Doctor Who: Ravenous 2

The second volume in this collection of 8th Doctor stories follows on from the previous one but has no apparent connection to it until we reach the final episode. Taken as a whole, it's better than volume #1, but not yet up to the standards of the previous “season”.

• Escape from Kaldor – The first episode is essentially standalone. The Doctor takes his companions to Liv's homeworld of Kaldor, where, of course, we meet the robots from Robots of Death. The main story here isn't anything special; better ones have been done with the same ‘monsters' before, and there are no real twists as to why, on this occasion, problems start developing with the robots' control systems. The story is, however, pulled above the average by the elements dealing with Liv, and the reasons for her reluctance to return home. It turns out to be this, rather than the more intriguing set-up of The Sons of Kaldor, that leads into the separate Robots series, and any connection with the rest of the Ravenous storyline is not yet apparent. 3 stars.

• Better Watch Out/Fairytale of Salzburg – One might think that the modern show had run the theme of “Christmas special” dry, but this 2-hour story is another twist on that format... albeit one released in October. The TARDIS arrives shortly before Christmas in present-day Salzburg, giving the Doctor a chance to expound his love of the season. Naturally, it all goes wrong, in this case when an overly enthusiastic Krampus descends on the city. Which is doubly odd, because it ought to be mythical. An interesting feature of the story is that it's told in flashback by the Doctor and another narrator who is initially unidentified – as are the people they are telling the story to. The two narrations are independent, and not entirely chronological, so it's important to keep up as viewpoints shift. It's cleverly done, with many Christmas themes in it, beyond the Krampus itself, and a key role for Helen in particular. The only weakness is that it's never really explained what's behind it all. 4.5 stars.

• Seizure – The final story of the set is also the only one that ties in with the series arc (at least so far as one can tell at this point). It sees the Doctor answering a distress call from a dying TARDIS and ending up trapped inside its collapsing structure. One could argue that not very much happens in it, since it's mostly just a fight for survival, but it's full of atmosphere with a sense of despair and foreboding. It ends on a cliffhanger that leads into the next volume. 4 stars.