The Revenants [AUDIO/2012.5.31]

★★★☆☆

  Very fond memories on my end regarding The Revenants. I used to be very short on money, so purchasing The Light at the End and getting this as a bonus was quite the treat. The oozing sound effects of the marshlands adding tonnes to the atmosphere, William Russell's ever-dependable, dramatic narration leading me into this tale of folktale horror and gods, and the Doctor being a sentimental old fool by staying in one place for decades to get his friends back -- all these wonderful elements can be found in this bonus Companion Chronicle. I'd say the most impressive aspect of it has to be the aforementioned atmosphere; the music is suitably eerie, and the sound effects waste no effort in inviting us to this desolate land in the middle of the Orkney islands, and Ian Potter's writing takes that extra step into making this a completely immersive experience with a great prose style. You can almost hear Russell smiling with glee at the quality of the script, and he's reading it off like nobody's business. The tale itself is quite fun as well, as the First Doctor gets to show how compassionate he really is by staying for Ian and Barbara (who has mistakenly left the TARDIS mid-flight) for an undetermined amount of time (a lovely detail is that while it's stated that he's been there for decades, old Viking ruins and stuff imply that he was there for quite longer...). Ian and Barbara get some lovely character moments with their contemplating how they could stay a few years and go back to their ordinary lives, and Janet is a very strong incidental character to boot. All round, pretty solid stuff; as always, it's the less accessible Big Finish audios that are such uncut gems.