Tag: science-fiction

Doctor Who Audio Review: Turlough Rejoins The TARDIS With A Different Doctor At The Console

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Doctor Who-Expulsion is another audio boxset released by Big Finish Productions featuring Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant picking up another one of the Doctor’s more intriguing former companions. Samuel Clemens and Scott Handcock share directing duties for this trilogy of episodes in which Mark Strickson reprises his role of Turlough.

I often get weary of the tendency to the practice of mixing up Doctors and their traditional companions, but I make exceptions when Turlough makes an unexpected appearance. How he reacts to this particular version of the Doctor is quite a treat, although they do find some equilibrium in their relationship as the stories unfold.

Nev Fountain begins this collection with The Reckoning which has Eve Winters and Nigel Fairs lending their voices as the guest cast. The TARDIS is forced to materialize in seventeenth century France where they encounter the famed playwright, Christopher Marlowe. Kit Marlowe has somehow lived well beyond the point where history records his death. A deal has been made, and Turlough seems poised to betray the Doctor.

It’s a pretty strong opening, but the return of Turlough seems to almost guarantee a promising bit of entertainment. The situation is not quite what it seems, and the solution is a sort of anti-climactic. Still, the performances make up for the flaws. Winters’ performance of the mysterious Tess is actually pretty memorable.

Turlough seems to be back to keeping secrets, but it seems understandable since he has to reestablish some trust with a Doctor that seems unrecognizable to him.

It’s still an enjoyable episode and offers a promising start to this collection.

A Crucible of Queens has the TARDIS crew in fifteenth century France during the conflicts between the French and England. The Doctor is asked to examine a king who has apparently lost his mind. Turlough has befriended a French heir to the crown. Two empires at odds are about to make history, and the Doctor has to make sure that it runs as it should while trying to reunite his friends.

Debbier Chazen, Julie Dray, Narayan David Hector, and Laurent Lafuma are included in this production as the guest cast.

This story served well enough as what fans call the “purely historical” addition. I liked that Big Finish actually cast French actors for this one as opposed to using those who try to emulate the accent. It does give some insight into some likely overlooked historical events.

Baker, Bryant, and Strickson continue to hit the right marks when it comes to the continued portrayals of well-known characters.

I didn’t find the story itself all that memorable, but it was by no means a terrible addition.

Finally, we get a return to Viking lore with Julian Richards serving up The Curse of the Duergar. An accursed sword is at the center with a malignant entity able to control minds, even the Doctor’s.

Lara Lemons and Daniel Hawksford are included in the guest cast.

There is an interesting performance from as there is an audio glimpse of a previous Doctor. Turlough still has secrets but seems to have finally come around to accepting this Doctor as an ally.

Overall, the return of Turlough is what makes this set a treat. The stories are fine but exactly ones that are expected to be considered classics, in my opinion.

It looks like we have Turlough around for a bit more in a future release, and I am still up for that ride..

Doctor Who Audio Review: Miracles, Time Loops, And Fools

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Helter Skelter is the latest Doctor Who audio boxset to feature Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor released from the incredibly prolific Big Finish Productions. The director is Ken Bentley, and listeners get the added treat of having Janet Fielding and Mark Strickson reunited as companions, Tegan and Turlough.

Other cast members include Jack Barton, Paul Cottle, Helen Pearson, and Emily Woodward.

This set does have the Doctor and his friends facing some new adversaries, so that’s a good start. The first and third stories are interlinked, which is evident in that the script writers were Lauren Mooney and Stuart Pringle.

They kick this collection off with Field of Miracles in which the Doctor, Tegan, and Turlough arrive in a small English village in 1951. Things seem to be going a little too well for the people there in a nation that should still be recovery from the Second World War. All sorts of wishes are granted, including the return of those who have died. Of course, there is a terrible price to be paid for these miracles, and the Doctor encounters a malevolent alien presence that is too pleased to collect.

The story is a pretty good idea, although something like this has been explored before in the genre. The leads are continuing to put forth compelling performances, as expected. The chemistry between the TARDIS crew still carries the story confidently in spite of any questionable choices. I wouldn’t judge it to be a standout episode, but pleasant and engaging enough for me to not to be terribly harsh in my opinion. Mooney and Pringle manage to prove themselves to be reliable enough for me to stay interested in their contributions to the series.

Helter Skelter is next on the list. This was written by James Moran. The Doctor’s efforts to take his friends on a holiday are thwarted by the bio-engineered planet and amusement park getting blown up with them on it. Then the day resets, and Tegan Jovanka is the only one who recognizes they are caught in a time loop.

Another story that is amusing because we have a bit of a role reversal with the Doctor being a bit more in the dark than usual. It’s Tegan who recognizes the problem and has to steer her friends toward the resolution of this time loop. It’s another fun and interesting notion that has frankly been a bit overdone. Fielding does get to have fun with Tegan’s seemingly natural state of exasperation. Ultimately, the Doctor does save the day, which I hope isn’t too much of a spoiler, but I was relieved that some traditions were spared in this episode.

It has some amusing moments and performances throughout the episode, but it still is not likely going to resonate all that deeply with the listeners.

Finally, the Doctor and his companions encounter the wish-granting aliens from the first episode in Land of Fools, once again written by Lauren Mooney and Stuart Pringle.

The TARDIS arrives in London, 1980, where Tegan realizes she can say good-bye to a friend who died then. Some new company seems to be running things around there, and London seems to be in some kind of restricted state. The team is split up, and the Doctor starts to realize that some recently encountered enemies have cropped up again.

This story is actually pretty good and serves as nice conclusion to this set. I didn’t find the Asteri to be all that compelling because they were described as crystalline, and it was hard to picture them in the imagination. There were some moments that were more emotionally significant.

As a whole, this release is fine to add to the collection, but not much of it stood out. As Peter Davison ages, it does get harder to imagine him as he appeared onscreen during his era. His performance is still fine, but that aged raspiness he has developed is a little distracting. I still look forward to his participation and hopes he has more scripts heading his way than he knows what to do with.

I am not sure we have had the joy of having Turlough and Tegan together on their own before. There was a series with them alongside Sarah Sutton as Nyssa, but that was not onscreen. It was pretty cool to revisit that era because they are a favorite TARDIS team of mine.

Helter Skelter didn’t quite hit the ranks of phenomenal storytelling, but it sure was not anywhere near the rubbish heap. There is still much to enjoy.

Doctor Who Audio Review: The Doctor Always Shatters The Illusions

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Beware the City Of Illusions is a pretty compelling Doctor Who audio play from Big Finish Productions and is likely to be one my favorite First Doctor adventures. Nicholas Briggs has written an interesting script which he also directed. He also composed the score.

Stephen Noonan is back with his rendition of the First Doctor, in which he channels the distinctive vocal peculiarities of the late William Hartnell. He is joined by Lauren Cornelius as an older version of Dodo Chaplet, who was originally portrayed by the late Jackie Lane. Anneke Wills reprises her role of Polly Wright. Other cast members include Barnaby Edwards, Amy Rockson, Becky Wright, and Anna Crichlow. Briggs even manages to get a little bit part as well. The guy is everywhere on this one, which is by no means a complaint.

The Doctor has been whisked from his TARDIS and is apparently floating around the time vortex when he is deposited on Earth where he encounters a companion he has yet to meet from his point of view. Polly Wright is doing some work for the British government in her later years and is investigating a city that is designed to lower carbon emissions or something supposedly environmentally beneficial. Of course, it seems too good to be true, and the Doctor is caught up in the investigations. Also, Dodo Chaplet is also involved and has a secret alliance with Polly, who are acting on a cryptic warning the Doctor once gave a long time ago. There is a peculiar benefactor who seems to have an agenda that is not as friendly to the human race despite appearances. The Doctor may not know the reason for his strange warning himself, but he is soon to find out and has two friends to back him up, even if he has yet to recognize one of them.

