Doctor Who, the 10th Doctor with Donna Audio Book - Volume 2 - Time Reaver

Simply put, there has never been a better pairing of Doctor and Companion than the David Tennant / Catherine Tate partnership of the 10th Doctor and Donna Noble.  Their quick retorts, their ease with one another, their interaction - it all comes across so naturally, so real, that you believe it.  I know fans of the original Doctors will say that the 4th Doctor and Sarah Jane were the best pairing, but having never watched those old shows, I'll stick with my love of the Doctor/Donna.

The second new audio adventure Time Reaver, just goes to further prove my belief.  The author, Jenny T. Colgan, not only has a real feel for the characters, but she clearly loves the Donna years, for the story is riddled with echoes that hearken back to the 4th season shows - from the man looking at the bomb strapped to Donna's back and saying, "There's something on your back," to the villain talking about the "Journey's End," to the Doctor discussing with Donna his desire to visit a place with lots of a books.  "A library," Donna says.  My inner-geek just thrilled with each and every reference!

The story itself was very Doctor Who-esque.  The Doctor and Donna have come to Calibris to get an item the Doctor needs to fix a part on the TARDIS. But on this spaceport, where anything goes and there have never been any rules, they suddenly find that a race of Vacintians are trying to enforce order on an otherwise lawless planet.  The Doctor wants to know why.  And when the Doctor discovers that an illegal weapon known as the Time Reaver is on the planet, he and Donna must hunt down the seller before it is distributed into the wrong hands.  The Time Reaver slows down a person's life - so much so, in fact, that the person can feel an eternity in just one second.  So imagine what would happen if the person were hit with the Time Reaver just when there is an explosion - he or she would feel the pain and agony of that explosion for an eternity!

I will admit that a couple of the actors that they picked to voice the other characters sounded similar to David Tennant and Catherine Tate, so every once in a while as I was listening, I had to pay close attention to make sure who was actually talking.  Otherwise, though, this audio was pretty much flawless - fantastic story, brilliant acting, and a great spot of time well-spent.  Could very easily see this one being an episode on television, particularly with regards to the couple of twists thrown in about the individual who has the Time Reaver, why that person has it, and how it all connects to the Vacintians and their dying planet.

RATING:  10 corset-crunching wench dresses out of 10 for keeping the Doctor/Donna alive and well for us fans!