dooweedoo's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
2.5
ehhhhh
I'm kinda disappointed because I've heard such great stuff about this story so I had rly high expectations<\3 like it's fine and I'm always uo for a fun five/nyssa story but,,, idk.
i found it kinda hard to follow and there was too much cyberman dialogue which i find so irritating to listen to in an audio😭 it was ok but as a main range it was just too long, i feel like if it had been in a different series and shorter it would've been more engaging.
there were some funny bits which i always appreciate<3 yOU BROUGHT A CYBERMAT INTO MY TARDIS i love five sm ehe and loads of adric mentions imma cry
I'm kinda disappointed because I've heard such great stuff about this story so I had rly high expectations<\3 like it's fine and I'm always uo for a fun five/nyssa story but,,, idk.
i found it kinda hard to follow and there was too much cyberman dialogue which i find so irritating to listen to in an audio😭 it was ok but as a main range it was just too long, i feel like if it had been in a different series and shorter it would've been more engaging.
there were some funny bits which i always appreciate<3 yOU BROUGHT A CYBERMAT INTO MY TARDIS i love five sm ehe and loads of adric mentions imma cry
Spoiler
the ending was so bad like why it just makes the whole story so pointless😭faiazalam's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jjhynes's review against another edition
5.0
I now see why this is considered one of the greatest Doctor Who stories of all time, but it is also SOOOOOO DEPRESSING
nwhyte's review against another edition
Perhaps my favourite of the fifty or so Big Finish stories I have listened to so far. The title of course comes from this chilling exchange from Episode Two of The Tenth Planet (1966), between the newly introduced Cybermen and one of the scientists in the base they have just invaded, in literally the first scene in Doctor Who in which the Cybermen speak. The scene is set on Mondas, with the dying population, willingly or not, handing over their destinies to the process of becoming Cybermen, under the control of the sinister Committee. Lots of fantastic performances and atmospheric scene-setting, with Sally Knyvette (Jenna in Blake's 7) particularly memorable as a despairing doctor. One of the other characters is called Yvonne Hartley, presumably reflected in Yvonne Hartman of Torchwood in Army of Ghosts and Doomsday. (The writer of Spare Parts, Marc Platt, got a credit for inspiring The Age of Steel and Rise of the Cybermen, though the stories end up in rather different places.) This is a terribly sad and bleak story, but I have to say that if I was trying to convert someone to the Big Finish series this is where I would start.
haunted_air's review against another edition
4.0
Well, this was uplifting.
I see why Spare Parts is so highly regarded. It's well written in terms of plot and characters with very chilling athmosphere & disturbing things happening. I liked how Nyssa was given a lot to do and was in character. Same goes for the Doctor.
Also, bonus points for having more than one female character who isn't the companion. Which shouldn't be a thing to get bonus points for it's so bare minimum but many early Big Finish stories fail at this.
The cyber voices were hard to completely understand and unpleasant to listen to (I know that's the point, but still). I did look up a plot summary to see if I missed anything important due to this.
I see why Spare Parts is so highly regarded. It's well written in terms of plot and characters with very chilling athmosphere & disturbing things happening. I liked how Nyssa was given a lot to do and was in character. Same goes for the Doctor.
Also, bonus points for having more than one female character who isn't the companion. Which shouldn't be a thing to get bonus points for it's so bare minimum but many early Big Finish stories fail at this.
The cyber voices were hard to completely understand and unpleasant to listen to (I know that's the point, but still). I did look up a plot summary to see if I missed anything important due to this.
jjhynes's review
5.0
I now see why this is considered one of the greatest Doctor Who stories of all time, but it is also SOOOOOO DEPRESSING
kmccubbin's review
5.0
Doctor Who's finest moment since, well, since this author's previous (televised) story "Ghost Light", in 1996. Almost too good to be true, it's a piece of stark, terrifying, drama that wins over non-fans and, for fans, oh what a feast! For 4 episodes the listener gets to feel what it was like for one of the Doctor's greatest foes to actually be innovative and scary again. It's a slight of hand that I haven't seen any other genre fiction author EVER pull off.
Unnerving, moving, relentless, this is what Doctor Who in the modern era could've been, but isn't.
And speaking of could've been, we get an (aural) glimpse of the Fifth Doctor, Peter Davison, bringing the magic in a way, even in his own era, he was rarely allowed.
While Big Finish's audio dramas are wildly uneven, there are definitely gems... This is a jewel.
Unnerving, moving, relentless, this is what Doctor Who in the modern era could've been, but isn't.
And speaking of could've been, we get an (aural) glimpse of the Fifth Doctor, Peter Davison, bringing the magic in a way, even in his own era, he was rarely allowed.
While Big Finish's audio dramas are wildly uneven, there are definitely gems... This is a jewel.
atrixareads's review
4.0
Genuinely moving, you can see where series 10 borrowed very heavily from this story.
dabnor's review
4.0
I'm not a huge fan of the Fifth Doctor. I rather dislike Nyssa. I enjoyed this a lot though. My one complaint is that the ending is a bit weak.
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