Big Finish Main Range
This should be funnier as there are lots of little side comments, based on historical characters in books. This is the perfect Doctor for this type of adventure as he is quite talkative and puts his gift of gab to use. The team runs from issue to issue, battle to battle, running away from the Cybermen and towards a goal but what goal? And who? All explained eventually, though my “worst” fears about Jamie are realized. I don’t think Jamie can continue to adventure with the Doctor.
The Land of Fiction is certainly an interesting place but once again, as with the TV story The Mind Robbers, there is a distinct lack of characters. With an unlimited number of characters available, why have less than 10 characters total, with only four doing the talking? And though the little asides are very amusing, I think they would’ve been fabulously amusing if I’d’ve read Alice in Wonderland, Dracula, and Moby Dick. There is a lot of literary references, which is to be expected, so despite my ignorance, I “got” the references but didn’t think they were all that funny because I didn’t get the contextual reference from the stories themselves.
Despite these flaws, this is a fabulous story and a grand adventure for Jamie, Zoe, and the Doctor. My favorite baddies are involved, too, and though they seem a bit ineffectual, the Cybermen are their usual stomping, overwhelming selves, conquering and making everyone like them. Great stuff!
Colin Baker, Frazer Hines, and Wendy Padbury
Writer/Director: Barnaby Edwards
Release: June 20102