Horrors of War (audio story)
Horrors of War was an audiobook in the Audio Originals series from BBC Audio featuring the Third Doctor alongside companion Jo Grant. It was read by Katy Manning.
It was the second in a trilogy of First World War stories written by Justin Richards released in 2018, marking the centenary of the war's end. It was preceded by Men of War and followed by Fortunes of War.
Publisher's summary[[edit] | edit source]
"Somewhere in this hospital there is a man, or a woman, who has been possessed by the raw energy of time."
The year is 1914, and the Great War is just getting started. In a field hospital in Ypres, Belgium, Nurse Annie Grantham receives two visitors: a distinguished doctor and his administrative assistant, Miss Grant. They have many questions to ask of Annie, and of her distressed and wounded charges.
The Doctor is returning to a scenario he encountered long ago: a version of the First World War where the Archduke Ferdinand wasn't murdered, leading to changes all along the subsequent timeline. He now suspects that someone is at large in 1914, intervening in events with some unknown purpose.
What force is causing injured soldiers to disappear into the night? Does the answer to the mystery lie in Sarajevo, six months earlier, at the scene of that assassination attempt? With the help of the TARDIS, the Doctor and his friends are about to find out.
Plot[[edit] | edit source]
to be added
Characters[[edit] | edit source]
Worldbuilding[[edit] | edit source]
to be added
Notes[[edit] | edit source]
- This story is told from the perspective of Annie Grantham.
- The story was reissued in the audio anthology Tales of Time and Space.
Continuity[[edit] | edit source]
- The First and Twelfth Doctors visited Ypres on Christmas Day, 1914, shortly before their respective regenerations in TV: Twice Upon a Time [+]Loading...["Twice Upon a Time (TV story)"].
- The Doctor recalls his previous encounter with this altered World War I at the Somme in 1916, as depicted in AUDIO: Men of War [+]Loading...["Men of War (audio story)"]. He regrets not having looked into it sooner but claims he had a threat to the whole galaxy to contend with at the time, as depicted in TV: The Daleks' Master Plan [+]Loading...["The Daleks' Master Plan (TV story)"].
- The Doctor suspects the Time Lords are responsible for their arrival. He previously speculated they were directing the TARDIS in secret in TV: The Curse of Peladon [+]Loading...["The Curse of Peladon (TV story)"].
- The Doctor recognises Caxton as having been at Field Marshal Haig’s office in 1916 trying to delay the Somme offensive, as depicted in AUDIO: Men of War [+]Loading...["Men of War (audio story)"].
- Jo suggests the Master could be the culprit for changing history, however the Doctor reminds her he’s safely under lock and key in their time, as depicted in TV: The Daemons [+]Loading...["The Daemons (TV story)"] until his escape in TV: The Sea Devils [+]Loading...["The Sea Devils (TV story)"].
External links[[edit] | edit source]
- Official Horrors of War page at Penguin Books
