Doctor Who: Dead Air

This is amongst the best few of the Dr Who audio books to date. The story is very good and sufficiently different from the myriad others it joins in the Dr Who universe to include a few surprises. What make it a stand out is how the story is written as though the narrative is a retrieved 'audiotape' made by the Dr. This of course lends itself perfectly to the audio book format, and the opportunity it presents was not wasted in the audio book production. Thus, whilst not quite an audio-play (as are a few of the Torchwood audio books) Dead Air is more than just a narration of the book/script.

As with all recent Dr Who scripts & books, Dead Air is a little derivative of the types of plot elements that have worked in the past. This is manifest in the type and nature of the alien foe, local human characters and setting for the story. This is fine though... The formula makes it a classic style Dr Who story with a new and interesting storyline. If anything, my only disappointment was that the story was so short. Yes it was priced accordingly, but a story this good could have been built upon and improved.

Of the dozens of Dr Who stories on audible, this is one for any listener. A good one-off for a non-Dr Who fan's collection, or a key addition for someone who enjoys the genre.

This is the best audio Dr. Who story I've heard yet, and it is what I expect from a Dr. Who story - good action, the Doctor solving a problem and saving the world, and a great twist in the story!

Intelligent, fast-paced, entertaining

My favorite character has been and always will be The Doctor because of the way he talks to solve the problem instead of resorting to violence, however it is done in a manner that isnt boring.

Still the Doctor, i've always loved david Tennant on television and on audio books for the same reasons as above

of course not to long and kept me interested from the first sentence onward.

A must for any Doctor Who fan!!!

The story is read in the first person by The Doctor which makes it a very enjoyable listen.

Would be nice if it was longer of course and I would love to hear more stories read in the first person.

I love these Doctor Who books! It is a cool way to be able to get extra stories of The Doctor and be able to "read" them at work. These are so good the only bad thing is that they go too fast. I was listening to this one at work and was shocked when it ended & it was already my lunch time. They make my day go so fast. These are priced just right too so you don't feel so bad getting them without using a credit.

David Tennant is my favorite of the narrators for the Doctor Who books. I could listen to him read just about anything and be entertained! His range of voices is incredible and makes an already good book even better.

The story is smart and has some great twists. It feels a bit rushed to me. It also feels a bit hollow at the end, but I can't say more without spoilers. The "rules" of the creature are never defined, so it just feels a bit contrived at the end. But still very enjoyable and an absolutely excellent performance by Tennant.

This story was written to be an audiobook and it purports to be recently discovered and restored tapes in which the Doctor recounts events on a pirate radio ship in the 1960s. Eventually he reveals that he had some time to kill waiting for dawn and since he was in a recording studio, he made the tapes. So it's a creative and effective approach to the story. The sound quality is variable on purpose to create the effect of the old restored tape. The Doctor's first person narration was intriguing because he shares a few random thoughts as well as telling the tale.

Tennant's narration is a treat as always. There are only three other people on the ship and they all have distinct voices. I docked a star on the performance because I think his voice sounds a little off. Maybe it's because they wanted it to sound like an old tape or maybe he had a cold, but it bothered me at times.

"Doctor Who: Dead Air" is narrated in first person by the Tenth Doctor, which sounds like it should be fun. Unfortunately, this approach really means that during the prose-y descriptive bits the Doctor sounds less like his usual zippy self and more like a slightly dull narrator. Which is a shame, because, as anyone who has seen the show, or heard David Tennant narrating other audiobooks, knows, neither the Doctor nor Tennant are dull by a *long* shot. There are a few shiningly fun moments - the exchanges between the Doctor and Layla, and the distinctly individual voices for the other original characters are a real treat. There are also plenty of gasp-worthy encounters with the monster, and a neat-ish twist towards the end, when it turns out the Doctor knew quite a bit more than he'd been letting on.

But the thing that got this a 3 instead of a 4 was the actual ending - which made the Doctor's solution, and the Doctor himself, seem ludicrously slow. The monster even TELLS him what the fatal flaw in his plan is. It's a hugely obvious mistake, and the ingenius movie-going pop-culture nut that is the Tenth Doctor should have accounted for it, especially. But he dismisses it out of hand and carries on. My reaction: Who are you and what have you done with the real Doctor?

But if the writer had let the Doctor be himself, I guess he wouldn't have had an excuse for putting in the final, blandly ominous lines. Which would have been cool, if there weren't already so many other tales all over TV, film, and literature with similar endings.

If you're looking for a Tenth Doctor audiobook to try, you might be tempted to start with this one, because it is one of the more inexpensive options. However, it doesn't do the Whoverse canon, or the Doctor, much justice. You'll be better off starting with something like "The Stone Rose" or "Feast of the Drowned."

Of course, this was by far the first audio book i listened to. And it got me hooked.

The point of view of this is narrated by the doctor himself, while in the story. Sort of like a diary, unlike most, if not all of the other dr who books, where its in the 3rd person. This made the personality of the 10th doctor really come out in the books narrative, that you dont see so much of in some of the others.

Layla's character was funny to listen to since it seems that he used his real Scottish accent for it

It made me laugh constantly, It was like watching a movie, but without the picture. Lots of funny moments, not to mention the voices he makes.

I'm a big fan of the tv series, and don't always have the time to watch, and figured I'd give an audio book a try. I've gotta say for the first audio I tried Dead Air could not be presented in any other form this one was written to be listened to.