What do you think?
Rate this book
The Companion Chronicles #14
Doctor Who: The Companion Chronicles: The Second Doctor, Volume 3
Four new stories from the Second Doctor's era.
The Death of the Daleks by George Mann
There is a creature loose on the war-torn planet of Tersimmon. It has just destroyed an entire race, and following its arrival, others are dying too. Only one person will defend this killer, this murderer, this destroyer: because Jamie McCrimmon knows the Doctor isn't himself.
The Phantom Piper by Martin Day
Life in the colony world of Sora is idyllic, thanks to a device implanted in all citizens which helps memory recall. As a human visitor, Jamie receives one too. But soon the Doctor has concerns about his friend which lead to the office of local scientist Dr Hunter, and into the past of James Robert McCrimmon.
The Prints of Denmark by Paul Morris
The man Zoe travels through time and space with is a comical little man, eager to make a difference. To make things better. He's a man who loves the Earth, its history, its potential, and is happy to help things along when he can. And now Zoe is the only one standing between him and changing Earth unrecognisably: for the Monk, the play's the thing.
The Deepest Tragedian by Penelope Faith
Zoe is brilliant. Zoe loves to prove it, helping the Doctor and Jamie in their travels, coming to the rescue with a realisation or solving a puzzle. But she's about to meet a puzzle that's difficult to solve. A puzzle with a face. A puzzle with a heart. A puzzle that spells doom for the Doctor.
The Death of the Daleks by George Mann
There is a creature loose on the war-torn planet of Tersimmon. It has just destroyed an entire race, and following its arrival, others are dying too. Only one person will defend this killer, this murderer, this destroyer: because Jamie McCrimmon knows the Doctor isn't himself.
The Phantom Piper by Martin Day
Life in the colony world of Sora is idyllic, thanks to a device implanted in all citizens which helps memory recall. As a human visitor, Jamie receives one too. But soon the Doctor has concerns about his friend which lead to the office of local scientist Dr Hunter, and into the past of James Robert McCrimmon.
The Prints of Denmark by Paul Morris
The man Zoe travels through time and space with is a comical little man, eager to make a difference. To make things better. He's a man who loves the Earth, its history, its potential, and is happy to help things along when he can. And now Zoe is the only one standing between him and changing Earth unrecognisably: for the Monk, the play's the thing.
The Deepest Tragedian by Penelope Faith
Zoe is brilliant. Zoe loves to prove it, helping the Doctor and Jamie in their travels, coming to the rescue with a realisation or solving a puzzle. But she's about to meet a puzzle that's difficult to solve. A puzzle with a face. A puzzle with a heart. A puzzle that spells doom for the Doctor.
Audio CD
First published April 26, 2022
1 person is currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
George Mann
360 books676 followersGeorge Mann is an author and editor, primarily in genre fiction. He was born in Darlington, County Durham in 1978.
A former editor of Outland, Mann is the author of The Human Abstract, and more recently The Affinity Bridge and The Osiris Ritual in his Newbury and Hobbes detective series, set in an alternate Britain, and Ghosts of Manhattan, set in the same universe some decades later.
He wrote the Time Hunter novella "The Severed Man", and co-wrote the series finale, Child of Time.
He has also written numerous short stories, plus Doctor Who and Sherlock Holmes audiobooks for Big Finish Productions. He has edited a number of anthologies including The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction, The Solaris Book of New Fantasy and a retrospective collection of Sexton Blake stories, Sexton Blake, Detective, with an introduction by Michael Moorcock.
A former editor of Outland, Mann is the author of The Human Abstract, and more recently The Affinity Bridge and The Osiris Ritual in his Newbury and Hobbes detective series, set in an alternate Britain, and Ghosts of Manhattan, set in the same universe some decades later.
He wrote the Time Hunter novella "The Severed Man", and co-wrote the series finale, Child of Time.
He has also written numerous short stories, plus Doctor Who and Sherlock Holmes audiobooks for Big Finish Productions. He has edited a number of anthologies including The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction, The Solaris Book of New Fantasy and a retrospective collection of Sexton Blake stories, Sexton Blake, Detective, with an introduction by Michael Moorcock.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 10, 2023
The Death of the Daleks by George Mann - 4/5
The doctor’s struggling with his conscience after the events of Evil of the Daleks, as he and Jamie explore a war torn planet. There’s barely a few human survivors left who’re still desperately fighting against a lone surviving Dalek. But that can’t be true. All the Daleks are dead now, aren’t they?
This story just grips you from the get go, with Jamie being interrogated. And it refuses to let you go. It’s a character-driven story. It’s got a bit of a slow pace, which only elevates the performances and provides a rather tense and atmospheric setting. It features the Daleks but doesn’t over rely on them, which is appreciated. Sometimes less is simply more. By operating in the shadows, the threat of the Daleks come across as far more menacing than if they were to be constantly in the spotlight.
The Phantom Piper by Martin Day – 4/5
The doctor and Jamie arrive on a peaceful colony where everybody has a shard implant, a device to enhance memories. Jamie tries it out and relives some of his memories. But gradually they become aware that enhancing memories is not the only thing a shard implant does.
This is all about giving the audience a window into Jamie’s past and his insecurities. Which is something that didn’t get explored much in the TV series. The shard is pretty much a familiar sci-fi trope that serves as the glue to keep everything together. Despite being fairly limited in time, cast and setting this actually still ends up being executed remarkably well. And it manages to send a strong message about what defines us, our identity. Not the most exciting story as it’s quite slow but definitely a very interesting one.
The Prints of Denmark by Paul Morris – 4,5/5
Zoe meets the Meddling Monk in a library. He asks her if she would like to see history with her own eyes instead of reading about it. She says yes. But the history he shows her feels wrong. There was no television in Shakespeare’s time, was there? Meddling with history is just a silly little game the Monk likes to play. But Zoe is looking forward to beating him at his own game.
This story is actually inspired from a single line of dialogue from the classic story the Time Meddler. And it’s clever, silly and absolutely hilarious at times. Your enjoyment may vary, depending a little bit on your knowledge of British history and even Doctor Who’s own lost in time history. But it’s definitely the highlight of this set.
The Deepest Tragedian by Penelope Faith – 3,5/5
Zoe meets an actor who has memory problems. She wants to help him and they decide to follow some scripts of his life, to hopefully fill in the blanks as they’re acting. Zoe sees him as a puzzle she needs to solve at first, to boost her own ego. But she quickly realizes there’s more to him than meets the eye.
This is a heart-warming mystery story that keeps you guessing. This story feels like it’s peeling back layers like onions, step by step. This beautifully showcases Zoe’s most human and compassionate side as she tries to help someone who’s suffering from post traumatic stress. But there’s also this lingering sense of danger that slowly starts to surface while Zoe and Tommy are acting, which does grab your attention. Not everything gets properly resolved here but this is still a really strong story.
This is all about the companions. The doctor is barely used here. And that’s actually a good thing. All these stories feel very compact but what they lack in scale, they compensate with great writing that further explores and accentuates the strengths of these already beloved characters. About as good as this sort of box set can get. Highly recommended for a fan of the second doctor’s era.
The doctor’s struggling with his conscience after the events of Evil of the Daleks, as he and Jamie explore a war torn planet. There’s barely a few human survivors left who’re still desperately fighting against a lone surviving Dalek. But that can’t be true. All the Daleks are dead now, aren’t they?
This story just grips you from the get go, with Jamie being interrogated. And it refuses to let you go. It’s a character-driven story. It’s got a bit of a slow pace, which only elevates the performances and provides a rather tense and atmospheric setting. It features the Daleks but doesn’t over rely on them, which is appreciated. Sometimes less is simply more. By operating in the shadows, the threat of the Daleks come across as far more menacing than if they were to be constantly in the spotlight.
The Phantom Piper by Martin Day – 4/5
The doctor and Jamie arrive on a peaceful colony where everybody has a shard implant, a device to enhance memories. Jamie tries it out and relives some of his memories. But gradually they become aware that enhancing memories is not the only thing a shard implant does.
This is all about giving the audience a window into Jamie’s past and his insecurities. Which is something that didn’t get explored much in the TV series. The shard is pretty much a familiar sci-fi trope that serves as the glue to keep everything together. Despite being fairly limited in time, cast and setting this actually still ends up being executed remarkably well. And it manages to send a strong message about what defines us, our identity. Not the most exciting story as it’s quite slow but definitely a very interesting one.
The Prints of Denmark by Paul Morris – 4,5/5
Zoe meets the Meddling Monk in a library. He asks her if she would like to see history with her own eyes instead of reading about it. She says yes. But the history he shows her feels wrong. There was no television in Shakespeare’s time, was there? Meddling with history is just a silly little game the Monk likes to play. But Zoe is looking forward to beating him at his own game.
This story is actually inspired from a single line of dialogue from the classic story the Time Meddler. And it’s clever, silly and absolutely hilarious at times. Your enjoyment may vary, depending a little bit on your knowledge of British history and even Doctor Who’s own lost in time history. But it’s definitely the highlight of this set.
The Deepest Tragedian by Penelope Faith – 3,5/5
Zoe meets an actor who has memory problems. She wants to help him and they decide to follow some scripts of his life, to hopefully fill in the blanks as they’re acting. Zoe sees him as a puzzle she needs to solve at first, to boost her own ego. But she quickly realizes there’s more to him than meets the eye.
This is a heart-warming mystery story that keeps you guessing. This story feels like it’s peeling back layers like onions, step by step. This beautifully showcases Zoe’s most human and compassionate side as she tries to help someone who’s suffering from post traumatic stress. But there’s also this lingering sense of danger that slowly starts to surface while Zoe and Tommy are acting, which does grab your attention. Not everything gets properly resolved here but this is still a really strong story.
This is all about the companions. The doctor is barely used here. And that’s actually a good thing. All these stories feel very compact but what they lack in scale, they compensate with great writing that further explores and accentuates the strengths of these already beloved characters. About as good as this sort of box set can get. Highly recommended for a fan of the second doctor’s era.
August 13, 2024
The Death of the Daleks - The Daleks are dead! Except for the fact that their ghost seems to be haunting the Doctor and perhaps something worse has taken their place. Did the Doctor do the right thing, or has he made a terrible mistake? I still like the Frazer Hines version of the (Second) Doctor. It’s not necessarily the most accurate, but it has the energy and the mannerisms down perfectly. (3/5)
The Phantom Piper - Jamie undergoes therapy (it’s complicated) and we get the background on the mysterious legend of the Piper. Longtime Jamie fans will love this one! (4/5)
The Prints of Denmark - Zoe becomes the companion of … The Meddler, or as he seems to inexplicably want to call himself The Monk. Good stuff, this one. (4/5)
The Deepest Tragedian - This one finds Zoe needing to solve a puzzle. The problem is that she doesn’t exactly know if the puzzle is a thing, a place, or a person. An interesting story, and the usual wonderful performances that one expects from Big Finish, but it didn’t quite grab me. (3/5)
The Phantom Piper - Jamie undergoes therapy (it’s complicated) and we get the background on the mysterious legend of the Piper. Longtime Jamie fans will love this one! (4/5)
The Prints of Denmark - Zoe becomes the companion of … The Meddler, or as he seems to inexplicably want to call himself The Monk. Good stuff, this one. (4/5)
The Deepest Tragedian - This one finds Zoe needing to solve a puzzle. The problem is that she doesn’t exactly know if the puzzle is a thing, a place, or a person. An interesting story, and the usual wonderful performances that one expects from Big Finish, but it didn’t quite grab me. (3/5)
May 4, 2022
🙏🏼65% 👍53 👎28 = YOU SHOULD CONSIDER IT!
_________________________
The Death of the Daleks: ❤️92% 👍23 👎2
George Mann immediately captures your attention with a tense opening scene, with Jamie being questioned about the Doctor's whereabouts - it pulls you in directly and effectively.
This is a good example of how to write a Dalek story without a major appearance of the Daleks themselves. The setting and characters are so well defined that the atmosphere maintains the tension you'd usually create with an army of Daleks.
While the set-up seems to go in a predictable direction at first, you'll understand by the time the cliffhanger arrives that it might not be so...
The Death of the Daleks is very much a cleverly disguised whodunit, that utilizes its two-member cast so well that it feels like a full-cast audio drama.