This particular episode deals with elements that come up more in recent years as far as the plot goes, but Briggs knows Doctor Who enough to make this work. He does a good job of making this version of the Doctor somewhat sharper than he often appeared onscreen, but he still manages to keep him quite familiar. Noonan’s impression of Hartnell’s impression is getting better. He can’t quite sound exactly like Hartnell, but that’s getting more forgivable with each performance in these audios. It is also fair to expect that Noonan will add some of his distinctive style into the performance. The writing is also good enough to allow me to just enjoy the ride without being overly critical. Noonan is said to really study Hartnell’s performance each time he is commissioned to do one of these things, and that does show. Even if the First Doctor isn’t quite my favorite, I still have found plenty to enjoy in that era immensely, and I look forward to hearing the next installment in this range.

The story is a somewhat standard science fiction trope of an intended utopia going off the rails, but Briggs does a good job with it. The inclusion of both Polly and Dodo, albeit older, is also quite charming and done with a certain audacious creativity that I can respect.

Crichlow plays a character named Lillian Maggs, who was Polly’s assistant and friend, and had the right amount to spunk to spark with the Doctor. She was another sarcastic, likeable woman who seems to get a little overused in this series, but I couldn’t help but enjoy her banter with Polly, and eventually with the Doctor.

The Doctor displayed his usual crustiness and suspicion, but he also came across as shrewder than he was often written, and I found myself enjoying that. Noonan also does intentionally throw in some of the gaffes that Hartnell was known for in the original series, but it seems less distracting here.

It’s a long story, but Briggs manages to avoid most of the traps that tend to lead to a dragging middle. He writes it well enough for me to just enjoy being in this Doctor’s orbit without sweating any potential plot holes.

Anyway, this particular audio experience is likely one of the stronger ones to come out this year, which is usually how I feel about a Nick Briggs script.

Doctor Who Audio Review: Hearts Can Be The Hardest To Mend

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Doctor Who: Broken Hearts is a pretty good audio play from Big Finish Productions with only two performers in the shape of Jacob Dudman and Safiyya Ingar. Lisa McMullin is the writer of the script which has Helen Goldwyn skillfully leading the production as director.

Jacob Dudman is winding down his time as the Eleventh Doctor, who was initially portrayed by Matt Smith. Ingar portrays cybernetic companion, Valerie Lockwood, and also puts forth a powerful performance.

Dudman and Ingar also portray two search and rescue robots on a desolate planet which was once visited by an earlier incarnation of the Doctor. Recent adventures have fractured the friendship between Valerie and the Time Lord, and they have the time during their own investigation of a distress signal to come to terms with heartbreaking decisions that were made.

Dudman gives a phenomenal impression of Matt Smith’s unique take on the Doctor giving Ingar plenty to play against in her own performance. Valerie is a Big Finish creation, and the writers did a pretty good job with this one.

The cast also portrays a couple of robots dubbed Lionel and Augustus, whose relationship is supposed to kind of mirror the Doctor’s and his companion. It’s a somewhat intimate performance with a pair of actors who have been recording together for some time, which is coming to a close as the range goes into other directions.’

There is another moment which is often repeated in the series, in which the Doctor reminds his companion of the tragedies he had witnessed during the Time War and the terrible decision he was forced to make which resulted in the destruction of his own people. Dudman hits that moment out of the park as he portrays the boundless sorrow and pain the Doctor still lives with in spite of his cheery and reckless manner.

Ingar gets her fair share of heart-wrenching moments as well which compels me to agree with the Doctor’s sentiment stated to his TARDIS that he doubts he would ever be ready to say good-bye to Valerie Lockwood.

It’s a poignant interlude in the Eleventh Doctor range and gives two fine performers a deserved moment to shine together before the curtain call.

Doctor Who Audio Review: A Case Of Choices

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Doctor Who: The War Doctor Begins: Enemy Mine is another compelling audio play boxset with Jonathon Carley continuing his performance as the War Doctor, which was originated by the late John Hurt. Helen Goldwyn served as director for this collection of three episodes. Also, Paul McGann, the Eighth Doctor, is included in the cast.

Ajjaz Awad continues in the role of the cybernetic hybrid known as Case who has been weaponized by both the Time Lords and the Daleks. Nicholas Briggs continues his role as all sorts of malevolent, scheming Daleks. Adele Anderson, Tiegan Byrn, Beth Chalmers, Louise Faulkner, David Monteith, and Becky Wright complete the talented cast.

Case herself has written the first episode entitled The Hybrid’s Choice. Case is in the custody of the Daleks and is encouraged to embrace that side of her nature. The Daleks now have a therapist for her. The War Doctor had thought she had died, but he soon learns the truth and tries to regain his former companion before she unleashes the full capacity of her weapons on the Time Lords.

It’s an interesting idea which stretches the Daleks’ capability for deception and manipulation. Awad gives an impressive performance. Carley continues to perfect his vocal impression of John Hurt. He also gives a compelling performance and continues to develop this hidden version of the Doctor, although we are not supposed to call him that anymore. It’s a great start to this little series.

Fear Nothing by Mark Wright continues the Time War. The War Doctor is recruited to captain a TARDIS dreadnought. Case is sent by the Daleks to assassinate a Time Lord asset. They are about to clash, and the War Doctor is as dangerous as he has ever been.

Wright has contributed to Doctor Who for many years, and this episode indicates that he should continue to add his talents to the mix. The War Doctor is finding himself in ever evolving alliances with his fellow Time Lords, who do not always trust this version of the renegade who is much more willing to engage in battle. The War Doctor also shows a complexity in that he wants so much to have a relationship like his previous selves did with their companions.

This is another strong entry into the set. Both the leads are engaging, and Case’s plight and emotional journey is fascinating to hear.

Finally, Matt Fitton closes out this set with Exit Strategy. The Dalek Time Strategist wants to have Case readjusted, and the War Doctor wants to rescue her even though the Time Lords want a more permanent resolution. Case gets to indulge in a fantasy in which she can interact with her other self before the enhancements that turned her into the Daleks’ most dangerous weapon. The War Doctor turns to another version of himself who has yet to become the Time Lords’ most effective warrior.

The conclusion to this set is quite thrilling a little heart-breaking. It’s always good to spend a little time with Paul McGann as the Eighth Doctor. He has to help his future incarnation with extricating Case from the Daleks.

All three of the stories here are very engaging. The development of the character known as Case was fascinating. Carley does a bit more than impersonate Hurt’s peculiar voice and delivery and gives a powerful performance.

I was not sure I would enjoy this range as much since I was hesitant to deal with a version of the Doctor that was not known of until the fiftieth anniversary episode.

The War Doctor is done beginning, but he is soon to start rising.

Book Review: Grace In Space

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Project Hail Mary is Andy Weir’s most recent science fiction novel which was published in 2021 to well-deserved acclaim.

Dr. Ryland Grace wakes up with no memory of how he got aboard a spaceship many miles from Earth. He has to piece together clues that will reveal the nature of the mission he was on to save the planet. His other two crew members died while in an induced coma for the trip to another solar system. As Grace races against the clock, he soon discovers that he is not alone in the system, and an unlikely alliance is forged with a being from another civilization trying to solve a similar catastrophic threat facing its own homeworld.

Weir continues to demonstrate a talent for making the science in his works seem plausible. It’s easy to determine that he actually does quite a bit of research.

Some of the scientific jargon and exposition does slow the pace of the story somewhat, but that’ problem’s something that seems kind of expected and hard to avoid in a work such as this.

Weir’s previous two novels, The Martian and Artemis had protagonists who were persistently sarcastic in their narration. Although this novel has much of the familiar sort of humor, the blatant sarcasm is a bit more restrained which I: appreciated. I don’t necessarily mind sarcastic heroes, but when two different characters share that trait, it does make me wonder about the author’s ability to come up with more diverse personalities.

Anyway, the film adaptation of this novel is just a few days away, and I wanted to read the book before I would make my way to the cinema, so that mission is accomplished.’

I expect the novel will be better as usual, but this is also basically a very enjoyable and thought-provoking read. In spite of a bit of slogging through some technical exposition, I still appreciated the plot and the grit exhibited by Grace and his alien companion who is dubbed “Rocky”. I did appreciate the detail that went into explaining how Grace and Rocky would eventually be able to communicate. Weir is a talented and imaginative enough of a writer to make the technical jargon tolerable.

Although this is clearly a pretty fantastical situation, Weir’s obviously careful research into the possibilities is much respected and appreciated. It does lend some kind of credibility to the tale when some actual scientific theories seem to be genuinely considered in the real world.

I have now read all three of Andy Weir’s current works and hope to hear some news about his fourth contribution before too long.

There are plenty of options in the reading queue, but I have decided to return to the works of Harlan Coben for my next indulgence. This time, it appears that even a relatively quiet and civilized game such as golf has its rough players. Everyone’s favorite sleuthing sports agent, Myron Bolitar is going to learn that very thing in Back Spin.

Doctor Who Audio Review: Inside The Imbomination

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Dark Gallifrey: The War Master Part 3 is an audio drama from Big Finish, which is still highly entertaining in spite of a muddled plot. It is of course a Doctor Who spinoff and also features the War Doctor as portrayed by Jonathan Carley, who took over the role after the death of John Hurt.

Derek Jacobi returns as the version of the Master who was present during the legendary and devastating Time War. Lisa Bowerman returns as Professor Bernice Summerfield. James Marsters continues in his role as Captain John Hart, crossing over from another spinoff, Torchwood. Tariyé Peterside returns on from previous episode as the Imbomination. Chris Lew Kum Hoi, Jason Forbes, and Homer Todiwala round out the cast.

James Goss is the writer while Scott Handcock pulls the whole thing together as director.

The Master and Captain John are consumed by the Imbomination and have to navigate their way through various false realities and other possibilities. They are trapped within the remains of Dark Gallifrey, and they may learn the wisdom of allowing the realm to keep its secrets.

Jacobi is utterly terrific as usual in this role. Television viewers only got a small taste of his version of the maniacal renegade Time Lord, and Big Finish continues to expand the role as competently as expected.

Goss takes the surreal madness to the max in this episode. As usual, some of the scenes are hard to picture in the mind’s eyes. Not everything makes sense when listening to it the first time, but I had a good time with it anyway.

It seems some version of the Doctor is going to appear in these trilogies, and Carley takes his turn as his impression of John Hurt’s the War Doctor. I wasn’t sure about expanding the War Doctor’s role when first announced, especially after Hurt had died, but I enjoy the range more than I expected.

As usual, the sound design remains top tier. I think the performances and the technical aspects being so well done help one to enjoy a somewhat perplexing episode.

This trilogy is really my first full experience with Jacobi’s participation in Big Finish audio dramas, and there is a whole other range I have yet to explore. It certainly encourages me to reach back into the archives and properly delve into the War Master audio range.

Doctor Who Audio Review: Not Everything Should Reach Its Potential

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Doctor Who: The Second Doctor Adventures: The Potential Daleks is another pretty interesting audio collection from Big Finish Production which was directed by Nicholas Briggs. Michael Troughton returns to the recording booth as the Second Doctor, originally portrayed by his father Patrick. Frazer Hines and Wendy Padbury reprise their longtime roles of Jamie and Zoe. Emma Noakes continues her time aboard the TARDIS as Raven, the Doctor’s fellow Time Lord, who is thought to be working on behalf of the High Council of the Time Lords to handle the renegade.

Briggs and Mark Wright split writing duties on the three interconnected episodes in this particular set which also feature the Daleks, who is also voiced by the versatile Mr. Briggs.

The guest cast is also comprised of Clare Corbett, Jacqueline King, Lara Lemon, Callum Pardoe, and Gary Turner.

Nicholas Briggs’ script, Humpty Dumpty kicks off the collection. The old nursery rhyme seems to be the catalyst for a temporal disaster. The planet Skaro is about to be resurrected a million times over. This is the planet where the Daleks originated. The Doctor and his companions will be split between two time zones as they begin a final battle.

This isn’t the first time a common verse is a significant clue to a nightmarish plot in a Big Finish story, but the device is compelling yet again due to the reliable talents of Briggs. The performances are as usual just as compelling. Troughton continues his efforts to breathe new life into his father’s Doctor Who legacy and does an admirable job. Troughton’s impression of his father still sounds a little off at times, but he generally gets the job done.

Padbury and Hines are portraying older versions of their characters, so they don’t have to bother with trying to sound several decades than their actual ages. They still sound great in spite of their understandable vocal variances.

Mark Wright, who is also producer of this release, follow up with Secret of the Daleks. The TARDIS has followed a space/time corridor created by the Daleks to a peaceful tropical world. The inhabitants seem peaceful enough, but there is a menace lurking underneath the paradise. A confrontation with the new Dalek Emperor is imminent, and one member of the Doctor’s party has a secret of their own.

Wright cranks up the action in this script quite effectively. As usual, some of the action moments are a little hard to determine just on audio, but it’s still enjoyable. Noakes gets to show off her versatility as an actress in this one when she gets to do her own take on the Doctor as well. It turns into a bit of a jumble of a plot, but in all the right ways.

Troughton may not always sound like vocally identical to his late father, but he brings a similar enough energy in his performance where it isn’t too distracting. I can still recognize and imagine the Second Doctor in the midst of this chaos seemingly on the edge of panic but holding on to that heroic determination to defeat the monsters. The humor of that era is also quite intact.

Finally, it takes the combined writing talents of Nicholas Briggs and Mark Wright to bring this collection to a conclusion with War of the Morai. The Doctor and his friends are back in a region known as the Vanishing Point where they try to help some old allies known as the Morai to avoid the ruthless intentions of the Daleks. A friend who was thought to be lost has returned, and the mysterious Raven must make a choice.

This story refers back to a previous boxset in which I shall have to listen to again to remember the significance of the Morai.

It was still a fine conclusion, and there were some interesting character moments. Noakes also was a delight as a recurring character. She was basically an original companion created by Big Finish and seems to be an amusing and interesting foil to the Second Doctor. There were also times when Raven and Zoe were forced to collaborate, and an interesting dynamic was forged there as well. Raven had a typical haughtiness displayed most of the Time Ladies the audience have met over the years, but Noakes brings in something more than that as well. Really, the writers gave her a depth for Noakes to play in, and she uses that quite nicely.

As a reminder, this range takes place after the Second Doctor’s trial just after he was sentenced to be exiled to Earth with a new appearance but before that sentence was actually carried out. Jamie and Zoe had been sent back with most of their memories of the Doctor erased but have returned to fight alongside him after they had lived their lives in their respective time zones. I am not a fan who was all that interested in what has become known as season 6b, but Big Finish has won me over in this one. Although it seems that something in this range has concluded, there is a new series in the works and there are certainly more adventures and troubles awaiting this version of the Doctor.

Book Review: The Man Of Bronze Finds Gold…Or Does He?

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

The Sea Magician by Kenneth Robeson features an early version of a superhero known as Doc Savage. This series was written for a couple of decades in the mid-twentieth century and is probably one of the earlier versions of a superhero.

Doc Savage is a super genius with super strength and throws himself unhesitatingly into the fight against evildoers. Of course, he has the color of bronze and is immensely powerful. He is one of those protagonists who seems so virtuous and powerful that he runs the risk of being rather boring.

