Zygon Century: Infiltration

Zygon Century

by Jonathan Barnes, Lauren Mooney, Stewart Pringle

The Zygons have come to claim the Earth, and this time they're playing the long game. For the Black Cadre have a plan, a plan that will take exactly one hundred years to come to fruition. Prepare yourselves... the Zygon Century has begun!

1901: The Unknowing Mirror by Jonathan Barnes - In Edwardian London, that scandalous investigator of occult phenomena, Mr Herbert Scott, and his associate, Father Felix Cromwell, are confronted by a case of possession. A young woman, suffering from unusually vivid dreams, seems also to exhibit signs of a completely separate personality. Another being is speaking through her, a being which claims not to be from Earth at all, a being which calls itself... Zygon.

1935: The Miracle of Pendour Cove by Lauren Mooney and Stewart Pringle - Freddie Trewella has found a mermaid, beautiful and strange, washed ashore in a Cornish bay. He names her Vorvoren, and she comforts him in his harsh life of servitude to a zealot father. As they grow together, Vorvoren shows Freddie her secret power, to change her appearance into anything she desires. But Freddie has secrets of his own, terrible secrets, and soon Vorvoren's great adventure among the humans becomes a nightmarish fight for survival.

1957: Double Agent by Trevor Baxendale - In an England gripped by Cold War paranoia, wounded MI5 operative Caldwell is itching to rejoin the fray abroad. So why are the service sending him to a remote Cornish island? Can the future of the world really be at stake? Will he be able to complete his mission without falling foul of the hideous monsters stalking the caves? And who exactly is the island's other new arrival: an operative of quite a different kind, known only as the Doctor?

**Please note: The Miracle of Pendour Cove contains depictions of domestic violence which we strongly advise is not suitable for younger listeners**

Genres: Doctor Who

Audiobook

First published January 14, 2025

About the author

Jonathan Barnes, FBA (born 26 December 1942 in Wenlock, Shropshire) is an English scholar of ancient philosophy.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

See also Jonathan Barnes or Jonathan Barnes

Reviews

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

1901: The Unknowing Mirror - Oh, this was delicious. Set in Edwardian England, this tale has some lovely stuff that really develops the Zygons and what they’re up to on earth when they aren’t encountering The Doctor. But it’s also about some clever people investigating the weird and the occult. Some clever people who are perhaps too clever for their own good. (4/5)

1935: The Miracle of Pendour Cove - This is definitely not something to let the kiddies listen to. It’s dark and it deals with some pretty damaged personalities. It also deals with questions of who is the monster in the story, much like Frankenstein does. (5/5)

1957: Double Agent - Oh a James-Bond-esque style riff. And let’s throw in The (second) Doctor from his time after season 6 and his forced regeneration. This is fun! (4/5)

Zygon Century has lots of potential as a spin-off series. More, please! 😸

[Danny Welch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big Finish has created many interesting and unique spin-offs throughout the years; most of them have been terrific and some have unfortunately been disappointing. Zygon Century: Infiltration is a set I've heard a lot of good things about. The hype around this set has been immense and I can't wait to get into it.

1901: The Unknowing Mirror:
In Edwardian London, a pair of controversial occult investigators, Mr. Herbert Scott and Father Felix Cromwell, find themselves helping a young girl who believe she's partially possessed by a creature from another world. Can she trust Mr. Herbert Scott? What secrets is her father hiding? Where is the island she speaks of? So many questions. The Zygons are coming and their plan to take over the planet has begun.

Jonathan Barnes has written a terrifically atmospheric and unsettling script that has a cast of complex and untrustworthy characters. It's a brilliant way to begin this series and certainly sets up the overall vibe and atmosphere this spin off is going for. The ending is haunting and reveals something about one character that will have your jaw-drop in disgust. 10/10

1935: The Miracle of Pendour Cove:
Freddie Trewella, a depressed widow, has fallen in love with a creature from beyond the stars. Vorvoren loves him as well, and he's everything she's wanted after she ran away from her people to live among the humans. But there is a darkness hiding under the surface and unfortunately Vorvoren is about to discover just how evil humanity can be.

Lauren Mooney and Stewart Pringle have written a heartbreaking and terrifying story about domestic violence, religious bigotry and psychological torment. I felt so bad for Vorvoren in this story and prayed throughout that she'd have a happy ending, of sorts. A devastating story that portrays domestic violence realistically. So if the story's subject is something that might trigger you, please stay away from this one. 10/10

1957: Double Agent:
MI5 has given agent Caldwell a mission to destroy the Zygon inhabitants of a small island. The Doctor arrives, but unlike Caldwell, he's here to save the Zygons.

Trevor Baxendale has written a very engaging spy thriller episode that puts The Doctor at odds with an MI5 agent. This is a really enjoyable story that concludes with a jaw-dropping ending. 9/10

Overall: 29/30

[Finlay O'Riordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the second and third stories. The first one was a bit boring, but not especially bad.

However, I struggled to comprehend what the Zygon plan actually was. We have three different stories set apart multiple decades, but I could not pick up on what the 'Black Cadre' were actually biding their time for.

Stories two and three are enjoyable on their own (the second is interesting to see a human abuser with a Zygon victim, the third has, well, the Doctor in it), but as a box set overall, the threads which tie the stories together are very loose, and at this point I just have to wonder why Big Finish are coming up with all these new IPs when they could instead be focusing on the third series of Charlotte Pollard, reviving the monthly range or gaining the rights to make Primeval stories. This just generally feels like an unnecessary series, even if it wasn't particularly bad.

It's also funny to think that, in the context of the wider Whoniverse, we now know there are three separate groups of Zygons all living on Earth in the 20th century, each completely unaware of each other.

[Joseph S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super interesting concept that zigs when you think it’ll zag.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 3 out of 5]

To me, the third story with the Second Doctor carries and was the main reason to get this. From his perspective, it seems to be when he's working alone for the CIA.