What do you think?
Rate this book
Big Finish: Monthly Range #153
Doctor Who: The Silver Turk
Roll up! Roll up! To the great Viennese Exposition, where showman Stahlbaum will show you his most wonderful creation, the Silver Turk – a mechanical marvel that will not only play for you the fortepiano, the spinet and the flute, it will play you at the gaming table too!
But when the Doctor brings his new travelling companion Mary Shelley to nineteenth-century Vienna, he soon identifies the incredible Turk as one of his deadliest enemies – a part-machine Cyberman.
And that’s not even the worst of the horrors at large in the city…
But when the Doctor brings his new travelling companion Mary Shelley to nineteenth-century Vienna, he soon identifies the incredible Turk as one of his deadliest enemies – a part-machine Cyberman.
And that’s not even the worst of the horrors at large in the city…
Audio CD
First published October 1, 2011
4 people are currently reading
111 people want to read
About the author
Marc Platt
111 books48 followersMarc Platt is a British writer. He is most known for his work with the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who.
After studying catering at a technical college, Platt worked first for Trust House Forte, and then in administration for the BBC. He wrote the Doctor Who serial Ghost Light based on two proposals, one of which later became the novel Lungbarrow. That novel was greatly anticipated by fans as it was the culmination of the so-called "Cartmel Masterplan", revealing details of the Doctor's background and family.
After the original series' cancellation Platt wrote the script for the audio Doctor Who drama Spare Parts. The script was the inspiration for the 2006 Doctor Who television story "Rise of the Cybermen"/"The Age of Steel", for which Platt received a screen credit and a fee.
He lives in London.
After studying catering at a technical college, Platt worked first for Trust House Forte, and then in administration for the BBC. He wrote the Doctor Who serial Ghost Light based on two proposals, one of which later became the novel Lungbarrow. That novel was greatly anticipated by fans as it was the culmination of the so-called "Cartmel Masterplan", revealing details of the Doctor's background and family.
After the original series' cancellation Platt wrote the script for the audio Doctor Who drama Spare Parts. The script was the inspiration for the 2006 Doctor Who television story "Rise of the Cybermen"/"The Age of Steel", for which Platt received a screen credit and a fee.
He lives in London.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
August 19, 2023
When the Doctor (Paul McGann) & his new travelling companion Mary Shelley (Julie Cox) arrive in 19th century Vienna they encounter one of the Doctor's oldest enemies-the Cybermen.
The Cybermen have been done to death since Doctor Who first began, so it's great to see them made into an interesting adversary once again in Mark Platt's sparkling script.
All of the cast do justice to Platt's great story, with some of them playing multiple roles. Paul McGann & Julie Cox excel as the Doctor & Mary Shelley & I look forward to hearing more of their adventures together.
The Cybermen have been done to death since Doctor Who first began, so it's great to see them made into an interesting adversary once again in Mark Platt's sparkling script.
All of the cast do justice to Platt's great story, with some of them playing multiple roles. Paul McGann & Julie Cox excel as the Doctor & Mary Shelley & I look forward to hearing more of their adventures together.
April 1, 2025
2024 52 Book Challenge - November Mini Challenge - 2) Set In A Country Bordering At Least 5 Other Countries
I quite enjoyed this audiobook. I really like Mary Shelley as a companion, and it's a nice change from Charley, as much as I like Charley.
I do really struggle to understand the Cybermen on these audios, so I did miss quite a bit of the audio, because I just couldn't understand what was going on when the Cybermen were talking, but for the rest, it was easy enough to follow and understand what was going on, and it was quite an enjoyable audio.
I quite enjoyed this audiobook. I really like Mary Shelley as a companion, and it's a nice change from Charley, as much as I like Charley.
I do really struggle to understand the Cybermen on these audios, so I did miss quite a bit of the audio, because I just couldn't understand what was going on when the Cybermen were talking, but for the rest, it was easy enough to follow and understand what was going on, and it was quite an enjoyable audio.
December 10, 2025
This was a really fun cyberman story. Ngl that first plot twist would have hit a bit harder IF THERE WASNT A BIGASS CYBERMAN ON THE COVER. Also Mondassian cybermen stay on top withthe creepyness damn. Loved this one. Mary is such a great companion too.
August 21, 2022
I'm still a bit overwhelmed right now that one of my fav classic authors was also a companion of the Doctor. And that her adventures with him and run-ins with the Cybermen probably inspired her to write Frankenstein
So yes this 5 star rating is biased, but now I love that I can combat anyone who says Sara Kingdom is their favourite companion, by going one step nerdier and saying that Mary Shelley Wollstonecraft is mine
8th Doctor rocks!
So yes this 5 star rating is biased, but now I love that I can combat anyone who says Sara Kingdom is their favourite companion, by going one step nerdier and saying that Mary Shelley Wollstonecraft is mine
8th Doctor rocks!
February 27, 2023
1873年、ウィーン万博のパピリオンでチェスで人間に勝つことができる仕掛け人形が話題になっていた。一方でその仕掛け人形の研究に出資した投資家が次々と殺されるという事件が発生していた。そに仕掛け人形がただの仕掛け人形ではなくサイバーマンだと知ったドクターはサイバーマンを破壊しようとするが、仕掛け人形を作ったアルフレッドがドクターの主張をあくまでも否定。なかなか本体に近づくことができない。その裏でアルフレッドの相棒であるブラットフィッシュはサイバーマンから与えられたテクノロジーで政界財界に影響力のある人間を思い通りに動かせる高性能パペットと入れ替え世界を支配しようとしていた。
サイバーマンは地球に墜落してバラバラになっていたのをアルフレッドとブラットフィッシュが回収組み立てた。モンダスに帰る途中だったということで地球の存在をはじめて知ってここなら住めるとモンダスに連絡しようとしていた。
ドクターとマリーのおかげでたぶん阻止できたけど...。2人で任務を遂行していて一方が結局死んでしまって....というところでちょっと哀しい感じもした。
サイバーマンは地球に墜落してバラバラになっていたのをアルフレッドとブラットフィッシュが回収組み立てた。モンダスに帰る途中だったということで地球の存在をはじめて知ってここなら住めるとモンダスに連絡しようとしていた。
ドクターとマリーのおかげでたぶん阻止できたけど...。2人で任務を遂行していて一方が結局死んでしまって....というところでちょっと哀しい感じもした。
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2021
Simply outstanding! Paul McGann voice is like soup 🍲 and his companion is Mary Shelly just mind blown! And never did i think in my wildest dreams that i would feel sorry for a cyberman! But here we are! Simply amazing loved the story and concept, funny how they tried to copy this in modern who, when it was done way way! Better here than with the 13th doctor!
April 24, 2020
Mary Shelley encounters badly damaged Cybermen; thus, Frankenstein. The idea would later find its way to television in The Haunting of Villa Diodati (2020), but Mary also echoes Rose Tyler’s empathy from Dalek (2005), the resonances circling back through TV and literature.
February 23, 2025
eight and mary shelley make up a great duo (v cute ☺️) in a genuinely fresh and involving cyberman story!
January 9, 2012
This is an excellent start for the new team. The two pitch up in Vienna in 1873, where mysterious murders are taking place and a showman is demonstrating the marvellous Silver Turk, a metal humanoid that can play musical instruments and also chess. The cover picture makes it pretty clear that the Turk is in fact not merely a Cyberman but one of the original Mondas Cybermen from The Tenth Planet, and knowing that author Marc Platt had previously written what I still think is the best ever Big Finish audio, Spare Parts, which tells the story of the origin of the Cybermen on Mondas, I rather hoped we might be in for a treat.
And we are. Platt (who I think is the only writer for the classic series still contributing to any of the lines of Who) is always an intricate writer and sometimes over-reaches himself. But here he skilfully interrogates the relationship between the Cybermen and Frankenstein, not only Shelley's original novel but also the film versions (and there's a nod to King Kong as well). Platt (and Mary Shelley, as more-or-less viewpoint character) is actually rather sympathetic to the stranded Cybermen, who none the less are fundamentally inhuman; there is a brilliant scene in a church between the excellent Julie Cox as Mary Shelley and Nick Briggs as the stranded Gram (and generally the soundscape is pretty good). This is the best Cybermen story since Spare Parts (which itself is the best Cybermen story ever).
And we are. Platt (who I think is the only writer for the classic series still contributing to any of the lines of Who) is always an intricate writer and sometimes over-reaches himself. But here he skilfully interrogates the relationship between the Cybermen and Frankenstein, not only Shelley's original novel but also the film versions (and there's a nod to King Kong as well). Platt (and Mary Shelley, as more-or-less viewpoint character) is actually rather sympathetic to the stranded Cybermen, who none the less are fundamentally inhuman; there is a brilliant scene in a church between the excellent Julie Cox as Mary Shelley and Nick Briggs as the stranded Gram (and generally the soundscape is pretty good). This is the best Cybermen story since Spare Parts (which itself is the best Cybermen story ever).
May 13, 2021
I needed a break from the Divergernt universe 8/Charlie stories and I decided to check out Mary Shelley's adventures with The Doctor (as I own all of them). It was a great decision, The Silver Turk was reminiscent of early Main Range 8th Doctor stories.
Atmospheric setting, entertaining scenes between the Doctor and companion, a fun adventure to listen to but not without darkness. The Mondasian Cybemen were a great foe and used well. I appreciated Mary's perspective on them and her ability to be compassionate. Makes sense for the author of Frankenstein and specifically Frankenstein's monster.
I liked how The Doctor considered his new companion was from the past and didn't throw her into a space adventure, but picked a less disorientating place & time. And Vienna is always a good idea. It still took Mary some time to get used to time travel and alien monsters, but she was given the space to do so, instead of just rolling with it like some historical companions before her. Which is fine, the show simply didn't really address this back then. It makes sense with Jamie who's just the kind of person who would absolutely roll with it, and even Victoria who already knew about Daleks and had been to Skaro in her first adventure. It would've been weirder for Mary however, as she only encountered alien things in her own time and in a familiar place. She also seems to be an introspective person who thinks deeply about the world, she needs time to ponder things.
Atmospheric setting, entertaining scenes between the Doctor and companion, a fun adventure to listen to but not without darkness. The Mondasian Cybemen were a great foe and used well. I appreciated Mary's perspective on them and her ability to be compassionate. Makes sense for the author of Frankenstein and specifically Frankenstein's monster.
I liked how The Doctor considered his new companion was from the past and didn't throw her into a space adventure, but picked a less disorientating place & time. And Vienna is always a good idea. It still took Mary some time to get used to time travel and alien monsters, but she was given the space to do so, instead of just rolling with it like some historical companions before her. Which is fine, the show simply didn't really address this back then. It makes sense with Jamie who's just the kind of person who would absolutely roll with it, and even Victoria who already knew about Daleks and had been to Skaro in her first adventure. It would've been weirder for Mary however, as she only encountered alien things in her own time and in a familiar place. She also seems to be an introspective person who thinks deeply about the world, she needs time to ponder things.
January 18, 2021
A nice solid story with plenty of twists and some fun cliffhangers at the chapter breaks.
My only complaint really has nothing to do with the production, but with the marketing. I have had several false starts with beginning at the beginning of the Eighth Doctor audio adventures and I keep getting led astray. Everywhere I turn it seems something else has a different notice of where these audio dramas begin. Clearly it’s a mess. And even time new information on the backstory was provided, I found myself getting frustrated and distracted.
But at least the quality of the story itself is good and the performances are wonderful.
My only complaint really has nothing to do with the production, but with the marketing. I have had several false starts with beginning at the beginning of the Eighth Doctor audio adventures and I keep getting led astray. Everywhere I turn it seems something else has a different notice of where these audio dramas begin. Clearly it’s a mess. And even time new information on the backstory was provided, I found myself getting frustrated and distracted.
But at least the quality of the story itself is good and the performances are wonderful.
June 9, 2015
Fun with a cyberman lost in the 18th century and masquerading as a chess playing machine ...
July 11, 2021
L'ANGOLO BIG FINISH: “THE SILVER TURK” (Main Range 153)
Scritto da MARC PLATT.
Con PAUL McGANN, JULIE COX, GARETH ARMSTRONG, CHRISTIAN BRASSINGTON, DAVID SCHNEIDER, GWILYM LEE, CLAIRE WYATT e NICHOLAS BRIGGS.
Avvicinatevi, avvicinatevi! Alla grande Esposizione Viennese, dove l'intrattenitore Stahlbaum vi mostrerà la sua più grande creazione, il Turco Argentato – una meraviglia meccanica che non solo vi suonerà il fortepiano, la spinetta e il flauto, vi sfiderà anche al tavolo da gioco!
Ma quando il Dottore porta la sua nuova compagna di viaggio Mary Shelley nella Vienna del diciannovesimo secolo, lui identifica subito l'incredibile Turco come uno dei suoi mortali nemici – un Cyberman parzialmente meccanico.
E questo non è neanche il peggiore degli orrori presenti in città...
---
Per il primo viaggio nel TARDIS di Mary, il Dottore la porta a Vienna, pensando di recuperare nel frattempo due amici che aveva mollato lì, Gemma e Samson (i companion dimenticati. Chissà se prima o poi la BF farà le storie anche con loro, sono passati giusto 16 anni...).
Comunque, il Dottore sbaglia il tiro di oltre mezzo secolo, e si ritrovano nel 1873 durante l'Esposizione Universale. Ed è lì che troveranno il Turco e verranno a conoscenza di una serie di raccapriccianti omicidi avvenuti in città, i cui corpi vengono rinvenuti orribilmente mutilati.
La storia è estremamente horror, come è giusto che sia per un'avventura con Mary Shelley e i Cybermen mondasiani (decisamente non lo ascolterei prima di andare a dormire). Marc Platt è certamente a suo agio nel dare vita a queste ambientazioni gotiche, dipingendo la Vienna ottocentesca di tinte cupe e morbose.
Ho trovato interessante l'ispirazione ad una curiosità storica: infatti il Turco è veramente esistito ed era presentato a fine Settecento – metà Ottocento come un “automa” in grado di giocare a scacchi (ovviamente era operato da una persona in realtà).
