The Hounds of Artemis

A two rare two handed BBC audiobook where Matt Smith and Clare Corbett read the book with Ms. Corbett reading from Amy Pond's general. The story has the Doctor and Amy arriving to uncover the purported tomb of Artemis with an expedition that's been plagued by disappearances.

This is a very good story of the haunted archaeological dig story but done superbly well There's a great deal of atmosphere and suspense throughout, leading to the opening of the tomb and some very creepy moments. There's also a few bits of humor, though nothing over the top that would undermine the horror element of the story.

The two reader format works well most of the time and overall adds to the story despite a few awkward moments. Overall, this is one of the better 11th Doctor Audiobooks.

The Hounds of Artemis is slightly different from other entries in the BBC range of Doctor Who audiobooks, in as much as it is a story told from two different perspectives, read by two narrators: Matt Smith presents the Doctor's side of events while Clare Corbett reads excerpts from Amy's diary. The changes between the two narrators feel a little random and sudden the first few times, but it soon falls into a nice rhythm. The in-story reason for the novel presentation of this adventure isn't entirely convincing, but I'm happy enough that they are experimenting with the format of this range to welcome the idea and just go with it. Plus, the mix of a male and a female voice is very pleasant to listen to and Smith and Corbett are both excellent at bringing their respective side of the story to life.

The whole adventure is nicely paced with an intriguing central conceit. All the secondary characters are interesting and believably of their time. There is some vivid imagery, particularly in the description of the scenes in the temple and the language throughout is absolutely beautiful. Add to this an original and memorable villain and you're in for a highly enjoyable listen.

Overall, the Hounds of Artemis is an immediately engaging story about a great mystery in an evocative setting delivered brilliantly by two excellent narrators. One of the best releases of the audio originals.

Wonderfully entertaining. Extremely well read with delightfully gory description of the feast.