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Post by acousticwolf on Aug 3, 2016 15:52:14 GMT
Listened to Judoon in Chains last night and while they are not my favourite "monster", I enjoyed the story - humorous without being too silly. I was worried it was going to be the same as "Smith and Jones", but moving the building was the the only similarity (and actually went a good way to explain why they did it in S&J). I thought Colin sounded great in this and Nick's Judoon voices were pretty accurate. All in all an enjoyable tale by Messrs Simon Barnard and paulmorris . Unfortunately Mrs acousticwolf fell asleep during it (nothing to do with the story I don't think lol), but she is making up for it by listening to the Scarifyers today . Cheers Tony Which one? Wouldn't want to make her fall asleep again. Most of them , but more specifically The Magic Circle today . Cheers Tony
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Post by coffeeaddict on Aug 3, 2016 16:08:37 GMT
Which one? Wouldn't want to make her fall asleep again. Most of them , but more specifically The Magic Circle today . Cheers Tony You sure it isn't you putting her to sleep Tony?
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Post by acousticwolf on Aug 3, 2016 17:31:03 GMT
Most of them , but more specifically The Magic Circle today . Cheers Tony You sure it isn't you putting her to sleep Tony? Hmmm, that is a distinct possibility Cheers Tony
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Post by Timelord007 on Aug 3, 2016 21:58:34 GMT
WOW, what a fantastic action packed boxset, four excellent written audio dramas by four superb writers that matches each Doctor perfectly with a new series villian, I'm struggling to decide which was my favourite story as all four adventures are of the highest quality storytelling.
A big thank you of appreciation to all those involved in making this excellent box set & my favourite release of 2016 so far.
10/10
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Post by kimalysong on Aug 6, 2016 10:06:50 GMT
Finally finished this yesterday and it's hard to pick a favorite. Each story had interesting ideas and concepts.
I think the best use of the Monster was Judoon in Chains. It was very untraditional and I liked that. I wonder if we will come across the Judoon on the Moon colony again. I think we should. Though poor Nick Brigg's voice. He did a fantastic job. I also loved the Circus setting & Judoon poetry.
Harvest of the Sycorax was good and I loved the concept of people suppressing their emotions and not knowing how to deal with them. Though this story did peter out for me a bit in the end.
And finally I loved seeing Eight in the Time War. Makes me even more excited for Eighth Doctor: The Time War. Also if I am not counting Captain Kybo, Sarana was probably my favorite companion in this box set. I love characters who I don't necessarily agree with but who I can emphasize and understand their actions. Even though I thought she was too hard on Eight who helped her in the end, she also knew because of the Time Lords her world would never know peace. And I have to say I like how in this story & the War Doctor sets we can see how Time is actually affected by the Time War. It's just not a lot of fighting and explosions.
Although Kybo was definitely my favorite character. After writing this all out if I had to pick a favorite story it would be Judoon in Chains. It was really untraditional and creative and I just love that. But all 4 stories had something to offer.
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Post by Audio Watchdog on Aug 6, 2016 12:09:07 GMT
I listened to Harvest of the Sycorax and found it to be the weakest of the installments thus far. I liked that the story had a serious satirical streak running through it but I also thought that it didn't really play to McCoy's strength's as The Doctor and I just don't think the Sycorax are very interesting. I will say that I admire Big Finish for going in some different directions with each of these three stories so far in this box set. On to 8, the Sontarans and the Time War.
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Post by acousticwolf on Aug 6, 2016 14:01:38 GMT
I listened to Harvest of the Sycorax and found it to be the weakest of the installments thus far. I liked that the story had a serious satirical streak running through it but I also thought that it didn't really play to McCoy's strength's as The Doctor and I just don't think the Sycorax are very interesting. I will say that I admire Big Finish for going in some different directions with each of these three stories so far in this box set. On to 8, the Sontarans and the Time War. Pretty much my thoughts too. One more to go... Cheers Tony
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Post by Audio Watchdog on Aug 6, 2016 21:47:44 GMT
And episode 4, The Sontaran Ordeal. The greatest compliment I can pay this story was that it was exactly what I wanted. The 8th Doctor. Non-jokey Sontarans. The Time War. I have always been kind of agnostic about 8 & the Time War but after this I very much want to hear more. And I also think it is the best thing I've yet heard from Andrew Smith. I know I say this a lot but Barnaby Edwards really is my favorite director in the BF ranks. Everything he does just sounds right. So, a really enjoyable, and varied, box set and even if the 7th Doctor episode didn't thrill me, I respected what it was doing and going for. I am greatly looking forward to volume two.
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Post by barnabaslives on Aug 7, 2016 1:59:19 GMT
I think James Goss has made Harvest of the Sycorax very rewarding in spite of the limitations of the Sycorax, although it did help me to do some philosophizing and such about the story. With a little introspection, I think I had managed to under-react to at least several aspects of the story that are probably very well constructed dramatically and should have worked together to heighten the suspense had I not done so. I may not have been entirely sure what to make of it for it being potentially thought-provoking in a number of possible ways at once, and I could easily see where a second sitting might do it lots more justice, having things hopefully more sorted out now. Dunno if I can fault any story that's worth a second listen to take it all in.
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Post by Timelord007 on Aug 7, 2016 12:02:37 GMT
Just reviewed this excellent box set on my google+ page.
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bobod
Chancellery Guard
Likes: 2,759
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Post by bobod on Aug 8, 2016 7:59:06 GMT
In the mp3 zip file, did anyone else notice The Sontaran Ordeal is misfiled as The Sontatan Ordeal? Let's call the whole thing off.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2016 10:16:39 GMT
I liked the Judoon story very much. Colin Baker never dissapoints and captain Kybo was great, I was suffering about him in the freak show Is it me or Sylvester sounded a bit drunk? There was something odd about his voice Just going to start the Sontaran one right now Sadly I'm finding that Sylvestor more and more sounds like a parody of the Doctor. Maybe it's his age, I don't know.
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Post by agentten on Aug 10, 2016 3:59:28 GMT
Just finished this set and enjoyed it a great deal. Some thoughts:
"Fallen Angels" - My most anticipated of the stories also wound up being my favorite of the set. The scenes in the catacombs were as dramatically tense as the best Angels episodes of the show. I think Five was a good choice for the first Angels outing as he brought a good mix of charm and gravity to a story that needed both.
"Judoon in Chains" - Judoon poetry is almost as bad as Vogon poetry.
"Harvest of the Sycorax" - James Goss is one of Big Finish's MVPs in my opinion. I wasn't sure if I would take to a Sycorax story. I like "The Christmas Invasion" but it was hard to say if more of them would work. I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed the story so much.
"The Sontaran Ordeal" - After "Fallen Angels" I was most looking forward to this one simply because I have been very curious about Eight's role in the Time War. This story did a good job of bringing into sharp focus the ghastly nature of the war and the Doctor's frustration at the increasing toll the war is taking on the innocent people of the galaxy.
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Post by acousticwolf on Aug 10, 2016 7:25:49 GMT
Finished The Sontaran Ordeal last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. A hint of what's to come for Eight and how attitudes change towards the Timelords, culminating in Cass's rejection of him in "Night of the Doctor". The Sontarans were well characterised as well.
A great end to the first box set and very happy for a second (and more) set.
Cheers
Tony
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aztec
Chancellery Guard
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Post by aztec on Aug 10, 2016 20:28:58 GMT
Listened to The Sontarn Ordeal again today, the whole boxset was excellent and perhaps my favourite of recent BF purchases.
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Post by MayoTango131 on Aug 11, 2016 16:13:54 GMT
Fallen Angels: very good job to deal with a visual monster, but I think the narrative format of the Companion Chronicles would work best for the Stone predators (The First Doctor against the Weeping Angels, that's a gothic adventure I want to hear). Gabby and Joel are sooo Amy and Rory with that gave me hope for the future "Eleventh Doctor Adventures".
Judoon in Chains: Absolutely creative and unexpected, Kybo as the "Elephant Man" could be a disaster plot but Simon Barnard and Paul Morris did a fine job. It was very funny to hear the Sixth Doctor speaking Judoonese. Although I would have liked that the Shadow Proclamation had been explored more here.
Harvest of the Sycorax: Not as bad as people say, it is like a better version of "Gridlock" where in this story really better explore the suppression of feelings instead of giant crabs. The Seventh Doctor seems to be from the 24 season, is a proof of this, I would have liked to see Mel Bush in this story.
The Sontaran Ordeal: Disappointing and unnecessary, as if this were just an excuse for a teaser of "The Eighth Doctor: The Time War" instead of a story in its own right ((Paul Cornell and demonstrated in "The Shadows of Avalon" that the Eighth Doctor is not the indicated man for a war). The Adventures with Mary Shelley, Charley, C'rizz and Lucie were good times, I want to return to those times. Sarana Teel is just a clone of Cass but uninteresting and with an cliche story. I like Strax, he reminds me of Gimli in the movies, but one thing I hate is that Big Finish characterizes the Sontarans like Strax in "Heroes of Sontar" and "Terror of the Sontarans" so thank God that the Sontarans in this "teaser" are really Sontarans, but obviously has some of Strax in Jask with that involuntary "Sontar-Ha". I would have preferred Krillitantes or Gelth for a story really involved in the Time War.
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Post by kfbate on Aug 11, 2016 17:20:54 GMT
"Fallen Angels" very good job to deal with a visual monster, but I think the narrative format of the Companion Chronicles would work best for the Stone predators (The First Doctor against the Weeping Angels, that's a gothic adventure I want to hea). Gabby and Joel are sooo Amy and Rory with that gave me hope for the future "Eleventh Doctor Adventures". Judoon in Chains: Absolutely creative and unexpected, Kybo as the "Elephant Man" could be a disaster plot but Simon Barnard and Paul Morris did a fine job. It was very funny to hear the Sixth Doctor speaking Judoonese. Although I would have liked that the Shadow Proclamation had been explored more here. Harvest of the Sycorax: Not as bad as people say, it is like a better version of "Gridlock" where in this story really better explore the suppression of feelings instead of giant crabs. The Seventh Doctor seems to be from the 24 season, is a proof of this, I would have liked to see Mel Bush in this story. The Sontaran Ordeal: Disappointing and unnecessary, as if this were just an excuse for a teaser of "The Eighth Doctor: The Time War" instead of a story in its own right ((Paul Cornell and demonstrated in "The Shadows of Avalon" that the Eighth Doctor is not the indicated man for a war). The Adventures with Mary Shelley, Charley, C'rizz and Lucie were good times, I want to return to those times. Sarana Teel is just a clone of Cass but uninteresting and with an cliche story. I like Strax, he reminds me of Gimli in the movies, but one thing I hate is that Big Finish characterizes the Sontarans like Strax in "Heroes of Sontar" and "Terror of the Sontarans" so the Sontarans here are really Sontarans, but obviously has some of Strax in Jask with that involuntary "Sontar-Ha". I would have preferred Krillitantes or Gelth for a story really involved in the Time War. I sort of agree with your points, and your last comments on the fourth story had me mentally nodding in agreement. It is on retrospective thinking a bit like having pushed it to far, and almost, Big Finish thinking. We need to throw another story in here, I know drop No.8 in. However, I did find this refreshingly good comparative to some releases of late, which I hate to admit have seemed not quite on the mark.
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mbt66
Chancellery Guard
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Post by mbt66 on Aug 12, 2016 20:01:36 GMT
I was very impressed with all of the stories in this box set.
Fifth Doctor - I was really looking forward to the weeping angels and I wasn't disappointed, although as others have said the ending did seem a bit off.
Sixth Doctor - two things stood out for me with this. 1, Nicolas Briggs is extraordinary 2, Kiruna Stamell would make a great companion.
Seventh Doctor - those pads were so annoying, I guess that was the point, but it made it a little hard to listen to at times.
Eighth Doctor - my favourite story of the set and a great tease of the Time War boxset coming next year.
Very pleased and hope we get some news about the second box set soon.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 16, 2016 20:14:19 GMT
I've only listened to Fallen Angels so far. It was very good, though not anything we haven't heard before. I don't think that's a criticism as I think solid, trad Who is the backbone of the whole show. This set has enough novelty with the pairings without needing to be too genre bending or daring. That may come, but I'm trying to not burn through BF any more. When I say "trad", I'm thinking of the angels in the catacombs. The writing and sound design made me visualise it all effortlessly. I remember when announced there were loads of people saying Angels can't be done on audio, to which I (and others) replied that there's a distinctive "sting" that's used when they move thats every bit as evocative as the noise of a Dalek's motor or a Cyberman stomp. I think that sting worked well here. I never felt like we had too much expository dialogue to cover for the lack of dialogue from the villains. After nearly 20 years, BF know how to write their way round these things. Honestly, it took a while for me to be able to take his new "companion" seriously when I realised it was Philomena Cunk (Diane Morgan) playing her Anyone who hasn't seen her comedy is missing out BIG time. I'd imagine her Charlie Brooker shorts are online, and maybe her Shakespeeare special. Honestly, she's wonderful. Just...go. Check her out. The portrayal of maybe Michaelangelo was a perhaps bit flat - very much a retread of Galileo from Doom Coalition 2. The man had an extravagant, shocking and quite fascinating lifestory. Shame to get so little of it here. And I know Matthew Kelly could pull that off too. Hey, they only have an hour on these box set releases though so I guess I can live with it. Having Kelly in a Who story and the title not being a pun on Stars In Their Eyes seems such a waste though. A strong start, all in.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 16, 2016 23:23:51 GMT
Mrs acousticwolf and I listened to Fallen Angels last night and really enjoyed it. I could definitely visualise the Angels in the catacombs (much like Blink) but I agree that occasionally there was too much description ("look it's doing this", or "what's it doing now" type of thing, especially on the scaffold). Sometimes less is more and our imagination can fill in the blanks. All in all though I do think the Angels work well on audio but agree with mrperson that they shouldn't be used too often, they are too good a monster to be overused. If I have one niggle, it's the lack of feeling at the end. There was no real shock or horror of being separated from family or friends and never being able to get back. It was very much a "Oh, ok. I guess we could just go to...". But that is just nit-picking a good story . While Five worked (despite my concerns), Eight could easily have been against them too , but a good start to the box. Cheers Tony
The ending was odd for me as well. It made me wonder if it was an attempt to have the best of both worlds who fans who find the new series to be too emotional and prefer straight adventure stories, while still reflecting Joel and Gabby's losses. It's a very original series style ending, but Who has moved on since then.
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