The setting is eerie - a dystopian world in the aftermath of a devastating battle - and we are constantly reminded about how the Daleks might be responsible.
This setting works well for a Dalek story with a smaller cast - it doesn't require the exterminating pepperpots, yet it conveys a strong atmosphere and message by showing their destructive force after the fact.
This is an interesting little adventure set after Evil of the Daleks, working as a sort of coda showing its wider repercussions.
It also draws an interesting parallel to the Doctor's guilt after the Time War and spins a fairly interesting plot around the question of whether the ends justify the means.
Frazer Hines perfectly bounces back and forth between the Doctor and Jamie, capturing both voices with ease.
Newcomer Emma Samms (recommended by Hines himself) plays a well-written character in Anya, an engaging co-lead whose depth as a character slowly opens as the story progresses.
Hines' Jamie slips sometimes, so he sounds more like his older self.
Hines doesn't always hit all the expected emotional beats during tenser moments, so those moments end up sounding a bit halfhearted.
The idea of the Doctor being affected by his past adventures on Skaro and possibly imagining things is a nice way to create continuity and explore PTSD.
There's a powerful emotional dimension here, as Mann explores different ways to interpret what "the right thing" to do is during a difficult situation.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Phantom Piper: 🙏🏼64% 👍7 👎4
This is an interesting exploration of Jamie's background and how past experiences and trauma can affect your adult persona.
The story makes a strong argument for the fact that we need to remember past experiences, whether good or bad.
This story opens with an unnecessarily dragged out explanation of how mind reading works. It functions as a framing device but feels very clunky.
The overall presentation of the story lacks a punch - it's Jamie relieving some of his memories - and this is the sort of "tell, don't show" story these companion chronicles sometimes do, that just never gets going properly.
It's disappointing how this story seems to build towards a ghost story of sorts, only to make nothing of it.
It's nice how the story is very centred on Jamie at first, before slowly involving Doctor Hunter and revealing a more sinister side to the shards.
The performances are great. It's once again near impossible to tell that this is a two-hander with Hines switching between Jamie and the Doctor effortlessly and Simone Lahbib keeping up with him very well.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Prints of Denmark: ✅80% 👍20 👎5
"The Prints of Denmark" must be one of the most clever and funniest titles Big Finish has come up with, like ever.
This story takes Zoe out of the Doctor's influence to pair her up with the Monk as a temporary companion and it's used as a way to present a different side of the Monk, one in which he isn't the antagonist.
With this story, Paul Morris offers an interesting mix of history and time travel shenanigans, by having the Monk technically make corrections in time by meddling with it.
Of course, we come to realize that the further the story develops, the more messed up history becomes, slowly turning the Monk from an ally into a villain.
The story is quite repetitive in its structure in the opening half, even if it slowly builds up towards a turning point in the cliffhanger.
Some conversations go on for quite a bit, and I feel like we get the point quickly and we don’t need to linger.
I feel like the novelty runs dry pretty quickly during the second half of this story.
Zoe is a great lead here; confident and intelligent as we know her from the TV show. Her star turn comes in the last act; where she outsmarts the Monk by putting history back on track again, one step at a time.
Rufus Hound is back as the Monk and he is as jolly as ever!
The Monk is very persuasive here and it's nice to see him act a bit more grounded initially to impress Zoe and win her over.
It's pretty difficult not to agree with The Monk's points here, I mean the Doctor does meddle quite a lot. He wins me over by essentially hoping to wipe out the Spice Girls from history through his meddling!
Hound and Padbury make for a good team, and giving the Monk a companion is a great way to keep him somewhat contained, while also allowing him to do what he always does: meddle with time.
This here is a good example of why I usually have problems with Companion Chronicles stories - Wendy Padbury narrates and voices the Doctor, so it sounds like she's talking to herself in different voices, and it's both distracting and not very entertaining.
The Monk's meddling is utilized in a more lighthearted manner here, by having him introduce television three hundred years too early so that he can broadcast the original showing of Hamlet.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Deepest Tragedian: ⛔15% 👍3 👎17
You might get lost quite easily in the confusing dialogue, ranging from Zoe talking to herself and Tommy having conversations on multiple levels
The script keeps adding more fuel to the mystery without offering hints or hooks to guide the listener toward the goal.
I'm not entirely sure that the writer herself knows what is going on in this story because it goes off the rails very quickly.
The setting is pretty weak as well, two dimensional and not lively.
Zoe gets to use her mathematical deduction skills for once, becoming something of a (small-time) detective in this story.
Richard Umwin certainly puts on a fine performance. He brings out so many different voices that it is amazing how well they all stand out.
The tone is very casual during most of the story, with the script rarely giving us anything interesting to enjoy.
Everything feels so unhinged that this story is a chore to sit through.
I found my mind wandering off during part two, as the story doesn't seem to pull the pieces together enough to start making sense.
While I applaud the attempted emotional beats towards the end, the story fails to convey these convincingly due to the lack of an engaging narrative.
_________________________
The Death of the Daleks: ❤️92% 👍23 👎2
George Mann immediately captures your attention with a tense opening scene, with Jamie being questioned about the Doctor's whereabouts - it pulls you in directly and effectively.
This is a good example of how to write a Dalek story without a major appearance of the Daleks themselves. The setting and characters are so well defined that the atmosphere maintains the tension you'd usually create with an army of Daleks.
While the set-up seems to go in a predictable direction at first, you'll understand by the time the cliffhanger arrives that it might not be so...
The Death of the Daleks is very much a cleverly disguised whodunit, that utilizes its two-member cast so well that it feels like a full-cast audio drama.
The setting is eerie - a dystopian world in the aftermath of a devastating battle - and we are constantly reminded about how the Daleks might be responsible.
This setting works well for a Dalek story with a smaller cast - it doesn't require the exterminating pepperpots, yet it conveys a strong atmosphere and message by showing their destructive force after the fact.
This is an interesting little adventure set after Evil of the Daleks, working as a sort of coda showing its wider repercussions.
It also draws an interesting parallel to the Doctor's guilt after the Time War and spins a fairly interesting plot around the question of whether the ends justify the means.
Frazer Hines perfectly bounces back and forth between the Doctor and Jamie, capturing both voices with ease.
Newcomer Emma Samms (recommended by Hines himself) plays a well-written character in Anya, an engaging co-lead whose depth as a character slowly opens as the story progresses.
Hines' Jamie slips sometimes, so he sounds more like his older self.
Hines doesn't always hit all the expected emotional beats during tenser moments, so those moments end up sounding a bit halfhearted.
The idea of the Doctor being affected by his past adventures on Skaro and possibly imagining things is a nice way to create continuity and explore PTSD.
There's a powerful emotional dimension here, as Mann explores different ways to interpret what "the right thing" to do is during a difficult situation.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Phantom Piper: 🙏🏼64% 👍7 👎4
This is an interesting exploration of Jamie's background and how past experiences and trauma can affect your adult persona.
The story makes a strong argument for the fact that we need to remember past experiences, whether good or bad.
This story opens with an unnecessarily dragged out explanation of how mind reading works. It functions as a framing device but feels very clunky.
The overall presentation of the story lacks a punch - it's Jamie relieving some of his memories - and this is the sort of "tell, don't show" story these companion chronicles sometimes do, that just never gets going properly.
It's disappointing how this story seems to build towards a ghost story of sorts, only to make nothing of it.
It's nice how the story is very centred on Jamie at first, before slowly involving Doctor Hunter and revealing a more sinister side to the shards.
The performances are great. It's once again near impossible to tell that this is a two-hander with Hines switching between Jamie and the Doctor effortlessly and Simone Lahbib keeping up with him very well.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Prints of Denmark: ✅80% 👍20 👎5
"The Prints of Denmark" must be one of the most clever and funniest titles Big Finish has come up with, like ever.
This story takes Zoe out of the Doctor's influence to pair her up with the Monk as a temporary companion and it's used as a way to present a different side of the Monk, one in which he isn't the antagonist.
With this story, Paul Morris offers an interesting mix of history and time travel shenanigans, by having the Monk technically make corrections in time by meddling with it.
Of course, we come to realize that the further the story develops, the more messed up history becomes, slowly turning the Monk from an ally into a villain.
