Doctor Who: The Eighth Doctor - Time War, Volume 3

The four stories in this collection see the Eighth Doctor and Bliss still trying to stay out of the Time War while inevitably embroiled in its repercussions. Each of the stories would work as a standalone, although they are shown as happening consecutively.

State of Bliss – The first story sees the Doctor trying to unravel Bliss's past, scrambled as it is by the temporal shenanigans of the Time War. On the plus side, it's a good vehicle for Rakhee Thakrar as Bliss, who is the central character throughout, with the Doctor reduced to a supporting role. The expansion of Bliss's backstory is certainly welcome, building on what we've previously seen and showing us more of who she was before she met the Doctor. Unfortunately, it's rather difficult to follow and not just because of the jumping about between different time streams. Indeed, much of that element is good, assuming you're okay with timey-wimey plots. But once it's over and we return to something more straightforward, it's not very clear what the villain is up to, except in the broadest of strokes, and the resolution seems to come out of nowhere. 3.5 stars.

The Famished Lands – Next up is a rather more traditional story that's only tangentially about the Time War; as in some previous stories in this series, it's about the fallout of the war rather than the conflict itself. In this instance, the Doctor and Bliss arrive on a non-agricultural planet cut off from its usual supply routes by the fighting and consequently in the middle of a famine. It's clear from early on that someone is resorting to desperate measures to end the famine and the full story of what they're up to escalates as it progresses. It feels traditional in the sense that any interstellar war would presumably have done as a backdrop, but it does fit with the overall theme of this series, with the Doctor staying out of the fighting and trying to help its innocent victims. 4 stars.

Fugitive in Time – The third story sees the Doctor going on a reconnaissance mission to a planet where a race previously destroyed by the Time Lords may have somehow survived. Although this initially appears to have no connection to the Time War beyond the Doctor being accompanied by a Gallifreyan military officer, naturally that doesn't remain the case for long. Nonetheless, most of the story is about infiltration, with the Doctor having to decide whether to help or hinder the plans of an alien scientist played by veteran actor Wendy Craig. There's also a minor mystery about the identity of a traitor, although, with such a small cast of characters, the number of options as to who it might be isn't exactly large. The result is a decent enough story but there's not much about that's likely to stand out as especially memorable. 3.5 stars.

The War Valeyard – The Valeyard is himself something of a paradox, with multiple different explanations for his background having been given in different sources down the years, all of which have something to do with mucking about with the Doctor's personal timeline. So it should be no surprise that when we add him in to a story about the Time War, the result is very much on the ‘timey-wimey' side. Having said which, I found it easier to follow than the first story in this collection even though what's going on is at least as complicated, if not more so. It is something that you'd want to pay close attention to, since there are a lot of timelines jumping about and people not being what they appear. But, while it may not shed any more light on what the Valeyard actually is, it does a good job of showing him as an incarnation of the Doctor, darker than the War Doctor but clearly distinct from the Master, too. It's a complex and adventurous story in many ways, but whether that will appeal is likely a matter of taste. 5 stars.