The final (in review order) entry in this second wave of Tenth Doctor audiobooks is Mike Tucker’s ‘The Nightmare of Black Island’, an atmospheric mystery set in modern day Wales.
Dark and brooding the story feels more adult than many of the Tenth Doctor books with shades of Nightmare on Elm Street and, for older fans, some of the scenes evoke memories of the Fifth Doctor television story Mawdryn Undead.
Fittingly given the slightly darker tone Tucker manages to slip in a sly ‘Torchwood’ reference along the way as well as delivering an end to the threat which doesn’t play out the way the listener expects.
The book is beautifully narrated by Anthony Head who played Mr Finch in Series two’s ‘School Reunion’ however, and it’s only the slightest of slightest gripes, his performance as the Doctor seems to slip between various accents. This is especially noticeable a couple of times in the earlier part of the story where it’s not immediately clear which character is speaking.
This is in part addressed in the discussion between narrator and author which, as with the other titles in this second wave, rounds off the disc. Head also discussed how he prepares for reading talking books and the differences between narration and acting.
There’s also a brief discussion of how the submission process for the novels works and how the production team seek to fit the written adventures into the overall plan for the series.
The Nightmare of Black Island was released on November 6th by BBC Audiobooks and is available to purchase via Doctor Who BBC Shop.com