The story is quite repetitive in its structure in the opening half, even if it slowly builds up towards a turning point in the cliffhanger.
Some conversations go on for quite a bit, and I feel like we get the point quickly and we don’t need to linger.
I feel like the novelty runs dry pretty quickly during the second half of this story.
Zoe is a great lead here; confident and intelligent as we know her from the TV show. Her star turn comes in the last act; where she outsmarts the Monk by putting history back on track again, one step at a time.
Rufus Hound is back as the Monk and he is as jolly as ever!
The Monk is very persuasive here and it's nice to see him act a bit more grounded initially to impress Zoe and win her over.
It's pretty difficult not to agree with The Monk's points here, I mean the Doctor does meddle quite a lot. He wins me over by essentially hoping to wipe out the Spice Girls from history through his meddling!
Hound and Padbury make for a good team, and giving the Monk a companion is a great way to keep him somewhat contained, while also allowing him to do what he always does: meddle with time.
This here is a good example of why I usually have problems with Companion Chronicles stories - Wendy Padbury narrates and voices the Doctor, so it sounds like she's talking to herself in different voices, and it's both distracting and not very entertaining.
The Monk's meddling is utilized in a more lighthearted manner here, by having him introduce television three hundred years too early so that he can broadcast the original showing of Hamlet.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Deepest Tragedian: ⛔15% 👍3 👎17
You might get lost quite easily in the confusing dialogue, ranging from Zoe talking to herself and Tommy having conversations on multiple levels
The script keeps adding more fuel to the mystery without offering hints or hooks to guide the listener toward the goal.
I'm not entirely sure that the writer herself knows what is going on in this story because it goes off the rails very quickly.
The setting is pretty weak as well, two dimensional and not lively.
Zoe gets to use her mathematical deduction skills for once, becoming something of a (small-time) detective in this story.
Richard Umwin certainly puts on a fine performance. He brings out so many different voices that it is amazing how well they all stand out.
The tone is very casual during most of the story, with the script rarely giving us anything interesting to enjoy.
Everything feels so unhinged that this story is a chore to sit through.
I found my mind wandering off during part two, as the story doesn't seem to pull the pieces together enough to start making sense.
While I applaud the attempted emotional beats towards the end, the story fails to convey these convincingly due to the lack of an engaging narrative.
June 18, 2024
Rating by story…
Death of the Daleks: Great development for the Doctor, great concept for a new type of Dalek. 4/5 stars
The Phantom Piper: Jamie McCrimmon Year One. Jamie’s one of my favorite companions and this story had me crying. 4/5 stars
The Prints of Denmark: Absolutely hilarious. 5/5 stars
The Deepest Tragedian: Not the best story, but the ending twist and conclusion are fantastic. 3.5/5 stars
Death of the Daleks: Great development for the Doctor, great concept for a new type of Dalek. 4/5 stars
The Phantom Piper: Jamie McCrimmon Year One. Jamie’s one of my favorite companions and this story had me crying. 4/5 stars
The Prints of Denmark: Absolutely hilarious. 5/5 stars
The Deepest Tragedian: Not the best story, but the ending twist and conclusion are fantastic. 3.5/5 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2022
I like the 2nd Doctor and I also like Frazer's interpretation.
Well, the whole set was quite a nice surprise, especially since I had totally forgotten I had pre-ordered it!
I also like to format, it is amazing how much the actors are getting out of these stories which are essentially two-handers, but feel like full cast!
All in all a great entertaining set, I especially liked the first 3 stories, the last one was a bit slow going.
While I am sick and tired of Dalek stories, I dreaded the first story, but surprisingly, I quite enjoyed it.
Bit of a nice twist, but the whole "Doctor feeling guilt for wiping out the Daleks" is not the freshest of ideas, to be honest.
The second story was great, providing some nice background for Jamie and also playing with a neat Sci-Fi idea.
What surprised me most was maybe the third story. The Monk can be a bit hit and miss, luckily, here he was not too annoying. I also liked the whole meta humour and meta story about the lost Doctor Who episodes. Very well done, very original and fun.
Well, the whole set was quite a nice surprise, especially since I had totally forgotten I had pre-ordered it!
I also like to format, it is amazing how much the actors are getting out of these stories which are essentially two-handers, but feel like full cast!
All in all a great entertaining set, I especially liked the first 3 stories, the last one was a bit slow going.
While I am sick and tired of Dalek stories, I dreaded the first story, but surprisingly, I quite enjoyed it.
Bit of a nice twist, but the whole "Doctor feeling guilt for wiping out the Daleks" is not the freshest of ideas, to be honest.
The second story was great, providing some nice background for Jamie and also playing with a neat Sci-Fi idea.
What surprised me most was maybe the third story. The Monk can be a bit hit and miss, luckily, here he was not too annoying. I also liked the whole meta humour and meta story about the lost Doctor Who episodes. Very well done, very original and fun.
May 5, 2024
Doctor Who: The Companion Chronicles: The Second Doctor Volume 03 - 4.25/5 stars
The Death of the Daleks by George Mann - 5/5 stars
Directly after Evil of the Daleks, Jamie and the Doctor find a destroyed colony with a small group of survivors that have defeated the Daleks… except one. Frazier Hines as Jamie and Patrick Troughton's 2nd Doctor is excellent in this. The story deals with guilt after the Doctor thinks he has committed genocide against the Daleks.
The Phantom Piper by Martin Day - 3/5 stars
This story is a fascinating Jamie story, going into his past and exploring him as a character. The setup is a little convoluted and they don't really resolve anything at the end of the story but it was a fun little listen.
The Prints of Denmark by Paul Morris - 5/5 stars
Fun adventure where Zoe outsmarts the Meddling Monk. Both Wendy Padbury and Rufus Hound are amazing in their respective roles here.
The Deepest Tragedian by Penelope Faith - 4/5 stars
A sad little tale but overall quite sweet.
The Death of the Daleks by George Mann - 5/5 stars
Directly after Evil of the Daleks, Jamie and the Doctor find a destroyed colony with a small group of survivors that have defeated the Daleks… except one. Frazier Hines as Jamie and Patrick Troughton's 2nd Doctor is excellent in this. The story deals with guilt after the Doctor thinks he has committed genocide against the Daleks.
The Phantom Piper by Martin Day - 3/5 stars
This story is a fascinating Jamie story, going into his past and exploring him as a character. The setup is a little convoluted and they don't really resolve anything at the end of the story but it was a fun little listen.
The Prints of Denmark by Paul Morris - 5/5 stars
Fun adventure where Zoe outsmarts the Meddling Monk. Both Wendy Padbury and Rufus Hound are amazing in their respective roles here.
The Deepest Tragedian by Penelope Faith - 4/5 stars
A sad little tale but overall quite sweet.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 24, 2023
This review is only for the first two episodes, the Jamie episodes. This is not because I don't like Zoe or something, I don't know her well enough as a companion yet.
By god if you are a Jamie fan please listen to these stories, they are some of the best and deepest things done with his charachter.
The concept of the Dalek episode is porbarly one of the greatest things they have been done with them.
By god if you are a Jamie fan please listen to these stories, they are some of the best and deepest things done with his charachter.
The concept of the Dalek episode is porbarly one of the greatest things they have been done with them.
December 7, 2023
The Death of the Daleks is definitely the standout here. It smooths out continuity, having The Doctor feel guilty about committing genocide against the Daleks, making it less of a question of why he questions his actions in Genesis of the Daleks. Also feels like it foreshadows the soldier he’ll eventually become. The rest of the stories are decent, but hearing The Monk say “social justice warriors” and “virtue signaling machine” made me wanna puke.
June 1, 2022
The Death of the Daleks - 4/5
The Phantom Piper - 3/5
The Prints of Denmark - 4/5
The Deepest Tragedian - 2/5
The Phantom Piper - 3/5
The Prints of Denmark - 4/5
The Deepest Tragedian - 2/5
June 4, 2022
2 stories of Jamey. 2 of Zoe
June 6, 2022
The first 3 are alright, but the last one is a bit confusing.
December 26, 2024
Contains four Stories:
The Death of the Daleks
The Phantom Piper
The Prints of Denmark
The Deepest Tragedian
The Death of the Daleks
The Phantom Piper
The Prints of Denmark
The Deepest Tragedian
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews