Blood On Santa’s Claw and Other Stories by Nev Fountain

Christmas time is here...Happiness...and fear...


Blood On Santa’s Claw and Other Stories by Nev Fountain and 3 Aliases

Part One: Blood On Santa’s Claw

The anthology opens with The Sixth Doctor, Peri and New Companion Joe arriving in a century where everything is a religion. This fun concept is used to maximum effect throughout the set, and the world building of this century is astonishingly cool. Peri and Six were a pair on television that I didn't care for, but they're exceedingly comfortable here, Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant clearly love working with each other, and that's the best chemistry two actors can have. On the other hand, it doesn't feel sappy between them, and as this anthology shows, the pair can have real drama with Joe upsetting their dynamic. It's meticulously plotted for a one part story, the entire set is, but every single line has it's purpose. I adore Peri micromanaging how The Doctor introduces her and Joe. And I especially like that Joe's introduction isn't important. We've had plenty of companions, this is all we really need for a character that only really functions as a delicious wedge that is expertly used for drama. That's not to mention the brilliantly satirical concept of Santa Worshippers, which is made even funnier by the Shakespeare and Wind In The Willows Worshippers, who are some of the most memorable characters ever done in twenty minutes.
Phenomenal. 9/10

 Part Two: The Baby Awakes

The concept of designer babies that this episode presents is fantastically disturbing, putting me in mind of a Robert Shearman short story from one of his many anthologies. And if I'm referencing Shearman in the first line, you know it's good.
This anthology is probably one of the best examples to newcomers what Nicola Bryant does with this character, and she gives an inconsistently characterized TV persona one of the most dignified and emotional performances from a companion here. What Peri goes through here, is plain and simple, one of the sickest bits of emotional manipulation ever, merely the concept of what is going on is abhorrent. The scenes with Peri's children on the beach is so haunting.
If anything, this is Donna in Silence of The Library's fake children scene done over twenty minutes.
And even when it's done, it gives a taste in the mouth of something sick. Something wrong happened here. And for an audio drama to leave me physically unsettled is something few have done. 9/10

 Part Three: I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day

Some excellent work is done here, and although this is without a doubt, the weakest link in the anthology, it's almost impossible to percieve, the four stories are so consistant. And this one is where the veil is dropped. It isn't four stories. I adore this entire thing. For an anthology to tie something like this together, is something I never would have seen coming. Nonetheless, more great ideas are spread out, the idea of Christmas for some people being a prison, is especially inspired. That the Doctor straight up calls holiday parties psychological torture made me laugh. And the residual effects from The Baby Awakes spread into this one in some taut scenes between Peri and Joe, and later Peri and Selene. Not a perfect story, but a necessary bridge between the first two and the last. 7/10

Part Four: Brightly Shone The Moon That Night

A Serious Contender for one of my favorite audios, Brightly Shone... is simply phenomenal. The best thing about this set is it is in fact, an entire Big Finish arc distilled into one Main Range release, and the real insanity of this is that what would have probably been four two hour releases works just as well as four thirty minute parts. And in that, Brightly Shone...is not just an effective conclusion to an arc, but one of the most poignant ones I've ever heard, and that's once again, in thirty minutes.
This feels exactly like the best bits of NewWho finales, without the classic monsters.
Brightly Shone The Moon is entirely like The few minutes of The Doctor Fall's when everything is quiet and calm before the storm. And what an achievement to tie all of this together. One of my favorite releases. 10/10

 All in all, if this is what Nev Fountain can do with Peri in 2 hours, I will get all the rest of his stuff this instant.



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