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The Fourth Doctor Adventures #13C
Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor Adventures, Series 13: Dominant Species
3.1 The Face in the Storm by Sarah Grochala - 1916 and the TARDIS has landed in the cargo hold of the SS Maycrest, a ship transporting soldiers across the Atlantic. Except that’s not all that’s being transported across the ocean. Because the Doctor and his friends find a strange crate in the hold, a crate that’s unnaturally cold. But the contents of the crate are not the ship’s biggest secret. Nor it’s deadliest threat.
3.2 Dominant Species by John Dorney (4 parts) - It has been a long time since the invasion of Taleeria. The population is enslaved and subject entirely to the will of the conquerors – the Dominators and their deadly robot servants, the Quarks. The Doctor, Harry and Naomi stumble into this perilous scenario and are soon separated... but freeing the people of Taleeria should be business as usual, shouldn’t it? Where the Dominators are concerned, things may not be so simple.
3.2 Dominant Species by John Dorney (4 parts) - It has been a long time since the invasion of Taleeria. The population is enslaved and subject entirely to the will of the conquerors – the Dominators and their deadly robot servants, the Quarks. The Doctor, Harry and Naomi stumble into this perilous scenario and are soon separated... but freeing the people of Taleeria should be business as usual, shouldn’t it? Where the Dominators are concerned, things may not be so simple.
- GenresDoctor Who
Audio CD
Published September 1, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 16, 2024
Editing this a bit after thinking for a day:
Story 1 - 4 stars: enjoyed this, thought it was fun learning about Naomi's family
Story 2 - 3.5/4 stars: for a Dorney script i think I expected more. Far from bad but not his best. This felt very epic in scope with some fun twists and turns but also felt fairly standard as well?
Story 1 - 4 stars: enjoyed this, thought it was fun learning about Naomi's family
Story 2 - 3.5/4 stars: for a Dorney script i think I expected more. Far from bad but not his best. This felt very epic in scope with some fun twists and turns but also felt fairly standard as well?
April 5, 2026
Two unconnected stories featuring the Fourth Doctor travelling with Harry and audio-only companion Naomi.
The Face in the Storm
The supporting story takes place in a ship in the mid-Atlantic, making for a ‘base under siege’ setup. The twist on the format is that the ship in question is taking soldiers of the British West Indies Regiment from Jamaica to fight in World War I. This naturally brings in social issues that feel different today than they would have in 1916, when the story is set. This is most obviously illustrated by the captain of the ship, although he seems more motivated by classism than racism per se.
However, that’s a less significant aspect of the story than one might expect (which, depending on your point of view, may or may not be a plus). Instead, it allows the story to use two of the Jamaican volunteer soldiers as the main guest characters, in particular exploring their relationship to Naomi. That’s not revealed until the mid-point cliffhanger, although it’s obvious what it’s going to be from almost the beginning, Chekov’s Gun style. That’s probably the strongest part of it, especially once their reason for signing up is revealed. In contrast, the monster element is competently done but does not ring any particular changes on the format and has a resolution that feels a bit of a reach. So, a good story for Naomi, and a decent sense of threat, but otherwise a middling tale. 3.5 stars.
Dominant Species
When Harry and Naomi were first introduced in the modern UNIT stories, they were said to have been dropped off in the 21st century after an adventure with the Dominators. Here, we finally get to see that story, closing the loop on that part of their arc. The only previous audio to feature the Dominators went the comedic route, but here, there’s an effort to make them seem like more competent and dangerous villains. There’s an emphasis on their hierarchical and fascistic society, obsessed with efficiency and the subjugation of other races to obtain fuel resources.
The story begins on a planet they have invaded and then follows them to the conquest of another world, giving it an unusually epic scope. The second half is very much a resistance story, with the Doctor and his companions striving in different ways to overthrow a brutal regime already in charge of a planet – The Sunmakers might be the closest analogy from the Baker TV era, although The Dalek Invasion of Earth>/i> is closer in tone. The death toll is surprisingly high, albeit largely off-screen, with the Quarks playing a key role. The high-pitched voices of the latter are difficult to understand at times, but there’s not a lot one can do about that when the way they sound has already been established. While the Dominators are never going to be major villains in the way that some other races are, and there’s no attempt to develop them much beyond their roots here (as was done in other audios for, say, the Voord) this is at least a good effort to do something serious with them and make them the menace they were originally intended to be. 4 stars.
The Face in the Storm
The supporting story takes place in a ship in the mid-Atlantic, making for a ‘base under siege’ setup. The twist on the format is that the ship in question is taking soldiers of the British West Indies Regiment from Jamaica to fight in World War I. This naturally brings in social issues that feel different today than they would have in 1916, when the story is set. This is most obviously illustrated by the captain of the ship, although he seems more motivated by classism than racism per se.
However, that’s a less significant aspect of the story than one might expect (which, depending on your point of view, may or may not be a plus). Instead, it allows the story to use two of the Jamaican volunteer soldiers as the main guest characters, in particular exploring their relationship to Naomi. That’s not revealed until the mid-point cliffhanger, although it’s obvious what it’s going to be from almost the beginning, Chekov’s Gun style. That’s probably the strongest part of it, especially once their reason for signing up is revealed. In contrast, the monster element is competently done but does not ring any particular changes on the format and has a resolution that feels a bit of a reach. So, a good story for Naomi, and a decent sense of threat, but otherwise a middling tale. 3.5 stars.
Dominant Species
When Harry and Naomi were first introduced in the modern UNIT stories, they were said to have been dropped off in the 21st century after an adventure with the Dominators. Here, we finally get to see that story, closing the loop on that part of their arc. The only previous audio to feature the Dominators went the comedic route, but here, there’s an effort to make them seem like more competent and dangerous villains. There’s an emphasis on their hierarchical and fascistic society, obsessed with efficiency and the subjugation of other races to obtain fuel resources.
The story begins on a planet they have invaded and then follows them to the conquest of another world, giving it an unusually epic scope. The second half is very much a resistance story, with the Doctor and his companions striving in different ways to overthrow a brutal regime already in charge of a planet – The Sunmakers might be the closest analogy from the Baker TV era, although The Dalek Invasion of Earth>/i> is closer in tone. The death toll is surprisingly high, albeit largely off-screen, with the Quarks playing a key role. The high-pitched voices of the latter are difficult to understand at times, but there’s not a lot one can do about that when the way they sound has already been established. While the Dominators are never going to be major villains in the way that some other races are, and there’s no attempt to develop them much beyond their roots here (as was done in other audios for, say, the Voord) this is at least a good effort to do something serious with them and make them the menace they were originally intended to be. 4 stars.
January 2, 2025
It's been a while since I've listened to the 4th Doctor, Naomi, and Harry's adventures but now it's finally time to conclude their travels and find out how Naomi and Harry found themselves in 2012 in the first place.
The Face in The Storm:
It's 1916 and The Tardis has arrived aboard a cargo ship during WW1. Something alien is being transported across the ocean and it could have horrific consequences for the war. Naomi's family ties are about to catch up with her and if her grandfather dies on this voyage then her lineage will cease to exist.
Sarah Grochala has written a very engaging and straightforward historical that makes a great little character piece for Naomi. It's lovely to learn more about Naomi and her family history. It's a simple tale but well-written with an interesting cast of characters and a chilly atmosphere. I loved how the 4th Doctor had a sense of dark humor in this one, it's a nice change of pace. 8/10
Dominant Species:
The population of Taleeria has been enslaved by The Dominators. The Doctor, Naomi, and Harry arrive to have a vacation, but when they find out the whole solar system has been taken over by the Overseer and his dreadful quarks, it seems they'll have to save the day. There will be many casualties and the stakes are high. Not everyone will make it out in one piece. Sometimes not even The Doctor can save the day.
John Dorney has written a terrific 4 part epic story that in some ways is a bog-standard adventure but he elevates the threat and scale to epic proportions. It's a tense and bleak adventure full of action, death, explosions, and a large cast of characters. It's a story that highlights how effective The Dominators can be with a good script. 9/10
Overall: 17/20
The Face in The Storm:
It's 1916 and The Tardis has arrived aboard a cargo ship during WW1. Something alien is being transported across the ocean and it could have horrific consequences for the war. Naomi's family ties are about to catch up with her and if her grandfather dies on this voyage then her lineage will cease to exist.
Sarah Grochala has written a very engaging and straightforward historical that makes a great little character piece for Naomi. It's lovely to learn more about Naomi and her family history. It's a simple tale but well-written with an interesting cast of characters and a chilly atmosphere. I loved how the 4th Doctor had a sense of dark humor in this one, it's a nice change of pace. 8/10
Dominant Species:
The population of Taleeria has been enslaved by The Dominators. The Doctor, Naomi, and Harry arrive to have a vacation, but when they find out the whole solar system has been taken over by the Overseer and his dreadful quarks, it seems they'll have to save the day. There will be many casualties and the stakes are high. Not everyone will make it out in one piece. Sometimes not even The Doctor can save the day.
John Dorney has written a terrific 4 part epic story that in some ways is a bog-standard adventure but he elevates the threat and scale to epic proportions. It's a tense and bleak adventure full of action, death, explosions, and a large cast of characters. It's a story that highlights how effective The Dominators can be with a good script. 9/10
Overall: 17/20
September 28, 2024
"Obedience is not really my thing."
October 6, 2024
We’ve been waiting years to hear how Harry and Naomi ended up in 2012.
June 4, 2026
13.6 'The Face in the Storm' by Sarah Grochala: 5*
13.7 'Dominant Species' by John Dorney: 5*
13.7 'Dominant Species' by John Dorney: 5*
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews