Doctor Who review: Man and mythology are explored in The Lovecraft Invasion

The Doctor faces Eldritch horrors in Doctor Who: The Lovecraft Invasion. But which is more monstrous: the mythology or the man himself?

The Lovecraft Invasion has been a Doctor Who audio that I’ve been looking forward to for a while, but has taken a little longer than expected to be released. A story that not only explored the mythology of H.P. Lovecraft but also the man himself was an exciting idea. Especially since it was made extremely clear that Lovecraft’s very real flaws would be a core part of the story.

After being delayed by over a month, The Lovecraft Invasion was finally released late last week. Was it worth the wait? Definitely. This is the third story we’ve had from Robert Valentine for Big Finish, and judging from the success of all three stories, he’s already becoming one of Big Finish’s most promising writers.

The way The Lovecraft Invasion begins is fantastic. There’s no slow buildup or mystery that opens up the story. In fact, the audio kicks off right in the middle of an adventure for the Sixth Doctor, Constance, and Flip. Throwing the listener right into the middle of the action is a bold move, and for a while, it feels like you’re playing catchup. But then they arrive in Providence in 1937, and that’s when both the listener and the story are given a chance to breathe.

Man vs mythology

Robert Valentine really gets to have his cake and eat it too with The Lovecraft Invasion. This isn’t just because both Lovecraft and his mythos feature in this story, although it’s very cleverly done. Giving us sequences of the Doctor and Flip journeying into Lovecraft’s mind is particularly fantastic.

No, what really stands out about Valentine’s script is how there’s no respect for Lovecraft, but there is a great deal of fondness for his work. For example, H.P. Lovecraft himself is portrayed as the xenophobic and racist writer that he was. He’s not a complete monster, but his views are distinctly awful.

And yet at the same time, there’s clearly so much love for the ideas and creations that his imagination gave us. By exploring both the man and his work, Robert Valentine asks questions of the listener of whether the awfulness of one means that the other should be ignored by default, or whether an artist can be truly separated from their work. And all of this is done in the form of a thrilling Doctor Who adventure.

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Calypso Jones

This audio also introduces us to the fantastic creation of Calypso Jones. A 51st-century bounty hunter, Jones gets on extremely well with the TARDIS team and comes across as an extremely fun character. They also represent everything that Lovecraft fears, making them a perfect fit for this story. With Valentine’s writing and an excellent performance by Robyn Holdaway, they stand out as a truly brilliant character, and I’m definitely hoping that the character shows up again in the future.

Despite the significant delay, The Lovecraft Invasion has definitely been worth the wait. It explores some interesting and extremely current issues. But it also provides us with a highly entertaining Doctor Who story. An extremely strong audio, possibly one of the best this year so far.

Do you think an artist can be separated from their work? Or do you think they’re too closely linked for that to happen? Let us know in the comments below.