The Shadow of the Scourge (Dr Who Big Finish) [Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Paul Cornell (Author)

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Big Finish Productions (October 31, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1903654203
• ISBN-13: 978-1903654200
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,156,159 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars BIlled as a side step but more of a misstep, August 17, 2009

By 

Sharilyn - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Shadow of the Scourge (Dr Who Big Finish) (Audio CD)

The Doctor, Ace and Benny arrive at a hotel in Kent where three seemingly unrelated events -a psychic's personal appearance, a time experiment and a cross-stitch convention--unleashes a scourge that could mean the end of humanity.

This audio is based on a series of books published by Virgin in the 1990s. Whether or not you like it depends on how much you enjoyed the New Adventures novels.

Personally, I wasn't a huge fan. While there were some good stories, many seemed to delight in torturing both the TARDIS crew and the reader. The Doctor was portrayed as a rather heartless manipulator while Ace was ultraviolent with an even bigger chip on her shoulder than she had in the TV series. Professor Bernice Summerfield simply added fuel to the fire with her caustic comments.

Overall, this story just doesn't do a lot for me. The Doctor is too smug and mysterious, Ace is depressingly world-weary and Benny seems a bit of a third wheel. The ending--which has evil being driven back by chanting a mantra--is a bit silly as well.

Strangely enough, I have become quite the fan of the audio Benny. Lisa Bowerman infuses the character with toughness and vulnerability, giving her a smart-ass yet likable attitude. Although Benny has been featured in only a handful of Doctor Who audios, she has her own audio series (which predate the Doctor Who audios) that is worth investigating.

2.75 stars.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ho hum, March 5, 2009

By 

Peter Ingemi (Worcester County, Massachusetts United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Shadow of the Scourge (Dr Who Big Finish) (Audio CD)

I had a hard time winning this particular episode on eBay since the Bernice Summerfield plays are popular. After finally getting my hands on a copy I wonder what all the fuss is about.

Other than a few funny lines such as the classic response to the statement: "There is nothing that man was not meant to know" (her answer "Except two women at the same time.") I just don't find her an interesting character. Maybe I didn't give the audio enough of a chance but I don't see the "there" there.

The Doctor himself is rather amusing, negotiating the surrender of the planet earth, along with meticulous paperwork. The telegraphing of the fact that he is constantly outsmarting various monsters really falls flat since it comes during part two when we know of course that whatever he is planning has to fail at that point but will recover later.

His line about monsters being afraid of him predates the famous Tennent line to the young Reinette in "The Girl in the Fireplace." but I think we see the Doctor too clever by a half here.

The Scourge as a villain just doesn't seem to do it for me. Maybe if I was listening to them as they came out I would have liked it more, maybe if my expectations were not higher since Bowerman is very good in other audios that would have made a difference but this story just fell flat for me.

You can't complete your collection without this one but I can't decide if you should hold it for near the end or just grab it to get it over with.

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