Shada

Doctor Who: The Lost Adventure

By: Douglas Adams, Gareth Roberts

Narrated by: Lalla Ward

Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

The Doctor's old friend and fellow Time Lord Professor Chronotis has retired to Cambridge University - where nobody will notice if he lives for centuries. But now he needs help from the Doctor, Romana, and K-9. When he left Gallifrey he took with him a few little souvenirs - most of them are harmless. But one of them is extremely dangerous.

The Worshipful and Ancient Law of Gallifrey isn't a book for Time Tots. It is one of the Artefacts, dating from the dark days of Rassilon. It must not be allowed to fall into the wrong hands. The sinister Skagra most definitely has the wrong hands. He wants the book. He wants to discover the truth behind Shada. And he wants the Doctor s mind....

Shada was written by fan favorite Douglas Adams and based on the scripts for the original TV programme.

©2012 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2012 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

I listen to it straight through...

What made the experience of listening to Shada the most enjoyable?

Didn't expect to put this in at 8pm and then not sleep and find reasons to exercise in the middle of the night just so I could keep listening for 11 hours, but once I started it seemed to be the only plausible option so I saw it through.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Shada?

I just like the way that Douglas Adams writes. He's a freaking beast. If a words could be crack then he's got the market is best way to put it. Once you get a taste you can't stop...

Which character – as performed by Lalla Ward – was your favorite?

That ship. Haha... Yeah. That ship with the female voice was by far the best character in my humble opinion.

Any additional comments?

I'd just say that if you like the Hitchhiker series and or you like Dr. Who you are more than hooked up here. You're in for a darn good time.

Best of two worlds

The world of the Doctor in the eyes of Douglas Adams. A Priceless experience. I highly recommend It.

Classic Who and Adams

The narrator here made the entire story. She brought difficult characters to life (like a space ship) and was laugh out loud funny throughout. She captured the spirit of the novel and brought Adams' and Roberts' work to their peak. You can tell which parts were written by each author (or at least I imagined I could) but their styles complemented each other. Much like The Doctor and his companions.

Excellent

I was pretty excited about this audiobook, but after reading some reviews about the quality I was worried. Poor audio quality can ruin even the best audiobook. However, I just don't see what all the fuss is about. The quality isn't bad, it may not be the best but it's far from the worst. Certainly the audio quality didn't detract from my enjoyment of the audiobook at all. Perhaps other listeners don't like the narrator. While nothing would be better than to have this story performed by Tom Baker himself, the narrator was still good. The story was excellent, at least as good as Adam's other Who stories in my opinion, perhaps better because I felt like some of the material would certainly have been edited out. Overall I really enjoyed this audiobook and I believe it to be a must listen for any old school Who fan, or Adam's fan.

Great in the line of Doctor Who

Would you consider the audio edition of Shada to be better than the print version?

I've read reviews of people who were not happy with this because it wasn't Hitchhiker enough but if you like Adam's style and Doctor Who characters I think you'll enjoy this book

The almost forgotten Doctor Who story.

What did you love best about Shada?

I loved it because it's the only story from the original series, I didn't see on tv or read it in a novel. It was never televised because of a studio strike stopped the story being filmed completely. Douglas Adams chose to never novelized it. He did put some of the plot in his novel Dirk Gentry. Which is also in audible.com.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Shada?

They are all memorable. Funy moments, scary moments, romantic moments. This book had it all.

Have you listened to any of Lalla Ward’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have never heard her on audio before, she did a good job. I wish Tom Baker could of worked on this with her. She and Tom were one of the best Doctor and Companion teams ever.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

If I had all day to listen to it I would of.

Any additional comments?

This was a great book. Gareth Roberts did the late great Douglas Adams Justice. I hear Garetth is also novelizing another Adams Doctor Who story. City of Death. I hope that comes out soon.

Who Doesn't Love Who??!!

Lalla does a great job narrating this book and it will keep you captivated throughout your listening. It should be noted that it is not entirely written by Douglas Adams but is based off of one of the episodes he wrote for the series. The only issue I had with the story is a bit at the end that references Adams other works, which is something I don't think he would have ever done. But it's still very entertaining, and it has K-9 in it!! Bork bork!!

The greatest Shada yet

Any additional comments?

For a variety of reasons that are too well-known to reiterate, Shada is best known as the lost, or uncompleted Doctor Who classic. The novel both erases the lost and justifies the classic - it's an astonishing story, so much more in-depth and developed than past attempts at reconstruction have shown, while Lalla Ward's narration brings an extra touch of "familiarity" to what might otherwise be one of the most un-Doctor Who-like adventures the Docto ever had.

FROODY!

Would you listen to Shada again? Why?

yes indeed, any chance to visit the works of my favorite author is a must.

What did you like best about this story?

engaging and entertaining

Have you listened to any of Lalla Ward’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

just as good as the rest. It is a delight to hear her voice.

Any additional comments?

I don't know what is to complain about with the audio quality, it sounds EXCELLENT on my ipod and phone. the humor is wonderful, the story is engaging and for fans of the Dirk Gently series it's a delight to hear where the original ideas and characters came from. I'd love to hear it as a full radio production with Tom Baker and Lalla Ward performing it.

Hours of Dr Who Entertainment

Lalla Ward did a great job - never a boring moment. The sound effects added to the ambiance. Story was interesting-- learned more about the Time Lords. If you enjoyed the 4th Dr, you'll enjoy this.