#storeguyreviews

[thatonestoreguy]

Serpent in the Silver Mask

Intergalactic mining magnate Carlo Mazzini is dead. The Fifth Doctor, Adric, Nyssa, and Tegan are cordially invited to his funeral on the planet Argentia. All of Carlo’s potential heirs and demi-clones come out of the woodwork to see what piece of the pie they might inherit. When the heirs start dying one-by-one, the TARDIS crew will need to figure out who is behind the murders, before they become the next targets.

The Fifth Doctor’s large TARDIS team makes for a fun era of the show, but having so many regular actors does tend to be a limitation in the audio format where cast size has to be constricted for budget. This audio makes a creative solution to this problem by having almost the whole cast played by one man, Samuel West. Apart from two important side characters (Carlo’s secretary and the local police superintendent) the rest of the players are the Mazzini family who are all essential clones of each other. Despite this, West does a great job of making each character interesting and easily identifiable. A lot of them seem like caricatures, but their sketched in quality is somewhat intentional and in keeping with the genre. This is a murder mystery story, and most of these people are not long for this world.

The Doctor is often called on to play detective. In this case, it’s clear the drama is playing with the tropes of classic Christie. The cliches of the genre are a little dissected, but mostly played straight. It’s hard to say how ‘fair’ the mystery is on account of the multiple sci-fi twists applied to the story as it progresses. One particular twist is incredibly ‘Classic Who’ in tone. A bonkers left field bit of sci-fi nonsense is introduced seemingly just to set up a cliffhanger only to end up being important in the story’s conclusion.

This adventure is a fun romp. It takes the characters and the stakes very seriously, but playing them straight only makes them more absurd. More than anything, this one feels like Doctor Who in a quintessential way.

[thatonestoreguy]

The Helliax Rift

The Fifth Doctor arrives in rural England to investigate the site of a supposed spaceship crash. He’s not the only one interested in the UFO. UNIT are on the scene and not too happy with the Doctor’s involvement, but the real mystery is what the crash has to do with a local health spa closed to the public.

This begins a trilogy of UNIT stories featuring a brand new batch of UNIT soldiers interacting with the various incarnations of the Doctor. Chief among them is medical officer Daniel Hopkins who serves as this story’s pseudo companion. The Doctor latches on to him as a medical man who, despite being a soldier, is not interested in killing. This sets him apart from this particular branch led by Lieutenant-Colonel Lewis Price who is much more gung-ho and quick to shoot first. Price is more concerned with securing the area and doesn’t trust the Doctor. This UNIT is definitely not the default ally that is present in newer stories.

The story itself digs in to a few interesting questions about the world of Doctor Who as a setting. It introduces a new group who is aware of the strange attraction aliens seem to have to Earth and are taking advantage of it. In many ways, it’s about three very different approaches to dealing with extra terrestrials. There’s UNIT’s way of only being interested in assuring the safety of the people of Earth. There’s the spa, who is also interested in helping humanity, but at the expanse of alien life. Finally, there’s the Doctor, who’s approach is to treat everyone like people and try to find a solution that helps everyone. Of course, things become more complicated as the mystery deepens, but the real crux of the story is the difference in perspective and approach and how they clash up against each other.

Even with the various twists the story takes, this is narratively the most straightforward of this trilogy. It’s a fun adventure that introduces us to some new characters. It’s the other adventures in the trilogy that really dig deeper into these new additions, but we’ll have to wait to get to that.

[thatonestoreguy]

Hour of the Cybermen

The Sixth Doctor arrives in London to find the populace fighting over the most valuable commodity, water. The whole of Britain is experiencing a completely unexplained drought. UNIT is on the case, but they need the Doctor’s help. Especially when one of the Doctor’s oldest enemies rear their heads.

This adventure brings back the UNIT crew first introduced in The Helliax Rift, but they aren’t quiet how we remember them. The changes in personality help to sell the passage of time and that the Doctor is a guest in these peoples’ lives. Still, the Doctor tries to pick up where he left off with Daniel Hopkins as he enlists him once again to help track down the source of this bizarre crisis. This brings them to an alien space ship and then, as the title gives away, to the Cybermen. 

The Cybermen here are using some standard infiltration techniques. They are causing the drought to weaken humanity, but they’ve also managed to infiltrate Earth and set up several unwitting spies. It’s an interesting approach for the Cybermen to take and the adventure hits all the classic tropes of the Cybermen. We see their coldness and the horror of cyber-conversion. Though the real strength of the adventure is its human cast and the sometimes unexpected ways they react to the cyber-threat.

This is a pretty standard Cyberman story, but what makes it shine is the returning guest cast. We get to see the characters in a new light and the twists feel very earned and shocking in a way they wouldn’t be without that previous adventure.

[thatonestoreguy]

The Memory Bank and Other Stories

Turlough would like a nice quiet place to do some art, but the TARDIS has other ideas. Instead, the Fifth Doctor and Turlough are thrown into a series of adventures throughout time and space.

The anthology begins with the titular story, “The Memory Bank”. On a planet where being forgotten means you cease to exist, the Memory Bank offers people a way to avoid this fate. Turlough is very quickly thrust into the role of the Bank’s archivist, while the Doctor travels around the planet trying to get to the bottom of things. The story has a very interesting conceit that could be expanded into a longer adventure. As it is, this story crams all the standard aspects of an adventure into its shorter runtime, but doesn’t ever feel rushed. It could add more twists or complications in order to have more time to explore, but as it is, it's a fast paced but satisfying story.

In “The Last Fairy Tale”, the Doctor and Turlough find themselves in the middle ages to witness the last coming of the Storyteller. This one is very satirical in nature. The setting is never truly defined as a real time or place. It reads rather more like the fantasized version of medieval europe from fairy tales than anything like reality. Indeed, the line between the story and reality becomes even less clear by the end. I’m not sure this story will be everyone’s cup of tea, as it doesn’t seem to have much interest in really explaining anything so much as in the joy of simply telling the story.

Then in “Repeat Offender”, the Doctor and Turlough have just prevented the latest in a string of serial murders in 22nd century Reykjavik. Unfortunately, it appears to everyone else that they are the real criminals and they're going to need to act quickly if they want to capture the real perpetrator before they're locked up or worse. This story very much feels like the end of a longer adventure. We join the Doctor and Turlough in media res, as they believe they’ve reached the end of their quest to stop these murders. Instead, the Doctor is forced to think on his feet and piece together the final bits of the puzzle while being held at gunpoint by the police. It’s a story that manages to have a number of twists and turns and even some nice social commentary all in a very short period of time. 

Finally, in “The Becoming”, The Doctor and Turlough aid a young woman on a strange alien quest that they do not fully understand. On a planet very much unlike our own, the Doctor comes across Waywalker, a woman on a quest that all her people undertake when they come of age. The strangeness of the setting and characters are really interesting in this story and the Doctor and Turlough feel as much like observers as the audience. While the story seems like it will leave us unsure of all the details, it does manage to squeeze in one last second twist that colours all that came before. The adventure leaves some things unresolved in the end, but in a way that makes you understand that sometimes things can’t be understood (or fixed) easily.

Overall, I really enjoyed this anthology. I feel the second story is the weakest one, but even that one is fun in its own way. I like it when an anthology has an overarching theme and the pretty loose conceit of Turlough looking for a place to draw is fully abandoned halfway through. Still, those last two stories are probably the strongest overall, so I’d rather that than something thinly sketched. 

[thatonestoreguy]

Order of the Daleks

The Sixth Doctor and Constance arrive on the planet Strellin to visit the reclusive montasic Brotherhood of the Black Petal. It seems their plans might be ruined by two agents of the Galactic Census who quickly find and scold the TARDIS crew for violating the Census's non-interference policy. Little do they know, they have far greater problems on the quiet planet of Strellin. The brothers of the Black Petal have new leadership: The Daleks!

As the title gives away, this is a Dalek story, but as the cover gives away, this is a very unusual Dalek story. The Daleks have crashed on this pre-industrial planet and immediately taken advantage of the devout monks who tried to help them. They’ve not only forced them to build them new casings, but it’s clear they have far deadlier plans. It’s a fascinating setting for a Dalek story. We meet a number of the brothers as well and they prove to be more complex characters than you might expect. There is resistance to the new Dalek masters, but the Daleks have a dark influence over the monks linked to the secret at the heart of their whole order. The Doctor and his new census taker friends certainly couldn’t begin to suspect just how dangerous a situation they’re walking into.

The way this story treats the Daleks is very interesting. Constance, who’s never met these iconic Doctor Who monsters, initially finds them strange and oddly beautiful. Certainly, the Dalek’s stained glass appearance in this adventure is not the standard, but they also lack the overwhelming strength they’re known for. The Daleks here barely survived their crash and are reduced to very little power. It allows the story to showcase some often forgetting or ignored dalek abilities, but also to demonstrate the Dalek’s cunning. It also helps to have characters in the form of the two operatives of the Galactic Census who can immediately recognize just how terrifying the mere presence of the Daleks is and act accordingly. Really, the supporting cast knocked it out of the park all around in this one, including, as always, the superb Dalek work of Nicholas Briggs.

This is a fantastic Dalek story which is elevated by its unique setting and a very game cast. It manages to do something new with the Daleks while still staying true to what makes the monsters iconic. 

[thatonestoreguy]

The Peterloo Massacre

The Fifth Doctor, Nyssa and Tegan make a very unexpected crash landing just outside 19th century Manchester. They’re welcomed to stay in the mansion of the factory owner who’s land they crashed on while the TARDIS repairs itself, but the Doctor can’t shake the feeling that something is amiss. It’s too late by the time he realises they’ve found themselves on the eve of the bloodiest day in Manchester history.

This is the rarest of Doctor Who stories, the pure historical. The only aliens here are the Doctor and Nyssa and the only time travel is the crash landing that strands them in this period. Of course that hardly means the crew is safe. To start, there is drama going on all around them. The Hurley estate the crew finds themselves on highlights all the strife of the early 19th century. The industrial revolution is in full swing and the gap between the haves and the have-nots has widened, causing a growing resentment that will soon reach a boiling point. The conditions in Hurley’s factory are appalling enough to the Doctor before he realizes what’s going to happen. The crew splits up to really explore this period from a number of angles. The growing tension as it becomes more and more clear that the character’s are walking into a disaster really ratchets up as the adventure continues.

The Peterloo Massacre is a real historic event. A peaceful demonstration for parliamentary reform and improved wages was violently broken up by local militia. The characters the crew connects with are fictional, but the tragedies of the day are very real. The adventure does not shy away from these tragedies either. The audio should come with a trigger warning for the level of violence and devastation. This is probably one of the darker pieces of Doctor Who media you’ll find and the fact the events depicted are true to life only adds to that. The episode doesn’t try to sugar coat it or glorify it either. The massacre itself occurs only a little more more than half way through the story. The real angst of the audio comes from the long time we spend in the immediate aftermath of the event. We don’t just see the senseless violence of the moment, but the suffering that follows.

This is a very sobering story. I think it’s beautifully written and really makes you feel for the people involved. It’s not one to listen to if you’re looking for a fun adventure, but it really goes to show the range of stories it’s possible to tell within the worlds of Doctor Who.

[thatonestoreguy]

Last of the Cybermen

Zoe and Jamie are waiting in the TARDIS for the Doctor to return from scouting the strange alien planet they've landed on. They spot him on the view screen running from what looks like a Cyberman, but when they go to meet with the Doctor, he’s become a very different man indeed.

Continuing this trilogy, the Sixth Doctor teams up with some Second Doctor companions as they attempt to discover the truth behind the last remnants of the Cybermen. Humanity thought they won the war and destroyed all but some stranglers, but a secret crucible might reveal a far greater threat. This adventure really uses every piece of the Cybermen lore to its advantage. It even tries to explain some of the differences in appearance and attitude between previous Cybermen stories. It also plays with the idea of a Second Doctor adventure. Not only do they flip the base under siege storyline (the Doctor is the one giving siege to the base as he passes through traps on his way through the crucible), but it also transforms halfway to a very time travel focused story.

Meanwhile, the Sixth Doctor has it a bit easier then the Seventh Doctor did last time. He at least convinces Zoe that he’s the real McCoy, though Jamie is a little suspicious. Ironic considering Jamie is the one who’s met this version of the Doctor more than once, though none of those have happened yet for him. The Doctor is left just as confused by his sudden switch though. Where Seven was afraid he wasn’t making the right choices, Six is convinced none of this would be happening if he didn’t show up. Still, he can’t help but admit it’s fun to see Zoe and Jamie again, and I can’t help but agree. Zoe and Jamie are utilized very well here, as are their backgrounds. Classic Doctor Who had a bad habit of introducing interesting tidbits in a character's origin and then forgetting about it. Zoe’s origins as a human computer ties directly into the story.

Overall I really enjoyed this story and this trilogy continues to deliver. Seeing these companions back in the Big FInish style with a full cast to play against is fantastic. The Companion Chronicles and Past Doctor Adventures can be great, but they never beat the kind of feeling generated by actors bouncing off each other. Though the adventure again offers no explanation of why any of this is happening. Sure, the Doctor makes a few more theories, but they're pieces of a puzzle we don’t know the answer to yet.

[thatonestoreguy]

The Entropy Plague

The Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan, and Turlough are almost out of E-Space, but to leave requires a sacrifice. We know who will have to stay behind, but how and why are far more interesting questions.

The adventure deals with a very complicated problem that challenges the morals of Doctor Who. E-Space is a universe near the end of its life and it’s a race to escape the universe's entropy before it’s too late. For the people of E-Space, N-Space is a safe haven, but to open the portal for the brief moment a ship needs to pass through requires the death of someone young and healthy. Whether the death of one life to save many is worth it is a complicated question, but one the Doctor has a pretty consistent answer to. Death is never the answer and there needs to be another way. Except this time there really isn’t another way. Someone has to stay behind. Even as the adventure gets more complicated and monsters and villains have to be defeated, that central problem remains the same. It makes for an interesting adventure, as the listener is left to wonder not how the Doctor will get out of this one, but how he fails.

This adventure uses a framing narrative which gives away pretty instantly that Nyssa did not, and can never, return with the rest of the crew. The core of the adventure is the Doctor’s explanation to Nyssa’s children about how this came to happen. It’s a very good way to tell the story since as soon as it’s clear that someone has to stay the choice would be obvious. Since Nyssa returned in Cobwebs, the question has always been how she would leave again. This is a fitting end for Nyssa which leaves her in a way very similarly to how she was left in the show. She must remain behind to aid the people of N-Space. However, this time her departure is a sacrifice for the good of her friends and one she makes in good conscience, even as the Doctor tries to stop her. Its a solid departure for one of Doctor Who’s greatest companions and one that has a hint of hope that perhaps this isn’t the end. Of course, it’s not the end for Sarah Sutton as a younger Nyssa continues to appear frequently, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a chance to take a bow.

A solid adventure which gives a final and powerful ending to the character of Nyssa. Her adventures might continue, but (for now) this is her grand finale.