This one actually has a bit of meat to it. It's not outstanding, but it is solid. And surprisingly feels like a retread of Fires of Pompeii a couple years early as the Doctor stop fire-and-silicon-based aliens from destorying the Earth at the cost of Krakatoa.

While exploring a castle Rose gets stuck in a mirror dimension. It's nothing special and doesn't really have the space to do anything interesting with a concept that's been done better elsewhere in the Whoniverse.

The Doctor and Rose shrink while the Doctor shows off his knowledge of the TARDIS console. It was fine, but nothing outstanding. Fairly decent artwork though, for what it is. Inoffensive kid's stuff.

A fun little one-shot with K9. Enjoyable, but doesn't drag on and overstay its welcome. The main villain, who is apparently carrying out an assassination contract from the Sontarans, is fun. And K9 gets to be a very good boy.

Kate, Osgood and UNIT vs a single Dalek, what could go wrong? This feels a lot like Matt Fitton took Dalek and Resolution (despite that episode not airing until 13 months after this was released) and mashed them together with South American revolutionaries. Kate, Osgood, Captain Carter and Colonel Shindi head into the jungles of a fictional South American country to purchase an unknown crashed alien from a revolutionary leader. What follows is another example of how dangerous a lone Dalek can be (a la Dalek) with a Dalek that can rebuild itself and evolve (a la Resolution). This was a really fun action movie of a story in the same as the original Predator. Sure, the accents are a bit dodgey, but I had so much fun with it. It also lays down some threads for the boxset arc in the form of mentions of the mysterious Auctioneers. 10/10.

Before Tom Baker was enticed into working for Big Finish, he starred as the Fourth Doctor in a series of BBC audio dramas centered Nest Cottage and written by Paul Magrs. For companions, he was set up with an interesting pair: former UNIT Captain Mike Yates, and his Nest Cottage housekeeper Mrs. Wibbsey. I'll never understand why they chose Mike Yates for these stories, but anyway. The Nest Cottage series is made up of three five-part arcs: Hornets' Nest, Demon Quest, and Serpent Crest. Stuff of Nightmares is the first part of Hornets' Nest and is primarily the Fourth Doctor telling Mike Yates the story thus far about alien hornets who desire to take over the Earth, in this story using taxidermied animals. It's fine. At this point, Tom still sounds like the Doctor from TV (compared to his most recent Big Finish releases) and is a decent narrator. The story is somewhat enjoyable, but it's nothing outstanding or spectacular. I'll keep going on the Nest Cottage series but I'm sure there will be plenty of other stuff that I listen to in between.

A little short story set between Invasion of Time and the Gallifrey series (I am of course, stating this in hindsight as the Gallifrey audio series didn't exist at the time this story was written). It focuses on K9 on Gallifrey and a brief meeting with the Seventh Doctor. It's a sweet little story and though the focus is K9, it features Leela during the happy times and is just wonderful.

This was really good! A game of four-dimensional chess between "The Mandarin" and "The Entity" does not disappoint. It's heavily suggested that these two characters are the Toymaker and Fenric respectively. The stakes between the two are high, and the end result, a stalemate, is brilliant. A fun, well-written little piece that's quite short, but amazing in its implications for the two characters.

At some point long after the Sixth Doctor was forced to abandon Peri on Thoros Beta, he comes to Krontep twenty years into her reign as queen to apologize. The Doctor in this story isn't specified, though based on the description and time of writing it might be an older Seven close to his regeneration in the TV Movie. The story itself is rather sad and haunting (and has since been contradicted by later stories). But it is well-written and a quick read. If you're interested in a take on Peri's fate after her departure, I think this is worth the read.

What did I just read? I get that Gareth Roberts is known for his more humorous stories, but this was just ridiculous. It's a little short story that sees the Ergon (the wierd alien chicken monster from Arc of Infinity) arrive on Earth on a scouting mission for Omega. It walks into what seems to be a KFC where a young Ace just happens to work. Ace thinks it's a guy in a suit and gives him an order of fries which he takes back to Omega who complains that they're unsalted. Author aside, this just wasn't very good and was just kinda dumb. Oh well, at least it only took a couple minutes to read.

An interesting little one-shot comic about a particularly cruel Sontaran and his quest for the ultimate weapon. It's not groundbreaking or outstanding, but it's not bad either. I rather liked the Doctor's narration to the story. The conclusion, of the Sontaran tricked into his own death, was rather clever. In the end, a nice little story that expands the universe just a little bit further.

Nothing really of substance here. Very basic in its recap of the episode and even that's just kinda meh. yes, Rosa Parks is famous and her actions were a key event, but to say that she alone kickstarted the civil rights movement isn't quite accurate as it was in reality more a tapestry of people and events.

This isn't as bad as a lot of the later Polystyle comics get. It's not anything outstanding, but for the average grade-schooler (first through fifth grader) I could see this being a lot of fun. It's got decent artwork, the Doctor looks like his TV counterpart, the aliens are decent designs, and the plot is serviceable if a bit on the simple side. It moves along at a good pace and the action is fun. Plot-wise, it's a simple story of one alien species enslaving another and the Doctor and his grandkids getting involved and putting an end to villains' plans. Yes, the girl companion Gillian gets a bit sidelined, and the boy companion is a little trigger-happy, but it's a fun little pulp adventure comic for younger kids. It's the materpieces of storytelling that DWM would achieve, but it's serviceable and isn't boring.

I remember watching this at some point several years ago (the only one of these Case Files/Monster Files I've seen up until today). It's really good. Barrowman's measured narration, the amateur feel of the cinematography, the lack of major effect shots. It's really good. I could've done without the clips from Blink interspersed among the narrative footage, but for a short 3-minute clip it's very well done and quite creepy.

This one was fine. I mean, it's well done, it just felt less meaty than the previous one.

A simple look at the first monster/villain of Series 11 through a short in-universe case file narrated by Yaz. An over-simplfied account of the episode, but well done and doesn't feel dumb. I get that it's a little bit of promotional material, but it feels like it fits in the universe. Nothing special, but also doesn't leave you questioning why this ever got made.

The Ghost Monument: A Rambling Review

I do remember liking this one when I first watched it on broadcast. Watching it now, It's interesting seeing that Ryan feels like the focus character for the season. Both in this episode where he's our focus when we first wake up and he's the opening and closing focus (via Youtube) in the previous episode. All the companions feel like they're developed by their relationship to Ryan (Graham is his granddad, Yaz is a friend from school, etc). I love the ships and the scenes therein. It makes the universe feel lived in. I love the ideae of the race, I'm a little surprised it's never been used in the series before. (Yes, I know that Enlightenment exists. But that's a yacht race through space, this is space Dakar. There is a difference.) I like the ruins with the sniperbots, it feels very Halo. The reveal that the Stenza are behind Desolation is really cool. It really is a shame that apart from a return of Tim Shaw in the season finale, we never hear anything of the Stenza again. I really feel that they're ripe for a return. I liked how the race ended, and those mountain vistas when the TARDIS appears are gorgeous. I do like Thirteen's TARDIS interior with the contrasting blues and orange/golds, I just wish that those gold finger things didn't block camera angles so much.

The Woman Who Fell to Earth: A Rambling Review

So, I do like that they're giving the new companions a backstory and traits. It just seems in my memory, that those never really went anywhere and were often forgotten. If I encountered a glowy thing in midair in the woods, I'm not sure what I would do. Logically, I wouldn't touch it. Though I suspect that curiosity might get the better of me. Does anyone else think that the pod looks like a giant blue Hershey's kiss? Almost ten minutes into the episode before the Doctor makes an appearance, but that does give us a bit of time to get to know our new companions a bit. I'm not sure what I think about the companions knowing each other before hand, I sort of like it but also sort of don't. I find that I would've preferred if Grace had joined the TARDIS crew, I liked her a lot more than Ryan or Yaz. In my inital viewing when these aired, I never really warmed to Ryan. I found he was just kinda there. I liked Graham, and found him the most enjoyable of the three with a personality and a nice balance between seriousness and comedy. Yaz has potential, but I never felt it materialized enough for me to like her.

