Doctor Who: Nevermore

The Eighth Doctor Adventures #4.03

by Alan Barnes, Paul McGann (Narrator), Niky Wardley (Narrator)

A bizarre manifestation in the Control Room forces the TARDIS onto the Plutonian shores of the irradiated world Nevermore, whose sole inhabitant is the war criminal Morella Wendigo – a prisoner of this devastated planet. But the Doctor and his new companion aren’t Morella’s only visitors. Senior Prosecutor Uglosi fears the arrival of an assassin, after the blood of his prize prisoner. An assassin with claws…

There’s no escape from Nevermore, whose raven-like robot jailers serve to demonstrate Uglosi’s macabre obsession with the works of the 19th century horror writer Edgar Allan Poe. An obsession that might yet lead to the premature burial of everyone on the planet’s surface – wreathed in the mist they call the Red Death!

Genres: Doctor Who, Audiobook, Science Fiction, Time Travel

Audio CD

First published August 1, 2010

About the author

Alan Barnes is a British writer and editor, particularly noted for work in the field of cult film and television. Barnes served as the editor of Judge Dredd Megazine from 2001 until December 2005, during which time the title saw a considerable increase in the number of new strip pages. Among other strips, Barnes originally commissioned The Simping Detective. He also wrote a handful of Judge Dredd stories involving alternate universes or featuring a young Dredd.

He worked for five years at Doctor Who Magazine and progressed from writing strips to becoming joint editor in 1998 and sole editor from 2000 until 2002. He subsequently contributed the ongoing Fact of Fiction series of articles to the magazine. Barnes has also written or co-written a number of Doctor Who audio plays for Big Finish Productions.

He has written a number of books on cult films (including James Bond, Quentin Tarantino and Sherlock Holmes) and his book The Hammer Story, co-written with Marcus Hearn, was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Best Non-Fiction in 1997.

Reviews

[Polly Batchelor · Rating 4 out of 5]

"This was Edgar all over... never use one word when ten will do!"

I have wanted to listen to 'Nevermore' for a while- two of my favourite things together- Doctor Who and Edgar Allan Poe. Where I got the added bonus for the 8th Doctor. It was atmospheric and gothic and I felt he was most fitting for his Doctor. I loved Paul McGann in this story, I would happily listen to him reading the complete works. I particularly enjoyed the scene when the robot ravens asked the Doctor to quote 'Nevermore': He starts with one line but ends up re-enacting the whole poem.
The story isn't for everyone but I think it definitely requires more than one listen.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once upon a time there was a beautifull planet favored by the rich. Then a war almost happened not quite but a genocidal attack did take place in the form of a chemical attack. The Timelords then took charge and changed the planet forever. The commanding officer took responsibility and was imprisoned on the death planet still ravaged by deadly mists, a planet now called Nevermore.
The Doctor and Tamzin are jones in the TARDIS by a cat whose antics lands the Doctor on Nevermore.
He and Tamzin are met by 2 robots in the form of Ravens who stand guard on a genicidal general. Who has lived in banishment for more than 20 years. Something has happened bevause there are suddenly a lot of visitors.
The theme is clearly Edgar Allen Poe and his works and you cannot fail to notice it.

An entertaining 8th Doctor tale with an interesting Sting in the tail of this story. McGann rocks and his new assistance is becoming more 3 dimensional.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this story, the Doctor and Tamsin arrive in a prison that's been modeled after the works of Edgar Allan Poe, inhabited by a single criminal incarcerated for a terrible war crime committed twenty years ago. As the Doctor and Tamsin learn more about those events, it becomes apparent that the Time Lords were involved.

I'm really not sure what to think of this story as a whole. It certainly held my interest, and several of the performances were quite strong. On the other hand, both the Poe element and the Time Lord element felt gratuitous - I think the story might have been stronger without them. (I do wonder if the Time Lord element is a set up for a longer term plot arc. We know from Situation Vacant that there's another time traveller about causing trouble. I had assumed that it was the Headhunter somehow returned, but it could be a renegade Time Lord. Hmmm.)

I'm also still not sure what I think of new companion Tamsin. She gets some good banter in her dialogue with the Doctor, and I like the way her jobbing-actor background manifests itself in the odd useful skill (considering how often the Doctor gets tied or chained up, it's really surprising that he doesn't look for more companions with escapology training.) And the actress playing her is clearly plenty competent. But for some reason, the character just isn't gelling for me as a personality - she's still just a resume and some clever lines. I hope that changes soon.

[Emilija · Rating 2 out of 5]

2023 52 Book Challenge - March Mini Challenge - 1) A Character Who Works With Animals

Ehhhh, this is not one of the better 8th Doctor audios. The plot is a little ludicrous, the interactions between the Doctor and the new companion haven't really settled yet, and the animals, most notably the crows, were really annoying.