È anche considerevole la sua visione di questi primi cybermen, già di per sé terrificanti in quanto sono ancora individuabili le parti umane che li compongono; tuttavia l'orrore qui non è solo la consapevolezza che un tempo fossero persone, bensì che stiano tuttora soffrendo. C'è la sensazione che conservino una loro identità e che esista ancora un po' di umanità residua, e la vera tragedia è che non possono superare la loro programmazione che li spinge a sopravvivere a qualunque costo.
I Cybermen, anche se sono la forza trainante della storia, non sono gli unici villain, e combinando la tecnologia aliena con le invenzioni vittoriane vengono fuori altri orrori.
Per quanto riguarda i personaggi, abbiamo il contrasto tra un giovane e baldanzoso Ottavo Dottore, pieno di joie de vivre (ricordo che siamo ancora prima delle sue avventure con Charlie), rispetto a una Mary più riservata e spaesata, ma con una grande determinazione e forza interiore. La compassione che prova per i cybermen e la sua empatia sono lodevoli, anche se mal poste, nonostante il Dottore continui a ripeterle di non fidarsi (un po' come Nove con Rose e il Dalek). Ed è interessante avere una companion storica in un contesto altrettanto storico, ma che dal suo punto di vista è comunque futuristico.
Anche i personaggi secondari sono interessanti, nonostante passino un po' in secondo piano in mezzo a tutto quello che sta succedendo.
Appunto sulla musica: anche se non amo la sigla composta da Jamie Robertson, è invece molto bravo con gli score degli episodi, e qui non è da meno, andando a creare un'atmosfera estremamente inquietante. Inoltre, sentire il Turco suonare la Sonata al Chiaro di Luna di Beethoven è da brividi. (Curiosità: in The Crystal of Cantus anche Brax ascoltava questa sonata mentre parlava dei Cybermen, quindi sto iniziando ad associare le due cose).
Se ambientazione e caratterizzazione sono i punti forti della storia, la trama si perde un po' nel finale, in quanto la soluzione appare un po' troppo conveniente e con pochissimo intervento da parte del Dottore. Ciononostante, l'episodio rimane comunque molto forte e un'ottima introduzione a Mary come companion vera e propria.
Scritto da MARC PLATT.
Con PAUL McGANN, JULIE COX, GARETH ARMSTRONG, CHRISTIAN BRASSINGTON, DAVID SCHNEIDER, GWILYM LEE, CLAIRE WYATT e NICHOLAS BRIGGS.
Avvicinatevi, avvicinatevi! Alla grande Esposizione Viennese, dove l'intrattenitore Stahlbaum vi mostrerà la sua più grande creazione, il Turco Argentato – una meraviglia meccanica che non solo vi suonerà il fortepiano, la spinetta e il flauto, vi sfiderà anche al tavolo da gioco!
Ma quando il Dottore porta la sua nuova compagna di viaggio Mary Shelley nella Vienna del diciannovesimo secolo, lui identifica subito l'incredibile Turco come uno dei suoi mortali nemici – un Cyberman parzialmente meccanico.
E questo non è neanche il peggiore degli orrori presenti in città...
---
Per il primo viaggio nel TARDIS di Mary, il Dottore la porta a Vienna, pensando di recuperare nel frattempo due amici che aveva mollato lì, Gemma e Samson (i companion dimenticati. Chissà se prima o poi la BF farà le storie anche con loro, sono passati giusto 16 anni...).
Comunque, il Dottore sbaglia il tiro di oltre mezzo secolo, e si ritrovano nel 1873 durante l'Esposizione Universale. Ed è lì che troveranno il Turco e verranno a conoscenza di una serie di raccapriccianti omicidi avvenuti in città, i cui corpi vengono rinvenuti orribilmente mutilati.
La storia è estremamente horror, come è giusto che sia per un'avventura con Mary Shelley e i Cybermen mondasiani (decisamente non lo ascolterei prima di andare a dormire). Marc Platt è certamente a suo agio nel dare vita a queste ambientazioni gotiche, dipingendo la Vienna ottocentesca di tinte cupe e morbose.
Ho trovato interessante l'ispirazione ad una curiosità storica: infatti il Turco è veramente esistito ed era presentato a fine Settecento – metà Ottocento come un “automa” in grado di giocare a scacchi (ovviamente era operato da una persona in realtà).
È anche considerevole la sua visione di questi primi cybermen, già di per sé terrificanti in quanto sono ancora individuabili le parti umane che li compongono; tuttavia l'orrore qui non è solo la consapevolezza che un tempo fossero persone, bensì che stiano tuttora soffrendo. C'è la sensazione che conservino una loro identità e che esista ancora un po' di umanità residua, e la vera tragedia è che non possono superare la loro programmazione che li spinge a sopravvivere a qualunque costo.
I Cybermen, anche se sono la forza trainante della storia, non sono gli unici villain, e combinando la tecnologia aliena con le invenzioni vittoriane vengono fuori altri orrori.
