What do you think?
Rate this book
The War Master #11
The War Master: Future Phantoms
For decades there have been rumours at St Simeon’s College: whispers of a door that somehow appears, once a year, in the depths of the building. Some claim it leads to a set of rooms owned by a long-forgotten master of the college, and if you happen to meet him, he’ll invite you inside to hear a story. A tale to chill the blood. But those who hear him speak are never the same. No one knows who the man is or where the rooms come from. There is no official record of either. And yet they both exist if you know where to look… when the cold, dark nights draw in. Would you like to hear a story? Because the Master’s waiting.
11.1 His Close Companions by Jonathan Barnes - At a provincial school, the headmaster seemingly conjures up a vengeful creature from another world. Years later, only one witness remains… and the Master knows the truth of what’s to come.
11.2 The Foxglove Cylinders by James Goss - When Merton, a young academic, investigates the Foxglove Acquisition, he uncovers a set of cylinders that could conceal voices of ancient cultures. But are they recordings or transmissions?
11.3 The Sitter by Lizzie Hopley - Dorothy Stubbs is plagued by an entity: a man who comes to her house in the dead of night and sits downstairs. Is it just a figment of her imagination? Or is the Sitter of Waterfront Close a thing to be feared?
11.4 Signal and I'll Come to You by Tim Foley - After a train vanishes in a tunnel on a rural branch line, Mr Eliot has no choice but to revisit his past to tackle the present. Why is history repeating itself? And will this be the Master’s final tale?
11.1 His Close Companions by Jonathan Barnes - At a provincial school, the headmaster seemingly conjures up a vengeful creature from another world. Years later, only one witness remains… and the Master knows the truth of what’s to come.
11.2 The Foxglove Cylinders by James Goss - When Merton, a young academic, investigates the Foxglove Acquisition, he uncovers a set of cylinders that could conceal voices of ancient cultures. But are they recordings or transmissions?
11.3 The Sitter by Lizzie Hopley - Dorothy Stubbs is plagued by an entity: a man who comes to her house in the dead of night and sits downstairs. Is it just a figment of her imagination? Or is the Sitter of Waterfront Close a thing to be feared?
11.4 Signal and I'll Come to You by Tim Foley - After a train vanishes in a tunnel on a rural branch line, Mr Eliot has no choice but to revisit his past to tackle the present. Why is history repeating itself? And will this be the Master’s final tale?
- GenresDoctor WhoAudiobook
Audio CD
First published November 5, 2024
1 person is currently reading
20 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Barnes
157 books40 followersJonathan 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
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
See also Jonathan Barnes or Jonathan Barnes
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 10, 2024
It's no secret I'm a huge fan of The War Master range, Derek Jacobi is such a delight his performance as The Master is both charming and terrifying. I've been very excited for this set of ghost stories told by The War Master and I'm dying to dive in!
His Close Companions:
At a posh school for boys, it seems the Headmaster is attempting to bring a dangerous creature into the world. The witnesses who saw this terrible event have vanished over the years, but only The Master knows what is happening.
Jonathan Barnes has written a very engaging and atmospheric script that is very creepy and mysterious. It's not one of the best stories I've listened to this range but it does a brilliant job setting up the format for this set and how The Master goes about telling his stories to eager students. 8/10
The Foxglove Cylinders:
Merton a young academic is fascinated by the Foxglove Cylinders, so he steals one from the academy archive. He's about to discover something truly miraculous about the ancient artifacts that could change how people perceive history. But some secrets are better left buried.
James Goss has written a haunting and atmospheric script with a terrifying ending. It's a story of a young academic losing himself to madness and obsession over an ancient artifact that should be impossible. The protagonist of this story is very unlikable and incompetent when it comes to being a decent human being, he puts aside all the people he supposedly cares about for his discoveries. It was interesting seeing The War Master paired up with such a character, especially towards the end. 10/10
The Sitter:
A ghostly entity haunts Dorothy Stubbs, a man who enters her house and sits on her sofa at night. Is she going mad? Dr. Marina Khatri is determined to find out what's going on, after all, there's a rational explanation for everything, right?
