Written by Andy Lane
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 128 Kbps

On one level, this is a historical Doctor Who adventure and a very good one. The author captures the period perfectly and the reader will come away enlightened concerning Venice, Shakespeare, Galileo etc. It is also a very good Sci fic adventure that makes excellent use of the Doctor Who universe. I particularly enjoyed seeing the Sontarans and the references to the other races. The fact that the Daleks and the Cybermen were not invited to Braxitel's conference was a perfect touch. The series never really made good use of the Whoverse that it slowly created-most of the adventures seemed to take place in their own realities but this book effortlessly joins together the many disparate elements. The characterizations of the Doctor and his companions are spot on and the epiloque with Shakespeare and Braxitel is genuinely moving. A real accomplishment that will like the book's "lost Shakespeare plays" will never be truly appreciated because it's "just" a Doctor Who book. Maybe, but it's also a great novel.