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Doctor Who: The Audio Novels
Doctor Who: Scourge of the Cybermen
In the depths of the ocean on an alien world, there’s a city run by scientists. The Doctor is only too eager to help them find new ways to counter pollution and produce entirely clean energy - research that he says will benefit the whole galaxy. But others have recognised the value of the sea base, and their interest is not so benign.
Left to her own devices, Sarah Jane Smith conducts her own investigation. The lights on the base keep flickering, which back home on Earth was the first sign that her bathroom was leaking. Out here in the depths of the alien sea, it’s the first indication of a looming disaster.
Patiently, implacably, the Cybermen are determined to conquer the base and its resources. That includes all the men, women and children who live there.
As the Doctor once again battles his old enemies, Sarah rallies the trapped and terrified people. Then, to her horror, she realises that the Cybermen have used cold logic to predict exactly what the humans will do in order to survive.
This enhanced audiobook features specially composed music and sound effects.
Left to her own devices, Sarah Jane Smith conducts her own investigation. The lights on the base keep flickering, which back home on Earth was the first sign that her bathroom was leaking. Out here in the depths of the alien sea, it’s the first indication of a looming disaster.
Patiently, implacably, the Cybermen are determined to conquer the base and its resources. That includes all the men, women and children who live there.
As the Doctor once again battles his old enemies, Sarah rallies the trapped and terrified people. Then, to her horror, she realises that the Cybermen have used cold logic to predict exactly what the humans will do in order to survive.
This enhanced audiobook features specially composed music and sound effects.
Audiobook
First published July 2, 2021
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About the author
Simon Guerrier
168 books61 followersSimon Guerrier is a British science fiction author and dramatist, closely associated with the fictional universe of Doctor Who and its spinoffs. Although he has written three Doctor Who novels, for the BBC Books range, his work has mostly been for Big Finish Productions' audio drama and book ranges.
Guerrier's earliest published fiction appeared in Zodiac, the first of Big Finish's Short Trips range of Doctor Who short story anthologies. To date, his work has appeared in the majority of the Short Trips collections. He has also edited three volumes in the series, The History of Christmas, Time Signature and How The Doctor Changed My Life. The second of these takes as its starting-point Guerrier's short story An Overture Too Early in The Muses. The third anthology featured stories entirely by previously unpublished writers.
After contributing two stories to the anthology Life During Wartime in Big Finish's Bernice Summerfield range of books and audio dramas, Guerrier was invited to edit the subsequent year's short story collection, A Life Worth Living, and the novella collection Parallel Lives. After contributing two audio dramas to the series, Guerrier became the producer of the Bernice Summerfield range of plays and books, a post he held between January 2006 and June 2007.
His other Doctor Who work includes the audio dramas, The Settling and The Judgement of Isskar, in Big Finish's Doctor Who audio range, three Companion Chronicles and a contribution to the UNIT spinoff series. He has also written a play in Big Finish's Sapphire and Steel range.
Guerrier's work is characterised by character-driven humour and by an interest in unifying the continuity of the various Big Finish ranges through multiple references and reappearances of characters. As editor he has been a strong promoter of the work of various script writers from the Seventh Doctor era of the Doctor Who television series
Guerrier's earliest published fiction appeared in Zodiac, the first of Big Finish's Short Trips range of Doctor Who short story anthologies. To date, his work has appeared in the majority of the Short Trips collections. He has also edited three volumes in the series, The History of Christmas, Time Signature and How The Doctor Changed My Life. The second of these takes as its starting-point Guerrier's short story An Overture Too Early in The Muses. The third anthology featured stories entirely by previously unpublished writers.
After contributing two stories to the anthology Life During Wartime in Big Finish's Bernice Summerfield range of books and audio dramas, Guerrier was invited to edit the subsequent year's short story collection, A Life Worth Living, and the novella collection Parallel Lives. After contributing two audio dramas to the series, Guerrier became the producer of the Bernice Summerfield range of plays and books, a post he held between January 2006 and June 2007.
His other Doctor Who work includes the audio dramas, The Settling and The Judgement of Isskar, in Big Finish's Doctor Who audio range, three Companion Chronicles and a contribution to the UNIT spinoff series. He has also written a play in Big Finish's Sapphire and Steel range.
Guerrier's work is characterised by character-driven humour and by an interest in unifying the continuity of the various Big Finish ranges through multiple references and reappearances of characters. As editor he has been a strong promoter of the work of various script writers from the Seventh Doctor era of the Doctor Who television series
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 8, 2021
Though best known for their full-cast audio dramas, Big Finish have been dipping their toes into audiobooks for quite a while now. So it's perhaps unsurprising that after producing numerous Short Trips and full length audiobooks for other ranges such as Bernice Summerfield and Blake's 7, they would do so for Doctor Who at some point. After all, the long-running BBC series is their bread and butter. And with Scourge of the Cybermen, the company launches their Audio Novels range with a bang.
Written by veteran Big Finish writer (and BBC Books novelist) Simon Guerrier, Scourge of the Cybermen is an evocative tale. Set in a sea base beneath the ocean of an alien world, Guerrier puts the Third Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith into what might have been a Second Doctor base under siege tale, complete with the silver foe. Yet Guerrier finds something new to do with the Cybermen, including creating in prose images that would be as iconic as their marching down the steps of St Paul's if this was on screen. Meanwhile, Guerrier's sense of atmosphere echoes both stories from that final Third Doctor season and from earlier in his era, with the action sequences reminiscent of his first season. Intriguingly, it also follows hot on the heels of another nautical base under siege tale for this TARDIS duo in the form of The Gulf from the latest Third Doctor Adventures set. Guerrier's audio novel, however, is a different kettle of fish from that story, though it's one of those odd coincidences in themes that pops up from time to time with output as vast as Doctor Who tends to have.
It's evocative in other ways, as well. Given elements of the plot, especially the initial threat that appears, it's hard not to think of Scourge as among the first Doctor Who responses to recent events, particularly with discussions of shortages and mob mentalities. It's by no means at the forefront, but it's a subtext that runs throughout that gives this an immediacy which helps roots the seemingly fantastic in reality. Elsewhere, Guerrier knows how to write solid action sequences, including one battle scene (which the author credits to editor Roland Moore in the extras) that echoes combat in the Vietnam War with the sense of an enemy unseen but capable of reaching out and striking without warning. Elsewhere, the cast of characters, including the seabase commander and security chief, brings to mind characterizations from Modern Who. It's a superb mix of elements and something that Guerrier handles well for the most part.
"For the most part," because as strong as it is, Scourge of the Cybermen does suffer from much the same problem as the six-part TV adventures that Guerrier and producer David Richardson consciously echo in their work. Namely, it's perhaps a tad longer than it needs to be, with the plot beginning to wear thin around halfway through. Even towards the end, as the finale plays out in an extended series of action sequences worthy of a big-budget movie (let alone a mid-1970s BBC television budget), there's a sense that events are unfolding not at a more natural pace but instead dictated by a set running time. There's still plenty of thrills and twists to be had, including clues that this reviewer entirely misread to his surprise in one of the cliffhangers, yet one wonders if this might have been even better if it had been a leaner, tighter tale.
It's also, in Big Finish tradition, exceedingly well-realized as a production. Jon Culshaw, who read Terror of the Master released earlier this year in what almost seems to have been a pilot for this range, returns as narrator. As was the case there, Culshaw proves to be an adept audiobook reader, whether he's presenting his impeccable Third Doctor impression or bringing thrilling underwater action scenes to life. He's given able backing by Nicholas Briggs voicing an entire army of Cybermen, bringing these tyrants of logic to life with all of their menace intact. Steven Foxon, who did the sound design and music for Terror of the Master, returns as well, heightening the atmosphere without ever getting in the way of prose or performer.
While it may have benefited from being more tightly paced, Scourge of the Cybermen is a fine first outing for the Audio Novels. Guerrier crafts a wonderfully done Third Doctor base under siege tale, showing how this Time Lord of action deals with a familiar foe in a story that resonates in our current world. Combined with Culshaw's superb reading and Foxon's atmospheric soundscapes, it's a story worth seeking out for fans of both audio and literary Doctor Who.
Written by veteran Big Finish writer (and BBC Books novelist) Simon Guerrier, Scourge of the Cybermen is an evocative tale. Set in a sea base beneath the ocean of an alien world, Guerrier puts the Third Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith into what might have been a Second Doctor base under siege tale, complete with the silver foe. Yet Guerrier finds something new to do with the Cybermen, including creating in prose images that would be as iconic as their marching down the steps of St Paul's if this was on screen. Meanwhile, Guerrier's sense of atmosphere echoes both stories from that final Third Doctor season and from earlier in his era, with the action sequences reminiscent of his first season. Intriguingly, it also follows hot on the heels of another nautical base under siege tale for this TARDIS duo in the form of The Gulf from the latest Third Doctor Adventures set. Guerrier's audio novel, however, is a different kettle of fish from that story, though it's one of those odd coincidences in themes that pops up from time to time with output as vast as Doctor Who tends to have.
It's evocative in other ways, as well. Given elements of the plot, especially the initial threat that appears, it's hard not to think of Scourge as among the first Doctor Who responses to recent events, particularly with discussions of shortages and mob mentalities. It's by no means at the forefront, but it's a subtext that runs throughout that gives this an immediacy which helps roots the seemingly fantastic in reality. Elsewhere, Guerrier knows how to write solid action sequences, including one battle scene (which the author credits to editor Roland Moore in the extras) that echoes combat in the Vietnam War with the sense of an enemy unseen but capable of reaching out and striking without warning. Elsewhere, the cast of characters, including the seabase commander and security chief, brings to mind characterizations from Modern Who. It's a superb mix of elements and something that Guerrier handles well for the most part.
"For the most part," because as strong as it is, Scourge of the Cybermen does suffer from much the same problem as the six-part TV adventures that Guerrier and producer David Richardson consciously echo in their work. Namely, it's perhaps a tad longer than it needs to be, with the plot beginning to wear thin around halfway through. Even towards the end, as the finale plays out in an extended series of action sequences worthy of a big-budget movie (let alone a mid-1970s BBC television budget), there's a sense that events are unfolding not at a more natural pace but instead dictated by a set running time. There's still plenty of thrills and twists to be had, including clues that this reviewer entirely misread to his surprise in one of the cliffhangers, yet one wonders if this might have been even better if it had been a leaner, tighter tale.
It's also, in Big Finish tradition, exceedingly well-realized as a production. Jon Culshaw, who read Terror of the Master released earlier this year in what almost seems to have been a pilot for this range, returns as narrator. As was the case there, Culshaw proves to be an adept audiobook reader, whether he's presenting his impeccable Third Doctor impression or bringing thrilling underwater action scenes to life. He's given able backing by Nicholas Briggs voicing an entire army of Cybermen, bringing these tyrants of logic to life with all of their menace intact. Steven Foxon, who did the sound design and music for Terror of the Master, returns as well, heightening the atmosphere without ever getting in the way of prose or performer.
While it may have benefited from being more tightly paced, Scourge of the Cybermen is a fine first outing for the Audio Novels. Guerrier crafts a wonderfully done Third Doctor base under siege tale, showing how this Time Lord of action deals with a familiar foe in a story that resonates in our current world. Combined with Culshaw's superb reading and Foxon's atmospheric soundscapes, it's a story worth seeking out for fans of both audio and literary Doctor Who.
March 5, 2024
Woof. That was grim as hell.
The thing I like about full-length DW audio novels (as opposed to the audio plays, which I also love) is that, at their best, they give the story room to fully explore the setting and characters. This certainly lived in that space. To a fault.
Scourge of the Cybermen could very easily be your typical base-under-siege story that all Cybermen stories must be. Instead it was a slow and remarkably dark exploration of complicated political relationships and the complications of bureaucratic hierarchies in the face of deadly circumstances.
John Culshaw was as great as he always is. I was sad that this story didn't feature Lethbridge-Stewart because a) I love the Brig, and b) his impression is so spot on as to be indistinguishable. That said, his work in this release added so much to the listening experience. His Third Doctor impression is very good, he really found Sarah Jane's delivery, and the rest of the characters came to life through his performance.
Nick Briggs as the Cybermen was as solid as it always is. There's a reason he's been doing that voice on television for nearly twenty years.
This is such a specific and niche thing, this audiobook, but if you're as big of a Third Doctor fan as I am, it will certainly get the job done. It's a little slow, but always pulls you back in. And damn, if I wasn't worried about the lives of 3 and Sarah, despite knowing that they both must survive beyond this release.
Highly recommend for fans of the era.
The thing I like about full-length DW audio novels (as opposed to the audio plays, which I also love) is that, at their best, they give the story room to fully explore the setting and characters. This certainly lived in that space. To a fault.
Scourge of the Cybermen could very easily be your typical base-under-siege story that all Cybermen stories must be. Instead it was a slow and remarkably dark exploration of complicated political relationships and the complications of bureaucratic hierarchies in the face of deadly circumstances.
John Culshaw was as great as he always is. I was sad that this story didn't feature Lethbridge-Stewart because a) I love the Brig, and b) his impression is so spot on as to be indistinguishable. That said, his work in this release added so much to the listening experience. His Third Doctor impression is very good, he really found Sarah Jane's delivery, and the rest of the characters came to life through his performance.
Nick Briggs as the Cybermen was as solid as it always is. There's a reason he's been doing that voice on television for nearly twenty years.
This is such a specific and niche thing, this audiobook, but if you're as big of a Third Doctor fan as I am, it will certainly get the job done. It's a little slow, but always pulls you back in. And damn, if I wasn't worried about the lives of 3 and Sarah, despite knowing that they both must survive beyond this release.
Highly recommend for fans of the era.
December 8, 2021
This is the first of the new Audio Novels range from Big Finish. Terror of the Master from the Masterful Doctor Who- Limited Edition kind of acted as a pilot to the range. And while I really enjoyed Terror of the Master, I just had a hard time keeping going with this. Scourge of the Cybermen is made up of six hour long episodes, however, instead of full-cast audio dramas, it's a novel read by a single narrator (with Nick Briggs providing the voice of the Cybermen). Culshaw does a good job with a nearly pitch-perfect Third Doctor and a passible Sarah Jane. I think the issue here is that I tried to break it up (both intentionally and unintentionally). I listened to the first episode in between discs of another book, and then after Episode Two, the new Ninth Doctor boxset and Stranded boxset came out. I may try this again at some point as I enjoyed the bits I got through. At this point, I'm just ready to move on to something else.
April 21, 2025
Oh very good. A very good audiobook indeed. As others have said, it's not a full-cast audio drama, so the only two performers here are Jon Culshaw doing the reading and Nicholas Briggs doing the Cybermen. The suspense of the first four/five parts is really good and Culshaw is a fantastic performance. Every character, he does a fantastic job at making them feel real and alive. Very immersive storytelling.
The conclusion I felt was a little weak, and having the Cybermen just stand around on the concourse was a bit silly and kind of undermined the level of threat they presented.
The conclusion I felt was a little weak, and having the Cybermen just stand around on the concourse was a bit silly and kind of undermined the level of threat they presented.
January 27, 2024
I enjoyed this, but it still suffers from the distinction of being an audiobook instead of being a full-cast audio-drama. Jon Culshaw does a wonderful job with the narration and his Third Doctor is pretty much spot on, sadly his Sarah Jane is just distracting. This is why I prefer the audio-dramas more. Nothing really wrong with this, just not as wonderful as it might have been.
July 8, 2024
This is the first of the Doctor Who audio novels range from Big Finish. Out of the ones I’ve listened to so far (which include The Dead Star, The Chaos Cascade, and Box of Terrors), this is my least favorite. As far as Third Doctor vs Cybermen stories go (there aren’t many), I think Third Doctor Adventures Volume 4 was more enjoyable.
October 8, 2021
The doctor and Sarah investigate a sea base and run into Cybermen.
Read
October 22, 2021Good story, well executed by Jon Culshaw but it would have been better if it were a couple of hours shorter
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews