Best Audio Book?

[The Nth Doctor]

Great news!

Now that he, Tom Baker, and John Levene have all seen the light, that just leaves Jackie Lane.

I know she's retired but I really want to do just one audio play. Companion Chronicles are retiring but they will be replaced by Early Adventures. I can only hope she can be convinced...

 

[VDCNI]

To celebrate the 50th anniversary Big Finish are permanently reducing the price of the first 50 releases to £5 for the cd's and £2.99 for the downloads.

After the current stock of cd's has been sold they will not be repressing them anymore and they will only be available as a download.

http://www.bigfinish.com/news/v/doctor-who-first-fifty-a-fiver-each

I have them all but a good way to get into the audios.

 

[Sindatur]

Very cool indeed, I have some of the first 50, but, I am missing many of them, and I always do download, instead of CD, so, this is awesome for me (Now I just need to get through my backlog to justify spending more money )

 

[Pindar]

That's excellent news, my collection has hardly any of the first 50 in it.

 

[Sindatur]

Wow, I just noticed Zagreus is #50. That's a hell of a deal, it's a 3 Disk 40th Anniversary Special, featuring Doctors 5-8 (And it says on Wikipedia that it also includes 3?). I have it, but, for $2.99 that's an awesome deal for someone who doesn't have it, and since people either love it or hate, it's a great way to see which side you fall on, without risking much. (I'm fortunately one who does like Zagreus a Great Deal)

I have 18 of the First 50, I believe, and 32 I don't have.

The Holy Terror, Colditz, Omega, Davros, and Master, I've heard favorable things about so, they'll probably be first on my list, and I have #2 and #3 of the Dalek Empire Main Range and enjoy them both, so, I'll likely get The Genocide Machine and The Time of Daleks. At some point, I want to continue/Restart with Charley/Eight, so that's another 5 or 6. So, that alone is more than 1/3 of what I need of that first 50, so, I'm likely to get them all at that price. Only Big Finish Story I've heard, that I would regret having paid $3.00 for is the Arabella Weir Unbound as Doctor 3, all the rest of them though would be definitely worth $3.00 each for a first listen....(Mission of the Viyrans, I'd probably complain if I paid much more, but, I got it for free and wouldn't regret having paid $3.00 for it)

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I think have all but one or two of the first 50. I have to check my collection. Either way, that's an awesome deal.

 

[Sindatur]

Finished Arrangements of War, I loved it. Excellent character building for Evelyn, fantastic to see her in a romance, and also seeing her be the one to calm the Doctor down at the end. And the story itself is nice too.

Next up, Medicinal Purposes

 

[Stevil2001]

Finished Arrangements of War, I loved it. Excellent character building for Evelyn, fantastic to see her in a romance, and also seeing her be the one to calm the Doctor down at the end. And the story itself is nice too.

Next up, Medicinal Purposes

I love Arrangements of War. One of three BFs to make me tear up.

 

[Brendan Moody]

For anyone wanting recommendations among the first 50 releases, here's what I picked up to replace parts of my long-sold-off physical CD collection:

5. The Fearmonger
6. The Marian Conspiracy
12. The Fires of Vulcan
13. The Shadow of the Scourge
14. The Holy Terror
16. Storm Warning
27. The One Doctor
34. Spare Parts
39. Bang-Bang-a-Boom!
40. Jubilee
46. Flip-Flop
47. Omega
48. Davros
49. Master

I already had 29. The Chimes of Midnight, which along with Spare Parts would be my two strongest recommendations.

 

[Pindar]

75% off Stargate this weekend, they are really trying to shift some stock.

Still that means I got season 3 for 12.50 down from 50 quid.

 

[TJ Sinclair]

Having heard the first half-dozen stories now, and already liking Evelyn a lot just from The Marian Conspiracy, I can definitely say that The Fearmonger is the best of those six. Everything about it just came together properly, and you could have taken that script and filmed a Seventh Doctor episode with it virtually unchanged.