Per quanto riguarda i personaggi, abbiamo il contrasto tra un giovane e baldanzoso Ottavo Dottore, pieno di joie de vivre (ricordo che siamo ancora prima delle sue avventure con Charlie), rispetto a una Mary più riservata e spaesata, ma con una grande determinazione e forza interiore. La compassione che prova per i cybermen e la sua empatia sono lodevoli, anche se mal poste, nonostante il Dottore continui a ripeterle di non fidarsi (un po' come Nove con Rose e il Dalek). Ed è interessante avere una companion storica in un contesto altrettanto storico, ma che dal suo punto di vista è comunque futuristico.
Anche i personaggi secondari sono interessanti, nonostante passino un po' in secondo piano in mezzo a tutto quello che sta succedendo.
Appunto sulla musica: anche se non amo la sigla composta da Jamie Robertson, è invece molto bravo con gli score degli episodi, e qui non è da meno, andando a creare un'atmosfera estremamente inquietante. Inoltre, sentire il Turco suonare la Sonata al Chiaro di Luna di Beethoven è da brividi. (Curiosità: in The Crystal of Cantus anche Brax ascoltava questa sonata mentre parlava dei Cybermen, quindi sto iniziando ad associare le due cose).
Se ambientazione e caratterizzazione sono i punti forti della storia, la trama si perde un po' nel finale, in quanto la soluzione appare un po' troppo conveniente e con pochissimo intervento da parte del Dottore. Ciononostante, l'episodio rimane comunque molto forte e un'ottima introduzione a Mary come companion vera e propria.
October 12, 2018
The Silver Turk is a massively atmospheric story with a bunch of insightful characters that you truly care about and are interested with. Mary and 8's relationship is sweet and lovable and it's great to see the duo get on so well on their first tale. The Cybermen in this story are convincing eerie and their actions are grisly and gory and give an on-Edge feel, with that melodic Mondasian voice juxtaposed against the horrifying truth of the iconic enemies.
The music and sound effects for the entire story are perfect and are just amazing, they really add the authenticity to the dialogue as well as the setting, allowing the listener to successfully visualise the Scenes and settings.
The Silver Turk is a perfect Cyberman story, and a perfect Eighth Doctor sorry. Marc Platt offers a tale with new and old ideas for what was a grim adventure which made me fall in love with the ideology that originally created the Cybermen and the idea of what they can be. Highly recommended, this is one of the best stories I've heard from Big Finish in any range and I feel this story will remain in the top 10 audio stories for Doctor Who.
July 4, 2023
Oh I just adored this one. It has its inconsistencies but Marc Platt has a gift for humanizing the Cybermen, and Eight and Mary Shelley(!) have fantastic chemistry.
I adored the music; the slow creep of those low notes and the spooky lullaby really did it for me. Sure, the fact that the spooky lullaby basically meant nothing was kind of weird (there’s fair critiques to be made of this story’s logical consistencies falling through) but I truly could care less.
This is exactly what I wanted from Doctor Who. Exactly what I wanted from Eight! He’s a bit whimsical while still coming across as deeply serious.
Every scene with Mary and Gramm was stunning. The Cybermen in this story absolutely captivated me; I’m just in awe of how much fun I had with this story (it’s spooky! It’s sad!!), and how much investment I put into it.
Honestly I’ll probably recommend this to new listeners of Eight as an intro piece. This was just right to me. I absolutely loved it, and it’s 100% on my relisten list.
I adored the music; the slow creep of those low notes and the spooky lullaby really did it for me. Sure, the fact that the spooky lullaby basically meant nothing was kind of weird (there’s fair critiques to be made of this story’s logical consistencies falling through) but I truly could care less.
This is exactly what I wanted from Doctor Who. Exactly what I wanted from Eight! He’s a bit whimsical while still coming across as deeply serious.
Every scene with Mary and Gramm was stunning. The Cybermen in this story absolutely captivated me; I’m just in awe of how much fun I had with this story (it’s spooky! It’s sad!!), and how much investment I put into it.
Honestly I’ll probably recommend this to new listeners of Eight as an intro piece. This was just right to me. I absolutely loved it, and it’s 100% on my relisten list.
May 14, 2022
The 8th Doctor and Mary Shelley travel to Vienna 1873 where two damaged Mondasian Cybermen have been rebuilt and used as automatons for exhibitions. This story was excellent, blending in horror and history to create a rather exciting and dramatic episode. Of course, I love that the the 8th Doctor is travelling around with Mary Shelley, and this episode serves to illustrate potential inspirations for her masterpiece novel. One of the Cybermen is being displayed as "The Silver Turk," and mention is made of the historical Turk, which was a fake chess-playing machine constructed in the late 18th century. From 1770 until its destruction by fire in 1854 it was exhibited by various owners as an automaton, though it was eventually revealed to be an elaborate hoax. Likewise, this silver Turk is also a hoax because, as a cyberman, it really isn't an automaton. It was a splendid story, one of the best I've listened to from Big Finish.
May 20, 2023
Stories like these are why I will always love Big Finish. This was downright Creepy.
I just cannot imagine this story ever being told in the tv show due to it just being way to adult is not the right word but at the same time it kinda is. It is not a horror story per se but the elements of creepiness presented here are something the show only dabbels in.
I really love Mary as an companion I'm already saddend that she only has three stories left.
Marc Platt writing for the Cyberman, it is like a match made in hell. I never really like the classic monsters per se like the daleks cause I mean what else can you do with the daleks and the cyberman? Stories like this is what you can do.
I just cannot imagine this story ever being told in the tv show due to it just being way to adult is not the right word but at the same time it kinda is. It is not a horror story per se but the elements of creepiness presented here are something the show only dabbels in.
I really love Mary as an companion I'm already saddend that she only has three stories left.
Marc Platt writing for the Cyberman, it is like a match made in hell. I never really like the classic monsters per se like the daleks cause I mean what else can you do with the daleks and the cyberman? Stories like this is what you can do.
July 16, 2019
A rather exciting Gothic style eighth Doctor Who story. It is set in Vienna of 1876. The Doctor jumps his Tardis from Lake Geneva in Switzerland of 1816 with his companion Mary Shelly. At one of the cities entertainment halls, they come across a strange man wrapped in bandages and playing all the musical classics on violin or piano etc. The Doctor, in the audience, is instantly on alert because the being in bandages is none other than a Mondaisian Cyberman. The story begins to develop and we are all going for a grand Gothic ride. A real fun Big Finish adventure. I enjoyed it and would recommend to any Doctor Who fan.
October 26, 2025
I like Paul McGann's Doctor and the idea of traveling with Mary Shelley (picking up from a previous story) is fun. I thought the concept was quite good, but the voicing of the "aliens" was especially annoying and difficult to understand. I must be well over 100 of the Doctor Who audio adventures and can say this was atypical.
November 15, 2020
This was an improvement over "Mary's Story," given the length. It's fun seeing Mary Shelley as The Doctor's companion, even if this has been overwritten by "The Haunting of Villa Diodati." Interestingly, both that episode and The Silver Turk feature a Cyberman threat. It might just be a coincidence, though. I still think the TV episode is better, but I love the dynamic between The Doctor and Shelley. There's also some nice music in this one.
December 28, 2023
A decent enough story despite its repetitive nature, though I can't help but feel that poor Mary is only going to have adventures that are supposed to inspire her future writing (or rather, the writing in these audiobooks is inspired by her own work... lol timey timey etc).
November 27, 2024
Damn having there being a companion from the past again makes stories like this so much more fun to listen to rather than just a modern day girl. Mary is a great companion. God damn why has the TV show not given us a unique companion for the past 20 YEARS!
November 10, 2016
New Companion!! We get to meet Mary Shelley. :) (Yes, "that" Mary Shelly) interested to see where this goes.
June 9, 2020
I am really getting into the Doctor Who audios. It is so nice to Listen to the 8th doctor who was so screwed by his only TV appereance
May 30, 2023
[audiobook]
July 4, 2025
It’s not poorly done at all, but… “Mary Shelley meets the Cybermen”? Bit obvious, innit?
April 19, 2025
This is one of the most painful of all Big Finish audios, not because it's so bad, but rather for the exact opposite reason: it's too good. So much about this audio is so well done that it makes all the parts that are good hurt even more because you wish that this was perfect, and it isn't.
The best part about this story is the main feature, the Cybermen. This audio does for the Tenth Planet Cybermen what Jubilee does for the Sixth Doctor; it makes you love them, even if you didn't like them before. This story manages to make the Cybermen sympathetic without resorting to tired cliches like them remembering when they were human or feeling love for the first time. This is probably the best Cyberman story ever told, and considering how iconic they are, that is really saying a lot. It creates a really cool and really unique version of the Cybermen that we've never seen before or since. The image of the legless Cyberman walking around Viena on three arms with another legless Cyberman around its back is such an iconic image that it will stay with you, even though this is audio and not visual. And the part where the weaker of the two dies is appropriately tragic as it should be. And it's even more interesting as the Cybermen aren't even the villains of this story and the real villains are just as interesting as the Cybermen.
It's also interesting to have the actual Mery Shelly as a companion, which sounds gimmicky but works really well. She has some nice interactions with the Cyberman, and the dynamic between her and the Eight Doctor while not memorable, works well enough.
The problems come in how the story is structured. There were a few scenes that I felt could have been simplified or combined with other plot points. And the ending is kind of disappointing as I had really come to love the Silver Turk as a character and his death felt quite anti-climactic. It might have been too advise having him sacrifice himself at the end but I would rather have had that than what they did.
If there's one Doctor Who expanded media story that needs to be made into a TV story (but hopeful without the 15th Doctor) it's this one.
The best part about this story is the main feature, the Cybermen. This audio does for the Tenth Planet Cybermen what Jubilee does for the Sixth Doctor; it makes you love them, even if you didn't like them before. This story manages to make the Cybermen sympathetic without resorting to tired cliches like them remembering when they were human or feeling love for the first time. This is probably the best Cyberman story ever told, and considering how iconic they are, that is really saying a lot. It creates a really cool and really unique version of the Cybermen that we've never seen before or since. The image of the legless Cyberman walking around Viena on three arms with another legless Cyberman around its back is such an iconic image that it will stay with you, even though this is audio and not visual. And the part where the weaker of the two dies is appropriately tragic as it should be. And it's even more interesting as the Cybermen aren't even the villains of this story and the real villains are just as interesting as the Cybermen.
It's also interesting to have the actual Mery Shelly as a companion, which sounds gimmicky but works really well. She has some nice interactions with the Cyberman, and the dynamic between her and the Eight Doctor while not memorable, works well enough.
The problems come in how the story is structured. There were a few scenes that I felt could have been simplified or combined with other plot points. And the ending is kind of disappointing as I had really come to love the Silver Turk as a character and his death felt quite anti-climactic. It might have been too advise having him sacrifice himself at the end but I would rather have had that than what they did.
If there's one Doctor Who expanded media story that needs to be made into a TV story (but hopeful without the 15th Doctor) it's this one.
October 14, 2013
Well, I'm still loving the fact that a throwaway line in an early 8th Doctor audio play about the Doctor meeting Mary Shelley eventually led to a whole set of plays featuring Mary Shelley as a companion. And, of course, it's thoroughly appropriate that Mary Shelley's first proper adventure with the Doctor should involve her encountering a Cyberman.
This is an atypical Cyberman story, being set in 19th century Vienna, and featuring a pair of Cybermen from Mondas who have crashed on Earth and been badly damaged. Like the author's previous story, Spare Parts, this story highlights the individuality of the Cybermen much more than most stories that feature them, bringing out hints of the human personalities still lurking beneath their cybernetically enhanced exteriors. In lots of ways, this makes them more horrific than when they're portrayed as a mass of identical emotionless near-robots. The story also does a great job of integrating the Cybermen into a story that very much has the feel of 19th century literature of the uncanny. It feels period, while incorporating futuristic elements.
Mary Shelley makes a great Doctor Who companion - she's smart, courageous, and not afraid to take the initiative. Platt strikes a good balance in showing her adjusting to the concept of time travel and the strange things that she encounters without bogging down the story. The scene where she first speaks to a damaged Cyberman is pitch perfect - she sympathizes with and tries to help a creature that everyone else sees as a monster.
I have a few quibbles. I could do with a few less jokey references by the Doctor to Mary Shelley's future books - after a while, it not only feels in-jokey but rather careless on the Doctor's part. Admittedly, these stories are set before the 8th Doctor's most traumatic experiences with the Web of Time, but it still feels like he should be a bit more careful.
Still, if the remaining Mary Shelley stories live up to this one, I'll be very happy indeed.
This is an atypical Cyberman story, being set in 19th century Vienna, and featuring a pair of Cybermen from Mondas who have crashed on Earth and been badly damaged. Like the author's previous story, Spare Parts, this story highlights the individuality of the Cybermen much more than most stories that feature them, bringing out hints of the human personalities still lurking beneath their cybernetically enhanced exteriors. In lots of ways, this makes them more horrific than when they're portrayed as a mass of identical emotionless near-robots. The story also does a great job of integrating the Cybermen into a story that very much has the feel of 19th century literature of the uncanny. It feels period, while incorporating futuristic elements.
Mary Shelley makes a great Doctor Who companion - she's smart, courageous, and not afraid to take the initiative. Platt strikes a good balance in showing her adjusting to the concept of time travel and the strange things that she encounters without bogging down the story. The scene where she first speaks to a damaged Cyberman is pitch perfect - she sympathizes with and tries to help a creature that everyone else sees as a monster.
I have a few quibbles. I could do with a few less jokey references by the Doctor to Mary Shelley's future books - after a while, it not only feels in-jokey but rather careless on the Doctor's part. Admittedly, these stories are set before the 8th Doctor's most traumatic experiences with the Web of Time, but it still feels like he should be a bit more careful.
Still, if the remaining Mary Shelley stories live up to this one, I'll be very happy indeed.
June 30, 2017
This is the first in a trilogy of stories pairing the 8th Doctor with Mary Shelley, the real-world author of Frankenstein. Here, the Doctor takes Mary to the Viennese Exposition of 1873, where they encounter a crippled cyberman being used as one of the exhibits.
There is an obvious parallel with the TV story Dalek here, and there are certainly some thematic resemblances, with Mary taking on Rose's role. However, we're reminded more than once that the cyberman isn't simply going to give up and die, and that we're therefore headed for a different ending. The theme may be repeated; the plot is entirely new.
By this point in Big Finish's run, Eight had been appearing primarily in one-hour stories for the last several years. The two-hour length of this offering allows more development of the story than we've seen recently, at least outside of the occasional two-part release. There's a significant cast of characters, most of whom are at least partially working at cross-purposes, yet the story does not feel rushed and overly complicated, as it might have had it been shorter.
Mary is an effective companion, showing a mixture of pluck and compassion, even while she's not entirely sure how much she should trust the Doctor (having only just met him). The fact that she's several decades in her own future, even if she's over a hundred years in our past, is also dealt with well, leaving her in some respects as isolated as the title character.
There are some individually great scenes, many of them riffing off of Frankenstein, and some creepy imagery that draws parallels between that story and the cyberman theme of harvesting body parts for their own survival. There is perhaps a little bit of a credibility gap with the effectiveness of the secondary villain's scheme, but everything is carried through so effectively that it doesn't detract too much.
4.5 stars rounded up to 5.
There is an obvious parallel with the TV story Dalek here, and there are certainly some thematic resemblances, with Mary taking on Rose's role. However, we're reminded more than once that the cyberman isn't simply going to give up and die, and that we're therefore headed for a different ending. The theme may be repeated; the plot is entirely new.
By this point in Big Finish's run, Eight had been appearing primarily in one-hour stories for the last several years. The two-hour length of this offering allows more development of the story than we've seen recently, at least outside of the occasional two-part release. There's a significant cast of characters, most of whom are at least partially working at cross-purposes, yet the story does not feel rushed and overly complicated, as it might have had it been shorter.
Mary is an effective companion, showing a mixture of pluck and compassion, even while she's not entirely sure how much she should trust the Doctor (having only just met him). The fact that she's several decades in her own future, even if she's over a hundred years in our past, is also dealt with well, leaving her in some respects as isolated as the title character.
There are some individually great scenes, many of them riffing off of Frankenstein, and some creepy imagery that draws parallels between that story and the cyberman theme of harvesting body parts for their own survival. There is perhaps a little bit of a credibility gap with the effectiveness of the secondary villain's scheme, but everything is carried through so effectively that it doesn't detract too much.
4.5 stars rounded up to 5.
October 3, 2012
One of the creepiest audios I've listened to in awhile and I chose to listen to it while jogging around midnight... This is one of those audios that makes me long for classic cybermen stories. From the creepy nursery rhymes to the eery cybermen murmurs to the booming voice of the marionette master, this audio's first three chapters will have you on the edge of your seat.
The Eighth Doctor starts off being his usual cheerful wonder of the universe self, but once the cybermen appear he becomes obsessed with discovering their plot. His passion and own fear at what the cybermen can do really drives the first three chapters with a frenetic intensity.
Mary Shelley is a superb companion. She has fantastic observations on the situation and time travel. They also do have a bit of fun with her anachronisms and the craziness that can happen in time travel. They also tie the story of the cybermen with Frankenstein and Mary's compassion for the cybermen reflects her eventual writing of the monster. I am definitely looking forward to more Mary stories.
The Countess is an interesting character and goes beyond her side character role in making us care about the secondary antagonist as well as a few other side characters. The other really notable voice is of the main antagonist, Dr. Drossel. He really ups the creepiness of this story and his menace drives both the terror and the mystery.
The only problem with this adventure was the ending, which is the problem of most creepy stories, once you know what's going on it loses its edge. There are still satisfying character wrap ups, but for the most part is by the book. There is a somewhat amusing cliffhanger.
Overall, this is a strong audio and I think it is great for any Doctor Who fan and even horror fan.
The Eighth Doctor starts off being his usual cheerful wonder of the universe self, but once the cybermen appear he becomes obsessed with discovering their plot. His passion and own fear at what the cybermen can do really drives the first three chapters with a frenetic intensity.
Mary Shelley is a superb companion. She has fantastic observations on the situation and time travel. They also do have a bit of fun with her anachronisms and the craziness that can happen in time travel. They also tie the story of the cybermen with Frankenstein and Mary's compassion for the cybermen reflects her eventual writing of the monster. I am definitely looking forward to more Mary stories.
The Countess is an interesting character and goes beyond her side character role in making us care about the secondary antagonist as well as a few other side characters. The other really notable voice is of the main antagonist, Dr. Drossel. He really ups the creepiness of this story and his menace drives both the terror and the mystery.
The only problem with this adventure was the ending, which is the problem of most creepy stories, once you know what's going on it loses its edge. There are still satisfying character wrap ups, but for the most part is by the book. There is a somewhat amusing cliffhanger.
Overall, this is a strong audio and I think it is great for any Doctor Who fan and even horror fan.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews