So, is volume two of the Classic Doctors, New Monsters series good? God, yes. It's even better than the first volume was, and the first volume was pretty good. This one just really upped the game. They learned from the mistakes that were made in the first box set and improved on them in every way. Each Doctor was perfectly represented in their respective stories, the monsters were accurately written and portrayed, and the episodes themselves were just really good ones. All of the supporting actors delivered very strong performances, as did the four Doctors themselves. The sound design was superb and Barany Edwards' direction was spot on. I can't recommend this set enough. It's a great jumping-on point for anybody new to the Big Finish line of Doctor Who audios, or anybody new to any of the classic Doctors in general. A , Big Finish. This was truly spectacular.

(Full review on my blog) ( )

This box set contains four new stories in which Doctors Who from the classic era battle monsters from New Who. As always with Big Finish, this is a well-put-together collection with plenty to like for Doctor Who fans.

Night of the Vashta Nerada features the Fourth Doctor on a planet called Funworld, set to open as an amusement park. When the site was chosen for the park, the company thought it was uninhabited. But then they realized what was lurking in the shadows... This story features the legendary Pam Ferris as an intergalactic trophy hunter who's been sent to wipe out the Vashta Nerada, her biggest challenge yet. Overall I enjoyed this story, particularly the sound design, which made the normally silent Vashta Nerada sound even creepier. 4 stars.

Empire of the Racnoss pits the Fifth Doctor against the Racnoss, who appeared in The Runaway Bride and whose single appearance is littered with hints about their past. This story is set during their conflict with the Time Lords, so when the Fifth Doctor actually helps the Empress's wounded consort, there is much consternation among the Racnoss. The Empress has taken a new consort and is engaged in a custody battle with the former Emperor for her children -- all while fighting the Time Lords. This is a complex, twisty story with some impressive vocal gymnastics by the actors playing the Racnoss (Adjoa Andoh, Nigel Planer, and Andrew French). 4 stars.

The Carrionite Curse brings the witchlike beings from The Shakespeare Code to the 1980s, where the Sixth Doctor takes them on. The story begins most amusingly, with Six landing at a fun fair on the beach and being dragooned into serving as a clown -- it's the jacket that does it. The story itself contains clever nods to The Shakespeare Code and even a winking reference to Jago and Litefoot! I don't want to give too much away about how the story unfolds, but let's just say that there are some declamatory parts that suit Six right down to the ground. Good story. 4 stars.

Day of the Vashta Nerada is a sequel of sorts to Night of the Vashta Nerada, and I must confess I was less interested in it for that reason. Eight ends up on a space station in the middle of the Time War, where Cardinal Ollistra of Gallifrey is working on weapons to deploy against the enemies of the Time Lords. Except that the weapon they've chosen to deploy is a strain of the Vashta Nerada from Funworld, who aren't crazy about humans to begin with. The weapon may turn itself against them... As stated, I was less interested in this story because it seemed to be a bit of a retread of the first story in the set, so I will call it more of a 3.5 because it was well executed but not quite what I was looking for. ( )