Review: Sting of the Zygons, The Last Dodo and Wooden Heart audiobooks

As has become customary, the trio of Tenth Doctor and Martha novels published in early 2007 are also available as abridged audio recordings, from BBC Audiobooks.

Sting of the Zygons is first, featuring the return of the eponymous monsters, who turn up when the Doctor and Martha arrive in the Lake District in the early twentieth century. This is the shortest of the audiobooks, perhaps because of the blindingly-fast speed at which narrator Reggie Yates (Doctor Who's Leo Jones) demolishes the novel. He embues his reading with all the energy and pace of the television series, and is engaging and good fun. His portrayal of the Doctor is bewildering but recognisable, and it's clear that he's really enjoying himself with the voices of the guest cast.

The Last Dodo is the story of the TARDIS's visit to a futuristic museum where the last surviving animal from various different species are held. The CDs' choice of reader, Freema Agyeman (who plays Martha in the television series), is both a blessing and a curse. In the first-person segments narrated by Martha, the character's bubbly and engaging personality shines through brilliantly; but, on the flipside, clunky dialogue ("I found myself seeking solace" doesn't seem like something Martha would drop into conversation, for example) is unfortunately highlighted. On the whole, Agyeman demonstrates her range brilliantly, and is a friendly and emotive voice for the story. And her attempts at the Doctor's mannerisms are spot-on.

Finally, Wooden Heart sees the TARDIS crew arrive on a tomb-like prison ship drifting in space, with an incongruous forest onboard. Adjoa Andoh (Fracine Jones on the television series) is a more gentle reader than either Agyeman or Yates, narrating the story in a calm and precise way, which fits Martin Day's sensitive prose nicely. This makes for a very relaxing and engrossing listen, but doesn't quite do the characters justice - the Doctor's dialogue, for example, is hard to distinguish because her take on David Tennant's voice lacks his energy and blends into the background.

Ultimately, these discs are fantastic, and would be particularly good for younger fans at night or on long car journeys. All three sets are well worth a listen.