THE PLOT
The Doctor and Amy arrive in Smyrna, 1929, the site of an archaeological dig at the fabled Tomb of Artemis. The villagers shun the site, warning the foreigners to leave at once. Wolf-like howls echo in the night, as stories are told about the murderous Hounds of Artemis. Members of the team are picked off one by one, until only a handful of men remain. The Doctor knows something very bad is happening here. But as it's an established point in history, he warns Amy, he may well be powerless to prevent it!
CHARACTERS
The Doctor: Has been intrigued by the mystery surrounding the tragedies at the Tomb for a very long time, but only in his newest incarnation has he actually bothered to go investigate it. It ties in with the Eleventh Doctor's particular desire to investigate the most bizarre mysteries - recall that the Series Five finale opens with this Doctor deciding on a whim to read the first written words ever recorded. He is fiercely protective of Amy, and cares enough about her opinion to promise to do what he can to "limit the damage," even if he can't actually prevent tragedy from striking. Shows some frustration at his young appearance when he gripes that the problem with appearing young is that no one is inclined to listen to him, even when they are walking into "an obvious trap."
Amy: Strongly dislikes the wire-corseted mode of dress for women of the period, but deals with this through sarcasm and wisecracks, finding as much humor in her own discomfort as she can. Forms a friendship with the portly Ms. Vanderchasse, whose good humor and sense of adventure appeal to Amy. Clare Corbett reads Amy's "diary entries" - which is to say, most of Amy's part for the story - and does a fair job with the Scottish accent, making it reasonably easy to visualize Karen Gillan.
THOUGHTS
This is the first 11th Doctor audio story I've listened to, and it's not a bad little story. It has a sprightly pace, and writer James Goss does a decent job of capturing the Doctor/Amy interaction. The Doctor's characterization does occasionally veer more toward the 10th Doctor than the 11th... But given that this was true of Matt Smith's first couple of televised stories, as well, I'm inclined to forgive that.
As is too often the case, the set up portion of the story works substantially better than the payoff. The first half works a treat. The teaser is terrific. Even if the Doctor's appearance at the precise moment is predictable, it's still a pleasing moment, and James Goss deserves credit for giving the Doctor a good entrance. The device of using Amy's diary to convey a large portion of the story allows the narrators to alternate, and Amy's first-person accounts of the escalating tension at the dig site helps to make the first half reasonably atmospheric.
Once they actually go into the tomb, it becomes less effective as we meet a fairly standard issue monster. There's a touch of body horror, including a grim "feast" that might have been a bit much for the televised show. But there's also a bit too much running, made slightly laughable by the device of having Amy literally scribbling in her diary while running from monsters, while the principle monster of the piece is by its very nature less than imposing. There's also a plot revelation concerning the women of the village that has not been adequately foreshadowed, and thus feels like the writer pulling a solution out of thin air. That this solution also renders the Doctor into a spectator (albeit a talkative one) is not in the story's favor.
Also, the choice to precede each diary entry by signalling, "Amy's next diary entry..." gets wearying after a while. Once the pace begins to crack along in the second half, these breaks are distracting. The first half established that the first-person female narrator is reading Amy's diary entries. In the second half, as the action kicks in, the script should trust that the listener understands this and simply cut to Clare Corbett's voice in order to keep it all flowing rapidly.
Corbett's actual performance is quite good, though. In fact, the bits read by her largely work better than those read by Matt Smith. Smith is an excellent Doctor. But on the strength of this audio, I don't think he's the natural-born audiobook reader that David Tennant was. His Doctor characterization remains good, but he often struggles with the other voices, either dipping into caricature (Lord Woolcroft) or failing to differ character voices so that it becomes unclear which character is speaking. I hope this is an area in which Smith improves in future audiobooks.
Despite its flaws, The Hounds of Artemis is pacey, effortlessly listenable, and highly entertaining. It fits well within the televised season, with James Goss even sparing a moment to mention The Crack in Time. Not the greatest audio Doctor Who out there - but I'd still rate it above average, if only just.
Rating: 6/10.
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