Doctor Who: Sting of the Sasquatch: 15th Doctor Audio Original

BBC's New Doctor Who Audio Originals #26

by Darren Jones, Genesis Lynea (Narrator)

A full-throttle adventure in America for the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday, as played on TV by Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson.

In a National Park in North-West America, the Doctor and Ruby are pursued by large, ape-like creatures who seem to literally disappear into the trees. When Ruby falls ill after apparently being stung, the Doctor believes the infection is extra-terrestrial in origin.

They meet Dixie and Greg, two Bigfoot hunters determined to track down the mythical Sasquatch. Standing in their way is Ranger Peone, who’s adamant that the forest is too dangerous to explore. Dozens of people have vanished, or reappeared with no memory, in the last month alone.
Then the ape creatures kidnap Ruby, and the Doctor is determined to both save her life and solve the mystery of the Sasquatch.

Genesis Lynea, who played Harriet Arbinger in the BBC TV series, reads this tense and dramatic original story by Darren Jones.

Genres: Doctor Who, Audiobook, Science Fiction, Fiction

Audio CD

First published September 5, 2024

Reviews

[Emilija · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do normally like the 15th Doctor, but this novel just wasn’t it for me. The characterisation felt off, and I’ve attributed that to the time when this novel was being written; the first lot of tie in novels for a new Doctor always have to be more of a generalised Doctor attitude rather than a 15th Doctor specific reaction.

I also was not a fan of the plot because the aliens really freaked me out. The idea was pretty cool, but the execution gave me the ick.

[Nicola Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been barrelling through all of Ncuti’s Who books and Audiobooks recently and I’ve really enjoyed both of the Doctor Who Audio Originals (this one and On Ghost Beach). They were both quick one hours hits of Doctor who adventure with interesting plots and a chance to get to know this Doctor and Ruby a little bit more.

And as a microbiologist who specialises in parasitology, I did appreciate and enjoy this story all the more because of that too.

It was an easy story to follow (as some can be a bit wind-ey in book form) and the narration too was absolutely fab. I’d heard Genesis Lynea narrate Eden Rebellion before this and she was truly brill. It was exactly the same in this one and she’s a great actress who did a fab job at bringing this story to life. I look forward to more in this series!

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sting of the Sasquatch is a good slice of Doctor Who. While heavy on exposition to begin with, it sufficiently pivots in the final act to take on a Cronenbergian body horror plot. The Doctor and Ruby are accurately characterised, with a few appropriate fan references (and a Susan Twist cameo!). At times the voice modulation for the Sasquatch is hard to parse - requiring you to wind back to catch what’s being said - but otherwise the sound design is very evocative.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this, well read and clearly read by Genesis Lynea who had a good take on the nuances of the main characters to distinguish between them. An interesting take on how another species developed and unforseen consequences of that, nicely resolved at the end, though it does leave a slight question on a couple of characters' decisions at the end for me.
Worth a listen, Doctor Who audiobooks have really developed their soundscape for an immersive listening experience.

[Bree Hatfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun! The aliens are really interesting, the extra-dimensional technology was really cool, and Darren Jones created an interesting science-fiction reason for the sasquatch that felt realistic to the world and respectful to the legends. The plot lost me a bit during the climax, but I think it’s because I just didn’t feel connected to the side characters.

There was no significant character development here, but there also weren’t any errors in characterization in my opinion. Ruby and the Doctor felt like themselves, and it was fun to see them in this little adventure!

[Phoebe Clothier · Rating 4 out of 5]

“he hugged ruby tightly, realising how closely he had come to losing her.”

i’m late to the party but i’ve been using the hiatus to catch up with the 15th doctor expanded media and as a huge fan of fifteenruby, there were several moments where i cried at the moments of the doctor being ruby’s father figure this story gave us.

[Alyce Caswell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This had such a ridiculous premise and it shouldn't have worked as well as it did... and yet... what a thoroughly enjoyable audiobook this was.