February 2009 | NEWS
Stories are listed below in chronological order, oldest first. Unreality SF is not responsible for any inaccurate information posted.
06 FEBRUARY | Doctor Who
LOST STORIES ON AUDIO
The latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine - #405, released yesterday in the UK - has revealed that Big Finish will adapt some "lost" adventures from Doctor Who's past in 2010.
The first two tales in Doctor Who: The Lost Stories, which is a monthly series running parallel to the Main Range from January 2010, are from the original Season 23, which was planned and later scrapped. They are The Nightmare Fair (by Graham Williams, adapted by John Ainsworth) and Mission to Magnus (by Phillip Martin), which will star original cast members Colin Baker as the Sixth Doctor and Nicola Bryant as Peri.
06 FEBRUARY | Doctor Who
ULTIMATE MONSTER GUIDE
DWM #405 also features details of Doctor Who: The Ultimate Monster Guide, released in October 2009 by BBC Books.
Written by Justin Richards, the book is a fully revised and updated compilation of the previous books Monsters and Villains (2005), Aliens and Enemies (2006) and Creatures and Demons (2007), with 100 pages of brand new material covering the remainder of Series Three, all of Series Four, and The Next Doctor and Planet of the Dead.
Details of the book, including a cover image, have also appeared online.
06 FEBRUARY | Doctor Who
DALEK PROJECT COVER
The cover image for The Dalek Project, which is the first in BBC Books' series of original graphic novels featuring the Tenth Doctor, has been revealed online and in DWM. Written by Justin Richards, pencils and inks will be provided by Mike Collins, with Bethan Sayer responsible for colours.
06 FEBRUARY | Robin Hood
AUDIOS CONFIRMED
The rumours that Big Finish are to launch a series of audio tie-ins to the BBC's recent Robin Hood series, originally sparked following listings on online retail websites, have been confirmed.
The series of six original talking books, each narrated by one member of the original cast, running for one hour, will tie in to Series Three of the television series.
Blurbs, authors, and stars have been announced, and the CDs are available to order priced £8.99 each:
#1: The Witchfinders (by Rebecca Levene, read by Richard Armitage)
#2: The Tiger's Tail (by Jonathan Clements, read by Jonas Armstrong)
#3: Friendly Fire (by Trevor Baxendale, read by David Harewood)
#4: The Dambusters (by Michael Abberton, read by Sam Troughton)
#5: The Deer Hunters (by Jonathan Clements, read by Sam Troughton)
#6: The Siege (by Simon Guerrier, read by Richard Armitage)
06 FEBRUARY | Star Trek
MAGAZINE ARCHIVE LAUNCHED
The electronic archive of Star Trek Magazine, recently announced online by editor Paul Simpson, has been launched.
Volume 1, which contains the first twenty-four issues on a single CD-ROM, in a fully-searchable and -printable format, costs just £20 in the UK.
More details are available on Titan's website.
13 FEBRUARY | Doctor Who
AUDIO SUBS CHANGES
Big Finish Productions' latest podcast announces some changes to the subscription package available on their monthly series of Doctor Who audios. There will be more free short stories, after the success of One Small Step, and the Big Finish Magazine will be reinvented.
The podcast, which is hosted by Nicholas Briggs and David Richardson, also features news about The Companion Chronicles and the latest news about everyone's favourite director, Ken Bentley.
13 FEBRUARY | Star Trek
FOSTER TO ADAPT TREK XI
Pocket Books have announced via TrekMovie.com that Alan Dean Foster is to write the novelisation of Star Trek, the forthcoming film starring Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto.
Alex Kurtzman, co-writer of the movie, said, "If you are a fan of novelizations as we were as kids, then you have known his name for a long time and aside from that he has written some incredible sci-fi of his own. You are lucky to get him to do something based on your work and it was an honor to have this chance."
22 FEBRUARY | Doctor Who
SIL IN THE STUDIO
Big Finish have announced that Nabil Shaban is reprising his role as Sil in Mission to Magnus, part of 2010's The Lost Stories series. The recording sessions for the audio play, which also stars Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant as the Sixth Doctor and Peri, has now been completed.
22 FEBRUARY | Iris Wildthyme
ANTHOLOGY AUTHORS
The official website of Obverse Books, who are behind the forthcoming series of Iris Wildthyme books, now reveals the table of contents and authors for their debut anthology, Iris Wildthyme and the Celestial Omnibus.
They are as follows:
- Introduction by Katy Manning
- A Gamble with Wildthyme by Steve Lyons
- Sovereign by Mags L. Halliday
- The Unhappy Medium by Mark Wright and Cavan Scott
- Living Legend by Stuart Douglas
- Battleship Anathema by Phil Purser-Hallard
- The Dreadful Flap by Paul Magrs
- Not a Drop by Steve Wickham
- Iris Wildthyme y Señor Cientocinco contra Los Monstruos del Fiesta by Cody Schell
- Why, Because We Like You by Jonathan Dennis
- The Scarlet Shadow by Stewart Sheargold
- Only Living Girls by Stephen Cole
The book is edited by Paul Magrs and Stuart Douglas.
22 FEBRUARY | Doctor Who
McGANN TRAILERS
A third trailer for the upcoming season of Eighth Doctor audio plays is now available to stream and download on the Big Finish website. In addition, a story-specific trailer for Orbis has been posted, with more to follow.
Unreality SF's advance review of Orbis is located here.
23 FEBRUARY | Iris Wildthyme
CELESTIAL COVER
The cover artwork for Iris Wildthyme and the Celestial Omnibus has been posted on DoctorWhoForum.com by co-editor Stuart Douglas.
The image, which stars the eponymous Ms Wildthyme and her current companion Panda, is by June Hudson.
23 FEBRUARY | Stargate
AUDIO INFO
The second season of Stargate: SG-1 and Atlantis audio stories is now available for pre-order on the Big Finish website. There are also specific cast and plot details for First Prime, Impressions and Pathogen, with more due soon.
