Unabridged Audiobook
I’m not a huge Doctor Who fan having just watched 2 or 3 seasons of the reboot, but I wanted to read something nerdy holidayish for winter break. For this anthology, you don’t need to be intimately familiar with the Doctor Whoiverse to enjoy these stories. I loved how the tales were all over the place, from space to Earth, from the past to the present. I especially loved the story with the Loch Ness monster. All told, it was fun. 4/5 stars. The Narration: There were several narrators for this anthology, though each story has only 1 narrator. Some narrators were great; some needed to add some variety to their voices or add some femininity to the female characters. The pacing was good for all stories and there were no technical issues with this recording. 4/5 stars. My Little Notes on Each Short Story (no spoilers) 1. All I Want for Christmas by Jacqueline Rayner, n. Sophie Aldred Barbara, Vicki, Ian, & the Doctor. 1963. England. Snowed in with Robersons for Xmas. Things all wrong. 2. A Comedy of Terrors by Colin Brake, n. Rachael Stirling Jamie, the Doctor, & Zoe. Actors working for Mrs. Butlend, who farts a lot. Princess Treana, stepmom rules in her name. 3. The Christmas Inversion by Jacqueline Rayner, n. Adjoa Andoh Cpt. Mike Yates, Jo, & the Doctor. Call for help. 21st century Earth. Future version of Doctor in same time & place. 4. Three Wise Men by Richard Dungworth, n. Chris Addison 1968, Apollo 8 astronauts Borman, Lovell, Anders. Dark side of moon. Doctor in his technicolor scarf appears. 5. Sontar’s Little Helpers by Mike Tucker, n. Rachael Stirling Tegan, Turlough, & the Doctor. Dec 24th. Distress call. They respond. Unmanned supply ship. Plus a fighter craft. And a cloaked ship, big spherical thing, captained by the Sontaran, Brast. 6. Fairy Tale of New New York by Gary Russell, n. Adjoa Andoh Melanie & the Doctor. Catkind, abbey, cat nuns, human kids. Catkind have taken over medical care on New Earth because humans like cats. Kids are not allergic to cats & Catkind are trying to figure out why so they can make all of New Earth unallergic. 7. The Grotto by Mike Tucker, n. Sophie Aldred Ace & the Doctor. New York. Mysterious space craft. Escape pod into old department store. Monster running loose. 8. Ghost of Christmas Past by Scott Handcock, n. Chris Addison Conflicting timelines damage Tardis but spit it out at Earth 2016 Dec 24th. Time loop. Something in Tardis leaving Xmas cards. 9. The Red Bicycle by Gary Russell, n. Adjoa Andoh Doctor discusses breaking time laws with Susan. Decides to give it a try by sneaking in a gift of a bicycle to young Susan. 10. Loose Wire by Richard Dungworth, n. Sophie Aldred Doctor breaks into Alice’s room & destroys her cell phone. He’s hunting The Wire. P 11. The Gift by Scott Handcock, n. Rachael Stirling Mazzey & her mom. Carolers & the Doctor. He’s hunting a lengo which turns up in Mazzey’s bedroom. 12. The Persistence of Memory by Colin Brake, n. Chris Addison CJ & the Doctor. Loch Ness, Scotland, in August. Meet a Nessy hunter, Robbie.
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