Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #183836 in Books
• Published on: 2005-03
• Format: Audiobook
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 2
• Binding: Audio CD

Customer Reviews

bad dream
Strewth mate, doctor who's only gone and headed into aussie territory!

Only this not australia as you'd know it. Ayres rock is now on the middle of a big chunk of land that's floating through space.

That is certainly an original setting.

But what's happened to the people who left earth along with it?

Doctor and companions investigate. The supporting characters are convincingly australian, and the setting is atmospheric.

But just when you think you've gotten a handle on the mysteries of this story, it loses it's way badly in the third part and gets far too involved for it's own good. Poor old hex, superb in his debut story, gets short shrift here because the writer doesn't seem to be sure what to do with him.

Things are resolved with convenience in part four.

A pity this story fails, because the idea and the setting are great. The plot, however, is flimsy by comparison, and that's a shame

GREAT AUSSIE FEEL TO A GREAT AUDIO....
For a start Hex does seem to get quite a good amount of stuff to do. Its not as if hes absent from most of the story is it? Philip Olivier is just as good if not better on here than in his debut the Harvest.

And the aussie setting is interesting. Ayres rock floating on a chunk of debris and floating off into deep space. Thats an original idea for once. And yes, this story is actually highly entertaining with its stone ghosts and great australian feel. Getting genuine aussies is a good idea too, and gives the story a more realistic feel.

The galyari are a strong race of aliens and i feel they are more interesting in this story than in the Sandman. And the digeridoo music score in some parts is cool and different. This story just highlights how flexible the format of Doctor Who can be. And its even better when the story actually works because of it.

The opening episode especially is creepy and eerie, a great bit of acting from the three regulars of Sylv SPohie and Phil. They are one of the best teams that big finish has helped to create. They are just totally different but totally cool characters that make any story sound great.

Simon A Forward gives us a good story about myths and fairytales, but also with a good amount of sci fi to keep alien enthuisiasts happy and entertained. Baiame is a great character. So overall this play is well made and interestingly done. A great story again...

A trip to Ayers Rock... floating in space!
"'The Dreamtime is living time. The Dreaming is living myth.'
"A city travels the stars, inhabited by stone ghosts. At its heart, an ancient remembrance of Earth. Mythical creatures stalk the streets and alien visitors have come in search of trade. But there is nothing to trade. Only fear. And death. And the stone ghosts.
"For Hex's first destination in the TARDIS, it's about the strangest place he could have imagined. Weird and very far from wonderful. Adjustment to his new life could prove tough. But he will have to adjust and do more, just to stay alive, and Ace will have to be his guide through this lost city of shadows and predatory dreams.
"And the Doctor is the first to go missing.
"The Doctor has crossed into the Dreamtime."

"Dreamtime", by Simon A. Forward, is one of those stories that attempts to transcend "Doctor Who"'s usual boundaries and venture into mythology - this time, the focus being the myths and legends of aboriginal Australia. It's quite a nice idea, in a way, that after the people of Earth have practically destroyed their planet, it should be an aboriginal messiah (Baiame, played by John Scholes), that manages to save a little bit of the planet for future generations - but whether or not the idea of Ayers Rock and its environs floating around in an oxygen bubble in space can really be considered a credible concept in a sci-fi series will really depend on the listener's ability to suspend their belief.
None the less, it's an imaginative and suitably out-there situation for the Doctor and Ace's new companion Hex to find himself in on his first trip in the TARDIS, and Philip Olivier plays the young Londoner's struggle to understand the new concepts he's exposed to very well (cue ample repetition of the "Oh my God!" joke from "The Harvest"). Once the Doctor "crosses into the Dreamtime", Ace and Hex carry much of the story, along with the various supporting characters that they surround themselves with. Amongst these characters are several human "Dream Troopers", who are, unfortunately, little more than ciphers, with little personality and only average acting talent. The story also features a return appearance by the Galyari, last seen in author Simon A. Forward's previous play "The Sandman", who are at least slightly more interesting than the human characters. The very-sci-fi Galyari, however, seem out of place in this rather fantastical story where very little of what happens is actually explained in any satisfactory way - a deliberate attempt at a meaningful contrast, I suspect, that doesn't really work.
I suppose the mysterious nature of the "Dreaming" and the "Dreamtime" are supposed to be half of the play's appeal, but one could also suggest that they represent lazy writing, providing the author with an excuse to make crazy things happen without having to explain why. Perhaps further listens to "Dreamtime" will prove more satifying, but on first listen I found myself unconvinced. One thing's for sure: to fully enjoy "Dreamtime", fans must be prepared to let go of the usual sci-fi conceits and go with the flow.