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Post by grinch on Apr 6, 2020 20:06:25 GMT
The Havoc of Empires (Andy Lane)
I don’t know why but this one just clicked with me. It’s wonderful that we finally have an adventure off Earth with Mike Yates and I really liked how the relationship between the two emissaries was developed. Makes me wish they had kept the Companion Chronicles esque narration for the Third Doctor Adventures going forward.
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Post by number13 on Apr 7, 2020 11:47:50 GMT
The Havoc of Empires (Andy Lane) I don’t know why but this one just clicked with me. It’s wonderful that we finally have an adventure off Earth with Mike Yates and I really liked how the relationship between the two emissaries was developed. Yes I also like this one a lot and I wish we could hear more from Richard Franklin in this range, especially now the Third Doctor UNIT stories are really back in business.
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Post by tuigirl on Apr 7, 2020 12:24:01 GMT
Destination Nerva. Hmm. Decidedly average, I am afraid to say.
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Post by frisby78 on Apr 7, 2020 12:57:12 GMT
Destination Nerva. Hmm. Decidedly average, I am afraid to say. Yes, as the much heralded comeback I was unimpressed.
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Post by frisby78 on Apr 7, 2020 12:57:42 GMT
Time of the Daleks.
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ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
Likes: 5,063
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Post by ljwilson on Apr 7, 2020 12:59:59 GMT
Today's BF:
Nocturne (which I intend to finish after a number of previous aborted attempts)...which I've now done, and it gets an enjoyable, but unspectacular 6 out of 10.
The Roof of the World. Will I manage to finish it? Who knows?
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Post by fingersmash on Apr 7, 2020 13:42:28 GMT
The Creed of the Kromon
That was much better than I expected (and given some of the comments I've read about it that wasn't difficult! ) It's not at all what I was imagining for the divergent universe stories, more like a traditional slice of 80s TV Who (and second story running I correctly guessed the writer's name partway through! There were a few deliberate call-backs and thematic similarities to an 80s classic so it was easy to guess.)
I hadn't expected the Kromon to be satirical and humorous, but they were and I especially enjoyed that part. A good, traditional Who which for some reason left me with a craving for marshminnows... It's always felt so... boring and lifeless to me. There's this weird "dark just to be dark" thing where it's not overt and there really isn't a point to why it's so dark. Couple that with the genuinely disgusting body horror that happens throughout (and I say that as someone who loves body horror) and how ill formed but full of potential C'rizz was as a companion and it has just never worked as well as I would want. Although I think the Divergent Universe arc is as a whole super underrated with quite a few amazing stories in Scherzo, Natural History, Faith Stealer, The Last, and Caerdroia. It just stumbles when it gets to most of the arc important stuff.
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Post by tuigirl on Apr 7, 2020 16:31:06 GMT
Holy Terror. All hail the big talking bird! However, listening to this might not have been the best idea since it is pretty bleak and gruesome and can drag you down a bit.
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Post by polly on Apr 7, 2020 20:52:52 GMT
Omega
That Zagreus re-enactor was a bit cheeky on BF's part wasn't it? Aha, what a tweest!
Man, poor Fivey just can't catch a break on audio, can he? Spare Parts, Nekromanteia, Creatures of Beauty, and now this. The only fun the poor guy has had in the last 20 releases was Church and the Crown.
I'll admit that Omega has never been the most interesting villain to me, but I think he was well served here. We spend an unexpected amount of time with him, shall we say, and it adds some nuance to the thunderous, if tragic, villain we saw in Three Doctors (which probably remains his best outing). The end of part 3 is an excellent use of the cliffhanger to turn the story on its head. The theme of historical accuracy versus future reputation is interesting, if not entirely new for Doctor Who. I also rather like the characterization of Five, even if it is once again an unpleasant experience for him.
I liked it, but don't have much else to say. It's also the only one of this Villains trilogy I've heard before, so I look forward to finding out what Davros and the Master have to say for themselves.
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Post by masterdoctor on Apr 7, 2020 21:07:57 GMT
Hounded by Alan Barnes
Mixed bag this one. The first half is dreadfully slow, and the 10th Doctor is a periphery character that feels shoehorned in. And yet the second half changes all of this. Barnes, who was struggling to write the 10th Doctor finds a recognizable voice/dialogue and McNeice conveys Tennant quite well with the much better dialogue. The narration as a whole is quite well done, but with the plot in the second half picking up and actually having a sense of purpose, it becomes even better. The black dog is well characterized through the sound design and Emily Atack as Hetty Warner is wonderful here, having a well-defined character arc over the two stories she appears in.
Basically, Hounded is a very good half-hour, even forty-five minute, story with too much excess in the beginning, making it a difficult initial listen. The weakest of the set for me, but still worth listening to.
Living History by Justin Richards
This is a really good Justin Richards written story, as while I find he is dependable, he is dependably good, but not often great. However, I really like, nay, love this one. Richards by far writes Churchill the best out of the four writers of the first set, finding the right balance between brashness and likability. The entire cast here is wonderful, and picking out the strongest is difficult, so I have to give props to all three. Alistair Petrie and Laura Rogers have such chemistry as two foes forced to work together, and they have great development in this story much as Hetty did previously. Nick Briggs as a lone Dalek is great as usual. And of course, the advertised guest star himself, Danny Horn as young Karzan Sardick. He is just so likeable, and has a great presence that I'm surprised he hasn't been used more, especially not being in the Eleventh Doctor Chronicles or Short Trips, considering there is so much to play with from a character and timeline perspective. I'd have to go back to A Christmas Carol, which I plan to do tonight, but I don't suppose there is any gap for him to meet another Doctor?
The Chartwell Metamorphosis by Ken Bentley
Another average story. It's enjoyable for sure, but most of it is pretty forgettable with Carolyn Seymour being underused. Holly Earl does a good job as Lily Arwell, but there is nothing that's noteworthy in having her return to Doctor Who. The bug creatures aren't too good from a sound perspective as it feels very same throughout, and this is probably the weakest narration in the set. However, the pacing is good and doesn't drag much, if at all, and nothing is particularly bad like the first half of Hounded.
And so that completes The Churchill Years 1. I'm glad I waited to get it on sale as it isn't particularly worth 30/25 bucks, but for 20/15 it is a good way to pass the time and to get stories with New Series Doctors without having to recast or impersonate really. I am very excited for Volume 2 as it has some great looking stories and names attached to it, with Madam Vastra featuring in Young Winston as well! However, next on the list is parts 4-6 of Lords of the Red Planet and some River Song!
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Post by tuigirl on Apr 8, 2020 9:09:30 GMT
Going for my daily walk in the sunshine now. Taking "Tropical Beach Sounds" along with me, for some relaxing listening.
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Post by mark687 on Apr 8, 2020 11:10:23 GMT
Yesterday
DW MR
Spare Parts
(Still a solid bit of Human Drama)
Today
TW MR
Tropical Beach Sounds
(Good idea in concept I just wasn't receptive which doesn't help its main hook)
Regards
mark687
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ljwilson
Chancellery Guard
It's tangerine....not orange
Likes: 5,063
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Post by ljwilson on Apr 8, 2020 14:36:23 GMT
Today:
Roof of the World - this has some good moments (well, in part 1 it does anyway) and the supporting cast of the Journalist, the Colonel and Edward de Souza as the possessed bloke all did a fine job. As a whole it is a bit unengaging, so it scores a just above average 5 (point something) out of 10. I've heard worse!
Dorian Gray - The Twittering of Sparrows. This was very good, including the Singaporean mythology and Katy Manning's performance. 8 out of 10.
England v Australia, 3rd test day 1. A replay on BBC cricket but who cares?! That's me sorted for the next 4 days. Australia currently 162 for 5.
Spaceport Fear
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Post by frisby78 on Apr 8, 2020 16:29:32 GMT
DW Psychodrome.
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Post by Hieronymus on Apr 8, 2020 16:39:07 GMT
CM: Who Killed Toby Kinsella?
I'm a fan of the series, but not a fan of the changes they made to the theme tune for this release. The music is intrusive throughout the first episode.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Likes:
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2020 17:33:43 GMT
That’s a good boxset! 😊What did you think?🤔 Let's put it this way : I didn't need to add another range to the backlog of titles I already have...but just two stories in and I'm adding another range to the backlog of titles I already have..😊 Yes River.....much to enjoy
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Post by grinch on Apr 9, 2020 17:38:53 GMT
Return to Skaro (Andrew Smith)
Even though I personally prefer keeping this part of Dalek history somewhat vague, I did enjoy this and thought it was a good sequel to the original Dalek story.
Also, and this isn’t to its detriment or anything, just an observation but at parts with some of the action and world-building it did remind me at times of an adventure module for the DW RPG.
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Post by christmastrenzalore on Apr 9, 2020 18:36:24 GMT
"Moon-flesh", "Tombship" and "Masquerade" They were all pretty good.
Funny story; due to a shipping error, I received over a dozen copies of "Masquerade" Many of which were just Disc 2. I think there was a printing error or something. They were addressed all over the world. Quite a few of them Germany.
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Post by frisby78 on Apr 9, 2020 21:49:22 GMT
Project Destiny. Blooming brilliant!!
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Post by polly on Apr 10, 2020 1:44:46 GMT
Davros
Absolutely excellent. A phenomenal look into Davros' psyche. Separating him from the Daleks so that he could be the sole focus was an inspired move. I assume the flashbacks depicted here will lead into I, Davros, or be repeated in more detail then? Listening to this it struck me that on TV, we saw that Davros was the origin of the Daleks, but never found out much about the origins of Davros himself.
I think he lends himself better to this sort of one-on-one with the Doctor than Omega does. Though I find it interesting how both parts of this trilogy so far have highlighted the similarities between the villains and the Doctor. When they are both hired on at TAI, I was preparing myself for some catty workplace comedy and ended up with a tense battle of wits.
If I have one complaint, I'm not sure I like the idea that Davros may not be sole mastermind of the Daleks.
The whole cast is very strong, but Terry Molloy steals the show. His performance in this story covers such a wide range - wistful, almost heartbroken, to his most Dalek-esque hysterics. He's nearly hissing in places. And his description of 90 years' sensory deprivation is captivating.
Another jewel in Colin's audio crown.
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