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As Big Finish continue their forays into post 2005 Who they now bring about the return of one of the most successful and loved Tardis teams, that of Donna Noble and the Tenth Doctor. The miniseries consists of three releases; one set in the modern day, one in a semi-historical locale and the other on a futuristic alien world. This approach emulates that of the BBC novels often published alongside the current series. ‘Time Reaver’ has the Doctor and Donna arrive at an intergalactic transport hub known as Calibris. It also seems to be a hub of crime and chaos; things that the new custodians of Calibris, the ever bureaucratic Vacintians, are trying to sort out, much to the dissatisfaction of some of the locals. The Doctor needs a Tardis part from his friend Soren. The idea of a Time Lord mechanic doing dodgy Tardis repairs seems somewhat at odds with what we have seen of Time Lord rules and society. It is easy to surmise that Soren is a rebel Time Lord, but, with his wheeler dealer nature, more in the line of Drax rather than the Doctor or the Master. However, it certainly works well within the context of this story – although it is a bit of a pretext it does provide a reason for why the Doctor should be there. The story concerns a superweapon with some truly grisly outcomes for its victims. It is the type of weapon that you might expect the War Doctor to encounter. The Time Reaver has some interesting time dilation effects. Although they are essentially visual in nature, and so much more could be done visually, they work surprisingly well on audio. The play makes good use of its medium. The cacophonic barrage of sound when Donna and the Doctor first arrive gives the place a strong touch of realism by capturing the chaos and disorientation. Once the nature of Calibris is established quite a novel idea is invented by the author so that noise isn’t constantly drowning everything out. It’s an invention that is also beneficial to the story. The similarity of the soundtrack to ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ also adds to the somewhat piratical nature of the story and Dorn, the irritating busker, is also put to good use. Rone is the bureaucratic type typical of Vacintians, but his daughter Cora in trying not to be a normal Vacintian becomes both victim and the causer of trouble, although she naively acts for altruistic reasons. Gully, an octopus type alien, is a bit of a mix of pirate/gangster/crime lord. He is a tad pantomime villain but works okay within the context of the story. However, he is slightly hard to understand at times. There is some great dialogue written for Donna and the Doctor and the two mains deliver it perfectly; as if they had never been away. There are also some tie-ins to the 2008 series, with references to something on Donna’s back.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
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Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned