Twelfth Doctor novels announced

We’re all looking forward to Peter Capaldi as the Doctor come August, but September now promises three new original novels for the Twelfth Doctor and Clara, similar to the novels that have come out in batches of three since 2005.

Have the writers got enough of the personality of the new Doctor to write for him effectively? We will find out in September. I’ll be sure to add covers when they are available. I’ve also included previous novels by the writers for you read during the four month wait.

Silhouette, by Justin Richards:

“Vastra and Strax and Jenny? Oh no, we don’t need to bother them. Trust me.”

Marlowe Hapworth is found dead in his locked study, killed by an unknown assailant. This is a case for the Great Detective, Madame Vastra.

Rick Bellamy, bare-knuckle boxer, has the life drawn out of him by a figure dressed as an undertaker. This angers Strax the Sontaran.

The Carnival of Curiosities, a collection of bizarre and fascinating sideshows and performers. This is where Jenny Flint looks for answers.

How are these things connected? And what does Orestes Milton, rich industrialist, have to do with it all? As the Doctor and Clara joint the hunt for the truth they find themselves thrust into a world where nothing and no one are what they seem.

The Blood Cell, by James Goss:

“Release the Doctor – or the killing will start.”

An asteroid in the furthest reaches of space – the most secure prison for the most dangerous of criminals. The Governor is responsible for the cruellest murderers. So he’s not impressed by the arrival of the man they’re calling the most dangerous criminal in the quadrant. Or, as he prefers to be known, the Doctor.

But when the new prisoner immediately sets about trying to escape, and keeps trying, the Governor sets out to find out why.

Who is the Doctor and what’s he really doing here? And who is the young woman who comes every day to visit him, only to be turned away by the guards?

When the killing finally starts, the Governor begins to get his answers…

The Crawling Terror, by Mike Tucker:

“Well, I doubt you’ll ever see a bigger insect.”

Gabby Nichols is putting her son to bed when she hears her daughter cry out. ‘Mummy there’s a daddy longlegs in my room!’ Then the screaming starts… Kevin Alperton is on his way to school when he is attacked by a mosquito. A big one. Then things get dangerous.

But it isn’t the dead man cocooned inside a huge mass of web that worries the Doctor. It isn’t the swarming, mutated insects that make him nervous.

With the village cut off from the outside world, and the insects becoming more and more dangerous, the Doctor knows that unless he can decode the strange symbols engraved on an ancient stone circle, and unravel a mystery dating back to the Second World War, no one is safe.

Previous novels by Justin Richards:
New Adventures #26 Theatre Of War (Seventh Doctor, Ace and Benny)
Missing Adventures #11 System Shock (Fourth Doctor, Sarah and Harry)
Missing Adventure #22 The Sands Of Time (Fifth Doctor, Nyssa and Tegan, re-released under the Monster Collection)
Eighth Doctor Adventures #8 Option Lock (Eighth Doctor and Sam)

Eighth Doctor Adventures #20 Demontage (Eighth Doctor, Sam and Fitz)

Eighth Doctor Adventures #35 The Banquo Legacy (Eighth Doctor, Fitz and Compassion, co-written with Andy Lane)

Eighth Doctor Adventures #37 The Burning (Eighth Doctor)

Eighth Doctor Adventures #60 Time Zero (Eighth Doctor, Fitz and Anji)

Eighth Doctor Adventures #67 Sometime Never… (Eighth Doctor, Fitz and Trix)

Past Doctor Adventures #14 Dreams Of Empire (Second Doctor, Jamie and Victoria, released in 2013)

Past Doctor Adventures #22 Millennium Shock (Fourth Doctor and Harry, sequel to System Shock)

Past Doctor Adventures #31 Grave Matter (Sixth Doctor and Peri)

Past Doctor Adventures #41 The Shadow In The Glass (Sixth Doctor and the Brigadier, co-written with Stephen Cole)

New Series Adventures #1 The Clockwise Man (Ninth Doctor and Rose)

New Series Adventures #4 The Deviant Strait (Ninth Doctor, Rose and Jack)

New Series Adventures #9 The Resurrection Casket (Tenth Doctor and Rose)

New Series Adventures #22 Martha In The Mirror (Tenth Doctor and Martha)

New Series Adventures #37 Apollo 23 (Eleventh Doctor and Amy)

New Series Adventures #49 Plague Of The Cybermen (Eleventh Doctor)

Quick Reads #5 Code Of The Krillitanes (Tenth Doctor)

Previous novels by James Goss:

New Series Adventures #43 Dead Of Winter (Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory)

New Series Audios #7 Dead Air (Tenth Doctor)

New Series Audios #11 The Hounds Of Artemis (Eleventh Doctor and Amy)

New Series Audios #15 The Art Of Death (Eleventh Doctor, Amy and Rory)

Torchwood #9 Almost Perfect

Torchwood #13 Risk Assessment

Torchwood #16 First Born

Previous novels by Mike Tucker:

Past Doctor Adventures #5 Illegal Alien (Seventh Doctor and Ace, co-written with Robert Perry, re-released under the Monster Collection)

Past Doctor Adventures #16 Matrix (Seventh Doctor and Ace, co-written with Robert Perry)

Past Doctor Adventures #23 Storm Harvest (Seventh Doctor and Ace, co-written with Robert Perry)

Past Doctor Adventures #33 Prime Time (Seventh Doctor and Ace)

Past Doctor Adventures #60 Loving The Alien (Seventh Doctor and Ace, co-written with Robert Perry)

New Series Audios #10 The Nightmare Of Black Island (Tenth Doctor and Rose)

New Series Audios #23 Snowglobe 7 (Tenth Doctor and Martha)

Big Finish June 2014 Preview

 

June brings us the Doctor’s first encounter with the Eminence, the final companion chronicle and the return of Bernice Summerfield.

Doctor Who Main Range 187: Masquerade

Written By: Stephen Cole
Directed By: Ken Bentley

Synopsis:
France, the year 1770: by special invitation, the famous 'Doctor', friend of Voltaire, arrives at the lonely estate of the lovely Marquise de Rimdelle – once a hostess to the highest of high society, now isolated by the strange, pernicious mist that lingers round the countryside.

But there's more in that fog than mere vapour, confesses the Marquise's strange niece to the Doctor's ward, Nyssa. She senses some uncanny machine circling the fringes of the estate, in the space between the shadows. Watching. Always watching. She's given it a name: 'The Steamroller Man'.

Meanwhile, the man in the cellar talks to the Doctor; a dead man, trapped behind the cellar walls. The Steamroller Man is coming, he says; coming to smash the place down. It seems the Doctor has been drawn into a very dangerous liaison…

CAST:
Peter Davison (The Doctor), Sarah Sutton (Nyssa), Rebecca Night (Helene), Victoria Hamilton (Marquise De Rimdelle), David Chittenden (Vicomte de Valdac), Andrew Dickens (Steamroller Man), Sean Brosnan (Dead Man)

Preparatory Listening: Moonflesh and Tomb Ship, for reasons I shall not display for spoiler reasons

Doctor Who Companion Chronicles 8.12: Second Chances

Written By: John Dorney
Directed By: Lisa Bowerman

Synopsis:
From time to time, everybody makes mistakes. Everybody has things from their past they'd like to undo, but nobody gets a second chance. What's done is done and we can't change that.

Zoe's mistakes have led her to imprisonment at the hands of the Company. But when news reports trigger memories of the Doctor, Jamie and an appalling threat, she begins to sense a way out. An opportunity for redemption opens up to anyone willing to take it.

Nobody can alter what's been done. Nobody gets a second chance.
Or do they?

CAST:
Wendy Padbury (Zoe Heriot), Emily Pithon (Kym)

Preparatory Listening: Echoes Of Grey, The Memory Cheats and The Uncertainty Principle, but only for background and context

Doctor Who Fourth Doctor Adventures 3.06: Destroy The Infinite

Written By: Nicholas Briggs
Directed By: Nicholas Briggs

Synopsis:
The colony planet Delafoss is occupied by the army of a rapacious alien force known only as the Eminence. These slave armies of terrified humans are commanded by the dreaded Infinite Warriors - impervious to most forms of firepower, voices like icy death.

The Doctor and Leela arrive expecting to find Earth’s most successful, unspoiled colony. Instead, they are confronted by a planet choked by industrialization. And at the heart of it all, the construction of something that the Eminence intends will wipe out all human resistance once and for all.

For the first time in his life, the Doctor confronts the Eminence… and things will never be quite the same again.

CAST:
Tom Baker (The Doctor), Louise Jameson (Leela), David Sibley (The Eminence), Michael Fenton-Stevens (Moorson), Clive Mantle (Tillegat/Lieutenant Treeves), Hywel Morgan (Larivan/Lieutenant Garrett), Christine Roberts (Sarla), Ian Hallard (Davent/Infinite Warrior)

Preparatory Listening: This was the first written story to feature the Eminence, but Seeds Of War and Dark Eyes 2 were earlier.

The New Adventures Of Bernice Summerfield

Written By: Nev Fountain, Una McCormack, Guy Adams, James Goss

Directed By: Scott Handcock

Synopsis:
A new five-disc box set featuring the adventures of archaeologist Bernice Summerfield and her friends the Doctor and Ace!

The Revolution by Nev Fountain
On the planet of Arviem 2, Bernice Summerfield has a lot of problems. Pursued by robots, maniacs and miracles, she has another issue to contend with. The Doctor's come looking for her – and he's not feeling himself.

Good Night, Sweet Ladies by Una McCormack
Bernice has come to the Moon of Adolin on a desperate mission. Instead, she finds an abandoned labyrinth, two confused survivors, and something ancient that needs her help.

Random Ghosts by Guy Adams
Welcome to the Forbidden World. This world has a secret. The problem is that no-one can remember what it is. Time is broken here. Those trapped here must live the same day over and over – forming alliances, lying to each other, trying to escape. Welcome to the Forbidden World.

The Lights of Skaro by James Goss
Bernice Summerfield is on Skaro, and she's very much on her own. The Doctor can't get to her, not this time. All Benny can do is stay alive for as long as possible. And, in a city full of Daleks, that's not going to be very long.

CAST:
Lisa Bowerman (Bernice Summerfield), Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor), Sophie Aldred (Ace), Nicholas Briggs (The Daleks), Terry Molloy (Davros), John Finnemore (Steven), Miles Jupp (Inquisitor Xavier), Matthew Gravelle (Klinus), Colin MacFarlane (Foster), Sheila Reid (Claire), Nicola Bryant (Professor Geller), Alex Jordan (Renk Van Magnastein), Amber Revah (Varna), Matthew Woodcock (Robots)

Preparatory Listening: As the placement in Benny and the Doctor’s timeline is uncertain, it seems none.

Dark Shadows 44: The Darkest Shadow

Written By: Nev Fountain
Directed By: David Darlington and Joseph Lidster

Synopsis:
“I am Olivia Corey, the eternal actress.  I’ve lived my whole life in two dimensions.  Perhaps I prefer it that way.”

Olivia Corey has been offered the role of her life.

They’re making a movie called The Curse of Collinwood by Mr D Curtis. Apparently it’s based on a true story about an old house in Maine where all manner of terrible things happen.

Olivia is offered the role of ‘Amanda Harris’, a woman created from a painting, destined to fall in love with a cursed man, destined to roam the Earth to find him again.

How could she refuse?

After all, it’s the part she was born to play…

CAST:
David Selby (Quentin Collins), Donna McKechnie (Amanda Harris/Olivia Corey), Denise Nickerson (Elspeth Gardner), Alexander Vlahos (Dorian Gray), Jan Chappell (Dorcas Hanley), Wally Wingert (Norman Cope), Richard Halpern (Andy Warhol), Richard Crowest (Gerald Wilde), Walles Hamonde (Milo Channing), Zeynep Sandi (Joan Albert), Jamie Zubairi (Sketch), Emma Carter (Marnie Sloman), Ross McNamara (Benny Leonard)

Preparatory Listening: Being unfamiliar with the series, a passing knowledge would most likely be most helpful.

Blake’s 7 Classic Audio Adventures 1.6: Caged

Written By: Mark Wright and Cavan Scott
Directed By: Ken Bentley

Synopsis:
Roj Blake and the President of the Terran Federation stand face to face.

Two men with polar opposite political views, meeting for the first and last time.

The long crusade is at an end. And Blake stands to lose everything that matters in his life...

CAST:
Gareth Thomas (Roj Blake), Paul Darrow (Kerr Avon), Michael Keating (Vila Restal), Jan Chappell (Cally), Sally Knyvette (Jenna Stannis), Brian Croucher (Travis), Alistair Lock (Zen/Orac), Hugh Fraser (The President)

Preparatory Listening: Being unfamiliar with the series, a passing knowledge would most likely be most helpful. This story also draws on events from previous releases in the range

Survivors: Series One Box Set

Written By: Matt Fitton, Jonathan Morris, Andrew Smith, John Dorney
Directed By: Ken Bentley

Synopsis:
It begins with just a few people falling ill. Another flu virus that spreads around the globe. And then the reports begin that people are dying…

When most of the world's population is wiped out, a handful of survivors are left to pick up the pieces.

Cities become graveyards. Technology becomes largely obsolete. Mankind must start again…

NOTE: Survivors contains adult material and is not suitable for younger listeners.

1. Revelation by Matt Fitton
When people begin to die of a new strain of a flu virus, newspaper journalists Helen Wiseman and Daniel Connor investigate. They uncover a terrifying story - but will anyone ever get to read it?

2. Exodus by Jonathan Morris
Billions of people have died across the globe. Cities are rife with secondary diseases, and the survivors attempt to make their way out of London.

3. Judges by Andrew Smith
After a storm wipes out much of their community's supplies, Greg and Jenny go in search of new provisions - much to Abby's disapproval.

4. Esther by John Dorney
Greg, Jenny and their new friends are trapped. Will they ever make it out alive?

CAST:
Lucy Fleming (Jenny Richards), Ian McCulloch (Greg Preston), John Banks (Daniel Connor), Louise Jameson (Jackie Burchall), Sinead Keenan (Susie Edwards),. Caroline Langrishe (Helen Wiseman), Adrian Lukis (James Gillison), Chase Masterson (Maddie Price), Terry Molloy (John Redgrave), Camilla Power (Fiona Bell)
Special appearance by Carolyn Seymour (Abby Grant)

Preparatory Listening: Being unfamiliar with the series, a passing knowledge would most likely be most helpful.

Big Finish Main Range Trilogy Guide: 2014

Big Finish Main Range Trilogy Guide: 2014

Sixth Doctor and Flip

Starring Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor and Lisa Greenwood as  Flip

#182 Antidote To Oblivion, written by Philip Martin and directed by Nicholas Briggs, released January 20134

#183 The Brood Of Erys, written by Andrew Smith and directed by Nicholas Briggs, released February 2014

#184 Scavenger, written by William Gallagher  and directed by Nicholas Briggs, released March 2014

This trilogy has three stories with the Sixth Doctor and Flip Jackson. Antidote To Oblivion features Nabil Shaban as Sil, and is a sequel to Mindwarp. Peri gets mentioned at some point in each story, possible foreshadowing the later Sixth Doctor trilogy at the end of the year.

Listening to the first three stories with Flip would be recommended, but you can get a good idea of, and learn to love, Flip with this second trilogy.

Time frames: The three stories must occur in relatively quick succession, as with the aforementioned Peri mentions, and Flip namechecks the world where they begin Antidote To Oblivion

Highlight: Scavenger lets both Colin and Lisa shine as the Doctor and Flip. It's obvious Lisa and Anjili Mohindra (Rani from The Sarah Jane Adventures) get on well, as it shows in their characters interaction. The token villain keeps things in balance, and the use of space junk (previously seen in The Cold Equations, the first episode of which is aptly called The Impassable Sky) in conjunction with an alien satellite makes for very interesting listening. This is Flip's time to shine, and the story concludes on a cliffhanger that will leave you wanting more.

Big Finish May 2014 Preview

Sorry for not posting anything for a while. It’s something I’m rectifying.

May brings us the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa on a pyramid in space, Jo and Iris fighting monsters for the Elixir Of Doom and the Fourth Doctor facing the Last Of The Colophon. In other ranges, we get more Charlotte Pollard and Pathfinders releases it’s second story.

Doctor Who Main Range 186: Tomb Ship

Written By: Gordon Rennie and Emma Beeby
Directed By: Ken Bentley

Featuring Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor and Sarah Sutton as Nyssa

The second story of the 2014 Fifth Doctor and Nyssa trilogy, two discs long

Synopis:

The TARDIS brings the Doctor and Nyssa to a vast pyramid, floating in space. A tomb ship – the last resting place of the God-King of the Arrit, an incredibly advanced and incredibly ancient civilisation, long since extinct.

They’re not alone, however. Another old dynasty walks its twisted, trap-ridden passages – a family of tomb raiders led by a fanatical matriarch, whose many sons and daughters have been tutored in tales of the God-King’s lost treasure.

But those who seek the God-King will find death in their shadow. Death from below. Death from above. Death moving them back and forward, turning their own hearts against them.
Because only the dead will survive.

CAST:
Peter Davison (The Doctor), Sarah Sutton (Nyssa), Eve Karpf (Virna), Amy Ewbank (Jhanni), James Hayward (Hisko), Jonathan Forbes (Heff), Ben Porter (Murs), Phil Mulryne (Rek/Hologram-Fresco Voice)

Preparatory Listening: None

Doctor Who Companion Chronicles 8.11: The Elixir Of Doom

Written By: Paul Magrs
Directed By: Lisa Bowerman

A one disc enhanced audio book performed by Katy Manning, primarily as Jo Grant and Iris Wildthyme, and Derek Fowlds as Claude.

Synopis:

Once, Jo Grant travelled in Space and Time with the Doctor. Now, she is travelling with trans-temporal adventuress Iris Wildthyme.

Arriving in Los Angeles in the 1930s, Jo and Iris are caught up in the glamour of Hollywood.

Monster movies are all the rage.

But sometimes monsters are real…

CAST:

Katy Manning (Jo Grant/Iris Wildthyme), Derek Fowlds (Claude)

Preparatory Listening: I’d suggest Find And Replace. The Iris Wildthyme story The Iris Wildthyme Appreciation Society is free as a podcast.

Doctor Who Fourth Doctor Adventures 4.05: Last Of The Colophon

Written By: Jonathan Morris
Directed By: Nicholas Briggs

A two disc full cast audio drama featuring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor and Louise Jameson as Leela

Synopsis:

The planet Colophos is a dead world. Nothing but dust and rubble – and the ruins of a once-great civilisation. But is it really as dead as it appears? When the Doctor and Leela land, joined by the crew of the Oligarch survey ship, it’s not long before they receive a communication from one of the ruins. A communication from Astaroth Morax, the last of the Colophon. Attended by a sadistic robot nurse, Morax is in a wheelchair and bound in bandages to conceal his terrible injuries. But is he really as powerless as he seems? What became of the rest of his race – and why didn’t he die with them?

