Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #542916 in Books
• Published on: 2007-01-20
• Format: Audiobook
• Original language: English
• Binding: Audio CD

Customer Reviews

The Best Big Finish Doctor Who Audio Story Ever
This, as the title above says, is quite simply the best Big Finish audio ever. It is so different to what has gone before that it's very obvious to notice that the creative control of Big Finish has passed to another editor, one that seems to understand what makes Doctor Who what it is.

The play (or plays too be more accurate) are quite a departure from previous releases in that there are four complete-in-one adventures each starring the same two leads (Peter Davison and Sarah Sutton) rather than the usual single story split over four parts.

This format allows listeners the chance to find at least one story to suit their tastes and is therefore good value for money as there seems to have been a lot of thought given to making the four episodes as diverse as possible. 1. Alien planet, 2. Historical, 3. Present Day and 4. Hallucinatory, in a sense.

The plays are linked only by the concept of each one taking place within one of the four seasons, prior knowledge of the other plays is not necessary and can be listened to in any order.

The "Spring" play is perhaps the weakest of the four dealing as it does with consequences of interfering in the development of an alien race, it's very good but the other three plays are even better. The "Summer" instalment has the absolutely brilliant tale of Sir Issac Newton deducing the future from a £2 coin, the "Autumn" story is a change-of-pace type episode dealing with cricket matches and a gentle love story and is quite nice. The final story however, the "Winter" tale is the best of the bunch but I'm afraid, that as much as I want to, I can't go into detail without revealing a jaw-dropping moment.

If there was such a thing as a perfect Doctor Who release then this would be it, I urge you all to buy this CD set now, it is BRILLIANT.

There is a season, turn turn turn
I have to agree with the previous reviewer in singing the praises of this Big Finish release. Far and away the best Peter Davison/Fifth Doctor audio, Nyssa is also on top form and the separation of the disc into four very different stories based around the four seasons is genius.
Circular Time is a definite oddity in the Big Finish range, and shows that they are still willing to experiment with the format.
Very loosely linked by the theme of seasons, The Doctor and his young Trakenite companion Nyssa have four adventures spread over two discs: Firstly they become involved with a `retired' Time Lord who has some very odd ideas for the future of his adopted home. The second adventure sees the pair encountering Sir Isaac Newton, before the third has the travellers arriving in England in 2006 and the final `Winter' instalment contains a moment that is best left for you to discover for yourself.

The second disc is far and away the better of the two; Nyssa's journey of self-discovery in the `Autumn' section might go too far for some listeners' tastes, while the clues to the inevitable twist in Winter are well laid out but still gives some surprise. An innovative and refreshing release that keeps the series fresh and interesting.

Something for everyone?
As has already been noted, Circular Time is not a single four-part story, but four half-hour plays, featuring the 5th Doctor and Nyssa, loosely linked by a common theme.

The common theme is that there is a kind of time that is circular, that things do not necessarily move lineally from birth to death, but that events can be cyclical, returning to the beginning and repeating themselves rather like the seasons. This is not entirely clear in the first two stories, but is more explicit in the final two.

The writers have tried to give us 4 different types of Doctor Who story: 'alien planet, pure historical, social realism and shameless fan service'.

"Spring" features a renegade Time Lord trying to create an avian empire. It has a clever plot, but doesn't really resolve anything by the end.

"Summer" is a pure historical, set in the 17th century, in which Isaac Newton extrapolates the future history of the Earth from a handful of coins that Nyssa has handed over. A new spin on an historical character that we thought we knew.

"Autumn" returns us to Stockbridge, where the fifth Doctor's comic strip adventures were set (as featured in "Doctor Who Monthly" and now collected as "Doctor Who Graphic Novel #3 - The Tides of Time"). The Doctor's fifth incarnation returns here every few years, just to play cricket with the village team. A charming tale with no monsters and no sci-fi elements at all, but a romantic encounter for Nyssa.

By contrast "Winter" is for the nerds amongst us. Where the earlier stories featured Nyssa and the Doctor whilst they were travelling together somewhere between series 19 & 20 ("Time Flight" and "Arc Of Infinity") this one features an older Nyssa whose dreams are being invaded by the Doctor as he subconsciously seeks the support of his former companions before regenerating. Full of zero rooms, technobabble and symbolism. Definitely one for the fans.

An eclectic mix, stylishly presented and entertaining.