprised, but the main drawing point for this story was Jo's departure. It definitely tugged at my heartstrings, but I didn't like how the Doctor didn't at least say goodbye. It makes sense, though, since we've never seen the 3rd Doctor actually say goodbye. Liz left off-screen, and Sarah stuck around until after he regenerated. Canon be damned, I like the idea that 3 turned up at Jo's wedding.

I have to admit, this story was one that had a bit of an odd premise. Leela and the Master go to interrogate Finnian Valentine, whose timeline has been split in half. I have to admit that they were a nice pair, and I adore the War Master, he's such a unique brand of evil. That being said, none of this was expected, even if the weapon being false did create the question of what made the two Valentines. Overall, I really enjoyed this story, almost as much as the second one in this box set.

Holy. Cow. This one was amazing. Braxiatel was exactly like 7 here, which works thematically. I do admit there could've been more done here with the Daleks, but I still enjoyed this story. I was not expecting Braxiatel to do what he did, and I can't actually remember what the secret weapon was. That being said, this was a great proper start to the Time War, and I liked how there was an actual explanation of how Ace escaped the Time War.

And this is where Season 20 ends. I’ll be reviewing the TV one, but will be watching the Special Edition and the updated 2020’s effects. I’ll be blunt, this didn’t feel like the fan service it probably was. I enjoyed having the other Doctors, even if it did feel a bit disjointed. Perhaps some more Multi-Doctor interactions could’ve improved this story, and having Baker there would be handy. It’s a nice story, that doesn’t have a strong sense of fan service. The first screen appearance of Rassilon was strong enough to properly display the character’s intended power.

And thus, the Time War begins. Not with a bang, but a whimper. Celestial Intervention kick-starts the Time War chronologically, so I’ll be starting from here. This story, while a tad dull, wasn’t meant to be exciting. This one’s more intended to demonstrate the strain relationship between the CIA and the War Council. It doesn’t feel like a lot happens, but I  think that was intentional. Overall, a nice story that handles the impending onset of the Last Great Time War.

Frontios was a fun trip on an interesting planet. That cliffhanger to Part One is easily one of my favourites, and I do enjoy watching the TARDIS come together. I think I would've preferred to have a bit more time on the planet of Frontios, just to build up the tension, especially as it "buries it's own dead" Other than that, I can't really think of anything else to note about this story.

I will be quite frank. This one was long. It did feel seven episodes long, even though Treloar, Ashford, and Culshaw are a fun trio, and are good enough to trick your brain into thinking they raised the original actors from the dead. The story's interesting, if a bit overblown and standard. There are parts that feel tacked on, but still keep the pacing alive somehow. Still, the return of Jamie and Two makes this story an interesting one. Overall, a bit of a bland slow-burn, but it was still relatively alright.

It sure does exist. I went into this with the honest expectation that this was four parts long. Suffice it to say, this story felt a bit bland, and personally, I think it fits better as a story with the Monk. Five's alright here, and it's always nice to have a swordfighting Doctor. I could kind of tell that they didn't like using Kamelion, given how little he actually appeared. The Master was alright, but I get the feeling that this story was planned more as a Monk story that contracts said had to be a Master story. I'm still somewhat confused as to why the Master wants to undo the signing of the Magna Carta, aside from chaos. It's a very skippable story, but at least it doesn't drag.