The Fourth Doctor Adventures Series 10 Volume 2 is a small collection of Doctor Who audio plays starring Tom Baker and Louise Jameson as the Doctor and Leela, respectively. They are released by Big Finish Productions with both adventures directed by Nicholas Briggs.

The first story in the dock is Andrew Smith’s The Tribulations of Thadeus Nook. Brendan Murphy plays the title character, who is roguish sort who has gotten hold of his own time machine and decides to start a time touring business. The guest cast is comprised of Laura Riseborough, Keieren Bew, Georgina Hellier, Arthur Hughes, Tim Bentnick, and Christopher Naylor.

It’s not the most spectacular of episodes, however there is quite a bit of amusement to be found. The Doctor comes across someone who shares some of his more reckless tendencies and handles it with his usual charming hypocrisy. Jameson is fantastic in this one as well. Once again, the performances really make what could have been a somewhat mediocre story into something significantly more enjoyable. Smith actually is an interesting writer who has been contributing to Doctor Who since the classic television era. I am not sure this is one of his better ones, however it is still far from anyone’s worst. It’s a fun rump that is a little reminiscent of the late Douglas Adams. It’s a solidly entertaining adventure but likely not one to stand out. With as much Doctor Who as there is out there, coming up with something reasonably enjoyable is still a pretty decent accomplishment. Hopefully, it is not too long before Andrew Smith takes another run at it.

The Primeval Design by Helen Goldwyn has the Doctor and Leela meeting a rather interesting historical character known as Mary Anning in Dorset, 1830. Mary Anning was one of a very few of female paleontologists of that time. Since she is encountering the Doctor, Mary gets a little more danger than expected in her latest studies. Gigantic crocodiles are roaming the countryside and someone seems to have been engaged in some lethal experiments. Lucy Briggs-Owens, Ian Conningham, Alan David, Charlotte Bate, and Joe Sims join Tom Baker and Louise Jameson as the guest cast for this particular adventure.

Although it is pretty fun to encounter a little-known historical figure, I think I like the first story just a bit more. Sometimes, the actions were hard to visualize. The performances were solid. Once again, Big Finish demonstrates their ability to find the right people to voice these characters. Leela and the Doctor are split up which helps break any potential monotony. Leela has been written with more depth than what was seen on television, and I like that. Baker and Jameson continue to excel in their chemistry and on their own during the times when the two TARDIS occupants are separated.

Neither story is really bad, but they also are not terribly memorable. Once again, it proves that more Tom Baker and Louise Jameson are still crucial to better enjoyment of the stories.

The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race And Identity is a rather in depth analysis of the nature of today’s political and social discourse by Douglas Murray.

Murray presents the view that the identity of those who make a particular argument has become more important than the actual point. He breaks down the debates surrounding race, gay, and transgender matters. It has been argued that it is too easy for people of differing opinions end up talking past each other instead of to each other, and Murray expresses some well documented reasons to why the current nature of political discussion has grown more toxic and unproductive.

The book discusses recent controversies that involve Kanye West expressing some support for Candace Owens, the Harvey Weinstein trial, and so much more. In fact, there is a lot more that is handled more deftly and eloquently than yours truly could manage at this time.

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is a supernatural horror film directed by Michael Chaves. The screenplay was written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga reprise their roles as Ed and Lorraine Warren, the happily married exorcists and ghost hunters. Ruiari O’Conner plays the young Arne Johnson who offered himself to a demon to save his fiancee’s kid brother. Apparently Arne Johnson was one of the first defendants to seriously offer demon possession as a legal defense for murder. John Noble and Sarah Catherine Hook are also included in the cast.

Ed and Lorraine are actual figures who apparently made a name for themselves in the world of the supernatural. The film starts off as they try to exorcise a demon from a young boy. Ed suffers a heart attack, but they believe ceremony to have gone reasonably well in spite of that. The demon takes over Arne who compels him to kiss his landlord; The Warrens figure out that someone else has summoned this creature and start an investigation into the past of the town. Anyway, the investigate an older murder with similar circumstances and discover the root of the hatred that would lead to the summoning of the demon.

Although this is not the worst movie of the horror genre, it a bit of a weak link in The Conjuring franchise. I still rather like the Warrens as characters, but the script still seemed to rely on too many familiar tropes in these possession storylines. The people possessed still shrieked and snarled and were able to contort their bodies in all sorts of impossible figures just like what has been seen in countless films of this sort. There was even a scene of a priest in a hat staring at the afflicted house that was lifted directly from The Exorcist. The performances were solid enough though, but the film suffers from a lack of originality. Once again, this is another cinematic offering that fails to stand out in either direction.

The First Doctor Adventures Volume One is a collection of Doctor Who audio adventures from Big Finish Productions with a recasting of the original TARDIS crew. There are two stories in this set written by Matt Fitton and Guy Adams. The set was directed by Nicholas Briggs. David Bradley takes on the version of the Doctor originated by the late William Hartnell. Jamie Glover plays Ian Chesterton, originally portrayed by William Russell. Claudia Grant steps in as Susan, originally played by Carole Ann Ford. Finally, Jemma Powell, of course, does a decent job as Barbara Wright, originally played by Jacqueline Hill. This cast played the original actors in the BBC film An Adventure In Space and Time, which was the dramatization of the creation of Doctor Who. I was not sure I would like such a widespread substitution, but hey….it works. Two stories means two quick thoughts or reviews.

The Destination Wars is written by Matt Fitton. James Dreyfus joins the guest cast and plays a very old enemy of the Doctor’s in a newer yet earlier incarnation. Raymond Coulthard, Sian Reeves, and Deli Segal round out the guest cast. The TARDIS takes the Doctor and his companions to a human colony far from Earth known as Destination. The people rely on the wisdom of someone known as the Inventor. However the Doctor and his granddaughter know him by another name. This turned out to be a pretty good story even if it’s a little on the gimmicky side. Dreyfus makes a pretty compelling version of the aforementioned old adversary. The new main cast does seem to have pretty good chemistry, and I rather enjoyed Bradley’s version of the First Doctor. It’s a promising start to a range of stories that are faithful to the original early days of the series and yet offer enough creativity to keep me engaged.

Then Guy Adams brings listeners to The Great White Hurricane, which takes place in 1888 New York when the city was in the grip of a horrendous blizzard. The guest cast is comprised of Jackson Milner, Cory English, Carolina Valdes, Ronan Summers, and Christopher Naylor. In the midst of the winter catastrophe bearing down on them, the TARDIS crew get themselves swept up in a gang war in which Susan gets kidnapped. I liked the idea of this team being caught up in an American historical event. Overall, this one was not quite as compelling as the first one, however it was not without some merit.

As usual, the performances are solid and engaging. The post production work continues to impress as well. It is an interesting idea to reunite the cast from An Adventure In Space and Time and have them perform as the original TARDIS crew. The two stories in this set are both good, however the first one just engaged a bit more thoroughly. David Bradley doesn’t bother with a Hartnell impersonation but still manages to come up with a pretty good version of the First Doctor. There are quite a few sets that have been released already, so I plan to catch up fairly quickly with this particular range.

A Divided Loyalty is a recent addition to the series of mystery novels featuring Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge written by Charles Todd.

Inspector Rutledge has been working cases for the Yard since he returned from fighting in the trenches during the First World War. He returned from battle with a voice in his head belonging to a comrade he had executed for disobeying orders. He has managed to solve several murder cases in spite of his condition. The voice of Hamish MacLeod has at times managed to provide some insight or bring out something from Rutledge’s subconscious that keeps him nearing to a solution.

In this particular entry, Rutledge has been given the task of following up on a murder investigation that was begun by a colleague. A mysterious young woman has been found dead near a stone circle. Rutledge has some trouble finding the identity of the victim, but when he does, the clues keep him coming back to his home base.

