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Big Finish: Monthly Range #144
Doctor Who: The Feast of Axos
“Axos calling Earth. Fuel system exhausted. Request immediate assistance.”
Many years ago, the vast space parasite Axos attempted to suck the planet Earth of its energy. Now it’s all but forgotten – a dried-up husk, marooned in orbit, still stuck in the time loop it was placed in by Earth's defender, the Doctor.
Forgotten, that is, except by space tourism billionaire Campbell Irons – who's hatched a plan to solve the world’s energy crisis by reviving Axos, and transmitting its power back to Earth. But the crew of the spaceship Windermere aren't alone aboard the parasite. The Doctor has returned, to correct an error of decades past...
And Axos is waiting.
Many years ago, the vast space parasite Axos attempted to suck the planet Earth of its energy. Now it’s all but forgotten – a dried-up husk, marooned in orbit, still stuck in the time loop it was placed in by Earth's defender, the Doctor.
Forgotten, that is, except by space tourism billionaire Campbell Irons – who's hatched a plan to solve the world’s energy crisis by reviving Axos, and transmitting its power back to Earth. But the crew of the spaceship Windermere aren't alone aboard the parasite. The Doctor has returned, to correct an error of decades past...
And Axos is waiting.
Audio CD
First published February 1, 2011
About the author
Mike Maddox
5 books2 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
July 8, 2023
Rather a typical Doctor Who adventure. Although there are moments that are pure gems (just a few, here and there).
May 20, 2026
This is the second audio in a trilogy of audios with the Sixth Doctor, Evelyn Smythe and Thomas Brewster. This follows on from where the last audio “The Crimes of Thomas Brewster” left off with Brewster sneaking on bord the Tardis. From there, we get the return of Axos from the Third Doctor Story “Claws of Axos”. I haven’t seen Claws of Axos as of writing this, but I hope it is a lot more interesting than it was here.
I didn’t really know what to expect from this one but to be honest, I expected a lot more. The cover has a picture of the Sixth Doctor as an Axon, so I thought that was going to be a big part of the plot, and it was. But it didn’t really factor into the overall story and wasn’t enough to make this worth listening to. The whole concept of Axos as a living spaceship that feeds on energy is an interesting one, but this story didn’t really do much with it as I suspect the original story did. The Doctor and Co land inside Axos as some other astronauts land inside as well, and that’s all she wrote. Plus, there were a lot of unnecessary technical Gargan that didn’t go anywhere and wasn’t interested in any way.
Pretty much 60% of this audio was just padding as they clearly didn’t have much here to fill a two-hour long audio. I don’t think there was a single idea or concept in this that I liked and pretty much every plot point they bring up like the Axon Doctor, the Earth Deal and everything in between goes nowhere, and it never resolved. And again, like the last audio, Evelyn Smythe wasn’t enough to make this worth a listen. I thought that it would be interesting to see Thomas Brewster traveling with the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn, but he didn’t really have much to do in this one. He had some interactions with Axos, but (again) it went nowhere. And as for the other characters, there nothing, we have someone talking about how their going to give Axos a nuclear explosion to feed on but (once again) that goes nowhere.
Overall, while I didn’t hate this audio and thought it had some interesting imagery, there was no substance or character to be had here. Most of it is just people talking about things that are never going to happen or stuff that felt like it happened off screen. If this wasn’t a part of a trilogy, there would be no reason to listen to this one other that to listen to every Sixth Doctor and Evelyn audio there is. A plus, this audio just ends with the Doctor suddenly deciding to take Brewster to some alien planet for no reason, even though they just left Evelyn behind, so what gives? If you love Axos and want more of it, you can listen to this one, but you may not be satisfied.
I didn’t really know what to expect from this one but to be honest, I expected a lot more. The cover has a picture of the Sixth Doctor as an Axon, so I thought that was going to be a big part of the plot, and it was. But it didn’t really factor into the overall story and wasn’t enough to make this worth listening to. The whole concept of Axos as a living spaceship that feeds on energy is an interesting one, but this story didn’t really do much with it as I suspect the original story did. The Doctor and Co land inside Axos as some other astronauts land inside as well, and that’s all she wrote. Plus, there were a lot of unnecessary technical Gargan that didn’t go anywhere and wasn’t interested in any way.
Pretty much 60% of this audio was just padding as they clearly didn’t have much here to fill a two-hour long audio. I don’t think there was a single idea or concept in this that I liked and pretty much every plot point they bring up like the Axon Doctor, the Earth Deal and everything in between goes nowhere, and it never resolved. And again, like the last audio, Evelyn Smythe wasn’t enough to make this worth a listen. I thought that it would be interesting to see Thomas Brewster traveling with the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn, but he didn’t really have much to do in this one. He had some interactions with Axos, but (again) it went nowhere. And as for the other characters, there nothing, we have someone talking about how their going to give Axos a nuclear explosion to feed on but (once again) that goes nowhere.
Overall, while I didn’t hate this audio and thought it had some interesting imagery, there was no substance or character to be had here. Most of it is just people talking about things that are never going to happen or stuff that felt like it happened off screen. If this wasn’t a part of a trilogy, there would be no reason to listen to this one other that to listen to every Sixth Doctor and Evelyn audio there is. A plus, this audio just ends with the Doctor suddenly deciding to take Brewster to some alien planet for no reason, even though they just left Evelyn behind, so what gives? If you love Axos and want more of it, you can listen to this one, but you may not be satisfied.
May 31, 2020
This remarkably non-gratuitous sequel tempers the Sixth Doctor’s usual bombast with UNIT-era realism and gives Colin Baker something to work with for once. The script verges on proper SF and the characters have reasonable motivations. Even the aliens are allowed some dignity!
May 20, 2026
Moderately pleasant - the whole devouring force thing is so familiar but there were plenty of nice features: Evelyn Smythe's comparison of the Doctor and Thomas Brewster, the crew of the Jules Verne having great accents (rather than the exaggerated 'Allo 'Allo ones of another recently listened-to story), the Doctor doesn't have much bombast and the space walk was a novelty. The replication of the Doctor seemed underused.
Not hard to draw parallels with contemporary events/individuals, even though this isn't quite a contemporary write.
Not hard to draw parallels with contemporary events/individuals, even though this isn't quite a contemporary write.
August 21, 2020
Between work and some craziness at home, it took me a few days to get through this one. Though it also kind of fell flat on its own. A little too preachy and, honestly, Brewster has worn out his welcome.
But Evelyn Smythe is wonderful and her presence always elevates a story. So stars for her and the lovely and much missed Maggie Stables.
But Evelyn Smythe is wonderful and her presence always elevates a story. So stars for her and the lovely and much missed Maggie Stables.
December 5, 2022
Thomas Brewster is insufferable. Evelyn has some sweet moments that I enjoyed. But the whole Claws of Axos sequel just feels really pointless. Overall this one is... fine, a bit boring and aimless.
April 24, 2023
Thomas Brewster had gotten annoying, but there’s some nice eeriness to some of the story.
June 3, 2026
Had trouble getting into this one, though it got better near the end
January 5, 2023
Outstanding.
March 21, 2013
I really wanted to love this story. A sequel to any classic story is always going to have to compete with the original work and in this case, sadly, it doesn't quite live up to it.
The basic plot is pretty straight-forward: in a reversal of the original Axos storyline, now it is humans who want to exploit the potential energy that Axos can generate. A mission is duly dispatched and, inevitably, things go wrong. Into this mix we find the Doctor, the fantastic Evelyn and the rather dull Thomas Brewster caught up in events.
Let's start with what's good. Hearing Bernard Holley again was like stepping back almost 40 years (or in my case about 20 when I first saw Claws of Axos on VHS) - wonderful! The cliffhanger to episode 3 was heart-wrenching and just confirms how amazing a character Evelyn Smythe, and actor Maggie Stables, have consistently been. In fact I think that Evelyn has shaped up to be one of my absolute favourite companions from the entire history of Who. The rendition of Axos is great as well. For a sequel to a story which was, shall we say, visually rather... arresting, the audio version does not disappoint. Which brings me to the score and sound design which are superb. Big Finish have really got some fantastic composers and sound designers to work on the stories over the past few years and Feast of Axos is most definitely up there among the best of them. Finally Colin Baker once again demonstrates how poorly he was served by his TV appearances. I have to thank Big Finish for giving Six a chance to really shine.
So to the bad. Thomas Brewster. Ugh. I think my dislike of this particular character is pretty obvious and unfortunately really clouds my opinion of this story. John Pickard does a fine job and can't be faulted but Thomas himself just doesn't sit right. In this story I was, once again, bored by the seemingly cyclical 'has he betrayed the Doctor?', 'no he hasn't!', 'oh, wait, yes he has!', 'oh no! It was all a ploy' nonsense that was going on. To be honest I'll be very glad when he's gone. Again we have the old hackneyed concept of a corporate entity having, if not actually evil then, somewhat dubious ethics. Just for once I'd like to be surprised by a corporation's behaviour! Then there are the French accents. At least I think they're supposed to be French. They're that bad.
All in all this is a mixed bag. My expectations were high, as they always are for a returning classic foe, and this probably coloured my experience. Bits of this story were fantastic; I shall never forget Maggie Stables and Colin Baker's performances in parts of this tale, the nostalgia evocation was handled beautifully and the auditory experience was exemplary. I'll listen to this story again, just not in a hurry.
The basic plot is pretty straight-forward: in a reversal of the original Axos storyline, now it is humans who want to exploit the potential energy that Axos can generate. A mission is duly dispatched and, inevitably, things go wrong. Into this mix we find the Doctor, the fantastic Evelyn and the rather dull Thomas Brewster caught up in events.
Let's start with what's good. Hearing Bernard Holley again was like stepping back almost 40 years (or in my case about 20 when I first saw Claws of Axos on VHS) - wonderful! The cliffhanger to episode 3 was heart-wrenching and just confirms how amazing a character Evelyn Smythe, and actor Maggie Stables, have consistently been. In fact I think that Evelyn has shaped up to be one of my absolute favourite companions from the entire history of Who. The rendition of Axos is great as well. For a sequel to a story which was, shall we say, visually rather... arresting, the audio version does not disappoint. Which brings me to the score and sound design which are superb. Big Finish have really got some fantastic composers and sound designers to work on the stories over the past few years and Feast of Axos is most definitely up there among the best of them. Finally Colin Baker once again demonstrates how poorly he was served by his TV appearances. I have to thank Big Finish for giving Six a chance to really shine.
So to the bad. Thomas Brewster. Ugh. I think my dislike of this particular character is pretty obvious and unfortunately really clouds my opinion of this story. John Pickard does a fine job and can't be faulted but Thomas himself just doesn't sit right. In this story I was, once again, bored by the seemingly cyclical 'has he betrayed the Doctor?', 'no he hasn't!', 'oh, wait, yes he has!', 'oh no! It was all a ploy' nonsense that was going on. To be honest I'll be very glad when he's gone. Again we have the old hackneyed concept of a corporate entity having, if not actually evil then, somewhat dubious ethics. Just for once I'd like to be surprised by a corporation's behaviour! Then there are the French accents. At least I think they're supposed to be French. They're that bad.
All in all this is a mixed bag. My expectations were high, as they always are for a returning classic foe, and this probably coloured my experience. Bits of this story were fantastic; I shall never forget Maggie Stables and Colin Baker's performances in parts of this tale, the nostalgia evocation was handled beautifully and the auditory experience was exemplary. I'll listen to this story again, just not in a hurry.
June 27, 2017
This is both the second part of the "Sixth Doctor and Thomas Brewster" trilogy, and a sequel to the somewhat bonkers 1971 TV story The Claws of Axos.
Set in Earth orbit some time in the near future (probably the 2020s, from the clues given), it has an unusually hard SF feel, with much use of spacesuits and space shuttles. For the most part, though, this is superficial, due to the mad nature of Axos itself. To be clear, that's not a bad thing in the context of Doctor Who , since hard SF was honestly not the point for most of its run. Using some of the tropes for atmosphere, without delving too far into them, actually works rather well, and the scene at the end of the third episode, with Evelyn dealing with Newton's laws in zero-G, is exactly the sort of thing that more typical stories wouldn't deal with - and is brilliantly written and performed.
Brewster once again proves himself to be untrustworthy, although he doesn't set your teeth on edge as much as he does in some of his other stories. You can at least see where he's coming from in this tale, even if you feel little sympathy for what he ends up doing. In this context, Evelyn comes across as more sympathetic towards him than seems justified, although this was likely necessary to set up the third part of the trilogy. Part of the problem is that the character has already worn out his welcome, and, in fact did so quite some time ago; he's more tiring than anything else.
Another weakness is the decision to have Colin Baker also play an Axonite. There's a sound plot reason for this being the case, but it does get a little confusing at times, despite giving his voice a slight distort in the golden-skinned form.
Overall, though, I did enjoy the story. Its tone is quite different from the TV story it's a sequel to, which is probably a good thing. Yes, the villains aren't hugely original, but they're at least turned on their head from those of the Pertwee story, and the concept of Axos fits as well with 21st century concerns over things like climate change as it did with '70s geopolitics.
Set in Earth orbit some time in the near future (probably the 2020s, from the clues given), it has an unusually hard SF feel, with much use of spacesuits and space shuttles. For the most part, though, this is superficial, due to the mad nature of Axos itself. To be clear, that's not a bad thing in the context of Doctor Who , since hard SF was honestly not the point for most of its run. Using some of the tropes for atmosphere, without delving too far into them, actually works rather well, and the scene at the end of the third episode, with Evelyn dealing with Newton's laws in zero-G, is exactly the sort of thing that more typical stories wouldn't deal with - and is brilliantly written and performed.
Brewster once again proves himself to be untrustworthy, although he doesn't set your teeth on edge as much as he does in some of his other stories. You can at least see where he's coming from in this tale, even if you feel little sympathy for what he ends up doing. In this context, Evelyn comes across as more sympathetic towards him than seems justified, although this was likely necessary to set up the third part of the trilogy. Part of the problem is that the character has already worn out his welcome, and, in fact did so quite some time ago; he's more tiring than anything else.
Another weakness is the decision to have Colin Baker also play an Axonite. There's a sound plot reason for this being the case, but it does get a little confusing at times, despite giving his voice a slight distort in the golden-skinned form.
Overall, though, I did enjoy the story. Its tone is quite different from the TV story it's a sequel to, which is probably a good thing. Yes, the villains aren't hugely original, but they're at least turned on their head from those of the Pertwee story, and the concept of Axos fits as well with 21st century concerns over things like climate change as it did with '70s geopolitics.
July 15, 2011
As I think I've said in previous reviews, I have to give Big Finish credit for making the character of Thomas Brewster very much the "Artful Dodger in space" character that Adric was originally conceived as, but never really written as. It's a worthwhile concept for a companion, and it deserves to be done properly. And this audio does it properly.
Unfortunately, it doesn't make for a Doctor/companion dynamic that I care for much. Something about the "Oh, he's double-crossing the Doctor/No, wait, he's having second thoughts/No, wait, he really is going to betray the Doctor this time/No, actually, it was a double-bluff" plotting that it tends to produce just irritates me rather than creating much suspense. This was a big part of why I didn't much care for Turlough during his early days on the TARDIS, and it's not endearing Thomas to me either. Big Finish has done much to redeem Turlough in my eyes - maybe someday they'll sell me on Thomas Brewster.
Anyway, that may be why I felt kind of meh about this audio even though there's really nothing wrong with it. It is a joy to hear the lovely voice of Bernard Holley again (even if his Axon dialogue is rather repetitive), and the cliffhanger to part 3 is rather poignant. And I'll admit, I got a huge laugh out of one of the characters reacting to their first sight of Axos: "It's so....orange." Beyond that, there wasn't a lot that grabbed me, although it passed the time pleasantly enough.
Unfortunately, it doesn't make for a Doctor/companion dynamic that I care for much. Something about the "Oh, he's double-crossing the Doctor/No, wait, he's having second thoughts/No, wait, he really is going to betray the Doctor this time/No, actually, it was a double-bluff" plotting that it tends to produce just irritates me rather than creating much suspense. This was a big part of why I didn't much care for Turlough during his early days on the TARDIS, and it's not endearing Thomas to me either. Big Finish has done much to redeem Turlough in my eyes - maybe someday they'll sell me on Thomas Brewster.
Anyway, that may be why I felt kind of meh about this audio even though there's really nothing wrong with it. It is a joy to hear the lovely voice of Bernard Holley again (even if his Axon dialogue is rather repetitive), and the cliffhanger to part 3 is rather poignant. And I'll admit, I got a huge laugh out of one of the characters reacting to their first sight of Axos: "It's so....orange." Beyond that, there wasn't a lot that grabbed me, although it passed the time pleasantly enough.
February 25, 2016
The Feast of Axos is a direct sequel to The Claws of Axos (which featured the third Doctor, Jon Pertwee). In the audio, we are traveling with Colin Baker, Doctor #6. In preparation for listening, I watched The Claws of Axos since I own it on DVD. I was glad I did, because I'm sure it did enhance my ability to follow the events in this sequel and to visualize the setting and creatures. The audio drama continues the theme of greed for energy. As in the Pertwee tale, greed and the quest for power doesn't turn out well for those obsessed with it. Probably my favorite storyline in this audio was the relationships between the Doctor and his two companions, Evelyn Smythe and Thomas Brewster. Evelyn is an unusual companion as she is an older lady--think Miss Marple. A circumstance involving Evelyn was one of the most heart wrenching moments in the story--packed a strong emotional wallop. Thomas reminds me of a Dickensian, street-wise scoundrel. The Doctor is really stretched and challenged by both companion characters here, and there is significant change the relationships from beginning to end. I'd say the one thing I didn't care for was the Doctor doppelganger which is created by the Axons, simply because it seemed a stale concept I'd run across before, but that's a minor complaint. And in full disclosure, while I like Colin Baker fine, he's probably my least favorite Doctor, so that may have something to do with the number of stars.
March 19, 2011
The Feast of Axos brings the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn into contact with an Earth spaceship mounting a salvage expedition to Axos, four decades after the Third Doctor left it in a time loop. It's nice to hear Evelyn alive and well again, and there were some interesting reflections on the Doctor fixing his mistakes, and an amusing extrapolation of how the British space programme of the Who stories of the 1970s might have developed to the 2010s. However I wasn't really satisfied with the geopolitics and stereotyped treacherous foreigner johnnies.
February 3, 2016
Ok So I don't care at all about Axions. I thought their episode with Jo was quite rubbish, and she was written quite poorly in it so only watched it once. They weren't all that interesting in this either. But it was lovely to hear Evelyn again. There are a few of her audios I've not heard and been saving. This was one of them. It was great to have her in a space adventure, the space walk scene was really wonderful. It was also lovely to hear Maggie interviewed at the end. Particualarly talking about her companion chronicle. So worth the £3 just for that!
March 13, 2026
The second story in the Six/Brewster trilogy brings back the Axons from the Jon Pertwee era.
The writing is really good. It's a fitting sequel to Claws, the TARDIS crew is great and so are the supporting characters. A really nice and enjoyable story which pays homage to a bygone era.
The writing is really good. It's a fitting sequel to Claws, the TARDIS crew is great and so are the supporting characters. A really nice and enjoyable story which pays homage to a bygone era.
June 9, 2015
A billionaire attempts to plunder the energy from Axos, which was trapped in an orbiting time loop, nearly half a century ago.
January 21, 2016
The Doctor, Brewster and Evelyn land on a space ship the is trying to access a sphere called Axos for energy. But the sphere has its own ideas. Can Axos be stopped before it destroys Earth?
February 14, 2016
The original Claws of Axos was a mediocre story. While it is a good idea to revisit old villians, this one was not really worth bringing back .
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