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The Diary of River Song #1.3
The Diary of River Song: Signs
River Song is on the trail of the mysterious, planet-killing SporeShips.
Nobody knows where they come from. Nobody knows why they are here. All they do know is that wherever the SporeShips appear, whole civilisations are reduced to mulch.
But River has help. Her companion is a handsome time-travelling stranger, someone with specialist knowledge of the oddities and dangers the universe has to offer. For Mr Song has a connection to River’s future, and he would never want his wife to face those perils alone…
Nobody knows where they come from. Nobody knows why they are here. All they do know is that wherever the SporeShips appear, whole civilisations are reduced to mulch.
But River has help. Her companion is a handsome time-travelling stranger, someone with specialist knowledge of the oddities and dangers the universe has to offer. For Mr Song has a connection to River’s future, and he would never want his wife to face those perils alone…
Audio CD
Published December 25, 2015
About the author
James Goss
234 books186 followersJames Goss has written two Torchwood novels and a radio play, as well as a Being Human book. His Doctor Who audiobook Dead Air won Best Audiobook 2010. James also spent seven years working on the BBC's official Doctor Who website and co-wrote the website for Torchwood Series One. In 2007, he won the Best Adaptation category in the annual LA Weekly Theatre Awards for his version of Douglas Adams' novel Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
January 7, 2016
*** THIS REVIEW COULD CONTAIN MILD SPOILERS ***
If I had to describe this episode I would say it's basically the audio version of Heaven Sent, but a tad more confusing.
I think, if this would have been a TV episode, I would have loved it more - actually, yes, the way I loved Heaven Sent, you could say. The plot is quite confusing and I wouldn't know how to even try to explain it without spoiling everything, but one thing I will say: I felt it was all too confusing for an audio.
Of course, background noises and character's lines help you to keep up with the transitions, but I'm afraid that if you don't concentrate fully enough you might end up not understanding everything on the first go. I started listening to this episode while tidying up my room, but I had to stop and sit to actually try to make sense of everything. I mean, it's a good episode, but not fit for an audio story, in my opinion.
Apart from that, Signs is a peculiar story with twists and turns and a bit of deception, and a quite enjoyable one. I loved the exchange of lines between River and Mr. Song a.k.a.... well, spoilers, right?
Just know that nothing is what it seems, and get lost with River in a maze of dreams while she tries to understand the full picture. If you liked Heaven Sent, I can absolutely guarantee you will enjoy this story.
Favourite quote from this episode:
If I had to describe this episode I would say it's basically the audio version of Heaven Sent, but a tad more confusing.
I think, if this would have been a TV episode, I would have loved it more - actually, yes, the way I loved Heaven Sent, you could say. The plot is quite confusing and I wouldn't know how to even try to explain it without spoiling everything, but one thing I will say: I felt it was all too confusing for an audio.
Of course, background noises and character's lines help you to keep up with the transitions, but I'm afraid that if you don't concentrate fully enough you might end up not understanding everything on the first go. I started listening to this episode while tidying up my room, but I had to stop and sit to actually try to make sense of everything. I mean, it's a good episode, but not fit for an audio story, in my opinion.
Apart from that, Signs is a peculiar story with twists and turns and a bit of deception, and a quite enjoyable one. I loved the exchange of lines between River and Mr. Song a.k.a.... well, spoilers, right?
Just know that nothing is what it seems, and get lost with River in a maze of dreams while she tries to understand the full picture. If you liked Heaven Sent, I can absolutely guarantee you will enjoy this story.
Favourite quote from this episode:
Mr. Song: No, River, c'mon, we can still go back to the ship.
River Song: And let everyone here die?
MS: Well, perhaps we can't save them, some events in the universe are fixed points.
RS: Fixed points? Not with me around!
May 3, 2016
I just bloody loved this!
When the Diary, and Eight's involvement in it, was announced it definitely was the biggest draw for me. Love River, love Eight....the combination of Alex Kingston & Paul McGann (both being sex on legs in both body and voice), simply heaven on Earth!
When I found out about Samuel West's involvement I was quite happy about it but didn't realise until an article in DWM, how big his part would be. That sure got me intrigued.
Cue me actually listening to this two-hander and melting into my flippin chair! I could listen to Samuel reading the phone book, frankly, but the script itself was great, and the acting by both him & Alex just excellent.
I think it induced me into some sort of Stockholm Syndrome, because I just didn't want the story to end.
The following, Eighth Doctor-featuring adventure was great as well, but I have to confess, the fake Doctor might've won over the real Doctor this time, by just a smidge. Well done, Mr. West!
And well done James Goss for writing a chamber piece which nevertheless fitted River's character like a glove!
When the Diary, and Eight's involvement in it, was announced it definitely was the biggest draw for me. Love River, love Eight....the combination of Alex Kingston & Paul McGann (both being sex on legs in both body and voice), simply heaven on Earth!
When I found out about Samuel West's involvement I was quite happy about it but didn't realise until an article in DWM, how big his part would be. That sure got me intrigued.
Cue me actually listening to this two-hander and melting into my flippin chair! I could listen to Samuel reading the phone book, frankly, but the script itself was great, and the acting by both him & Alex just excellent.
I think it induced me into some sort of Stockholm Syndrome, because I just didn't want the story to end.
The following, Eighth Doctor-featuring adventure was great as well, but I have to confess, the fake Doctor might've won over the real Doctor this time, by just a smidge. Well done, Mr. West!
And well done James Goss for writing a chamber piece which nevertheless fitted River's character like a glove!
January 22, 2023
Excellent cosmic chamber drama between River and an uncanny valley Doctor. In its way, the ending is as badass a cliffhanger for River as her Eleventh Doctor got in “The Time of Angels”.
July 7, 2026
The 150 Prompt Doctor Who Reading Challenge - Tenth Doctor Companions - 3) Donna Noble: What The Hell Is This Place? - Read a book that is hilarious, chaotic or features an unlikely hero that’s thrown into a world they don’t understand
Chaotic is really a good word to describe this story. I honestly think that if it had been a TV episode, it would have made more sense, but honestly, I was just really confused through most of it.
That being said, it was well voice acted, both actors were decent, it was purely that the story was too confusing and really hard to follow.
Chaotic is really a good word to describe this story. I honestly think that if it had been a TV episode, it would have made more sense, but honestly, I was just really confused through most of it.
That being said, it was well voice acted, both actors were decent, it was purely that the story was too confusing and really hard to follow.
June 24, 2025
3.5 stars
girl i was highly confused throughout but it was a fun story and the ending was cool
and i never trusted that man for a second... get a job get away from her
girl i was highly confused throughout but it was a fun story and the ending was cool
and i never trusted that man for a second... get a job get away from her
July 11, 2020
River Song has a complicated relationship with the Doctor. This we know. They never meet in the right order. So there’s always a possibility that one day she’d meet a Doctor from so far in the future that she wouldn’t even recognize him. Well, it’s possible. There is a chance. It’s not inconceivable. Or is it? On one hand this kind of story was inevitable when you think about the relationship between the Doctor and River Song, but I did find it to be perhaps too predictable and so the apparent illusion, with which the story depends upon, does not really work. So this one a bit disappointing. Still fun, but not as much as the first two in this series.
April 27, 2016
Loved, loved and loved it! Got to listen to next part right now...
August 5, 2016
This one almost made me cry and then it made me cheer. Well done!
June 2, 2024
Im always game for a River Song story and I look forward to these every single week! (I only listen to one a week so I can make them last longer. Last one in series 1 next week and my excitement levels are x1000 *cough* Paul McGann *cough*.
This was an intriguing one and given how 1.2 ended, I was super eager to get into this one. Poor River goes through the wringer, and given she’s on deaths door, how is she going to beat this one?
The acting is just outstanding! Man can Alex Kingston deliver. She never fails to amaze and she is just effortlessly River Song. She remains to be my favourite (:
This was an intriguing one and given how 1.2 ended, I was super eager to get into this one. Poor River goes through the wringer, and given she’s on deaths door, how is she going to beat this one?
The acting is just outstanding! Man can Alex Kingston deliver. She never fails to amaze and she is just effortlessly River Song. She remains to be my favourite (:
March 5, 2022
This was my favorite River Song story so far, it was so brilliant. Unfortunately, I was spoiled on the twist the story relies upon, so it didn't work as well as it could have on someone else. I still ended up loving the story very much and used my unlucky position to my advantage to see/analyse the story from another point of view. This story would have been great to see on screen, it would maybe have saved some of its confusions at times.
July 26, 2019
Probably closer to 4 1/2 stars, but this is certainly the strongest of the set. A wonderful 2 hander, interesting story and great performances. For our full reviews, visit http://travelingthevortex.com/?p=8864
November 28, 2023
This episode just didn't grab me, while I think the point is to be disoriented, the opening is just far too confusing for an audio drama.
The story itself, although inevitable in the Doctor Who universe just didn't work for me.
The story itself, although inevitable in the Doctor Who universe just didn't work for me.
June 11, 2021
4 stars. Getting more interesting, and very tricky! Alex is brilliant as always.
January 8, 2023
Loved the way River discovered the truth 😭
August 26, 2023
Two mysteries for the price of one. Brilliant. Best one yet.
August 8, 2025
That was so dark but I loved it. I wish I hadn't waited so long to listen to these.
February 16, 2022
Was not as big a fan on this one as the previous ones. But it was still a nice River Song story.
January 22, 2016
Si continua esattamente da dove eravamo rimasti nella seconda parte... o quasi.
River ha incontrato il marito che, come tradizione, si rivela non essere quello che ci stavamo aspettando.
Due soli interpreti per una storia che richiama, per più di un dettaglio, Hell Bent, l'episodio dell'ultima stagione del Dottore con solo Capaldi in scena.
Ottima interpretazione di entrambi gli attori e ci troviamo un passo più vicini alla soluzione dell'enigma.
River ha incontrato il marito che, come tradizione, si rivela non essere quello che ci stavamo aspettando.
Due soli interpreti per una storia che richiama, per più di un dettaglio, Hell Bent, l'episodio dell'ultima stagione del Dottore con solo Capaldi in scena.
Ottima interpretazione di entrambi gli attori e ci troviamo un passo più vicini alla soluzione dell'enigma.
January 31, 2016
Probably the story I liked less in this series, but only because I kind of figured where the story was going in the first few minutes.. But even though there was no real surprises on how it was going to end, it's still interesting to witness River's thinking process and how she always gets out of the worst/desperate situations.
March 15, 2016
At first this one seems like what so many have wished for -- Date Night for Mr and Mrs The Doctor. Only something's not quite right, then really wrong, then horribly OMG wrong. One thing that's very right, though: The chemistry between River and [REDACTED]. This is possibly my favorite of the set, though I've one to go...
June 26, 2016
This series gets better and better. It's a shame there's only one more book in the first series.
September 20, 2016
Another 3 and a half stars one. Might change the rating for this one on a re-listen as I think there may be some stuff I missed!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews