REVIEW: Doctor Who: The Gods of Winter (Audio)

Doctor Who: The Gods of Winter is a new audiobook adventure featuring the Twelfth Doctor and Clara. It’s the first of a quartet of new stories called The Tales of Winter.

Unlike most audiobooks, though, there is no print version of the story — it’s exclusive-to-audio. From 2008-2012, a number of exclusive Doctor Who audios like this were released through license by the company AudioGO. The Tales of Winter represent a revival of the line, more or less, now produced in-house by BBC Physical Audio.

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The narrator for The Gods of Winter is actress Clare Higgins, known in Doctor Who as Ohila, the High Priestess of the Sisterhood of Karn, from the 2013 minisode, ‘The Night of the Doctor.’ (And if you’re a horror fan, you’ll remember her as Julia in Hellraiser I & II). She’s set to reprise her role as Ohila in the two part Series 9 premiere, ‘The Magician’s Apprentice’/’The Witch’s Familiar,’ hence her participation in this Twelfth Doctor audiobook.

Higgins does a fine job as narrator, altering her voice to suit each character’s dialogue. Though she’s far from Peter Capaldi, the Scottish brogue she adopts when delivering the Twelfth Doctor’s lines is a nice touch. There’s not much else as far as audio production is concerned, except for some general background ambiance which does help to set the scene.

As for the story itself, it’s written by Doctor Who stalwart James Goss and is actually told in two parts. In the beginning, we find the Doctor and Clara answering a strange summons by a little girl named Diana Winter. She’s in possession of a strange card with the ability to call the Doctor for help. The Doctor is frustrated by the card since he doesn’t know its origins, but Diana says it’s been passed down in her family for generations.

Diana has called the Doctor to help find her lost cat, which provides the grumpy Twelfth Doctor plenty of hilarious opportunities to gripe. It soon becomes clear, though, that much more is at stake than simply a lost cat. The domed colony that Diana calls home is under attack by an alien race called the Golhearn — nasty creatures full of talons and rage.

Eventually things are sorted and the Doctor and Clara head on their way. The story then fast-forwards 40 years in time, as the Doctor is flabbergasted to find himself summoned once more by Diana Winter. They’re on the Goldhearn homeworld now, in the middle of a war zone, and Diana’s children are missing. I won’t spoil more than that, but suffice it to say unraveling the mystery behind the Goldhearn’s murderous rage is both surprising and very much in line with other great Doctor Who tales.

Goss’ dialogue is brilliant and fits perfectly with each character. As Higgins recited each line, I was always a step behind, repeating the words in that character’s true voice. As such, I can say with much relief that Goss has the characters of the Twelfth Doctor and Clara Oswald down pat.

If I had to criticize, I’d say that even at 70 minutes, the whole thing feels a bit short. I’m intrigued by the strange calling card though, which seems to be the linking device for all four stories, as the Doctor visits different members of the Winter family throughout history. As part one of a four-part story then, The Gods of Winter is a perfect set-up.

Doctor Who: The Gods of Winter is available now, with The House of Winter releasing in October. The Sins of Winter and The Memory of Winter will follow in December and February, respectively.

Next: What Happens When Gallifrey is Found?

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