Doctor Who: Sontarans vs Rutans - The Children of the Future

Doctor Who: Sontarans vs Rutans #1.2

by Tim Foley

The war between the Sontarans and the Rutans has been going on for millennia. And is likely to continue for millennia more. A terrible conflict with no care for consequences or collateral damage. Billions have died with no end in sight.

The Brigadier is used to the Doctor acting strangely, but this time there’s something decidedly different about the whole affair. As he looks into the Time Lord’s odd activities outside of UNIT, there’s a mystery that’ll take Lethbridge-Stewart to a site very familiar to Sarah Jane Smith. Can the Brigadier trust his old friend? Who are his new mysterious allies? And is the future of humanity really at stake? A Sontaran threat could spell the end of their long-standing friendship… and the entire planet!

Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart © Haisman & Lincoln and used under licence. With thanks to Hannah Haisman and Candy Jar.

Genres: Doctor Who, Audiobook, Science Fiction

Audio CD

Published February 1, 2024

About the author

Tim Foley is an artist and illustrator born in Flint, Michigan, in 1962. Over the past quarter century, his clients have included national and international magazines, book publishers, and advertising agencies such as the Wall Street Journal, Cricket Magazine, New York Newsday, LA Weekly, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. He currently lives and works in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Reviews

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the main cast all having been recast, I was somewhat skeptical of the third doctor adventures. However, I think this was excellent, notably John Culshaw's Brigadier who I thought was spot on. This one also plugs a genuinely missing hole in this Doctor Who era with the Brigadier and Sarah Jane getting to interact as a team to try and work out what's going on with the Doctor. The story also has some nice callbacks that scratch the nostalgia bone; pretty much one of the reasons Big Finish exists.

Recommended.

[Ellen Schoener · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, this was a step up from the first entry in the series.
I just loved the set-up and writing.
It was very clever, using the 3rd Doctor UNIT time and the respective characters, while also actively using the knowledge of the audience about this era as well as the knowledge of the audience of what really happened in the 1990's.
So the audience is always a step ahead of the characters, but simultaneously, the story also manages to keep the audience in suspense.
That is an amazing feat!
So many twists and turns!
Good pacing, great performances by everyone in the cast- they all were superb.
The Rutans really deserve their spot as one of the most creepy horror monsters in the whole franchise.
The whole audio drama was highly entertaining and enjoyable.

[Emilija · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 150 Prompt Doctor Who Reading Challenge - Enemies - 6) Zygons: Nothing Is What It Seems - Read A Book About Shape Shifters, Disguises Or An Unexpected Twist.

There was something a bit sad about listening to this story and realizing that all of the main actors had been recast. They were all very well voice acted, and they all sounded like the characters that they were acting as.

It was well written and makes sense in the context of the Sontarans vs Rutans series, it's just that it's not the type of story that I normally like. Shape shifter stories tend to be some of my least favourite of Doctor Who. It was nice to have one of the stories more focused on the Rutans rather than the Sontarans.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another absolute blast! Lots of fun, lots of questions of identities and whether people are who say they are. For a tale of the conflict between the Sontarans and the Rutans, we get a delightfully different perspective. And there’s a lot of lovely nods, Easter Eggs if you will, with previous Sontaran appearances. Really enjoyed this one.

[Lennon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Children of the Future throws the Rutan-Sontaran war back to the 70s with a perfect blend of intrigue, charm and surprise.
Featuring the fantastic talents of Tim Treloar, Sadie Miller and Jon Culshaw as the Third Doctor, Sarah Jane and the Brigadier, the Third Doctor Adventures team seamlessly slide into this era-spanning multi-Doctor special release.
It is fantastic to see the confidence Big Finish has for their recast characters, it was only a few years ago when they were still strictly separated from the rest of the Doctors.

Contrasting The Battle of Giant’s Causeway’s Sontaran heavy story, The Children of the Future focuses on the Rutans.
As usual however, they will be difficult to spot, as their shape-changing nature drums up suspicion and suspense.
Once again, little depth is attributed to their actions apart from military operations, which reinforces the Rutans’ cunning, evil archetypal characterisation.
Although their classic invaders from outer space approach certainly suits the UNIT era. 

The Children of the Future’s initial hook casts doubt on the Doctor’s intentions and allegiances when he acts suspiciously at UNIT and frequently absconds to an isolated and familiar ancient alien site, unbeknownst to his friends.
The Brigadier is unhappily suspicious of the Doctor’s activities and when Sarah shares her similar experiences with him, the pair decide to take things into their own hands, and track him down.
Sarah Jane and the Brigadier's chemistry is phenomenal. Both care deeply for the Doctor, but in distinctly different ways.
As they navigate danger and but heads with the Doctor, each holds the other to account and lifts each other up in an entertaining and respectful manner, despite their disagreements and different backgrounds.

Read my full review here:
https://sonicreviewwho.wordpress.com/...

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars

When the Third Doctor (Tim Treloar) starts acting strangely, Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart (Jon Culshaw) and Sarah Jane Smith (Sadie Miller) follow him to the abandoned ruins of a castle. A castle that, long ago, the Doctor destroyed. But what is he doing in these ruins and why has he been acting so suspiciously? Have the Sontarans come back to Earth to finish what they started? Or is there something more sinister at play? Tim Foley’s The Children of the Future acts as a quasi-sequel to 1973’s The Time Warrior. But whatever you might be expecting, think again. All at once a time-bending adventure mixed with a very James Bond-style political thriller, The Children of the Future offers a welcome return to the Third Doctor’s era of tense, earthbound stories.

Foley's script immediately evokes the vibes of the Third Doctor's era - a dash of political intrigue, a serving of paranoia, and a smattering of spy movie action. If the previous story was all about the Sontarans, then this one leans heavier into the dangers of the Rutans. It's all a little bit Invasion of the Body Snatchers. You're never sure who, exactly, you can trust at any given moment. With the Doctor acting suspiciously, and the people he's ostensibly helping acting suspiciously, how can the Brigadier and Sarah Jane unravel this web? To go into any real detail risks spoiling the surprise, but expect a whole lot of tension, great performances from Treloar and Culshaw, and a whole lot of 1970s Doctor Who fun.

Tim Foley's The Children of the Future delivers a quintessential Third Doctor story wrapped with all of the modern Doctor Who trappings you've come to expect. Tense, dripping with paranoia, and deeply enjoyable, it's about as perfect as a modern Third Doctor adventure can be.

[Daniel Cork · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Sontarans Vs Rutans was announced I was immediately excited to see what this series would be like, but with the continuing announcements for this mini-series I am constantly surprised and in awe of what they're piecing together with this series. The Battle of Giant Causeway was a lot of fun, so I'm hyped to see how this series works out overall.

The Doctor has been acting odd lately and The Brigadier and Sarah want to know why. When they arrive in Hampshire they find out that a military camp has been set up at the ruins of a castle Lynx settled in before his eventual defeat. Just what is The Doctor up to and why doesn't he want UNIT involved with another military organization? An alien force is working in the shadows and The Doctor may very well not be who he says he is.

Tim Foley has written an incredible script that continues on this series nicely. I like how all the installments so far feel somewhat detached from one another but important enough to be connected, it makes this series feel really accessible despite their being an overall arc that has been hinted at since the first audio. It is a story with a terrific mystery, engaging character drama, and a really atmospheric second half. I like how it is sort of a sequel to The Time Warrior as well, dealing with the leftover consequences of that story.

Overall: Another outstanding installment that only has me more excited for the rest of this series. So all I can say really is... bring it on! 10/10

[Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a near perfect audio adventure in my opinion. Using the one-shot format of a roughly one hour long recording can often make stories feel rushed when it comes to pacing, like the writers are trying to fit a larger story into a shorter time frame, for an example see my review of The Dark Flame.
The Children of the Future, however, feels just long enough to fill out the runtime without feeling like a larger story is being condensed or a smaller one stretched out.
The cast here all do a wonderful job, with a great group of leads and great supporting cast making for a fun and engaging listening experience.
While I don’t want to give too much away in terms of plot spoilers, I will say that I’m very glad they didn’t go with the rather obvious plot twist option that presents itself around the halfway point, instead choosing to subvert the listener’s expectations and create a much more memorable and satisfying third act.
The audio production from Big Finish is top-notch as always, with excellent sound quality, a fantastic use of musical scoring, and great sound effects and cues to guide the listener thought the story.
If you’re a fan of Doctor Who, especially a fan of the Third Doctor’s era, I can’t recommend this story enough. A great experience from start to finish.

[Jamie Revell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second in a set of four stories featuring different Doctors but linked by a common arc. This one features the Third Doctor, although Sarah Jane and the Brigadier are the main viewpoint characters. In fact, the Doctor isn'r even really in the first part, consisting of the others trying to track him down and figure out why he is being so secretive and trying to stop them following him. Needless to say, they eventually catch up and we enter a story that has links (pun intended) to a certain TV serial of the era, and that includes some era-appropriate themes about the interactions between humans and aliens.

Aside from the absence of the Doctor for much of the story, the story successfully brings out much of the atmosphere of this point in the show's history. The story itself is probably not one they would have told back then, but it still fits perfectly within the universe and with the main characters involved. Obviously, none of them are played by the original actors, but the voices are good enough that (for me at least), that was easy to forget. It's also an interesting change of pace from the first story in this set, slower and, despite a military theme, less focused on the interstellar war of the title.

Sarah Jane comes across as particularly strong here, taking many of the better qualities seen in the season being emulated and that she displayed in the modern series, without some of the drawbacks of the former. (Modern writers are better at handling characters like her than were many of those in the '70s). It's also notable for, as hinted on the cover, giving a bigger spot to the Rutans than they usually get, allowing us to get to know them a bit better - they're an effective 'monster' that has been overshadowed by the conceptually similar Zygons but that can nonetheless stand on its own.

As with the previous story, while there are connections to the others in this set, this works on its own and I suspect most fans of the Third Doctor would enjoy it.

[Ryan Walton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4/5

I swear Tim Trelour just gets better each time one of his 3rd Doctor stories is released. Scarily good impression especially during the angry rants at the Brigadier.

I enjoyed that this episode was more Rutan based, despite them and the Sontarans being in an endless war, it's always the Sontarans that get the spotlight, even though Rutans are just a formidable opponent too.

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really nice story which focuses on the Brigadier and the Doctor's relationship. Plus it's sprinkled with continuity references that only add to the story.

The only minor issue with it is the more modern music which takes you out of the plot a bit, especially when normal Third Doctor adventures at Big Finish have authentic era music.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can’t quite decide whether this was a bit too brief or a bit too long for the story it was trying to tell.

[Marcel Driel · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was so much good old fashioned fun!