Entering his lair, the Doctor uncovers a terrifying secret…

CAST:

Tom Baker (The Doctor), Louise Jameson (Leela), Gareth Thomas (Morax), Jane Goddard (Nurse Torvik), John Voce (Chief Surveyor Hardwick), Jessica Martin (Deputy Surveyor Sutton), Blake Ritson (Pilot Kellaway)

Preparatory Listening: None

Charlotte Pollard: Series One Box Set

Written By: Jonathan Barnes and Matt Fitton
Directed By: Nicholas Briggs

A five disc full cast box set starring India Fisher as Charley Pollard

Synopsis:

Charlotte Pollard’s adventures are over. She escaped death aboard the R101 and travelled in time and space - but now in the service of the monolithic, unknowable Viyrans, their unending mission is stifling her. An encounter with would-be adventurer Robert Buchan, near the mysterious Ever-and-Ever-Prolixity, provides the opportunity Charley needs for escape…

So, the adventuress is abroad once more: meeting a lost expedition in uncharted forests, solving enigmas, and hoping beyond hope to see the people she misses most: her family. But Charley cannot run forever. The Viyrans know the power of the ‘Lamentation Cipher’ and they have a solution… for everything.

Part One: The Lamentation Cypher
Part Two: The Shadow at the Edge of the World
Part Three: The Fall of the House of Pollard
Part Four: The Viyran Solution

CAST:
India Fisher (Charlotte Pollard), Anneke Wills (Lady Louisa Pollard), Terrence Hardiman (Lord Richard Pollard), Michael Maloney (Viyrans), James Joyce (Robert Buchan), Nicholas Briggs (Bert Buchan/The Slaverings), Jacqueline King (Mrs Turnerman), Abigail McKern (Susan Broadstairs), Nicola Weeks (Charity Savage), Lucy May Barker (Emmeline Leigh), Charlie Norfolk (Violet Warren), David Dobson (Michael Dee), Louise Brealey (Millicent Belanger III), Nadia Kamil (Miss Griffin)

Preparatory Listening: The Sixth Doctor and Charley stories (shame I’m putting this up after the sale). Patient Zero is this month’s Listeners (heavily discounted download).

Dark Shadows 43: The Devil Cat

Written By: Mark Thomas Passmore
Directed By: David Darlington and Darren Gross

A one disc audio drama

Synopsis:

"Only we could get lost in the English countryside and find ourselves trapped in The Wicker Man!"

While on vacation in England, detective Tony Peterson and the witch Cassandra visit Tony's estranged cousin Lord Trent Malkin and his wife Ruby. The two couples team up to investigate the disappearance of a maid from the manor and a series of murders by an ancient cat cult. Complicating things are hostile villagers, an unfriendly vicar and amateur sleuth, Miss Emma Simon.

Who can be trusted in the village of Little Bascombe? And if the legend of a Devil Cat wandering the countryside in search of souls to devour is true, are Tony and Cassandra about to face the greatest threat of their lives?

CAST:
Jerry Lacy (Tony Peterson), Lara Parker (Cassandra), Sarah Sutton (Miss Emma Simon), William McGeough (Lord Trent Malkin), Wendy Albiston (Lady Ruby Malkin), Joe Johnsey (PC Darren Westcott), Michael Shon (Reverend Joseph Tuttle),Greg Patmore (Clive Taylor), Barra Collins (Ralph Walters), James Lawrence (Bert Osgood), Ryan Wichert (Jack Thorpe), Dilek Latif (Dolly Elton)

Preparatory listening: Being unfamiliar with the series, a passing knowledge would most likely be most helpful.

Blake’s 7 Liberator Chronicles: Volume 8

Written By: Simon Guerrier, Marc Platt and James Goss
Directed By: Lisa Bowerman and Ken Bentley

Three enhanced audio books

Synopsis:
President by Simon Guerrier
Alone together, two Federation officials at last share the truth. Supreme Commander Servalan agrees to explain to Secretary Rontane how she set up the President.

And when she is done, Servalan’s executioners will be waiting…

The Sea of Iron by Marc Platt
Cally wishes to find Captain Mani Yalleg, her instructor when she was training to be a freedom fighter. His trail leads to the Goliath System, where Cally will discover a shocking lost secret from her past...

Spoils by James Goss
Roj Blake dreams of bringing down the Federation. Of toppling the President and Servalan and establishing a free society.

What would happen if he won? He is about to find out.

CAST:
Gareth Thomas (Blake), Jan Chappell (Cally), Jacqueline Pearce (Servalan), Peter Miles, Dan Starkey, Jemma Churchill

Preparatory listening: Being unfamiliar with the series, a passing knowledge would most likely be most helpful.

Blake’s 7 Classic Audio Adventures 1.5: Cold Fury

Written By: Mark Wright and Cavan Scott
Directed By: Ken Bentley

A one disc full cast audio drama

Synopsis:
When Travis scores a victory over the Liberator crew, Blake is willing to risk everything in order to get back what is theirs.

The destination is the uninhabited ice world Horst Minor, where eugenics specialist Dr Tirus is working on experiments for the Federation President.

Horst Minor has many secrets. And Blake is not going to like what he finds there…

CAST:
Gareth Thomas (Roj Blake), Paul Darrow (Kerr Avon), Michael Keating (Vila Restal), Jan Chappell (Cally), Sally Knyvette (Jenna Stannis), Brian Croucher (Travis), Alistair Lock (Zen/Orac), Hugh Fraser (The President), Caroline Langrishe (Dr Tirus), 

Preparatory listening: Being unfamiliar with the series, a passing knowledge would most likely be most helpful. The previous entries in the range would also help.

Blake’s 7: Lucifer: Revelation

Written By: Paul Darrow

A novel and ebook

Synopsis:
Many years have passed since the death of his companions on Gauda Prime, but Avon is still very much on the minds – and a thorn in the sides – of those in power. On the run in a stolen spaceship, Avon has world leaders, warlords, aliens, bandits and hitmen on his trail, all hoping to seize control of the super computer Orac, and to be rid of Avon once and for all.
But those who underestimate Avon do so at their own peril…

Preparatory listening: Being unfamiliar with the series, a passing knowledge would most likely be most helpful. The first Lucifer book

Pathfinder Legends 1.2: Rise Of The Runelords: The Skinsaw Murders

Written By: Cavan Scott
Directed By: John Ainsworth
A one disc full cast audio drama

Synopsis:
Sandpoint used to be such a safe place to live – until the scarecrows started to walk.
A series of grisly murders points to an undead killer. With Merisiel missing, Valeros, Harsk and Ezren must track the mysterious Skinsaw Man back to his haunted lair. Can they survive vengeful spirits, necrotic guardians and assassin cults to discover the secrets of the ancient rune carved into each of the corpses? Or will death find them as they explore the dangerousstreets of Magnimar?

CAST:
Trevor Littledale (Ezren), Ian Brooker (Harsk), Stewart Alexander (Valeros), Kerry Skinner (Merisiel), Yuriri Naka (Ameiko Kajitsu), Toby Longworth (Belor Hemlock), Katarina Olsson (Iesha Foxglove), Duncan Wisbey (Aldern Foxglove), Tam Williams (Justice Ironbriar), Helen Goldwyn (Lissa Hambley), Sunny Ormonde (Xanesha), Sean Connolly (Maester Grump)

Preparatory listening: Being unfamiliar with the series, a passing knowledge would most likely be most helpful.

What are you looking forward too? Please comment below about the releases you most eagerly anticipate.

Big Finish Main Range Trilogy Guide: 2013

Big Finish Main Range Trilogy Guide: 2013

Sixth Doctor and Mel

Starring Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor and  Bonnie Langford as Mel

#169 The Wrong Doctors, written by Matt Fitton and directed by Nicholas Briggs, released January 2013

#170 Spaceport Fear, written by William Gallagher and directed by Nicholas Briggs, released February 2013

#171 The Seeds Of War, written by Matt Fitton and Nicholas Briggs and directed by Nicholas Briggs, released March 2013

This trilogy has three stories with the Sixth Doctor and Mel Bush. The first story has two Doctors and two Mels, and is very timey wimey (sorry). The Seeds Of War is the first release to feature the Eminence, an entity who will make its first chronological appearance in June’s Fourth Doctor Adventure Destroy The Infinite.

Time frames: The Wrong Doctors features the Sixth Doctor just after Evelyn’s departure, and the Sixth Doctor fresh from the Trial Of A Time Lord who is bringing Mel home. The other Mel is from the first Mel’s future, but her mind is being used to support the setting.

Highlight: Spaceport Fear is a cross between Face Of Evil and Paradise Towers, and is much better than both of them. It’s fun to spot the lingo and where it comes from (I have something to declare), and the Doctor and Mel are well used. Ronald Pickup is just as well done as Elder Bones.

Season 20 United, Take IV

Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor, Sarah Sutton as Nyssa, Janet Fielding as Tegan and Mark Strickson as Turlough

#172 Eldrad Must Die!, written by Marc Platt and directed by Ken Bentley, released April 2013

#173 The Lady Of Mercia, written by Paul Magrs and directed by Ken Bentley, released May 2013

#174 Prisoners Of Fate, written by Jonathan Morris and directed by Ken Bentley, released June 2013

This trilogy again features the season 20 team. Each story focuses on one companion (Turlough, Tegan and Nyssa respectively). The Lady Of Mercia is a historical (well, in the sense that the only aliens are the Doctor and his companions), the first since The Angel Of Scutari in 2009. Prisoners Of Fate wraps up the story arc that started in Cobwebs.

Time Frames: Eldrad Must Die! takes place some point after Butcher Of Brisbane, same time scale for the other two stories.

Highlight: Prisoners Of Fate takes the ideas of Cobwebs and puts them into a breathtaking finale. Some may bemoaning Nyssa calling her son Adric, but it’s a tale full of emotion, and the cost of traveling with the Doctor. The Doctor’s strand of the story is just as strong and compelling.

Persuasion trilogy

Starring Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor, Tracey Childs as Elizabeth Klein and Christian Edwards as Will Arrowsmith

#175 Persuasion, written by Jonathan Barnes and directed by Ken Bentley, released July 2013

#176 Starlight Robbery, written by Matt Fitton and directed by Ken Bentley, released August 2011

#177 Daleks Among Us, written by Alan Barnes and directed by Ken Bentley, released September 2011

This trilogy brings back Klein following UNIT Dominion, with an assistant Will Arrowsmith, and is linked by the Persuasion Machine, a device introduced in Persuasion and whose narrative concludes in Daleks Among Us. Terry Molloy guest stars as Davros in Daleks Among Us

Time Frames: The Doctor picks up Klein and Will some point after UNIT Dominion. There’s a day or so between Persuasion and Starlight Robbery, and Starlight Robbery segues into Daleks Among Us.

Highlight: Starlight Robbery could exist without the Persuasion Machine narrative, and all the better for it. We see how far Klein has developed, Will gets some decent development (shame it’s ignored next story) and the Sontarans are the most competent you’ll get outside of Time Warrior and Sontaran Experiment. Garundel works well, and I swear Ziv reminds me of Flip from the Sixth Doctor stories.

To Be Honest: I don’t want to be critical of Big Finish, but this trilogy seemed to be jumping the shark in an effort to develop Klein in a way that wasn’t needed. Persuasion felt too much like a set-up than a story in its own right, and Daleks Among Us ignored the good character development while needing you to have heard both preceeding stories. Davros seemed superfluous and his role didn’t seem to justify his presence. You know a companion rubbed up the wrong way when Doctor Who Magazine wanted him gone (check out its review of Daleks Among Us!). Sorry if you enjoyed this trilogy, but I didn’t, and don’t want to spoil your impression of it.

1963 trilogy

Starring Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor, Sarah Sutton as Nyssa, Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor, Nicola Bryant as Peri, Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor and Sophie Aldred as Ace

#178 1963: Fanfare For The Common Men, written by Eddie Robson and directed by Barnaby Edwards, released September 2013

#179 1963: The Space Race, written by Jonathan Morris and directed by Nicholas Briggs, released October 2013

#180 1963: The Assassination Games, written by John Dorney and directed by Ken Bentley, released November 2013

Three stories with three Doctors and three companions, set during 1963. These are the same teams that appear in the 50^th Anniversay special The Light At The End.

Time Frames: Fanfare takes place between 1001 Nights and Moonflesh, and either follows or precedes the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa’s appearance in The Light At The End.

The Space Race takes place between Recorded Time and Breaking Bubbles, and either follows or precedes the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa’s appearance in The Light At The End.

Assassination Games takes place between Greatest Show In The Galaxy and Battlefield.

Highlight: Fanfare For The Common Men is a fun adventure. Peter Davison clearly enjoys the script and the Common Men make great Beatle replacements. The music track at the end of Disc One is a must listen, and the CDs themselves, well look for youself.

What was your favorite story from 2013

Big Finish Main Range Trilogy Guide: 2012

Big Finish Main Range Trilogy Guide: 2012

Sixth Doctor and Flip I

Starring Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor and Lisa Greenwood as Philippa “Flip” Jackson

#156 The Curse Of Davros, written by Jonathan Morris and directed by Nicholas Briggs, released January 2012

#157 The Fourth Wall, written by John Dorney and directed by Nicholas Briggs, released February 2012

#158 Wirrn Isle, written by William Gallagher and directed by Nicholas Briggs, released March 2012

This trilogy brings Flip, who appeared in 2011’s Crimes Of Thomas Brewster, into companion role.

Time frames: The Curse Of Davros begins during a period where the Doctor is travelling alone. Release dates indicate this could be after his travels with Charley or his encounter with “Jamie”, but certainly after his time with Evelyn. The Fourth Wall is stated to be the day after Curse Of 
Davros, while a few days could be the time between Fourth Wall and Wirrn Isle

Highlight: Davros has always been a great villain, and with Jonathan Morris writing for him, he’s as brilliant and creepy as ever. Flip sounds like a real person and like someone I’d spend time with, and the idea of what’s happened to the Doctor, I’ll let you find out…

Season 20 United, Take III

Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor, Sarah Sutton as Nyssa, Janet Fielding as Tegan and Mark Strickson as Turlough

#159 The Emerald Tiger, written by Barnaby Edwards and directed by Barnaby Edwards, released April 2012

#160 The Jupiter Conjunction, written by Eddie Robson and directed by Ken Bentley, released May 2012

#161 The Butcher Of Brisbane, written by Marc Platt and directed by Ken Bentley, released June 2012

This trilogy again features the season 20 team. At the end of the Emerald Tiger, (it’s not much of a spoiler, later covers show it), Nyssa is rejuvenated back to the age she was when she left the Doctor, which is mentioned in Jupiter Conjunction and an important element of Butcher Of Brisbane

Time Frames: An unknown period of time takes place between Rat Trap and The Emerald Tiger. A single night (relative) has passed between The Emerald Tiger and The Jupiter Conjunction, while again, unknown time between Jupiter Conjunction and Butcher Of Brisbane

Highlight: The Emerald Tiger is a very Indiana Jones-eque adventure, set in 1926 Calcutta. Locations are passed through and not seen again, all four regulars get good treatment (in terms of writing, not what happens to them). Even if you feel hit over the head by the contemporary literary references, you’ll still enjoy it.

Elder Gods trilogy (WARNING: SPOILERS FOLLOW)

Starring Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor, Sophie Aldred as Ace, Philip Olivier as Hex, Maggie O’Neill as Lysandra Aristedes and Amy Pemberton as Sally Morgan

#162 Protect And Survive, written by Jonathan Morris and directed by Ken Bentley, released July 2012

#163 Black And White, written by Matt Fitton and directed by Ken Bentley, released August 2011

#164 Gods And Monsters, written by Mike Maddox and Alan Barnes and directed by Ken Bentley, released September 2011

Companion Chronicles #7.03 Project: Nirvana, written by Cavan Scott and Mark Wright and directed by Ken Bentley, starring Maggie O’Neill, Amy Pemberton and Sylvester McCoy, released September 2012

This trilogy was wraps up an arc over ten years in the making. Tying together elements like Hex’s mother, the Forge and chess, this is not an audio for beginners. What you need to have heard or known of (spoilers may follow)

Project: Twilight – begins the Forge, and introduces Hex’s mother

Project: Lazarus – death of Hex’s mother, Forge continued

The Harvest – introduction of Hex

The Magic Mousetrap – beginning of a chess motif

The Angel Of Scutari – Hex is wounded

Project: Destiny – conclusion of the Forge arc, Hex learns about his mother’s death and the Doctor’s role in it, first appearance of Aristedes

A Death In The Family – the fallout from the revelation

Lurkers At Sunlight’s Edge – appearance of an Elder God

Black TARDIS Trilogy

Time Frames: After recruiting Sally Morgan at the end of House Of Blue Fire, the two of them, spent at least one mission fighting Elder Gods. The Doctor then added Aristedes, last seen in #139 Project: Destiny to the team to continue this, one of the missions can be heard in the Companion Chronicle Project: Nirvana. Another of these missions was to set up the conditions for Protect And Survive (not knowing Ace and Hex would get involved).

For Ace and Hex, they went from Lurkers At Sunlight’s Edge to Protect And Survive in the White TARDIS (which then vanished), the conclusion of that summoning the Black TARDIS at the point where the Doctor had just left it to investigate Beowulf, Ace and Hex learning about the God hunting when meeting Sally and Aristedes. The Doctor get kidnapped, and sent to where he is at Gods and Monsters, while the two TARDIS teams work together to find out how to get to him. Here they synch up.

Highlight: Protect And Survive. A final respite from the continuity fest that follows, one that puts Ace and Hex through a harrowing ordeal. Grim and gritty, not one to listen to in the dark, and not one you’re likely to forget either.

SPOILERS OVER

Drashani trilogy

Starring Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor, Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor and Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor

#165 The Burning Prince, written by John Dorney and directed by Ken Bentley, released September 2012

#166 The Acheron Pulse, written by Rick Briggs and directed by Ken Bentley, released October 2012

#167 The Shadow Heart, written by Jonathan Morris and directed by Ken Bentley, released November 2012

A stand-alone trilogy linked by location (the Drashani Empire), with each story featuring one Doctor.

The Shadow Heart also introduces Vienna Salvatori, who has her own spin-off range called Vienna.

Time Frames: The Burning Prince takes place between the TV stories Arc Of Infinity and Snakedance, and after the audio Omega. The Acheron Pulse could take place between any of the Sixth Doctor companion gaps, similar to the Seventh Doctor and The Shadow Heart.

Highlight: The Burning Prince is a disaster movie with the Fifth Doctor (who else?). The stakes are high, and so is the body count, even when the Doctor tries his hardest to keep everyone alive. The characters are strong and it’s a strong story.