‘HEARTS OF STONE’

Please feel free to comment on my review.

A Forest and Statues on a Planet with the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan and Adric

This story is by Steve Lyons and it features the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan and Adric. The reason why I wanted to check out the ‘Short Trips: Companions’ book was so that I could read ‘Hearts of Stone’. This was from hearing the ‘Destiny of the Doctor’ audio ‘Smoke and Mirrors’, penned by Steve Lyons. 🙂

‘Hearts of Stone’ is set between ‘The Visitation’ and ‘Black Orchid’. It focuses on Adric’s character and his angst on being an outsider. It was intriguing to explore Adric’s character this way, especially since he doesn’t feel that he belongs among the TARDIS crew of the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa and Tegan.

It does contradict what Adric said in being loyal to the Doctor no matter what in ‘Psychodrome’, but then again, that was a story written after this one. Sometimes the continuities of my favourite Fifth Doctor characters don’t add up. Adric is also very whiny compared to reading him in ‘A Boy’s Tale’. 😐

I like how Nyssa’s relationship with Adric gets developed in the story. Nyssa has a closer connection to Adric compared to Tegan. She’s also the voice of reason in this little story when she manages to persuade Adric to think about the choices that he’s making when offered to become a statue or not.

Yeah, in this story, our Season 19 TARDIS team visit an unnamed planet where they find a forest and some statues. It’s not made clear what the voice speaking to Adric is and whether it’s a future Adric in the form of a statue that persuades him to be a statue, but it does home in on Adric’s insecurities.

‘Hearts of Stone’ rating – 8/10