Some of Rutledge’s colleagues have become aware of his psychological situation, which does add further tension to his already precarious situation. Rutledge continues to remain one of crime fiction’s more intriguing and admirable protagonists.

This novel actually turns out to be one of the better ones in the series. There is a pretty good head fake in the solution to this particular crime. Todd once again does a capable job capturing the likely mood of Britain in the aftermath of World War I. I tend to look forward to each novel in this series, and I found this one to be particularly intriguing. When I say this is one of the better ones, that is not to mean the others are bad.

So I still recommend this particular series, and this novel is not one of to be overlooked.

Next up, I will make an uncommon foray into the world of non-fiction with a book I have been wanting to read for some time. Douglas Murray has quite a bit to say about The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race, and Identity, and I want to read it.

Savage Run is the second novel by C.J. Box to feature Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett. It was first published in 2003. The caper starts off with a notorious environmentalist and his wife getting killed when a cow bomb is detonated. Yeah, a bomb tied to a cow is the means of murder. So that bit does seem rather ridiculous. however the overall novel is better than it sounds. Pickett has become a rather unusual protagonist in crime fiction because he does not seem to have any serious vices and has a stable family life. The environmentalist seems to have a past that intersects with Mrs. Pickett, so that is rather interesting.

There is a rather harrowing chase through the wilderness that takes up a good deal of the story. There are some pretty dastardly lawyers and politicians in the background as well, and they help keep Pickett rather busy as well.

This isn’t really a stand-out novel that should be lauded for its brilliance, but the setting is captured well, and Pickett remains a likeable enough hero, although not the most memorable, I suppose.

Even if Box falls short in stoking any major enthusiasm for his works, he does have my respect and just enough of my interest to have me wander back from time to time.

Next up, I am currently reading another murder mystery by Charles Todd. Scotland Yard Inspector Ian Rutledge learns the folly of A Divided Loyalty.

The Doomsday Contract is a Doctor Who audio play and is the latest episode from the range known as The Lost Stories. It was first conceived by John Lloyd and has been adapted for Big Finish Productions by Nev Fountain. Tom Baker returns as the Doctor and is accompanied by Lalla Ward as Romana and John Leeson as K9. Nicholas Briggs serves as director and as one of the guest cast which also includes Christopher Naylor, Julian Wadham, Paul Panting, Richard Laing, Jeany Spark, and Spencer Banks.

The Doctor is subpoenaed to testify as to whether or not Earth has intelligent life. Of course, the Doctor is both pleased to offer his expert knowledge and wary of the bureaucracy of such proceedings. The matter gets a bit more complicated when the Doctor is the target of an assassination and most be secured in another universe for his safety. There he meets the Lost Jury and face other challenges.

So this particular episode is presented in a style similar to what the late Douglas Adams would write. It has a bit more slapstick humor than usual. Tom Baker appears to be enjoying himself immensely. The villains are pixie-like killers who are quite persistent in their rather affectionate and lethal in their methods of elimination.

This story works pretty well and represents the era pretty well. Nev Fountain is a talented writer and does well bringing life to Lloyd’s original idea. As expected, the sound effects are quite good. Although the actors are likely recording in isolation, the post-productions work make that hard to tell. The humor works well, and Tom Baker’s performance is quite good.

I did not know anything about this particular episode before its announced release, but I am glad I did not overlook it.

The End of the Beginning is a Doctor Who audio play written by Robert Valentine and released by Big Finish Productions. Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Paul McGann all come together with Sylvester McCoy entering the fray at the climax of this story. Of course, they are all various incarnations of the Doctor coming together for some super big universal threat. Miranda Raison returns as Constance Clarke alongside the Sixth Doctor. India Fisher reprises her role as Charlotte Pollard. Mark Strickson also returns as Turlough alongside Davison. Youssef Kerkour, Kevin McNally, and David Schofield are among the guest cast.

The format hearkens back to the format of the very first audio drama entitled The Sirens of Time. A Doctor will have a brief adventure on his own and then unites with some of his other incarnations in final part of the story. He wins the day and the universe is saved yet again. This time, there is a mysterious figure that turns up in each story, and the Doctor is spirited away where other versions himself awaits.

The multi-Doctor stories are kind of fun but not always well thought out. Although Big Finish tends to do a little better than the television series ever did in these situation, I was a bit underwhelmed by this one. It was still fun to hear the Doctors banter and bicker among himself.

This title is the 275th adventure recorded for what has become known as the Monthly Range. This is also the last one in this range, however all of the Doctors will continue their audio exploits in boxsets and other formats though. The enjoy the monthly releases, but I understand the need to shake up the schedule a bit at times.

Anyway, it wasn’t the most spectacular ending to a long-running range of Doctor Who audios, but I am heartened to know there is plenty more to come from Big Finish Productions when it comes to the Doctor.

A Quiet Place Part II is a horror film written and directed by John Krasinski, who also reprises his role as the patriarch of the Abbott family in a flashback sequence at the beginning. It is also a sequel to the film unsurprisingly entitled A Quiet Place. Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, and Noah Jupe return as the surviving Abbotts. Cillian Murphy and Djimon Hounsou are added to the cast as they are able to provide some help to the Abbotts.

So Earth has been invaded by monstrous aliens who are sightless and hunt by sound. Regan Abbott is the hearing impaired daughter who has figured out how to turn her hearing aids into a weapon. She also becomes instrumental in being able to help her other family members survive the attacks. In the previous movie, Mrs. Abbott had just given birth, so the family has an extra blessing and obstacle to avoiding the attention of the aliens. Actually, each of the family members get to show their heroic sides, except for the infant, but I am sure he can be forgiven for that. Even Jupe’s jumpy little Marcus gets his moment to shine.

This is one horror sequel that holds up pretty well and still manages to leave some questions in the air. Blunt is a good actress and the children are well cast. Murphy plays this old friend of the Abbott family who has become disheartened and distrustful of others during his time hiding out from the terrifying intruders. He looked pretty different in all of his scruff and I was not sure it was him until the cast credits rolled.

I am not sure a sequel was necessary here, but it was still full of suspense, and the main characters were just as likeable as in the first one. Anyway, for those that enjoyed the first movie, I am sure that there would be little reason to consider this latest effort to be a disappointment. Well done, Mr. Krasinski!

Kirsten Beyers continues to exploits of the crew of the USS Voyager in her latest Star Trek novel entitled To Lose The Earth. Voyager has returned to the Delta Quadrant with a group of starships knows as the Full Circle Fleet. Lieutenant Harry Kim is assigned to the USS Galen. He and his girlfriend are trying to keep their daughter alive in an incubator. A mysterious device has hurled the Galen across the galaxy. Fortunately, Kim has gone through this before. Meanwhile, Admiral Kathryn Janeway and rest of the Full Circle Fleet have other mysteries to solve on a planet which may explain the origins of Species 001 and their relationship to the Borg. So, there is a lot to unpack here, but you will have to read the novel to see if any of this makes sense. It would also help to be familiar with the overall series.

Beyer has been writing in this range for a while now. This particular novel is pretty interesting for a variety of reasons, although it can seem a bit repetitive considering another ship is now cut off from the rest of Starfleet. This is another installment that is fairly good but just stops short of feeling unique because of that sense of being there before. It was pretty cool to see Kim in command though while the Galen captain was incapacitated. Kim was the youngest of the main characters in the series, so his growth did seem rather natural. He is also dealing with a good amount of crisis in his personal life as well. Some things will change quite a bit if the series goes forward in this novel range, and I will likely be keeping up with it.

Next, I will return to a series I have just recently started reading. It was not long before I was curious enough to check back in with game warden Joe Pickett and his family with C.J. Box’s Savage Run.