Exploring the core Star Trek concept of IDIC (Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combination) this novel, set in a multi-racial Vulcan science research ceExploring the core Star Trek concept of IDIC (Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combination) this novel, set in a multi-racial Vulcan science research centre has a mutating plague, spread by mixed race children. In light of COVID 19, this novel takes on a real gravitas, being so relevant today.
Jean Lorrah does love her Vulcans and we get plenty of Spock's parents Sarek and Amanda as well as Sorel, Daniel and T'Mir, characters from her previous novel The Vucan Academy murders. The new characters introduced for this story are great - I love the Klingon scientist Korsal and T'Pina the young beautiful vulcan and Beau Deaver the half human/half orian Han Solo style rogue.
I found the supporting cast, their histories and relationships here far more interesting than the original TOS cast who don't really get a chance to shine - Bones gets a fair bit of attention, but he's in his element doctoring. Kirk does his charismatic diplomacy thing and Scotty gets and engineering emergency - They all perform their roles, but this doesn't explore their characters or relationships much. We get a bit more with Spock, since he's mixed race, a scientist and has his parents aboard - however this is such a fast paced, busy novel, juggling so many new characters that we don't get much of a chance to get into anyone's head.
This one's definitely all about the story. I really enjoyed it, it's exciting and it does explore race tensions quite nicely - Klingons are immune - if they got their hands on this would they use it as a bioweapon? It also has some nice snippits of Orion and Romulan culture and of course the rebel Vulcan followers of T'Vet.
Fans of SNW will be delighted to see an early appearance of M'Benga - He ends up joining the Enterprise crew, being an expert on Vulcan biology. What made me giggle though is this was written before SNW gave him the official Christian name Joseph - so here he's Geoff.
A solid 3.5 from me, this was a pretty good Trek novel in terms of writing, story and Trekverse. It's just not quite so good on exploring the TOS cast, focusing instead on original characters, still these were likeable and I think this one has aged really well in light of COVID and SNW. ...more
This is the audio of the almost completely lost serial - The Celestial Toymaker - Only the final episode of 4 - The final Test still survives and thisThis is the audio of the almost completely lost serial - The Celestial Toymaker - Only the final episode of 4 - The final Test still survives and this is because the BBC archived it thinking it was a cricket match due to the title!
1st Doctor Hartnell and companions Dodo & Stephen are drawn into the mysterios dimension of the Celestial Toymaker (Michael Gough) - The Doctor is rendered invisible and forced to play a stratedy game against the Toymaker, whilst Dodo & Stephen have to play a series of games against people trapped in the dimension who have been turned into toys - If they can win their games before the Doctor finishes his they get the TARDIS and are free to go, but if they lose they will be turned into toys and stuck with the Toymaker forever....
I love the Immortal Toymaker, he's an excellent villain - there's no way to defeat him for good and his exceptionally clever making a good aversary for the Doctor. His fantastic dimension of dolls, playing cards and clowns is also wonderfully sinister.
It's quite 'stagey', static and theatrical as Early Who tended to be - and its not very sci-fi (we're not travelling in space or time, but a weird alternate dimension) - It's far more whimsical and fantasy - this might have made an intersting Sapphire & Steel episode. It is however, nicely sinister and creepy. Gough is excellent and from the strenth of this I'm amazed the Toymaker hasn't made more of an appearance in Who. I can't wait for him to turn up in the upcoming special. ...more
Talk about ending the series on a bang. The 8th Doctor Lucie Miller series is in my opinon Who audio at its finest. Lucie Miller is my favourite compaTalk about ending the series on a bang. The 8th Doctor Lucie Miller series is in my opinon Who audio at its finest. Lucie Miller is my favourite companion - and that's saying something compared to some of the wonderful actresses we have seen on screen - But Sheridan Smith is just superb, mouthy, funny, strong minded and yet vulnerable and an excellent foil for the Doctor. This final story does her justice and lets her exit with a bang. This story has it all, Daleks, the Meddling Monk, real threat and death and yeah.... Great stuff...more
The first of the two parter finale of the 8th Doctor Lucie Miller series is a real banger. The Daleks, aided by the Monk and his assistand Tamsin Drew The first of the two parter finale of the 8th Doctor Lucie Miller series is a real banger. The Daleks, aided by the Monk and his assistand Tamsin Drew have released a plague on Earth to distract people from their master plan. Lucie survives, barely but she's disfigured, blind and paralysed - The Doctor is nowhere to be found, but Susan and her son still have hope that he'll come and save the day.
This one really show's Sheridan Smith's range - It's really poignant and at the same time she retains her smart mouth. Excellent Dalek story that harps back to Classic Who with superb performances across the board. Graeme Garden makes a wonderful Monk....more
The production and voice cast on this, as with most Big Finish audios are top notch - Blue's Antony Costa guest stars here and he's really good. SheriThe production and voice cast on this, as with most Big Finish audios are top notch - Blue's Antony Costa guest stars here and he's really good. Sheridan Smith also gets to strut her stuff playing two different androids; Chloe & Daphne as well as returning as Lucie Miller.
My low score comes from the story itself - Its always hard to do a completely fresh alien Who story. Its very easy for a listener to picture a Dalek, cyberman, Sontaran or Zygon because we have a frame of reference - Here we have Mecurials, mercinaries made of mercury. Being audio there's very little description and I had a hard job 'picturing' this in my mid, despite the excellent voice talent - everyone sounded.... well human.
This is a completely alien world - no time travel/historical point of reference either and honestly it's not very Who-y. The Doctor's been imprisoned in the heart of a sun condemed to maintaining its systems and while he could escape, he's curious as to why he's there and needs to stop the sun becoming a weapon. I applaud this for its originality and scope, however I just felt this would have been far better as a TV episode where we could appreciate the world building and aliens better with a visual context. Its not a bad story, but just doesn't feel very Who. ...more
Although she doesn't want to travel with him permenantly after Auntie Pat, the Doctor promises Lucie the Christmas she missed out on because of Death Although she doesn't want to travel with him permenantly after Auntie Pat, the Doctor promises Lucie the Christmas she missed out on because of Death in Blackpool. He sets up Christmas dinner with Susan (the first companion) and her son Alex (played by Paul McGann's son Jake). The TARDIS gets attacked by a giant Alien fish.
This is such a change of pace after the epic three parter. Its a nice self contained nostalgic piece that's really well researched. Carole Ann Ford reprises her role as companion Susan, and I liked it that it was further on in her life - she has a son now, so she wasn't quite the same character. I loved how the Doctor has kept the rooms of all his former companions in the TARDIS.
I really enjoyed this one - I thought it was clever how the alien fish was released because The Doctor re-opened Susan's old room. Who knows what other aliens and relics might be in the other rooms - Its kind of a cautionary tale about holding on to the past....more
The Resurrection of Mars pulls all the threads together from the last two stories: The Book of Kells and Deimos - As such its not a great self-containThe Resurrection of Mars pulls all the threads together from the last two stories: The Book of Kells and Deimos - As such its not a great self-contained story and really doesn't work as a stand alone - It's heavily plotty. Tasmin and Lucie Miller come face to face and the rival Time Lords (8th Doctor and the Monk) basically swap companions.
This one's excellent for character - While you know the Monk is clearly wrong, it forces the audience and indeed his companions to question The Doctor and his actions - At once point the Doctor has to choose - Save Lucie or Let the Ice Warriors win and kill millions.
I love The Monk and I thought his character was really well used in this one. It's fantastic to have Lucie back as well. I enjoyed this one, but it depends what you want from a Who audio - If you want a cracking good adventure story, you're out of luck, but if you're a fan of the 8th Doctor Adventures and invested in the characters then this one is pretty vital....more
The 8th Doctor encounters Ice Warriors! With David Warner on the voice cast you know this is going to be good and it doesn't disappoint. After Mars becThe 8th Doctor encounters Ice Warriors! With David Warner on the voice cast you know this is going to be good and it doesn't disappoint. After Mars became too hot some Ice Warriors fled to it's moon Deimos where they hibernate awaiting a time when conditions change in their favour.
We then jump to the distant future where a tourist group come to see the remnants of the Ice Warrior civilaztion and failed (through lack of funds) terraforming project. Some Ice Warriors awake and want to use the abandoned terraforming device to re-freeze Mars, killing off all the humans.
Homage to Moonbase & Ice Warriors - tick. Nice little nod to the previous audio Phobos, tick. Phenomenal voice cast tick. The Doctor standing up for diplomacy when the others just want to blow things up - tick. I find the 8th Doctor really suits this kind of role, I don't know if it's simply McGann's voice or what, but I like his incarnation being diplomatic and reasoning.
This story isn't however a good stand alone and you really need to have the Ressurection of Mars on standby. Still I thought this one was really good....more
**spoiler alert** Harping back to the Hinchcliffe era this fuses Who and gothic horror. I don't know what it is but while I think mixing Who and Briti**spoiler alert** Harping back to the Hinchcliffe era this fuses Who and gothic horror. I don't know what it is but while I think mixing Who and British gothic is amongst the best there is, mixing Who with American gothic just never seems to work quite as well (I'm thinking of things like the 6th Doctor: The Lovecraft Invasion, fusing two of my favourite things Lovecraft and Who and coming up wanting) The same is true of this one - how can a Who story centred around Poe with robot ravens and a mutant shapeshifting cat be anything other than awesome? And yet its pretty forgettable. I'm not warming to companion Tamsin, but then Lucie Miller is pretty much an impossible act to follow. Sheridan Smith set the bar and the later 8th Doctor Adventures are really suffering for her loss.
This one's not bad exactly, but it suffers from a new companion finding her feet, both the doctor and audience reeling from Lucie's departure and a rather dull story. Though I do like the cat that gets into the TARDIS and mucks up the navigation. ...more
In at nutshell Doctor Who does The Apprentice. Since Lucie left we find the Doctor (McGann) interviewing for the post of companion. The candidates get In at nutshell Doctor Who does The Apprentice. Since Lucie left we find the Doctor (McGann) interviewing for the post of companion. The candidates get more than they bargain for having to deal with giant robots.
This one's not bad. I really really miss Lucie, but I thought the core concept of the Doctor actually interviewing for companions was great fun. ...more
Series 4 kicks off with the departure of Lucie Miller and it's an interesting way for a companion to go: She doesn't die, fall in love or get homesickSeries 4 kicks off with the departure of Lucie Miller and it's an interesting way for a companion to go: She doesn't die, fall in love or get homesick but rather loses trust in the Doctor - a rather bold step to take. So Lucie wants to return home to Blackpool for Christmas and they run into Aunty Pat (a zygon, but Lucie doesn't know) - This one follows on from The Horror of Glam Rock and the Zygon who fell to Earth. If you're unfamiliar with these the plot will seem pretty confused. It's all about death - Lucie ends up in a coma and Aunty Pat is dying because she's stayed in the same human form too long (all because she loves Lucie)
I found this one depressing and when Lucie finds out the Doctor knew Aunty Pat was a Zygon the who time it severs the bond between them completely - which after all the adventures they've been on and the rapport they've created is a mighty kick in the teeth....more
Spin off from the Pertwee episode Planet of the Spiders this has the 8th Doctor and Lucie attempt to foil a spider invasiom.
As mentioned in the first Spin off from the Pertwee episode Planet of the Spiders this has the 8th Doctor and Lucie attempt to foil a spider invasiom.
As mentioned in the first half of this two parter, Lucie being brainwashed is fairly subdued, but otherwise thumbs up from me. Love Planet of the Spiders and this one's lots of fun....more
Lucie gets recruited by a brainwashing cult while the Doctor joins some scientists investigating a missing space probe.
As usual with Eddie Robson storLucie gets recruited by a brainwashing cult while the Doctor joins some scientists investigating a missing space probe.
As usual with Eddie Robson stories this one's pretty good. My biggest issue is it's brevity. It's the first part of a 2-parter finale and feels shorter than most of the other 8th doctor adventures and then it just ends on an almighty cliff-hanger (so be warned have Wold Wide Web on hand, as this really doesn't work as a stand alone).
The other issue I had with it is splitting up Lucie and the Doctor. It's very much a two strand story - Lucie doing her thing with the cult and the Doctor doing his thing with the scientists. I miss the interaction between the Doctor and his companion, the teasing and witty banter. Luicie is brainwashed for most of this and while total Kudos to Sheridan Smith for making it totally believable, i miss Lucie's usual exuberance and general sarky self.
Still the cult section works really well and this kept my attention entirely. Its not bad at all, I just like some of the other stories better....more
Discovery is the marmite Star Trek - because 'it isn't proper trek' in as much as it's much darker, with far more grey areas and morally ambiguous chaDiscovery is the marmite Star Trek - because 'it isn't proper trek' in as much as it's much darker, with far more grey areas and morally ambiguous characters and doesn't follow the formula of previous shows which are all captain centric and for the large part episodic adventures. Personally I aplaud it for taking risks.
I can't say the same for this novel which is probably the least Star Trek novel I've ever read, and indeed the least Discovery novel I've read - the only connection to the show is a single character and being set in the Trek universe.
It's not a bad novel - It's reasonably written and I like Tilly both in it and in the show. Huge kudos to actress Mary Wiseman for giving real warmth, humanity and likeability to a motormouth genius who could so easily have been super annoying. This gives Tilly's backstory and coming of age as she breaks away from her ghastly forceful diplomat mother. The thing is this disn't need to be a Trek novel - It's a simple girl finding herself story that just happens to have Star Trek trappings. Other than a very awkward frame set on Discovery, in which Tilly, unable to sleep recounts her past to Michael there is no connection to the show. None of Discovery's characters feature other than Tilly and Michael mentioned only in the frame (she could be anyone). There are no recogniseably Trek aliens, nor does this refer to any of the story lines, politics or events of the show WHATSOEVER.
On the plus side its a very good character study of Tilly and super female friendly. Bullied girl finds a voice and manages to finally shine in Star Fleet - Not a bad role model and actively encouraging girls to pursue science and maths. It's also quite readable and we care what happens to our heroine. I also like seeing Star Fleet through a different lens so to speak - we get to see ordinary people which is a breath of fresh air.
It's a terrible Trek novel however in as much as it isn't very Trek, fails to capture the essence of the show in any way and doesn't really widen the universe or have a particularly exciting story to tell. There isn't much adventure here or any real level of danger. I enjoyed it, but feel that it isn't going to meet the expectations of its target audience who are Discovery fans and this really isn't very Discovery....more
Something about the plot of this one intrigued me. Kirk, Bones & Spock are forced to visit Vulcan after a 'red shirt' crew member is injured and the VSomething about the plot of this one intrigued me. Kirk, Bones & Spock are forced to visit Vulcan after a 'red shirt' crew member is injured and the Vulcan science academy has the only experimental cutting edge technology that can potentially save him. This gives Spock a chance to visit his father and welcome his mother back from stasis where she has been undergoing the same radical life-extention surgery. The chief human doctor's wife is the third patient - when she and our red shirt die, Kirk realises that he is dealing with a murderer and has the play detective.
While this didn't play out how I wanted, its not without merit. I was hoping for something like Sherlock Holmes on Vulcan with detective Spock. Insead we get Kirk investigating a rather humdrum crime of passion where the perpetrator is obvious to the reader early on. What I did like was the exploration of Vulcan customs and the back story of Spock's parents - while the Amanda/Sarek courtship isn't explored in full (there's so a novel in that, if there isn't one already!) there are some nice flashbacks. I also liked Kirk interating with T'Pau - the scene where he sort of half accuses her is gold.
It's not too badly written, my biggest annoyance is how may chapters begin with James T. Kirk - we don't need his full name repeated quite so often, we know who he is, and it feels a tad clunky. Otherwise its reasonably paced and a fun story. I missed Scotty's presence, I think he'd have had a field day with some of the tech. And I also feel Spock was far better suited to the role of detective, however this would have made Kirk somewhat superfluous, so I can see why the story unfolds the way it does. Terminology is all spot on and the characters are all in keeping, and this does allude to several past episodes. Not the best, but a decent TOS novel, with a smashing Boris Vallejo cover....more
The Doctor and Lucie end up on a robot space station - where evolution has produced various types of robot - Servos (good droids that look like vacuumThe Doctor and Lucie end up on a robot space station - where evolution has produced various types of robot - Servos (good droids that look like vacuums and live for protocol), Cannibalists (evil droids) who kill and repurpose other robots for their own survival, Minerva, the space station operating system, and one unique robot who composes poetry in his spare time.
Sheridan steals the show and gives a very human connection point to what is quite an alien story. Other voice cast includePhil Davis and Phil Jupitus. It's a lot of fun for a robot story that doesn't feature Daleks, Cybermen or Vocs. Very much a stand alone this doesn't offer much in the way of character development or expansion of the who verse but still, the evil cannibalists are ace. ...more
I could listen to Paul Darrow forever, so having him narrate B7 audio books is always a treat. This is Trevor Hoyle's novelization of episodes 1.3 andI could listen to Paul Darrow forever, so having him narrate B7 audio books is always a treat. This is Trevor Hoyle's novelization of episodes 1.3 and 1.4 (Cygnus Alpha and Time Squad) - obviously if you are a B7 fan this doesn't cover any new ground, but Darrow reads this brilliantly and its nice to re-visit the entrance of Cally....more
Lucie wants the Doctor to take her back to Moulin Rouge era Paris so she can meet Ewan McGreggor. Instead they end up on Gestapo occupied Paris where Lucie wants the Doctor to take her back to Moulin Rouge era Paris so she can meet Ewan McGreggor. Instead they end up on Gestapo occupied Paris where Goat Headed aliens perform Grand Guignol theatre and execute a 'scapegoat' over and over again.
The Grand Guignol theatrical segments reminded me a bit of The Master and Margarita. This is a great 'fusion' plot - with Gestapo, theatricality and aliens - but while its a great story in it's own right it isn't very Doctor-Who-y. The TARDIS and Lucie play a far more important role than the actual Doctor - The one nice moment for him is when he tells Max that he himself was a scapegoat for the Time Lords and survived, otherwise I found him pretty superfluous. Great voice cast including Samantha Bond. Sheridan Smith steals the show again on this one, her manggled French is a hoot.
Interesting and compelling plot, but not a particularly good WHO story. ...more
If there are any Trekkies out there who fancy a Stargate cross over, Gene DeWeese's Chain of Attack is a good starting point. The Enterprise are invesIf there are any Trekkies out there who fancy a Stargate cross over, Gene DeWeese's Chain of Attack is a good starting point. The Enterprise are investigateing what are basically stargates of unknown origin and predictability. They've been sending through probes with various reactions - some have come back exactly the same, some have manifested elsewhere and others have not come back at all. The Enterprise is forced through one of these gates and gets stranded with no way home. They investigate and find a basically annihilated galaxy with two hostile races both of whom are convinced the other is responsible for the destruction around them.
Kirk attempts to mediate peace but is hampered by a villainous visiting politition observer aboard the Enterprise who attempts mutiny and to discredit the 'family' he can never be a part of.
While the story isn't particularly original I thought this one was fairly exciting, well paced and would make a decent episode of TOS. Characters are all on point - the only niggle is Kirk being a bit too nice - but he's being distracted by hostile aliens in a strange galaxy with no way home, so we can cut him some slack - still letting Crandall back on the bridge after his previous mutiny.... waaaaaaaaay to lenient if you ask me. Spock gets to be both logical and heroic and Scotty & Bones have their moments.
As Trek novels go, I thought this one was pretty good, not quite in the favourites pile - it doesn't offer me anything new in terms of plot, character exploration, originality or expansion/exploration of the Trek universe and it maybe lacks humour but it is pacy and exciting and as a Star Trek adventure doesn't disappoint.
The one neat thing this does bring in is the for want of a better word, stargates. We don't learn who built them, why or where they all lead. Trek itelf of course uses this trope later on with wormholes - but here its kind of left hanging. I mean you could read this that they are in fact wormholes and someone like the Dominion or Borg have been destroying worlds - Or you could read them as actual stargates, or completely unrelated portals which gives plenty of scope for more exploration and stories in this particular sandbox....more
Anthology graphic novel featuring 3 new original stories: Captain Scarlet: The Equinox Gambit Space Precinct: The Marionette Killer Terrahawks: Squared AAnthology graphic novel featuring 3 new original stories: Captain Scarlet: The Equinox Gambit Space Precinct: The Marionette Killer Terrahawks: Squared Away
The highlight here is the Terrahawks story - Ste Pickford's art wouldn't be out of place gracing the pages of 2000AD, its fun, colourful and punchy. Zelda's here, zeroids and an evil cube.
Richmond Clement's Space Precinct story isn't bad, bringing a perp from Brogan's past works nicely. However its let down by James Gray's art - The space cruiser, Tarn and Creon depections are pretty good. However the humans are really hideous in places and the overall look is dreary, particularly when contrasted by the following Terrahawks piece.
I have no strong feelings towards Captain Scarlet. The story seemed ok, and Pete Wood's art was functional.
Great to see some new stories in these Gerry Anderson worlds. I quite enjoyed this but it's not going to change your life. ...more
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