The Sins of Winter [AUDIO/2015.12.3]

★★★☆☆

  Without a doubt, this is the best Twelfth Doctor audiobook from BBC Audio yet. The pacing is the best it's been for what feels like ages (but what is, in actuality, only the third release in a miniseries), the narrative's tight, the performance by Robin Soans is great fun to listen to, and the Doctor and Clara are perhaps the best they've been written here. I don't know, I truly feel like the Twelfth Doctor here is the one I've seen on telly; he's abrasive, but also has a firm foot in spectating the wonders of the universe with awe. Clara is also well-written, although it seems as if she's a bit written out in this one; while the first two installments had (from my memory) really big Clara involvements, this installment sees her take a small step back and let the Doctor -- and the alien slug that's a manifestation of guilt -- take charge. It's a shame that I can't find any sources on whoever does the sound mixing/directing for these BBC Audios, because it's the sound mixing on this one that really impressed me. It brings alive the atmosphere so well, and compliments the rather playful nature of the backstory of this Winter family member's church. If there's one thing I can say about The Sins of Winter, it's that it at the very least continued my interest to see this Winter family mystery to the end.