[James · Rating 1 out of 5]

Meh. Disappointing attempt to shoehorn as many Poe references as possible into an episode of Doctor Who without any real rhyme or reason. The only saving grace is the prisoner Morella Wendigo who doesn't quite have enough attitude to rescue the episode.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh, dear.

After the previous episode that didn't really make much sense, this is really not a good start for new companion Tamsin. Difficult to follow, rambling and even incomprehensible at times with an inexplicable obsession with Edgar Allen Poe, this story really doesn't make sense.

Tamsin not doing much except for petting a cat doesn't make help her stand out as a companion and the overall story is just boring. It doesn't help that the Ravens have an even more jarring and unpleasant speaking voice than the Daleks, making it even harder to listen to.

Not a good DW play and possibly the worst I've heard yet. Not recommended, especially disappointing as it's a companion's first adventure.

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 2 out of 5]

The new series of Eighth Doctor plays from Big Finish began with Situation Vacant, where Joanna Kanska stole the show, guest starring as a hotel duty manager; this time Fenella Woolgar (who was Agatha Christie in The Unicorn and the Wasp) steals the show, guest starring as an interstellar war criminal incarcerated in a jail designed with an Edgar Allan Poe theme. Alan Barnes is one of the best Big Finish writers, but this isn't one of his best scripts, with a slightly daft premise and lots of references to Poe's work including giant robot ravens chanting 'Nevermore'. I haven't read much Poe (though I do know the late Zelazny story which riffs off many of his works) so some of this may have gone over my head. However it's probably fairly accessible to the non-Who fan who knows their Poe. (The new companion, I'm afraid, hasn't really settled in for me as yet.)

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was much less obnoxious that the apprentice spoof. The Edgar Allen Poe theme was quite nice even though the ravens were quite silly it was a nice enough story. The companion Tamra was less annoying but still just totally generic. It's too bad they couldn't have Lucie for all these adventures.

[Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

One for the Edgar Allen Poe, cat and raven fanatics ...

[Bettie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bettie's Books

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

From BBC Radio 4 Extra:
The Time Lord and his new companion materialise on a prison planet, themed on the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Eighth Doctor adventure stars Paul McGann and Niky Wardley.

[Leila Anani · Rating 2 out of 5]

Harping back to the Hinchcliffe era this fuses Who and gothic horror. I don't know what it is but while I think mixing Who and British gothic is amongst the best there is, mixing Who with American gothic just never seems to work quite as well (I'm thinking of things like the 6th Doctor: The Lovecraft Invasion, fusing two of my favourite things Lovecraft and Who and coming up wanting) The same is true of this one - how can a Who story centred around Poe with robot ravens and a mutant shapeshifting cat be anything other than awesome? And yet its pretty forgettable. I'm not warming to companion Tamsin, but then Lucie Miller is pretty much an impossible act to follow. Sheridan Smith set the bar and the later 8th Doctor Adventures are really suffering for her loss.

This one's not bad exactly, but it suffers from a new companion finding her feet, both the doctor and audience reeling from Lucie's departure and a rather dull story. Though I do like the cat that gets into the TARDIS and mucks up the navigation.

[David Layton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alan Barnes reveals his background in comic books on this attempted update of Poe. It is a very comic booky idea to have a prison for one person on a planet surrounded by the red death, a prison run by an obsessed neurotic. It just really does not make much sense. How would giant robot ravens be in any way a sophisticated guard system? These would be ungainly, clunking, and pretty much useless as robots. Since when does a judge or other public official have the capital and authority to create an elaborate prison? On and on we go. The whole thing seems designed merely to get heaps of Poe into Doctor Who without actually having Poe, though even then we do get him a bit in flashback. On the bright side, Tamsin seems to be working out, as a very traditional sort of traveling companion.

[Susanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I **LOVED** all the Poe references—that made the episode for me. It was a little confusing *why* the prison was a Poe theme park, but hey.

Lost a star because I was annoyed by the Doctor’s callous disregard for the cat, but luckily Tamsin cared.

(Yes, how the cat is treated in any scenario is of supreme importance when reviewing, because it affects how I feel about the book as a whole. What? That is Perfectly Normal.)

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

だいぶ粘って聴いてみたけれどもいまいちよくわからなかった。

タムジンがターディスの中でネコを見つけて、そのネコが勝手にターディスの行先をきめて、で、刑務所(？)のようなところに到着。

最悪の兵器をつかってその星系の住人をほとんど死なせてしまった戦犯が捕まっていて、でも最終的にはタイムトラベラーにそそのかされたからとタイムロードが関わっている可能性もあって？？

検察官が取り調べにくるけれどもその人が結局兵器使用の命令を実行した人で？？

で、なぜだかその検察官がエドガー・アラン・ポーオタクっていう。死ぬ間際にドクターにエドガー・アラン・ポーの最後の言葉をきいて満足して処刑されるっていう。

エドガー・アラン・ポーの「the Raven」という詩集が引用されまくっていて��そこからインスパイアされたっぽいシナリオだったんだろうと思うけれども。

8は色々可愛くて、そこだけは楽しかったけれども。
旅友に対してもそんなに絆ができているような印象もなく

[April Mccaffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very different to his usual stlye of writing, but I enjoyed it. I love the focus of the cat being in the story, and Tasmin being protective of it.

Lots of Poe in, who though I respect his works, never really cared for? The ravens were very cool though, shame we only got a little scene time with them.

[Sara Habein · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you don't care for Edgar Allen Poe, this is perhaps not the one for you, but I DO, so I thought this was an amusing way to do a Poe story within the world of Doctor Who. And I'm looking forward to knowing more about Tamsin, the new companion in this stretch of stories.

[Brandy Y · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three stars for the story, five for the Edgar Allan Poe content.

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the weakest of the whole story line I think, shame for Tamsin’s first ‘adventure’.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice Edgar Allan Poe influence, though I enjoyed the first half more than the second half.

[Josh · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was just a bit bland. I don’t really care for Edgar Allan Poe that much. The Crow robot people were really annoying.

[Tabitha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this more, but there was just something off about it.

[Gabriel Mero · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was CRAZY!!!!

[Alyce Caswell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was interesting, but I might've liked it more if it hadn't been so saturated in Edger Allan Poe references. There were just so many that I quickly grew bored of the whole shebang.

[Zach · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a fan personally. "Time of the Daleks" does this motif thing better. Just too much going on.

[TheSmilingDragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nevermore follows on from situation vacant with the Doctor and his new companion and is set on the planet "Nevermore" in a prison designed for the war criminal Morella Wendigo but also inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe.

I wasn't keen on the idea of a Poe themed story, as I am not of fan of horror stories however I felt that this was more of a mystery with a Poe theme, which I appreciated. I also liked the references to a line from an episode during Colin Baker's tenure as the Doctor.

Whilst not my favorite I did enjoy this addition to the series.

[Jamie Revell · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Doctor arrives on a prison planet run by a man obsessed with the works of Edgar Allen Poe. Unfortunately, Barnes really overdoes it with the Poe references. Yes, at least there's a sound reason for them existing, but there's a clear effort in the plot to get in as many as humanly possible - along with a few fairly naff puns along the way - and this ends up obscuring the central story.

There are some good scenes along the way, although its notable that the best two are the ones directly lifted from Poe himself (mostly word-for-word, as it happens). The raven-robots are unconvincing, and the black cat seems to be there just because there ought to be one somewhere. Despite this, the story does make rather more sense than it might, and with a few genuine moments of tension, its certainly no disaster.

It's also worth noting that this is the first story to properly feature new companion Tamsin, who spent most of her debut episode pretending to be somebody else. She's well-acted, reasonably likeable, and a believable character, but nothing really makes her stand out at this point. There is a danger of her falling into 'generic companion' status if this keeps up - and one couldn't say that of Charley or Lucie.

[sabisteb aka callisto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Der Doktor und seine neue Begleiterin Tamsin Drue landen auf einem Gefängnisplaneten, dessen Motto die Werke von Edgar Allan Poe sind. Auf diesem Planeten gibt es nur eine Gefangene: Morella Wendigo. Irgendjemand hat es auf diese Gefangene abgesehen und will sie töten.

Eine in sich abgeschlossene, durchaus unterhaltsame Episode, wenn man ein wenig über Poes Werke weiß. Es gibt anscheinend sehr langlebige Außerirdische, die auf Poes Werke standen und stehen und dem Meister auf fernen Planeten ein Denkmal in Form eines Gefängnisses gesetzt haben.
Die Parallelen zu Poes Geschichten, mit dem tragischen Schicksal des Planeten und seiner Bewohner, die dem Autor aus Inspiration diensten und die Begegnung des Doktors mit Edgar Allan, sind durchaus gelungen.
Langsam finde ich durchaus Geschmack am etwas seltsamen Nerd Humor der Serie. Diese Folge wäre prinzipiell auch außerhalb der Reihe anhörbar, obwohl diese Staffel an sich einen durchgehenden Roten Faden hat. Insgesamt eine unterhaltsame Episode, die aber nicht unbedingt zu jenen gehört, an die man sich auch länger erinnert, so dass man sie durchaus immer mal wieder anhören kann.

[Keiran Thegreat · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Doctor and his new assistant enter a prison themed around the works of the famous author Poe. There are some great elements to this story and some wonderful acting. The plot is slightly rushed in places and has characters that only work because of the excellent casting and performances. Overall this is a great audio drama.

[Jack · Rating 2 out of 5]

5/10
Verdict: Optional

I enjoyed this quite a bit on my first listen, but listening to it again, I found it to be slow and irritating to listen to. I enjoyed the tension in the second half on my first listen, but knowing there are no actual stakes sort of ruins it. The plot is boring, with a mediocre threat and political drama that makes the star wars prequels look like gold.