The Doctor and Clara arrive in a mysterious isolated house, summoned once again by a member of the Winter family…
The second story in this audio-only series is read by David Schofield, who plays Odin in the upcoming Viking TV tale. While his Scottish accent is convincing, if not quite from the right area for Peter Capaldi’s incarnation, he captures the impatience of the Time Lord well, as the Doctor is once again forced to help a Winter despite not knowing exactly why the mysterious card was given to the family, or what power it has over the TARDIS to make it obey instantly.
Harrison Winter (not Justin per the back cover) seems desperate to get out of the house in which he is trapped, and hopes that the TARDIS will be his means of escape, but it’s clear early on that he’s not playing straight with the Doctor and Clara. Who are Winter’s two companions? And what is the importance of the blood moths that are constantly flying around the place?
George Mann stretches out his story to fill the full 80 minutes of the CD, although the middle section does feel a bit drawn out, and there’s ever-increasing incidental music that sometimes draws attention away from the tautness that Schofield brings to the reading.
Verdict: A standard adventure for the Doctor that perhaps could have benefitted from running a few minutes shorter. 6/10
Paul Simpson
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