Crítica | Big Finish Mensal #1 a 3: The Sirens of Time, Phantasmagoria e Whispers of Terror: https://www.planocritico.com/critica-doctor-who-big-finish-main-range-1-a-3/ ( )

A good idea on paper has been transformed into a confusing play in practice. The story falls on its sloppy production.

Story: 5

A story revolving around sound; a museum of sound, a monster made up of sound, and a murder is pretty intriguing on the paper. Unfortunately, the idea has not been translated very well. Most of the story is confusingly put together with the help of soundscapes.

The story is initially presented as a murder mystery but doesn't handle that part very well. There's a minor political subplot that also doesn't feel very exciting.

There's a nice set of twists in the final episode, even if the overall plot is pretty convoluted and predictable. The ending also leaves a lot to be desired.

Acting: 7

Baker and Bryant come across as faithful to their screen personas. The rest of the cast all sound pretty similar to each other and there's little interesting here to enjoy. Not even the likes of Peter Miles, with several appearances on TV Who, or Lisa Bowerman manage to stand out.

The Doctor: 8

Here, the Doctor is still closer to his rude and less likeable self from TV. He will later in begin transforming into a softer version of himself. Baker expertly carries the story almost singlehandedly with his performance.

The Companions: 6

Peri has some friendly banter with the Doctor, but other than that it is very little for her to do in this story.

The Monster/Villain: 5

The concept of a monster or alien being that consists purely of sound is wonderful for this medium, but the way the creature has been brought to life is quite confusing and not very enjoyable. In my ears, it just sounds like a terrible mess.

Production: 4

This story utilizes plenty of soundscapes to create confusing waves of sound, oftentimes more annoying than actually useful for the story.

The direction is mostly solid but also fails to distinguish between the different characters, so many conversations become confusing to follow.

Pacing: 6

The first half of the serial flows with good pace and the second half is very brisk.

Atmosphere: 5

There's a perfectly sinister feel to the beginning, but as the murder mystery plot paves way for the political scheming and the soundscapes do nothing to help further the story, that atmosphere quickly turns into confusion.

Impact: 7

With their third audio release, Big Finish sought to further demonstrate what kind of stories they're capable to tell with the license they have been given.

Replay Value: 3

A good idea badly executed means I'm not going tore visit this story any time soon.

Score: 56/120 ( )

Found this audio adventure hard to follow. ( )

As good as a story containing Peri could possibly be. The rest, featuring a monster that is actually a living sound wave and a conspiracy to discredit a beloved politician via messing with his recorded speeches, is pretty nifty. Plus, Sixie 8) ( )

Whispers of Terror did make something special of the audio environment, with the Museum of Aural Antiquities being a place which for obvious reasons loses little by being portrayed through sound alone rather than vision as well. The Six/Peri banter was pleasantly nostalgic too. Sadly the plot was fairly obvious right from the word go, with a silly twist at the very end. ( )