Doctor Who: Demon Quest: Shard of Ice v. 3 [Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Like its predecessor, Hornets' Nest, the Demon Quest sequence (Relice of Time, 3/5; Demon of Paris, 3/5; Shard of Ice, 5/5; Starfall, 3/5; Sepulchre, 3/5) is a rummy old thing: beautifully packaged, with stunning cover artwork; gorgeous, immersive sound design; and a trump card in the return of Sir Tom Baker as the fourth Doctor (a feat even the estimable Big Finish hasn't yet wangled). Even the price - some used models were hovering around the three-guinea mark at the time of writing - is right. So what's not to like?

Well, it's like this... the plot, narrative, story-arc, call it what you will, is slender to the point of non-existence, and it makes the six-hour journey (12 if you pop Hornet's Nest on the mp3-player) somewhat unsatisfactory upon arrival at your ultimate destination.

Now, that's not to say it isn't fun getting there, because it is: Baker is in larky mode, the fourth Doctor no longer the implacable, alien odd-bod of old but an avuncular (lustier?) force of nature, a character mapped somewhat on to the actor's current public persona (they have, finally, become each other), and there is fine support from Susan Jameson as Mrs Wibbsey (a figure seemingly plucked from Baker's relentless imagination by author Paul Magrs) and Richard Franklin as Mike Yates (no, we don't know what Yates is doing here, either, but Franklin provides sterling support all the same).

Pleasingly, it's almost impossible to place within standard Who lore, and seems to exist in a little fun bubble of its own, where, perhaps, the fourth Doctor didn't fall to his doom from the Pharos Project radio telescope, but instead discovered the `attractions' of women (let's put it like that; cf, City of Death) and a spot of sherry, and bought a nice little cottage in Sussex where it's nearly-always Christmas. That world is wonderfully realised, and is a pleasure to visit, Magrs recasting Who as a freewheeling, time-travelling romp somewhere between the comic-strip adventures of the Seventies and Eighties and the Douglas Adams era, though without the insistent nudge-nudge `humour' of the latter. The author here has a reputation for good-natured shakings up of the show's established order (see "Verdigris", and anything featuring Iris Wildthyme), but he never quite goes over the top.

No, there's no problem with the set-up here, and the tone is perfect and consistent; it's just that too little happens... or rather, plenty happens, in many colourful times and places, but it doesn't amount to much. The quest structure supplies a sort of imperative, but crises seem to get resolved perhaps a bit too conveniently, even for a goose-chase of this sort. This might be missing the point, of course: it's in the journey, not the conclusion, that the real adventure lies (the Doctor would surely agree), and the medium is the message, or something. After all, we do get to revel for hours in Magrs' ripe language, and no one enjoys it more than the lead; Baker even makes the end credits sound fun. Audio imbibers won't lack for sheer sensation, distraction and delight on the commute; that has something of the show's original ambition about it, and on its own terms is refreshing.

It's perhaps for these reasons that episode three, Shard of Ice - a story about the telling of stories - is the most satisfactory entry, thrilling to the narrator's last utterance. And these tales do stand alone (sort of), so if you're plumping for one, plump there; you won't, of course: the packaging, if nothing else, makes all five irresistibly collectible, even in these straitened times.
Doctor Who: Demon Quest: Demon of Paris v. 2: The Demon of ParisDoctor Who: Demon Quest: Relics of Time v. 1Doctor Who: Demon Quest: Starfall v. 4Doctor Who: Demon Quest: Sepulchre v. 5"Doctor Who": Hornets' Nest: Stuff of Nightmares v. 1 (BBC Audio)Doctor Who: Hornets' Nest: The Complete SeriesDoctor Who - City of Death [1979] [DVD] [2005]"Doctor Who": Logopolis (Classic Novels)
Yarns, then, knitted up into a long, multi-coloured and eccentric trail... remind you of anyone? Grab your scarf and hat then, and come along; just don't say you weren't told ....
Doctor Who: Verdigris

After listening to The Demon of Paris, I became eager and hungry for the next chapter of Doctor Who: Demon Quest. The dark machinations of the mysterious "Demon" became really enticing, Paul Magrs' improved writing from The Relics of Time, and the change of direction of the arc meant I couldn't wait for part 3.

A Shard Of Ice continues the Fourth Doctor's search for missing components of his TARDIS, and uncover the truth behind his likeness found on mysterious, historic artefacts. This time, the Time Lord's quest takes him and Captain Mike Yates (reprised again by Richard Franklin) to 1847, in a fierce arctic storm in Germany, where they encounter Albert Tiermann, storyteller to the king. Tiermann's fear over being late for the king soon turns to obsession over the storybook that the Doctor has. A storybook that Tiermann himself has YET TO WRITE, with page 407 featuring an illustration of the Doctor and Mike battling a horned monster!

Again, Magrs deserves props for a change of mood and of writing. The variety of Demon Quest is what has helped make this audio arc so appealing. And the script, music and sound effects all paint such a vivid and frightening picture for the listener. The cold, chilling ambience of the snowstorm in Germany, the cosiness of the warm inn, the encounter with the beast in the cave etc; all presented with delicious warmth and realism.

Unfortunately though, I didn't enjoy A Shard Of Ice anywhere near as much as The Demon of Paris, or even The Relics of Time. It felt like a huge step down. This third chapter of Demon Quest does little to advance the overall plot, and feels too similar to the events of before i.e. tormented historical figure, shadowy villain with great big TARDIS-esque chamber, mythical creatures explained scientifically, it's starting to get a bit samey.

While it's great to see Richard Franklin have such a strong role as Michael Yates, it doesn't feel as important as it should, like Susan Jameson was given as Mrs Wibbsey in Parts 1 and 2. And although Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor continues to be the stuff of absolute legend, his performance is squandered by the stalled pace of this chapter.

Where A Shard Of Ice does succeed though...is Samuel West as Albert Tiermann, who's given the helm at narrating the story. West delivers true passion and enthusiasm as the emotional wreck of an author. Tiermann is a character whose truly at his lowest ebb at the beginning of this tale, but you don't feel that much sympathy towards him as he's a spineless, selfish coward who thinks only of himself. It's a strange premise, because Samuel just reels you in with his performance, narrating the events and his mindset simultaneously in superb fashion.

The explanation behind his cold-heart turns out to be a disturbing revelation, as does the resolution and the end to the tale that Tiermann tells is highly clever. It's a shame that the rest of the story doesn't quite match such a brilliant character spotlight, as Paul Magrs writes this flawlessly.

Obviously, you'll have to check out A Shard of Ice in order to complete Demon Quest, even though it's not as essential as it should be. The cover sleeve is beautiful to behold with the old Radio Times layout, the excerpt of the fairy tale book and illustration, and the production values are still so excellent. And the sound of Starfall (part 4) again entices me. I just hope for an improvement, because while Doctor Who: A Shard of Ice remains good listening, it's the weakest Demon Quest outing thus far. And after the mind-blowing Demon of Paris, that's disappointing indeed.

This is the third in the Demon Quest audio cd series, which utilises the wondrous Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor. Tom is, as usual, in fine form, declaiming his script with great gusto. The puns are terrible, but they make you laugh.

Mike Yates is travelling with the Doctor in this story, as they try to discover who is manipulating the Doctor by stealing part of his Tardis console and then leaving strange clues for him to follow. In this instance, Mike and the Doctor have appeared in illustrations of a story book written by Albert Tiermann, who they meet up with as he travels across the Murgin Pass in a blizzard to attend the King. Albert is a driven soul, who must tell stories to the `mad' King on pain of death for failure, and he is a nervous wreck as he feels his inspiration leaving him. But does he have a mysterious ally? And how is he, and his life, linked to the Doctor and Mike, and the book of stories that he writes in his own future? How far will Albert go to save his own life?

This story does not add a whole lot to the Doctor's understanding of what's going on or why he's being manipulated in this manner; but it does set us up well for the remaining stories. The ending leaves the remainder of the story wide open, and we are anticipating that the Tardis crew will end up in New York in the next episode. What will they find there? Great stuff.