12 Days of Big Finish

[NightJim]

I'm surprised no one posted this up, considering we managed two for the Humble Bundle. Anyway, Big Finish are just giving stuff away right now. Yesterday (and I think you can still get it because they're sales are 48 hours) was the first episode of the second series of the 4th Doctor Adventures: The Auntie Matter.

Today is the Memory Box which kicked off Vienna. Since I haven't listened to Shadow Heart (or any of that trilogy) yet I doubt I'll bother.

Big Finish Sale

 

[Pindar]

Sadly I had everything in the offers already.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

That's my problem, too. There are a few dozen main range stories, both old and new, that I don't have along with some Lost Stories (although the Humble Bundle actually helped in that regard) and a chunk of the Companion Chronicles. Aside from Blake's 7 (which I'm completely caught up on), I don't have any interest in the non-Who ranges, and aside from Gallifrey and Jago & Lite foot (ditto), I don't have much interest in the spin-offs either. Except the Unbounds (I only have the David Warners). I would jump on a deal for them.

Still, I'll keep my eye out for the deals.

 

[OmahaStar]

Except the Unbounds (I only have the David Warners). I would jump on a deal for them.

I thought the same thing. I had the Valeyard one, then picked up the David Warner/Nick Courtney set. I recently picked up the other five. I kind of wish I hadn't. The idea of them is so much better than the execution.

It was a struggle getting through them. The only somewhat interesting tidbit we get in all of them is having Susan say the Doctor is her mother's father. I don't think it really matters what timeline you're in, if you're talking about grandparent and grandchild, it's likely the child/parent in between would remain the same.

I'll withhold further comments until you've had a chance to form your own opinion.

For the record, I did enjoy the Valeyard, but that was entirely due to Michael Jayston's performance. The writing left much to be desired.

 

[Sindatur]

Except the Unbounds (I only have the David Warners). I would jump on a deal for them.

I thought the same thing. I had the Valeyard one, then picked up the David Warner/Nick Courtney set. I recently picked up the other five. I kind of wish I hadn't. The idea of them is so much better than the execution.

It was a struggle getting through them. The only somewhat interesting tidbit we get in all of them is having Susan say the Doctor is her mother's father. I don't think it really matters what timeline you're in, if you're talking about grandparent and grandchild, it's likely the child/parent in between would remain the same.

I'll withhold further comments until you've had a chance to form your own opinion.

For the record, I did enjoy the Valeyard, but that was entirely due to Michael Jayston's performance. The writing left much to be desired.

I quite enjoyed all of them, except for the Arabella Weir one.

Spoiler: Arabella Weir and Valeyard Stories

I was so looking forward to a Female take on the Doctor, but, to have it be almost nothing but an hour of her belching, barfing, farting and slurring, really, really disappointed me. No Doctor character to get to know, just an extremely annoying, disgusting drunk

Loved the Valeyard one, especially Mel's part/fate

 

[NightJim]

Love and War today. Jumped on it without even thinking.

 

[NightJim]

Today's Short Trips vol III has left me unable to decide whether I should get it or not. Any thoughts?

India Fisher reading a Lucie Miller story also seems a little odd.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Like each of the Short Trips volumes, Volume III is a mix bag of strong and weak stories. Problem is, aside from "Seven to One" (which I didn't care for) and "The Wondrous Box," I can't really remember the stories in question. My list for anthology says I enjoyed "The Fifth Dimensional Man" and "The Riparian Ripper" by far the most.

 

[NightJim]

Destiny of the Doctor. Is it as good as I hope?

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I haven't gotten to that one myself. I wanted to get the boxset, but it apparently had a limited release with no intention of producing more. I'm debating whether or not to get this, but according to one poster at GallifreyBase, it's not much of a difference in price (£1 individually, £10 bundle less). From what I recall, the series was generally received underwhelmingly but not disappointingly.

 

[StCoop]

From what I recall, the series was generally received underwhelmingly but not disappointingly.

It's eleven different stories, so it's unsurprisingly a mixed bag but still a bargain for £30.00

Briggsy does a surprisingly good Eccleston impression, which should come in handy if they ever get the New Series* license.



*Am I the only one who finds it silly that we still call it that after it's been back for a decade?

 

[Stevil2001]

I really liked Destiny of the Doctor. A lot of them are very solid, strongly written tales that really evoke their eras without being entirely driven by nostalgia. My favorites were Vengeance of the Stones (#3, about how Mike Yates joined UNIT), Babblesphere (#4, a fantastic Season 17 pastiche), Trouble in Paradise (#6, goofy fun about Christopher Columbus), Shockwave (#7, a perfect capturing of Ace and the Season 25/26 vibe), Enemy Aliens (#8, CHARLEY CHARLEY CHARLEY), and Night of the Whisper (#9, a great throwback to 2005).

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Hm, you reminded me that Enemy Aliens is the last Charley story I haven't listened to yet and I'm intrigued by Babblesphere (more Lalla Ward is always a plus). Perhaps I will take the plunge for the bundle.

 

[OmahaStar]

Destiny of the Doctor. Is it as good as I hope?

It was the first major collaboration between Big Finish and Audiogo (aka BBC Audiobooks, which has since gone out of business).

These are similar in structure to the Companion Chronicles, except they are entirely in third person. There are two actors, one from the TV series (well, ok, Charley), who reads the overwhelming majority of the story, joined by a second voice who does the dialog for their character.

It's more like a talking book than we're used to with Big Finish. It's not bad, don't get me wrong. It is a new thing for them, so if you're used to their typical way of telling stories, it may take a bit to get into this series.

Each story is one disc (one hour) long. They are *mostly* standalone stories. There is something that ties them together, which becomes more obvious as time goes on.

It was lovely to hear Charley again, and having Catherine Tate back for a new Donna Noble story after so long was delightful.

Between #10 and #11 being released, Audiogo went kablooey, meaning a lengthy delay in releasing the last story. It was only Big Finish stepping in that allowed that final story to be released.