Doctor Who: The Library of Carsus discussion
The Doctor's Infinite Library
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Shalka is really good.Shame we never got more.
Love that Tardis crew.
I want to do a fanfic where the Shalka Doctor and Peter Cushings' Doctor are the cannon Doctors and all those other guys are made up.
Still need to see Scream of the Shalka, I’ve got it just haven’t gotten around to it for some reason...
Pertwee didn't do a ton of stories set in space, but between the two Peladon stories and Frontier in space, they had created enough great stuff to have done a Star Trek/Babylon 5 type series.If you're listening, Big Finish, you can have that one for free.
Good idea, Travis! Excellent! I’d buy them!
You’ve got a good point, Travis, as I had the sane sort of thought recently when I revisited Frontier in Space and read it’s novelization, The Space War. There’s a massive amount of world building in that one story that I’m surprised Big Finish haven’t run with it. Though, thinking about it, neither did the novelists of the Wilderness Era run with it much, either outside of references in things like Paul Cornell’s Love and War. I wonder why that is?
Rick wrote: "I just saw this. thought I’d share. https://apple.news/AjdbHLvsTS8CV9oK9x..."
Interesting.
I really, really can't get into Big Finish: Not enough money or shelf space....but, they are doing a Paternoster Gang series...!It's not fair!
I’ve listened to one of the Paternoster Gang stories. It was fun. To be honest, I tried to get my library to start ordering the Big Finish stuff. I thought we could get a lot of mileage out of them. I couldn’t sell it, and now there’s no way - what with the budget cuts and belt tightening due to the pandemic. They problem had been trying to get them to realize that they aren’t audiobooks and they aren’t music CDs or DVDs. I also had them with describing them as “like radio-plays” but “that doesn’t sound like something people would want to check out from the library” was the response. I just threw up my hands: “they check out TV episodes.” Nope, didn’t work. Sigh. Why are they people in purchasing always such tightwads? 😹
Unfortunately, with a president that doesn't see much value in reading means a lot of libraries are tight on money.Stuff that's already in the system you can get through inter-library loan, but getting them to add stuff is gonna be tough for the next couple years.
I'd love for BF to offer some kind of streaming service, where you could listen to the audios, but don't have to buy a CD or download.
I could deal with the expense, but expense and lack of shelf space are keeping me from getting more involved with BF.
Mod
Do you have access to Hoopla through your library? It's a library streaming service that's free and all you need is a library card.
https://www.hoopladigital.com/
Hoopla's got quite a number of Big Finish Audios, and not just Doctor Who, but also Blake's Seven, Sherlock Holmes, Dorian Gray, Dark Shadows, Jago & Lighfoot, Class, Bernice Summerfield, and others on the roster.
It also has a wide variety of audiobooks, ebooks, movies, and music you can borrow. This how I've been getting a lot of the Marvel Prose novels on audio.
Also, though a great deal more limited, check to see if you've got access to Overdrive, which is another library app/streaming service.
Yep, we’ve got both Hoopla & Overdrive. Unfortunately, I don’t have WiFi at home, so ability to use these electronic resources is limited.
Mod
Do you have a tablet or Kindle? Something mobile will work to. If you take it with you to a place with WiFi, the apps are quick to download and set up. The audiobooks download into your app and then you don't need WiFi until you're ready to return the books.
So, I have some cash coming my way and am thinking of taking the Big Finish plunge.Anyone have favorites or recommendations of good starting points?
Leaning towards the Paternoster gang, but also want to try some Doctors.
the 8th doctor stuff is so great but there's a lot of it, and it sort of has to be listened to in order so it might not be the best starting place?the companion chronicles is a good series that you can just pick and choose from and bounce around in though because each audio is a standalone story (with few exceptions) and you can just listen to ones featuring your favourite companions.
I’ve listened to the first set for the Paternoster Gang, it’s great. Loved it. Honestly, there’s so much stuff that I’d agree with the notion of looking for a favorite companion or Doctor and digging in that way. I also absolutely LOVE the First Doctor Adventures sets with David Bradley as the Doctor. They use the cast from the docudrama An Adventure in Space and Time (the 2013 anniversary special) to recreate their rolls as the Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara. The stories are set between the first and second seasons of the classic series and I’ve been 100% pleased with them. And I have to admit that I do prefer the “Full Cast” productions over the stuff that’s just one or two people narrating the story, but some of those are pretty good as well.
I’ve also really liked The Tenth Doctor Adventures with David Tennant and Catherine Tate, but then they’re my favorite duo from the new series.
The Eighth Doctor was my original way into Big Finish, but I’ve actually found stuff that I enjoy even more, but there’s great stuff with McGann as well.
They’ve also been having some really good deals, so sign up for their newsletter as some of the deals require a code to unlock them.