Lizzie Hopley has written a spine-chilling script that will leave you shivering in anticipation and fear. It's a frightening ghost story with a terrific cast of characters and an ending that will leave you horrified. 10/10
Signal and I'll Come to You:
30 years ago there was a terrible accident on the railway line, a train crashed in the tunnel and a signalman was there to bear the horror. Now another train has disappeared, and the owner of the railway company, her assistant, the signalman, and the mysterious engineer have gone to investigate. This is the last of The Master's Tales and it's finally time to find out what this has all been about.
Tim Foley has written a clever and haunting tale that concludes with a mindblowing twist that works incredibly well. I loved the ending to this set. 10/10
Overall: 38/40
His Close Companions:
At a posh school for boys, it seems the Headmaster is attempting to bring a dangerous creature into the world. The witnesses who saw this terrible event have vanished over the years, but only The Master knows what is happening.
Jonathan Barnes has written a very engaging and atmospheric script that is very creepy and mysterious. It's not one of the best stories I've listened to this range but it does a brilliant job setting up the format for this set and how The Master goes about telling his stories to eager students. 8/10
The Foxglove Cylinders:
Merton a young academic is fascinated by the Foxglove Cylinders, so he steals one from the academy archive. He's about to discover something truly miraculous about the ancient artifacts that could change how people perceive history. But some secrets are better left buried.
James Goss has written a haunting and atmospheric script with a terrifying ending. It's a story of a young academic losing himself to madness and obsession over an ancient artifact that should be impossible. The protagonist of this story is very unlikable and incompetent when it comes to being a decent human being, he puts aside all the people he supposedly cares about for his discoveries. It was interesting seeing The War Master paired up with such a character, especially towards the end. 10/10
The Sitter:
A ghostly entity haunts Dorothy Stubbs, a man who enters her house and sits on her sofa at night. Is she going mad? Dr. Marina Khatri is determined to find out what's going on, after all, there's a rational explanation for everything, right?
Lizzie Hopley has written a spine-chilling script that will leave you shivering in anticipation and fear. It's a frightening ghost story with a terrific cast of characters and an ending that will leave you horrified. 10/10
Signal and I'll Come to You:
30 years ago there was a terrible accident on the railway line, a train crashed in the tunnel and a signalman was there to bear the horror. Now another train has disappeared, and the owner of the railway company, her assistant, the signalman, and the mysterious engineer have gone to investigate. This is the last of The Master's Tales and it's finally time to find out what this has all been about.
Tim Foley has written a clever and haunting tale that concludes with a mindblowing twist that works incredibly well. I loved the ending to this set. 10/10
Overall: 38/40
January 11, 2025
4 new creepy tales featuring the War Master.
This time, the stories are a mix of narration and live-action, which suits me well (I have been raised on German audio dramas, so a narrator is bread and butter for me).
I really liked this release.
4 great haunting and creepy tales which are dripping with atmosphere.
Derek Jacobi makes for a terrific narrator.
I also had no issue believing that the nice old man in these stories is indeed the Master, doing the thing he does best: working on his nefarious plans by trying to find out about and (hopefully) enslave and use some eldritch horrors.
Very good release, highly recommended.
This time, the stories are a mix of narration and live-action, which suits me well (I have been raised on German audio dramas, so a narrator is bread and butter for me).
I really liked this release.
4 great haunting and creepy tales which are dripping with atmosphere.
Derek Jacobi makes for a terrific narrator.
I also had no issue believing that the nice old man in these stories is indeed the Master, doing the thing he does best: working on his nefarious plans by trying to find out about and (hopefully) enslave and use some eldritch horrors.
Very good release, highly recommended.
November 20, 2024
11.1: His Close Companions by Jonathan Barnes
This one was pretty good. Interesting villain and ending, but not my favorite of the set.
11.2: The Foxglove Cylinders by James Goss
I love James Goss, but lately he’s been writing some crazy stories. At first this one seems interesting. There’s an interesting mystery with what’s on the cylinders. The Master has a really cool plan, and there’s also a really cool descent into madness kind of thing. But here’s what’s crazy: I don’t really know what happened. Who was that weird guy at the auction? When the Master asked him who he was, he just said “You don’t get to ask that.” Also, what was on the cylinder? Did Foxglove make it with the help of the aliens? Was he possessed by the aliens? Did the aliens make it themselves? And what is the monster? Why was the Master so afraid of it at the end? Despite these questions, it was a pretty enjoyable release.
11.3: The Sitter by Lizzie Hopley
This is definitely one of my favorite stories in the set. Compelling mystery with the Master in great disguise. The Master’s plan is the most interesting in this story because he’s using The Sitter against people. The idea of The Sitter is also pretty terrifying.
11.4: Signal and I’ll Come To You by Tim Foley
If it’s written by Tim Foley you know it’ll be a banger. Really cool story with interesting characters and a really cool ending. I eagerly await the next War Master set.
Final note: I think it’s really cool that we don’t ever find out exactly what the monsters. Sometimes it’s the scarier the more you don’t know. That’s how fear works. The immersion is destroyed when you discover all this stupid lore about them.
This one was pretty good. Interesting villain and ending, but not my favorite of the set.
11.2: The Foxglove Cylinders by James Goss
I love James Goss, but lately he’s been writing some crazy stories. At first this one seems interesting. There’s an interesting mystery with what’s on the cylinders. The Master has a really cool plan, and there’s also a really cool descent into madness kind of thing. But here’s what’s crazy: I don’t really know what happened. Who was that weird guy at the auction? When the Master asked him who he was, he just said “You don’t get to ask that.” Also, what was on the cylinder? Did Foxglove make it with the help of the aliens? Was he possessed by the aliens? Did the aliens make it themselves? And what is the monster? Why was the Master so afraid of it at the end? Despite these questions, it was a pretty enjoyable release.
11.3: The Sitter by Lizzie Hopley
This is definitely one of my favorite stories in the set. Compelling mystery with the Master in great disguise. The Master’s plan is the most interesting in this story because he’s using The Sitter against people. The idea of The Sitter is also pretty terrifying.
11.4: Signal and I’ll Come To You by Tim Foley
If it’s written by Tim Foley you know it’ll be a banger. Really cool story with interesting characters and a really cool ending. I eagerly await the next War Master set.
Final note: I think it’s really cool that we don’t ever find out exactly what the monsters. Sometimes it’s the scarier the more you don’t know. That’s how fear works. The immersion is destroyed when you discover all this stupid lore about them.
December 11, 2024
This was such an excellent set. Every episode was at least an hour, not those 47 min episodes (looking at you, doctors daughter). And it’s a 4 episode boxset. Simply lovely, that.
The stories are ace. Highly recommended.
The stories are ace. Highly recommended.
November 8, 2024
I'm not sure that this framed narrative style worked quite as well for me here.
November 14, 2024
Flat-out great collection of classic ghost stories told through a Doctor Who lens. "The Sitter," in particular, approaches perfection. Simply sublime.
February 15, 2025
11.1 His Close Companions - This was not at all what I expected, but it was quite interesting. Reminiscent of M.R. James.
11.2 The Foxglove Cylinders - I enjoyed this one a bit more. It feels more like it was inspired by H.P. Lovecraft.
11.3 The Sitter - Another Ghost Story story within a story. Not a particularly effective format for me. And the use of a full cast seems almost pointless waste to me. Still fun and entertaining, just not my favorite narrative structure.
11.4 Signal and I'll Come to You - Definitely inspired, at least in part, by The Signalman by Charles Dickens. Some really good stuff here with an interesting twist at the end.
Overall this is a very atmospheric and entertaining release, just not quite what I was hoping for.
11.2 The Foxglove Cylinders - I enjoyed this one a bit more. It feels more like it was inspired by H.P. Lovecraft.
11.3 The Sitter - Another Ghost Story story within a story. Not a particularly effective format for me. And the use of a full cast seems almost pointless waste to me. Still fun and entertaining, just not my favorite narrative structure.
11.4 Signal and I'll Come to You - Definitely inspired, at least in part, by The Signalman by Charles Dickens. Some really good stuff here with an interesting twist at the end.
Overall this is a very atmospheric and entertaining release, just not quite what I was hoping for.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews