Full Fathom Five (Doctor Who) by David Bishop

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Full Fathom Five (Doctor Who)
by David Bishop
(Audio)
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/7380706

That was... unexpected. I didn't realize until I'd looked this up after earreading it that this was an alternate "What if" Universe sort of thing. I kept wondering which Doctor (of the few I don't know--I'm watching the series from the beginning now) this was. And the companion wasn't familiar to me either, but I figured it must take place during a portion of the series I wasn't familiar with. After a while, I wasn't sure at all that it even fit into canon. This was never more true as when he used a gun. That definitely should have been a clue. And then the end came. OMG THE END! That was such a shock! I think I yelled "WHAT?!" at the CD player in my car at the top of my voice. It's amazing, but shocking.

Once I understood that this was an AU, it made a whole lot more sense :-) I like that the "What if" isn't stated outright. It could easily be "What if the Doctor believed the ends justified the means?" It could be "What if the Doctor made promises he couldn't keep?" But I prefer summing this audio drama up as "What if the Doctor lost his TARDIS?" That really explains it to me--the Doctor spending 27 years not traveling/running? The Doctor separated from his most constant companion? That's not the Doctor at all and I can see how that would do strange things to his mental capacities and his ethics.

There were certainly moments that were strange ("baaaaaaaby!"), but in general I really enjoyed both the performance and the story itself. As a "What if?" it's brilliant. It gave me a lot to think about and entertained me at the same time.