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

Wish this had been an episode

While there are times the story gets confusing, it is no more confusing than any other Doctor Who episode I’ve seen on the BBC.

The narrator is wonderful and the background ambiance doesn’t distract from the story or drown out the narrator, so you are never straining to hear what is going on behind what is going on.

Well worth the listen

Because it's a long story, I've had to listen to it a couple of times. I've enjoyed it each time. I think the ship and the narrator's characterization of it is one of the best parts.

loved it!

instant classic. exceptional narration. an engaging story of Romana , K9 and the 4th doctor. i highly recommend

I could almost SEE it!

Brought my "old friends" back for one last episode; easy to see Douglas Adams' influence

Like uncovering a lost treasure

Listening to Shada has been a delight from beginning to end. First there is the fun of getting to enjoy a well-paced and exciting classic Doctor Who adventure. The characters are all wonderfully portrayed, and performed. Then there is the fun of having it read by the Time Lady Romana herself (aka Lalla Ward), who gives a terrific performance with each of the different character voices. On top of that, as a big fan of Douglas Adams, it was like uncovering a new novel from the late author. Gareth Roberts' novelization does a remarkable job of keeping so much of Adam's classic sci-fi style and humor - it will feel very familar to anyone who's read Adams before, even if you've never encountered The Doctor until now. Particularly since many characters and ideas from this lost script later ended up as inspiration for Adams' later Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency.

Thank you Lalla Ward!

I like Douglas Adams' humor. But what makes this audiobook really special is Lalla Ward's reading. She is a great story-teller. And some of her characterizations are priceless. I wish Lalla would do more fiction audiobooks.

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.

Funny and engaging!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Professor Chronotis, because he is such a nice old man

Which scene was your favorite?

Any scene involving interaction with Skagra's ship

Any additional comments?

The only thing that would've made this better would've been actually using Tom Baker as the 4th doctor's voice