An Autist Reviews: The Crucible Of Souls (The Eighth Doctor Adventures: Doom Coalition 3.4)

*This is an older review, it is not as detailed as my more modern reviews*

*All Reviews Are Spoiler-Free Aside From Any Spoiler Sections*

The Doctor and River Song chase 100 time ships fleeing from the destruction of the end of all life in the universe other than the Timelords. Meanwhile, Liv and Helen have to deal with the newly regenerated, highly erratic Doctor. Padrac is playing a dangerous game, the Clocksmith is back, and the Universe has ended… but can it be averted?

The idea of an imposter Doctor taking the real Doctor’s companions on adventures for his own personal enjoyment and obsessions is interesting and it also allows for some seriously funny moments. The real Doctor joining River and going after the Doom Coalition is interesting, but it works very well and it also allows for both Liv, Helen, and the Doctor to be given different parts of the story as they all piece it together, and then by the end they’ve gotten all the separate pieces together. I can’t say much about this story without spoiling something, but I will say that a certain twist is great, but it doesn’t have too much punch because it’s based on something simple and boring. That’s basically my only problem with this.

The acting in this is 10/10 all the way through. John Heffernen does a solid platinum job as ‘the Doctor,’ the Doctor, River, Helen, and Liv all sound as good as they ever have plus some. Padrac and other side characters and bad guys all sound really good too. There is also some fun acting from the Doctor and ‘the Doctor’ as they each wind up acting like people they aren’t actually.

The music in this is well worth the music suite. It’s sweet, it has its gentle moments, its harsh crescendoing moments, but never a dull one. It enhances every scene perfectly and clues you into what’s happening. The effects are also perfect. You ALWAYS know what’s happening. There might be a small thing or two that could be done better, but if an effect is missing, that’s because the dialogue does the job perfectly. The only negative is the voices… specifically, one at the end involving the Doctor. He just sounds dumb… other than that, a certain character involving synth sounds perfect!

I would listen to this bad boy over and over again. You notice a few things here and there as you relisten to it, but the best part is to just enjoy the story without trying to figure anything out. It’s just fun and emotional no matter how many times you listen to it.

All in all, a perfect ending to a boxset made of solid diamond. From emotional beats to hilarious strands of dialogue to a startling twist that changes the way you view the entire box set, the music is perfect and so is the writing. The story is perfect and the acting and effects only make it more so. The twists aren’t exactly perfect, but they’re enjoyable, and while one certain voice effect sucks, the rest are perfect. You will want to listen to this again and again, even if you don’t get too much out of it. This is as close to a perfect story as you can get… so, I’ve fudged the total a little because I like it so much.

Total - 10 (Fudged a little, but it deserved it.)

Plot - 9
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Story - 10
Writing - 10
Enjoyment - 10
Twists - 7

Acting - 10
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MCs - 10
SCs - 10
BGs - 10

Effects - 9
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Music - 10
Voices - 8
Actions - 10

Replay - 9
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Re-Enjoyment - 10
New Details - 8

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