Tag: review

Doctor Who Audio Review: Escaping From Beyond

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

The Great Beyond is a Doctor Who audio drama from Big Finish Productions that is pretty interesting if a little confusing at times. The script is written by James Kettle and directed by Ken Bentley. Peter Davison returns as the Fifth Doctor and is joined by Janet Fielding, Sarah Sutton, and Matthew Waterhouse as Tegan, Nyssa, and Adric, respectively. It’s a pretty long story this time, so the guest cast is relatively lengthy and is comprised of Anna Crichlow, John Hopkins, Philip Hurd-Wood, Maggie Service, Paksie Vernon, and Andrew Wincott.

The Doctor and his companions encounter a sentient prison on a distant planet that changes and involves and moves over the surface. Tegan starts off trying to locate the Time Lord and her other two friends, however they have no memory of her when she catches up with them. The prison itself is not the worst of the threats that the Doctor has to overcome. He also has may have to sacrifice his freedom in order to save his friends and live a life of confinement that he has always fought to avoid.

The idea is pretty ambitious and impressive, but it is difficult to picture some aspects of the story in the mind’s eye sometimes. As usual, the performances are terrific. There seems to be some interest in stretching this incarnation of the Doctor into some creative predicaments, and this effort for the most part is worth the journey.

Kettle starts off in the middle of the adventure, and the audience has to go through some flashback sequences to get the proper context. It’s not a bad way to go here.

Big Finish’s intent is to give the Fifth Doctor a six-episode adventure, which was never done on television. There is a risk of the story dragging a bit, and that sort of happens here but it’s not too bad.

Kettle does manage to display something rather creative and unique in this story, which is hard to pull off considering how vast Doctor Who has become. It was nice to not have to rely on some of the old classic enemies to try to carry this longer than usual story.

Anyway, not every aspect of the story was easy to understand, but it was still worth the time. Big Finish continues to often outshine the television series.

Doctor Who Audio Review: Holiday Plans Get Dominated By Alien Threats

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Dominant Species is the latest Doctor Who audio boxset from Big Finish Productions and features Tom Baker returning as the Fourth Doctor in a pair of pretty good episodes. Christopher Naylor reprises the role of Harry Sullivan with Eleanor Crooks continuing her portrayal of Naomi Cross. Harry Sullivan was originally played by the late Ian Marter in the television series, but Naylor does a decent job breathing new life into the character. Crooks continues to be a welcome addition to the cast as Naomi Cross, who is created for the Big Finish episodes.

First of all, there is The Face in the Storm, written by Sarah Grochala, a two-part story which places the TARDIS crew on board a ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean transporting soldiers to fight in the First World War. The guest cast is comprised of Christopher Weeks, Kayi Ushe, and Reece Pantry. Jamie Anderson serves as director.

A ship known as the SS Maycrest is contending with a blizzard, but a strange crate held an alien entity which has gotten loose and is waiting in the storm. Naomi also gets a closer look at her own family history, which is threatened by the storm and the creature within.

The story references the contribution of Jamaican soldiers during the major wars. Naomi gets another story where she is spotlighted. Crooks puts in a compelling performance yet again. Tom Baker’s performance is consistently engaging, but he continues to delivery his witticisms with ease.

On the whole, the episode is pretty interesting, but the adversary is not very memorable. I still appreciate the effort to present the Doctor with a new adversary. I also enjoy the novelty of this particular Doctor having to deal with whatever emotional impact the adventure is having on his companions.

As usual, the episode has some interesting points and great performances, but not much really stands out.

Dominant Species by John Dorney sees the return of a ruthless race seen only once on television during the Patrick Troughton era. For some reason, the Dominators alongside their robotic servants, the Quarks, have shown back up to menace out favorite Time Lord. Nicholas Briggs once again returns to the director’s chair and is joined by a guest cast which includes Clive Wood, Clive Hayward, Polly Kemp, Rosalyn Landor, Joseph Kloska, Emily Woodward, and Helen Goldwyn.

The Doctor keeps promising a vacation to his two companions but can’t quite follow through. This time, they find that the planet Taleeria has been invaded by the Dominators with the aid of their robotic henchmen, the Quarks. The Doctor gets separated from Harry and Naomi, ending up being enslaved by the Dominators. Of course, the Doctor uses his proximity to the galactic conquerors to sabotage their plans. Meanwhile, Harry and Naomi have their own challenges lending their talents and experience to the resistance effort, not sure if their Gallifreyan friend is still alive.

The Dominators is not the most highly regarded television serial from the Troughton era among the fans, but Dorney actually manages to make them more interesting in spite of their stupid name. Clive Wood, in particular, was great casting as Director Draga. The Doctor displays a little more despair about his predicament than he normally would, but it does not make him unrecognizable. Baker continues to remain as compelling and enthusiastic as ever in his performance. The Quarks are not as menacing as I believe the original writers had hoped, but the effects are well used.

I think this story is the stronger one out of the two presented here, but yet again both are still worth the time.

It’s a pretty good release, and Dorney actually accomplishes something of a creative feat by making the Dominators more compelling than in their introductory story.

Doctor Who Audio Review: The Cybermen Are Certainly Not Angels

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

The Quintessence is an excellent Doctor Who audio drama from Big Finish Productions and features the Third Doctor and Jo Jones. Nicholas Briggs directs this episode which is written by Stewart Pringle and Lauren Mooney. Nicholas Briggs provides the voice as the Cybermen, as usual. The rest of the guest cast is comprised of Chris Larkin, Felicity Cant, Emily Joyce, and Gary Turner.

Tim Treloar resumes his role of the Third Doctor with his steadily improving impression of the late Jon Pertwee’s performance. Katy Manning plays a much older Jo Grant, who is now Jo Jones, and has rejoined the Doctor in the TARDIS.

The story begins with a strange dream that Jo is having about a young girl in an isolated manor. She receives a set of coordinates and convinces the Doctor to check it out. They find the estate in the midst of a storm raging across a desolate planet known as Nethara Reach. They find that it is occupied by a couple with a sickly daughter who believe they have been communicating with angels. It doesn’t take long for the Doctor to recognize these supposed angels as one his most ruthless adversaries. The Cybermen have targeted the daughter for a horrifying purpose. The Doctor and Jo will have to embark on a rescue mission to save a family from a terrifying transformation.

The Daleks are apparently the most popular villains in the franchise, but my heart still goes with the Cybermen as the more chilling of the Doctor’s foes. The relentless of survival by converting anyone and anything into one of their numbers is effectively chilling…especially without all of the maniacal shrieking the Daleks like to cut loose.

The plot is actually pretty creative even if some old adversaries are brought out of the mothballs. Katy Manning gives one of her stronger performances. She is always good and obviously slips into the role with ease. Treloar is good. I also have to note that Chris Larkin as Arthur Pepperdine undergoes a compelling and convincing character transformation, which was quite wonderfully performed.

This is a six-part story, which has a tendency to drag, however the writers for this serial kept this one pretty interesting throughout. Nicholas Briggs handles the directing with his usual precision and skill as he voices the emotionless, unrelenting Cybermen.

Big Finish is reliably solid when it comes to casting and story ideas, however this particular release ended up surprising me with stronger than usual performances and a pretty fascinating use of common scenes and soundscapes. This story would be an unusual fit for the Pertwee era, however it’s a welcome departure and stretch of creative muscles.

The Quintessence is probably one of the top releases for the year, which is saying something since Big Finish is so consistent with the care and attention they put into these releases.

Doctor Who Audio Review: Time Lords And Vampires Still Don’t Mix

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Goth Opera is the latest Doctor Who audio drama adapted from a pretty good novel by Big Finish Productions. Lizbeth Myles is the scriptwriter who adapted this episode from the highly regarded novel written by Paul Cornell. David O’Mahoney serves as director as Peter Davison, Janet Davison, and Sarah Sutton reprise their usual roles as the Doctor, Tegan Jovanka, and Nyssa, respectively. Natalie Gumede, Micah Balfour, Ewan Goddard, and John Schwab are included in the guest cast.

The Doctor is indulging in a game of cricket while another Gallifreyan named Ruath is arranging for the vampires on Earth to encounter their messiah named Yarven. Ruath also has a bone to pick with the Doctor, and Yarven is well aware of the Doctor’s encounters with his species as well. Nyssa is attacked and bitten by a vampire, prompting the Doctor and Tegan to frantically save her from a full transformation. The Doctor finds himself the target of another vendetta for events that reach back to his academy days. Ruath also wants to create a hybrid comprised of Time Lord and Vampire DNA, and the Doctor will have quite a lot to say about that.

The plot is actually kind of interesting because Ruath’s motivations and her resentment of the Doctor’s decision to leave Gallifrey are a bit complicated. The nature of their past relationship is left a little murky, which I liked. The performances from the main cast members are as on par as a long-time listener of this series would expect. Davison still doesn’t sound like he did forty years ago, but it’s still great to listen to him. There is quite a bit of exasperated banter between him and Janet Fielding’s Tegan Jovanka that has yet to get old. Sutton has quite a sizeable part in the story and handles it more than capably.

The story was kind of interesting, but the original novel is a little overrated in my estimation. It took me a bit to warm up to Balfour’s performance as Yarven, but I got there. Schwab plays a Southern evangelist, and his accent is somewhat distracting because of the exaggeration of it.

I am curious of there is a plan for Big Finish to adapt the sequel novel Blood Harvest which would feature Sylvester McCoy’s Doctor. I think that would be a good, if somewhat predictable, decision for the company to make. I would listen to that one too.

I don’t usually comment on the music score on these things, but this release did have a rather distinctive composition which I rather enjoyed throughout the adventure.

The episode is an enjoyable addition to the range but necessarily a standout.

Doctor Who Audio Review: The Doctor Goes The Distance

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

All of Time and Space is a pretty compelling trilogy of Doctor Who audio plays that features the Eleventh Doctor. Big Finish Productions has successfully found an actor who can imitate Matt Smith’s distinctive voice and have embarked on a new series of adventures with a new companion. Jacob Dudman continues to portray this version of the Doctor as if Matt Smith was behind the mic. Safiyya Ingar has recently boarded the TARDIS as Valarie Lockwood, a human with some cybernetic enhancements. Nicholas Briggs has returned to the director’s seat.

The first episode of the set is All of Time and Space in which the writer is billed as Ellery Quest. Apparently, Tim Foley is the true author since Ellery Quest is actually featured in the story as a writer pitching a show idea about a mysterious traveler in time and space. However, he finds that the agent he is pitching the idea to has an extraterrestrial history as well. The Doctor and Valarie are trapped in a dimension, and the stories may be their only way to escape.

This is one of those surreal stories that blur the fourth wall a little. It’s confusing and amusing at the same time, but that sort of sums up the whole series.

The Yearn is written by Angus Dunican and has the Doctor meet a group of colonists trapped underground and being hunted by a peculiar entity. People are taken by the Yearn and then reappear. Something appears to be interfering with the Yearn’s efforts to feed, and it may resemble a blue police box.

This second story had a pretty compelling climax. There was a great guest cast. The sudden romance seemed to blossom between Valarie and Mia Tomlinson’s character was a little improbable but handled better than similar moments in the series. Ingar is actually a pretty interesting actor, and Valarie is kind of growing on me.

Finally, James Goss brings this set to a close with Curiosity Shop. Valarie has lost the Doctor and is able to see the TARDIS, which is in the possession of a junkyard proprietor named Mr. Foreman. An alien war is about to break out, and the Doctor has forgotten who he is and what he does.

This actually was a great close. Valarie is losing pieces of herself literally as she hopes that the Doctor remembers her and returns to put things right. There are some great performances, and Dudman’s vocal talents are put to the test. Goss also finds a way to sort honor the legacy of the series as well.

Overall, this set takes the series in some interesting directions. The banter between the Doctor and Valarie is quite compelling. Dudman’s impersonation of Matt Smith seems to improve.

I think the final story is my favorite, but all of the set comes out quite well. I look forward to this particular TARDIS crew continuing their travels.

Doctor Who Audio Review: The War Doctor Signs Up

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

The War Doctor Begins: Forged In Fire is the beginning of what appears to be a promising series of Doctor Who audio dramas released by Big Finish Productions. Jonathon Carley steps into the role created by the late John Hurt of what has become known as the War Doctor. This is when the Doctor as regenerated into an incarnation intending to enter the Time War as a participant. This Doctor has rejected the moniker he has used for centuries because he is about to engage in methods of fighting that none of his other selves would condone. This trilogy is directed by Louise Jameson, who is basically immortalized in the Doctor Who canon as Leela of the Sevateem. Jameson has been indulging her creative talents outside of acting and seems to be doing quite well at it. Nicholas Briggs returns to voice the Daleks. Adele Anderson, John Dorney, Helen Goldwyn, and Tracy Wiles are some members of guest cast making their welcome contributions.

The first of the three episodes is entitled Light the Flame by Matt Fitton. This picks up moments after the Eighth Doctor has regenerated on the planet Karn before the Sisterhood of the Flame. The War Doctor already has to decide what his fight in the Time War will entail, but he first has to save Karn and the Sisterhood from a ruthless plan concocted by his own people.

I am not too sure of the main story, but Carley puts in a wonderful performance. It is almost eerie how much he can make his voice emulate John Hurt’s. As the War Doctor regains his footing after a traumatic regeneration, the audience gets treated to a compelling emotional journey as the differences from his pervious selves becomes more evident. It’s not always easy to follow, but Fitton still provides a strong introduction for this actor and this early version of the War Doctor.

Lion Hearts is the second story provided by Lou Morgan. The Tharils, who were first seen in the television serial, Warriors’ Gate, are now caught up in the Time War. The War Doctor has joined a rescue operation of a captured friend, but that of course becomes even more complicated than he anticipated. Morgan does a really good fake out as she teases the audience with how ruthless the War Doctor may actually become. I really enjoyed the story once I remembered how I first saw the Tharils and could more properly picture them in my head. Yet again, Carley continues to impress with his version of the War Doctor.

It is long-time contributor Andrew Smith who closes this set out with his script, The Shadow Squad. The War Doctor is going after the Dalek Time Strategist, but he learns of an even more devastating weapon. The Daleks has developed a plan to erase the contributions of certain Gallifreyan fighters from all of history in order to turn the Time War into their favor. The War Doctor meets the Temporal Eradicator, and he will find out just how merciless he is willing to be in order to end this terrible threat to the cosmos.

It gets a little confusing discussing this series since the main character has rejected his title and identity at this time. I guess for purposes of clarity, the audience knows this is still the Doctor in spite of his protestations. However he wants to be addressed, Carley seems to be the right actor to carry off the role. I was skeptical when the producers of the television introduced this secret incarnation in the fiftieth anniversary episode, The Day of the Doctor, however I think I will enjoy these releases and exploring this era of the Time Lord’s long life.

Big Finish continues to display a mastery of the sound design and casting of talented actor. The scripts are all interesting at varying degrees. As usual, I have a preference, but all three stories are solid. Even though John Hurt’s death is sad, Carley’s performance is more of a way to honor his legacy than actually replace him.

There are still a lot of other ranges I will be listening to, but it will not be long before my next foray into the era of the War Doctor.

Doctor Who Audio Review: Genesis Revisited

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Big Finish Productions does not make that many mistakes when it comes to their Doctor Who audio range, however Daleks! Genesis of Terror appears to be one of few outright missteps. This is basically a retelling of the classic serial known as Genesis of the Daleks, which starred Tom Baker. This version is based on the first draft submitted by Terry Nation. Baker returns to perform the first part and is joined by Sadie Miller as Sarah Jane Smith and Christopher Naylor as Harry Sullivan. Nicholas Briggs provides much of the narration, and other cast members read much of the synopsis for the remaining five parts.

The Doctor is sent by the Time Lords to the early days of the creation of the Daleks where he is tasked with trying to avert the terrible genesis. He meets the creator, Davros, while the war between the Kaleds and the Thals raged mercilessly.

The screen version is one of my favorite stories, but this is essentially a repeat of that although most of it was just summarized by Briggs and several other narrators.

I guess there is some mild interest to be found here, but I am not sure retelling one of the most popular serials was all that necessary. Big Finish releases this as part of the Lost Stories range, but this was just an early draft or treatment of something that’s already considered a classic among the fans.

There is another release of this sort from Big Finish based on The Ark in Space, and I am not that motivated to try that one…at least not yet.

Doctor Who Audio Review: Yuletide Terror With The Doctor

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

In the Bleak Midwinter sees the welcome return of Paul McCann behind the microphone at Big Finish Productions in another pretty solid collection of audio dramas with the Eighth Doctor. Ken Bentley returns as director for this trilogy of episodes that has the Doctor and his two companions, Charlotte Pollard and Lady Audacity Montague fighting some pretty eerie manifestations over the Christmas holidays.

India Fisher reprises her role of Charley Pollard with Jaye Griffiths as Lady Audacity for these three stories. The guest cast includes Jason Watkins, Nickolas Grace, John Banks, David Robb, and Lucy Goldie.

Long-time and prolific contributor John Dorney starts off the set with Twenty-Four Doors. As the Doctor shares the delights of an Advent calendar with his companions, Al Norton, a department store Santa, is hearing some strange singing in his mind, and he is about to meet this TARDIS crew for what could be a joyous Christmas or a tragic one.

Jason Watkins I know from a detective series entitled McDonald & Dodds, and he is quite good here as the hapless Al Norton. The episode is pretty well-written and kind of unusual, which is not surprising since it’s a John Dorney script. The dynamic between Charley and Audacity is pretty compelling well. Fisher has been playing this part for over two decades, and I am finding that Griffiths has a very distinctive vocal presence that I am beginning to enjoy.

The Empty Man is the second episode and is written by Tom Foley. This time, the Doctor and his friends meet one Eldridge Brinkwood, an old man who shares his scary stories on the radio. An entity that takes the form of its next victim is stalking him, and the Time Lord may not be able to keep him safe.

Grace is the lead guest star here and is able to hold his own with the main cast. This is another pretty interesting story once I was able to work out the method of the creature. The TARDIS also seems drawn to the Christmas season, which is a bit of a mystery to her crew. Brinkwood is a rather witty character in spite of the fearful circumstances. McGann continues to deliver a familiar yet still compelling performance as the Doctor.

Finally, Roy Gill brings us to a close with Winter of the Demon. An industrialist named Donald Shaw, played by David Robb, is going to light up a city, but he may also be bringing an ancient demon to life

I had a little harder time getting into this one. It wasn’t a bad story, but I guess the other two resonated a little more.

Overall, the collection is pretty good with the performances of the main cast submitting some excellent performances. I enjoy this TARDIS team and hope to hear some more with them together. Paul McGann continues to deliver some wonderful moments as his version of the Doctor. Hearing Fisher back as Charley is a welcome treat as well. Now that I have spent a little more time with Lady Audacity, I have come to really look forward to hear how her character develops. She has taken on the role as a kind of surrogate older sister to Charley, and the two of them have a nice spark to challenge the Doctor at times.

It may have to become a proper Christmas tradition to indulge in the soundscape of In the Bleak Midwinter.

Book Review: Catching Killers Has Become A Family Affair

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Blessing of the Lost Girls is a very interesting and somewhat unusual mystery novel by the prolific J.A. Jance and may be one of the better ones in her lengthy catalogue.

Jance writes quite a few series these days. This one takes place in Arizona within the jurisdiction of Sheriff Joanna Brady of Cochise County. Brady herself is not in this one very much. The lead protagonist is a feral agent named Dan Pardee, who works with a new federal agency which investigates the disappearances or murders of Native Americans in particular. Some burned human remains was finally identified after a few years of their discovery. They were once a lovely young woman who was a rodeo contestant and a Native American. She also was acquainted with one Jennifer Brady, the daughter of the aforementioned sheriff. Jenny Brady has grown up since her introduction to readers and is currently studying criminal justice. She has figured out a way to be of some help to this new investigation which reveals the presence of a serial killer who has been stalking the rodeo circuit for many years. Pardee is the son-in-law of another lawman created by Jance. That would be Brandon Walker, who did not appear as frequently as Brady or Jance’s other best-known detective, J.P. Beaumont. Jance has also decided to introduce her killer pretty early in this one, however there are still some alarming secrets to be discovered about this one.

Jance has delved fairly frequently into some American Indian lore over the years, and she does so even more here. The structure of the story seems a little different than her usual method, and I found myself enjoying the change of pace. I do miss having Joanna Brady more involved in the action in this one, but I am not one to begrudge authors for introducing new heroes.

Aspects of the plot still seem a bit far-fetched, but that’s not unusual for this genre or for this author. Jance remains to be a very compelling writer in this genre. Her characters go through a lor, but I like their steadfastness and pragmatism during the worst of circumstances. Jance also writes afterwords where she reveals some of the inspiration, so it’s a bit of a treat to sort of understand how these characters and stories develop in her mind.

Jance has done a good job of sort of freshening up her characters a bit, and teasing her readers with potential new directions such as how would an agency primarily responsible for investigating heinous crimes on a Native American reservation.

I am always game for new Joanna Brady and J.P. Beaumont novels, but I would not mind getting to know Dan Pardee and his family more as well.

Next up, it is time for author Amor Towles to introduce me to A Gentleman in Moscow.

Book Review: A Baby In The Lighthouse

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

M.L. Stedman’s novel, The Light Between Oceans, is one of those with quite a bit of acclaim, and now that I have read it, it does seem to be well-earned.

The story takes the reader to Australia just after the end of the First World War where we meet a former soldier named Tom Sherbourne. Tom takes a rather lonely job as a lighthouse keeper, but he has met a woman named Isabel and fallen in love. The two of them move out to some desolate coastline so Tom can take on his new duties. They have married and attempt to have a family, however each of the three pregnancies end tragically. Some years into this endeavor, a boat has washed ashore with a dead man and an infant girl who is very much alive. Tom and Isabel take her in and decide to raise the girl as their own, however the girl has a very brief past life, and a mother of her own who misses her very deeply. The fantasies of this family collide with the reality of this little girl’s origin, and it gets even messier from there.

This is one of those stories where there is not really a clear villain. No one has any evil intentions. The only real resolution is going to require what would seem to be an impossible amount of forgiveness from more than one character.

Stedman does a pretty decent job of setting the scene. She is apparently Australian, so she would likely know how to depict the setting. The characters are interesting and complex, and sometimes loyalties shift a bit throughout the story. It is definitely one of those novels where any book club is likely going to contain some pretty lively discussions on morality and forgiveness.

Stedman has a pretty decent if unremarkable prose style. She just constructed a pretty fascinating scenario and populated it with characters who are multi-faceted.

There is some reliance on a pretty unlikely set of coincidences that were at times difficult to suspend my disbelief, but I understand why so many fiction writers dop that. If I was writing my own novel, I am sure some critic would fairly be able to point that out in my hypothetical work.

Overall, I would recommend any habitual reader to slip this into their nightstand stack and actually get to it.

Next up, I will be returning to Los Angeles as depicted by crime fiction writer Michael Connelly. Former LAPD detective Harry Bosch has a chance to solve a case that has haunted him for years. He and Renee Ballard join forces to close some cold cases in Desert Star.