While Jodie's Doctor does evolve her own personality somewhat in my memory, I do understand the comparisons to Tennant/Smith. This Doctor is very manic, talking a mile a minute, her brain moving too fast, and that's not something that goes away after her regeneration stabilizes. It does feel somewhat like the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors, especially Eleven. Though I think it's almost in overdrive here. That said, I do love the design of the new sonic, and the scenes of her making it are great. And she does get a decent "I'm the Doctor" moment in the climax.

I will admit that the Stenza is good design, and an intersting idea. I'd love to see them expanded upon since that's something the TV show never really did. Apart from only meeting one member of their species in two episodes and then getting a little info in another, they haven't been touched. Maybe we'll get something in the upcoming Jodie run from Big Finish (as they were sort of set up as a nemesis for her) or in a future Classic Doctors, New Monsters.

So this episode does work for me. It's not the best episode, for me The Eleventh Hour is the pinnicle of Doctor introductory episodes, especially in the Modern Series. I like the more low-key threat, the more personal stakes. Tsim-sha won't ever be among the greatest monsters/villains the show has ever produced, but he's not among the worst. What this sets up works for me, it's the payoffs and what I remember to lack of building upon this that don't. It's a fine episode of Doctor Who, not terrible, not outstanding, just fine. I will say though, that the cliffhanger was rather nice. Anyway, I think that's everything. Final score: 7.5/10.

Before Genesis of the Daleks, there was Genesis of Evil. Instead of the Nazi-esque human-looking Kaleds, there were the blue-skinned alien humanoid Daleks. Instead of Davros, there was Yarvelling. It's actually not bad, it's simple and straightforward, and it's very short. For a simple kids comic, this was an enjoyable origin for the Daleks. I still think I like Genesis better as a whole, and Davros is the better creator, but Yarvelling isn't bad and I did enoy this story.

An enjoyable way to kill 40 minutes. While the Fringe festival very much is not my thing, this was an enjoyable story. We need more Twelve and Bill stories. I loved all the little blink-and-you-miss-it references. The play in the story is essentially just a stage production of Day of the Doctor. The ending is a bit quick, but it was set up early on and for a short story, it works well enough. I liked this and while not a favorite, it is a decent story from a new writer. I'd definitely be interested in seeing what they could do with a longer story.

The first story of the third season of Bernice Summerfield audios from Big Finish, The Greatest Shop in the Galaxy, sees Benny go on archaeological dig to the gigamart. While her robots do the digging, Benny goes hunting shoes. This was just a fun story, totally bonkers, but a lot of light fun. Time loops, a ticking bomb, and so many shoes, this was a light-hearted fun story and a great palate-cleanser after the previous chronological story (the novel, Professor Bernice Summerfield and the Glass Prison).

(Taken from a review I submitted to the Traveling the Vortex podcast | Last Read: Spring 2019)

So, Minuet in Hell. I have a supreme dislike for this story. Really, it’s kinda hard to say why. As a concept, it’s not terrible and it has some good ideas. It’s necessary for completists, both from a collecting standpoint and an Eighth Doctor’s Big Finish run standpoint. I guess there’s just so much little stuff, that I really have a hard time overlooking and therefore enjoying this story. I guess the biggest complaint with this is the subject matter. I’m not a fan of supernatural stories. The Hellfire Club just rubs me the wrong way. Even though the “demons” turn out not to be “demons”, it’s getting there that I don’t like. There are the institute and brain experiments, I don’t mind that. If they’d focused solely on that, I might’ve found this more enjoyable.

The accents are questionable at best, downright offensive at worst. They sound like a cross between Deep South and Texas. The main villain, Brigham Elisha Dashwood III, is played by Robert Jezek (who is better known as the voice of Frobisher) and is a politician gunning for the governorship of the fifty-first state of the union and then hopefully President. While at the same time, feeling like an exaggerated caricature of a Televangelist who’s secretly a devil worshipper. Maybe that’s the most offensive.

The Eighth Doctor gets to meet the Brigadier. Yay! The Brig is really the only saving grace of this story. And it’s a shame that this is the only true meeting between the characters on audio. Yes, both actors will appear in Zagreus, but Nicholas Courtney isn’t really playing the Brig, and the Eighth Doctor is barely himself. Speaking of the Doctor. He spends most of his screentime whimpering with amnesia, a trope that had kinda been overdone with the Eighth Doctor by this point. Meanwhile, Nick Briggs plays Gideon Crane, an unfortunate man who happens to run afoul of the TARDIS and fall under Jackson Lake (see The Next Doctor) syndrome where he thinks he’s the Doctor.

I read the summary found in the Big Finish Companion Volume 1 for this story. It’s not that bad of an idea. The way the plot summary is written makes it sound like something interesting that I’d like to listen to. And yet, actually listening to it, I struggle to get into it. I think that the accents are the biggest offender here. They’re British people trying to be Texan, or southern, or something. The biggest offenders are Dashwood, Becky Lee and the worst being Senator Pickering/Marchosias.

I think this is a story that couldn’t decide what it wanted to be. A political story, a supernatural story, a scientific experiment story, an Eight meets Brig story. It just kinda throws them all into the pot and stirs. It's an adaptation of an old Audio Visuals script as well but majorly shifted in it's time frame (the original was set in 1600s or 1700s England). Oh, and they close out the Ramsey the Vortisaur storyline that’s been hanging around in the background of these first four Eighth Doctor plays and there are a few lines about Charley being dead to further the Web of Time arc. I’ll admit, I didn’t even finish the story this time around. I just couldn’t get into it. It tries so hard and then fails in so many ways.

(Taken primarily from my Goodreads Review | Last Read: August/September 2022)

The Time Travelers by Simon Guerrier was one of the first Doctor Who novels I ever read (I've read a lot more since then) and I loved it. Re-reading it now, with a lot more Who under my belt, I find it still a really good novel that while somewhat lore-heavy and complexly timey-wimey, is still a really good book. And, it's a debut novel (though, as best I can tell, the author had written some Big Finish print short trips prior to this).

The plot revolves around the First Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara arriving in a dystopian 2006 London where England is losing a war with South Africa and the scientific part of the army is working on a time machine. The novel is set between the TV Stories Planet of Giants and The Dalek Invasion of Earth for the TARDIS Crew, while the London they find themselves in is a direct result of what would have happened if the Doctor had not interferred in The War Machines in his personal future. There are also references to The Tenth Planet and Remembrance of the Daleks. But on the whole, it's very much a self-contained, character-driven story.

There are plenty of twists as it progresses, but it's never overly confusing and everything is worked out well. The regulars are all written superbly with each of them getting good moments and something to do. The way the novel deals with time, as well as the First Doctor/Susan and the vague threat of the Time Lords is done very well. With the benefit of hindsight, Guerrier is able work in the aftermath of the "You can't rewrite history" speech from The Aztecs, as well as foreshadow, and make a bit less abrupt, Susan's departure in the next chronological story The Dalek Invasion of Earth. So, this is an excellent novel for Who fans in general, but especially if you like the mechanics/philosophy of Time Travel, and/or the original Tardis Team or the First Doctor era.

Dalek is a triumphant return of the titular monster. Dalek takes a single Dalek and makes it scary. Is Jubilee, the Big Finish audio this shares its roots with the superior story? Yes... and no. While the two stories share the same author and do share a backbone, they're both telling very different stories. *Jubilee* is focused on the desensitization and celebration of evil and how that often leads to a worse evil. In the audio, the Dalek/Nazi correlation is especially highlighted.

Dalek has a much different purpose. Dalek's purpose is to introduce a new generation to the Daleks and make them a credible threat again. It's also the midpoint (-ish) of the season and thus has the job of revealing more about the Time War which has thus far been just barely floating around the perifery of the season. And, I think it succeeds. Robert Shearman is an excellent writer, but a lot of the success falls to both Eccleston who's excellent and in top form here, and to Nick Briggs who gives an excellent performance as the Dalek. The scene in the cage where the Doctor and the Dalek meet for the first time is rivetting and so well done. The stairs scene is brilliantly done, and the scene where the Dalek uses the sprinkler system to kill everyone is brilliant.

In the end, this is a great episode. It's fun, effective, a great Dalek story, a really effective powerhouse performance from Christopher Eccleston and just the boost the show needed to keep people watching. Is it over-hyped? Maybe. And maybe as fans, there're better Dalek episodes and stories out there. But this is a story that you could use to show new fans how good this show can be. And that's a good thing. Within the context of Series 1, it's nearly perfect and boosts the season immensely.