Here are some links if you want to check out some reviews: The Paternoster Gang: Heritage 1
Doctor Who: The First Doctor Adventures – Volume 1
Doctor Who: The First Doctor Adventures, Volume 2
Doctor Who: The First Doctor Adventures – Volume 3
Doctor Who: The First Doctor Adventures – Volume 4
Doctor Who: Technophobia
Doctor Who: Death and the Queen
Doctor Who: Time Reaver
Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor Adventures, Volume 3
Doctor Who: The First Doctor Box Set
Paternoster Gang and the new First Doctor stories are at the top of my list.Really interested in trying Countermeasures or the new UNIT stuff.
Rick wrote: "I’ve listened to the first set for the Paternoster Gang, it’s great. Loved it. Honestly, there’s so much stuff that I’d agree with the notion of looking for a favorite companion or Doctor and diggi..."I didn't know that the First Doctor Adventures were done by the cast from an Adventure in Space and Time!! I loved that film so much.. now I'm definitely gonna look at those audios in the future
I’ve listened to the free download of the first chapter of the Counter Measures set. I wasn’t impressed. I also wasn’t impressed the original UNIT series. But I really enjoyed the UNIT story in The Eighth of March anthology set. That’s a good set for getting a taste of a lot of different things. It also includes a Paternoster Gang story and another with River Song and Leela. I’ve gotten some of UNIT the New Series sets, but haven’t had the time to listened to them yet.
bel wrote: "Rick wrote: "I didn't know that the First Doctor Adventures were done by the cast from an Adventure in Space and Time!! I loved that film so much.. now I'm definitely gonna look at those audios in the future”I don’t think I can praise the First Doctor Adventures series enough. I’ve listened to the first 3 volumes twice already and they are just wonderful. They fit perfectly into continuity with the original series and really help develop the characters and flesh out Their motivations. Very, very entertaining and enjoyable. But I am biased as those early years of the classic series are among my favorite eras.
I'll definitely look into them then!! I love that era too and they sound great!
Definitely second the recommendation of the First Doctor Adventures sets. I haven't heard Volume 4 yet but the first two volumes especially were great stuff, and I especially recommend Volume 2 which shows off the range of the First Doctor era between major SF storytelling in The Invention of Death and the pure historical tales with The Barbarians & The Samurai. As for the Eighth Doctor, my advice after 13 (!) years of listening to Big Finish is to pick a strand and run with it from there. Whether it's Storm Warning, Dark Eyes, or the latest Stranded set (which I started listening to last night), Big Finish have gotten better with McGann in particular in creating jumping on points. I understand his Time War sets are standalone as well, though I've not heard them to confirm that.
Oh dear me I completely forgot to Rickommendation the Warrior, er ... War Doctor, sets as well. This was another series I jumped on as John Hurt only really appears in The Day of the Doctor so this was a great, and only way, way to learn more about his time and performance as the character. Doctor Who: The War Doctor: Only the Monstrous
Doctor Who: The War Doctor: Infernal Devices
Doctor Who: The War Doctor: Agents of Chaos
Doctor Who: The War Doctor: Casualties of War
Matthew wrote: "... As for the Eighth Doctor, my advice after 13 (!) years of listening to Big Finish ..."13 years! 😳 I’m just a newb in comparison. 😹
I got the comic adaptation of the first Peter Cushing Doctor Who movie in an online auction!It's fun. Nice art, and it captures the goofy charm of the movies.
Still wish someone could get the rights and do more stories with this 'lost' Doctor.
Still wish someone could get the rig..."From what I've gathered over the years, those rights are owned by someone else (I've heard StudioCanal) and they want to charge thru the nose to license it. It's infamously the reason that posters from the two Cushing movies didn't feature in the UNIT Black Archive in the 50th. There's been a fair amount of fan stuff over the years, including recently Obverse Books novelizing the two movies and creating new books for him, with the proceeds going to charity. Might be worth checking out.
https://obversebooks.co.uk/product-ca...
I always liked to notion that the movies exist from a reality where the Doctor is real and these are films made about stories/legends of him. So they’re kind of like docudramas.
Matthew wrote: "Still wish someone could get the rig..."From what I've gathered over the years, those rights are owned by someone else (I've heard StudioCanal) and they want to charge thru the nose to license it..."
Those look amazing!
Doesn't look like they have a USA distributor, so not sure how easy/tricky they'd be to get.
Have to do some research.
So, passed on using my bonus money on Big Finnish...and I got BritBox instead!!Already got to watch one of the Hartnell's I'm missing and they have three of the Troughton from my massive rewatch list!
Enjoy! I love those first six seasons with Hartnell & Troughton.
Had some gaps in my massive rewatch list and was thinking I'd have to just buy the DVDs.Then my wife pointed out I could get Britbox through her amazon account.
Already watched Planet of Giants and Power of the Daleks is next!
Planet of the Giants is fun. It’s interesting that it was filmed as 4 episodes then edited down to 3 episodes for broadcast. On disc they have a version of watching it with episode 3 recut into episodes 3 & 4 with the original soundtrack. Definitely better as broadcast. But it’s a fascinating look into the original production process. On disc they’ve released both color and black & white animation for Power of the Daley’s. Definitely enjoy the b&w version more.
Planet of the giants is fun on its own, but I also enjoy it as the Hartnell years had a lot of trying stuff to see what works stories.I love Who, but it has a formula. The Hartnell years was all about experimenting to build that formula.
Totally. What makes those first six seasons so enjoyable for me, at least in part, is that the writers and all the cast and crew were quite literally making it up as they went along (to paraphrase Indiana Jones) episode by episode. They weren’t afraid of trying news things and pushing the boundaries to see what would work and what wouldn’t work. Experimentation was as much a part of the Doctor as it was a part of Doctor Who. And this was something I saw in Chibnall’s first season on the show, he took the series back to those early years and said: “let’s experiment, let’s try to make things new, fresh and exciting again by doing things that are new, fresh and exciting.”
Mod
From what I've gathered over the years, those rights are owned by someone else (I've heard StudioCanal) and they want to charge thru the nose to license it..."
He gets a big time mention in the novelization.
Rick wrote: "Totally. What makes those first six seasons so enjoyable for me, at least in part, is that the writers and all the cast and crew were quite literally making it up as they went along (to paraphrase ..."The fun of the Hartnell years is the mix of experimentation and seeing the tropes/formula being built.
Plus, a nice console room.
I’d extend that to the Troughton Years as well, but yes. I’m in total agreement.
Yeah, by the end of the Troughton era, the formulas is pretty set, but his first two years, they tried some interesting stuff.And the rare instance where the most well known companion is a guy.
I recently started a Doctor Who based YouTube channel featuring many items from my collection. My latest video is a showcase of the first 99 Target Novelisations - yes, a rapid-fire look at each one! The amount of times I had to say "...by Terrance Dicks" was insane!The link is here, if you would like to take a look:
Https://youtu.be/dFGa3OMYFlA
Let me know your favourites from this batch, mine are:
The Auton Invasion (Spearhead from Space)
The Cybermen (Moonbase)
The Tenth Planet
The Cave Monsters
The Daemons
Day of the Daleks
The Daleks
Space War (Frontier in Space)
The Five Doctors
Warrior's Gate
I’m almost embarrassed to say that the only episode novelization I’ve read is Doctor Who and the Day of the Daleks. I finished on my 19th birthday. This was only shortly after I’d started keeping track of when I finished a book. It was fine, but I wasn't enamored. My next involvement with Doctor Who was my boyfriend taking me back to his hometown for a weekend because a high school buddy of his had gotten a VHS tape of The Five Doctors. After we watched that we watched the very first episode, An Unearthly Child, which I enjoyed much more than the anniversary special. My next exposure was the 1996 made-for-tv film with Paul McGann. I enjoyed it and was looking forward to the next one, which sadly never materialized. And the next exposure was shortly after the first season of the new series was on disc, and then I got hooked.
Big Finish is having another sale this week. The big news this time is a sale on the River Song box sets. All seven sets of download copies for $100 in the US. Normally the price is more like $210 or something around that. I’ve already got the first 2 sets on CD, but even the other 5 for just download are $110 I think. So, I’ll probably be splurging and getting them. The Diary of River Song: Series 1
The Diary of River Song: Series 2
The Diary of River Song: Series 3
The Diary of River Song: Series 4
The Diary of River Song: Series 5
The Diary of River Song: Series 6
The Diary of River Song: Series 7
“Hello, my name is Rick and I’m addicted to Big Finish Doctor Who audio dramas.”
Hate to sound like I'm bragging, but I am only three books away from owning the entire novelization line.Been a long quest, but I got addicted to them back in day, when all we had from Doctor Who was Tom Baker on PBS.
They were my intro to the first three Doctors.
Nice! I own all of the TV episodes except 6 arcs with Tom Baker, 2 arcs with Jon Pertwee and 6 of the lost arcs with Patrick Troughton. The other lost arcs I’ve got audio versions of them. I’m not buying anymore single release arcs as I’m waiting for them to get the new Blu-ray season set release versions. I’ve also got all but 10 of the Paul McGann Big Finish audio dramas, not counting the box sets. Of the McGann box sets, I still need 7 (I think), not counting the ones that haven’t been released yet.
Not trying to brag or anything. 😼😹
I love watching the show, but only own a half dozen or so DVDs:Five Doctors
Robots of Death ( the one that started it all for me)
Tenth Planet
The McGann movie
I own most of new Who, because I didn't't have cable when it came back and that got my wife hooked, so she keeps buying them for me.
Buying them for you? Or buying them for herself, but claims it’s for you? 😼
Six of one, half dozen of the other.If I keep quiet, she might not notice I've lured her into my obsession.
Your obsession or her obsession? Bwahahahaha
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Either way, it’s an interesting watch, even now. Very Pertwee feeling, with shades of Modern Who (as I talked about in the piece below back in 2014). Not to mention the scenes of deserted streets feel oddly prescient watching it now in 2020.
http://www.warpedfactor.com/2014/09/d...