In this little volume, Doc Savage is investigating the disappearance of one of his associates when he learns of an invention that apparently produces gold from seawater. It begins with the hapless assistant looking into tales of a specter resembling King John lurking around a marsh in England known as the Wash. Doc Savage finds a troubling conspiracy is afoot and many people are needing rescue before the end of this caper is in sight.

This was a pretty fun diversion, although I am not sure I am going to be going out of my way to collect this series. I doubt this will be the last Doc Savage adventure I enjoy.

There is some enjoyment to be found in this short novel, but that may be more due to the stirrings of nostalgia it evokes. The author is apparently a pseudonym because it seems a certain Lester Dent was the main writer of the novel series. The series does have a somewhat interesting publication history, which I discovered in Wikipedia.

I didn’t really dislike the novel, but I had some trouble with staying interested due to Doc Savage not really having any interesting quirks or flaws. Sometimes, a hero’s weaknesses can make the story a little more compelling although there is a risk of that indulgence being overdone.

I will say there is a certain richness in the prose that is often missing from more recent works that I appreciated.

In spite of my reservations which I expressed here, I didn’t hate this one or the concept. I may try a few more in the series as I come across them as I peruse the used bookstores.

Before all of that, I have plenty of other unread volumes to go through. The next selection will be Nelson DeMille’s The Gold Coast.

Doctor Who Audio Review: From Christmas To Cybermen

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor Chronicles Volume 5: Everywhere and Anywhere is a recent audio boxset from Big Finish Productions with Jacob Dudman reprising his role of the Eleventh Doctor with his uncanny impression of Matt Smith. Safiyya Ingar continues in her role as cyborg companion Valerie Lockwood.

In this set, Nicholas Briggs is back behind the mic as the voice of the Cybermen.

Other guest cast members include Maddison Bulleyment, Sean Connelly, Edward Harrison, Jack Myers, and Brad Shaw.

This collection was directed by Helen Goldwyn, which is often a good choice.

There are three stories featuring the Eleventh Doctor and Valerie Lockwood, and they are pretty solid.

The first story is basically a Christmas story, done Doctor Who style written by Georgia Cook. Spirit of the Season concerns a child who says her name is Clara, and she wants to kill the Doctor and Valerie. They are trapped in a strange house with other people, including Valerie’s strangely resurrected mother, played by Mandi Symonds.

It’s a pretty good start to this collection. Becky Wright plays the malevolent alien claiming the name Clara and is appropriately wicked.

All’s Fair, written by Max Kashevsky, has Valerie on a first date in Chicago during the World’s Fair 1893. A man turns up claiming to be Valerie’s husband, and the TARDIS team find out how merciless Time can be. Valerie is destined to die in this time period, but she has to defeat the monsters stalking the streets of Chicago and ruining her date.

It was an interesting story and well performed. I am not all that familiar with this particular writer, but I thought he presented a decent script. Some of the action scenes were hard to interpret by audio, but that’s not unusual for this medium.

Sins of the Flesh, written by Alfie Shaw, brings this collection to a close. In a society that is trying to eradicate sinful behaviors, they have turned to something called Redemption Suits. The Doctor recognizes this as taking a step into conversion into a Cyberman. He and Valerie are trying to prevent a colony for paying a terrible price in their efforts to remove temptations of the flesh.

I tend to enjoy a good Cyberman story, and this one qualifies. It gets a little preachy though, which is distracting at times, but Shaw still sparks the imagination when he depicts of the horror of cyber-conversion. Briggs hasn’t lost his touch in bringing voice to one of the more iconic Doctor Who adversaries.

Dudman continues to shine in his impression of Matt Smith’s interpretation of the meandering Time Lord. Valerie is a somewhat intriguing companion, and Ingar does well on some of the more emotional moments in this story and the previous ones in this collection.

This is a pretty solid trilogy for the most part. Valerie is a creation of Big Finish and as usual an intriguing addition to the crew. Dudman is a gifted impressionist and does well in representing the Eleventh Doctor era.

It’s an enjoyable release but not really a remarkable one. It’s good enough for me to continue collecting in this range though.