Sirens of Time was quite an inauspicious way to start, as I'm sure (or at least I hope) Big Finish has realized in retrospect. It really wasn't good at all. Phantasmagoria was decent, and Whispers of Terror was really good, even if it seemed they were doing things a certain way because of the medium. The plot of Land of the Dead was pretty bad, even for Doctor Who, but I something about Davison's voice and the fact that Nyssa actually seems less useless in the audios still made it work. And the plot of The Marian Conspiracy isn't all that better -- the only point was to introduce Evelyn, after all -- but it worked well enough, Marty McFly rules of time travel aside.

So I've heard those six, plus Spare Parts and Storm Warning. Should I just keep going in order from the beginning? Are there any that I should skip completely?

 

[Guy Gardener]

and the fact that Nyssa actually seems less useless in the audios still made it work.

Hey! Don't talk about my girlfriend like that!

 

[Stevil2001]

Sirens of Time was quite an inauspicious way to start, as I'm sure (or at least I hope) Big Finish has realized in retrospect.

I dunno-- they recently put it on sale as a "jumping-on point" for the monthly range!

So I've heard those six, plus Spare Parts and Storm Warning. Should I just keep going in order from the beginning? Are there any that I should skip completely?

I don't think that hurts as an approach. I haven't heard many of the first fifteen, but I like the ones that I have. Almost all of the early eighth Doctor stuff is worthwhile.

 

[Brendan Moody]

The only early audio you might be better off skipping is Minuet in Hell, which is bloated and grating, but possibly worth it for the appearance of the Brigadier. Otherwise, there's some stuff that's on the dull side, but no real disasters.

 

[Stevil2001]

I always want to say "skip Minuet in Hell," but the Brigadier is as amazing as always, and I sure do like the music. Nick Briggs puts in a good performance, too.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Wow, I just noticed Zagreus is #50. That's a hell of a deal, it's a 3 Disk 40th Anniversary Special, featuring Doctors 5-8 (And it says on Wikipedia that it also includes 3?).

Yes, it has Jon Pertwee in it. The dialogue was taken from the unfinished fanfilm Devious. His voice is so heavily distorted, however, that it's very difficult to make out. You can hear that it's Pertwee, but good luck figuring out what he's trying to say.

The only early audio you might be better off skipping is Minuet in Hell, which is bloated and grating, but possibly worth it for the appearance of the Brigadier.

Even BBC7 skipped "Minuet in Hell" when they broadcast the early Paul McGann Big Finishes.

 

[TJ Sinclair]

I always want to say "skip Minuet in Hell," but the Brigadier is as amazing as always, and I sure do like the music. Nick Briggs puts in a good performance, too.

Wow, someone actually mentioning Nick Briggs in a complimentary fashion. That never happens on Gallifrey Base.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Indeed. I enjoy the audio forum at GallifreyBase but the level of vitriol most people have towards Nick Briggs is rather off putting.

As for Minuet in Hell, I didn't mind it so much but I think that's largely due to Nicholas Courtney.

 

[Sindatur]

Finished Medicinal Purposes, it was alright, not fantastic, but, worth listening to.

Also listened to Thicker than Water. Cool, a followup/Sequel to Arrangements for War. A little bit disorienting, considering Mel is traveling with The Doctor, and Evelyn's been living there for some time, but, once I figured out what was going on, it was terrific.

And then it was a little bit disorienting for Evelyn to be back traveling with Doctor (And Thicker Than Water hasn't happened yet) in Pier Pressure, which I have just started.

I'm really going to miss Evelyn when her run is over, but, I've still got the rest of Pier Pressure and 8 more, so, she'll be with me awhile longer. They really need to get Maggie Stables on the new show in some role, even if just for a one shot. (Is she still acting, I see her last Six/Evelyn Audioplay is 2011)

 

[VDCNI]

She's ill sadly so can't work at the moment.