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A review by mrcoldstream
Doctor Who: The Land of the Dead by Stephen Cole
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
🙏🏼55% = 825 points = Average!
Part 1 of this story slowly but surely builds tension and atmosphere as Five and Nyssa land in Alaska and slowly get involved in the strange events going on there, all the while we slowly learn about the ambitious Shaun Brett, his right-hand man Tulung, and their ongoing project.
The rest of the story kind of falls apart as a very uneven pace, murky action sequences, and silly, reanimated dinosaur skeleton monster thingies disrupt the initially promising atmosphere. The scope of the story remains very limited, and the audio format doesn't do its ideas justice.
Stephen Cole tries to inject some environmentalist and cultural themes into the plot (such as Native American beliefs), but they feel a bit heavy-handed. The Permians as a very evolved pre-dinosaur species is a good idea on paper, but the execution makes them fall pretty flat.
Despite some dramatic build-up, Part 4 never goes anywhere interesting and remains a bit flat and disappointing. The climax comes and goes with a little fanfare.
The dialogue is clunky in places, particularly when describing the Permians.
Nyssa was never my favourite companion, but she and Five make for a pretty well-oiled TARDIS team, and Sutton slips back into the role with no problems. Peter Davison is as reliable as ever in the lead.
Shaun Brett is arguably the most compelling villain in the Main Range so far, and the story puts a great effort into exploring his motivations, emotions, and ambitions. Tulung is a great sidekick as well, even if Neril Robert's accent can feel a bit forced at times. Andrew Fettes, as Gaborik, suffers from the same problem. Overall, the supporting cast ends up being pretty forgettable.
The snowy and remote Alaskan setting makes for a great landscape for a Doctor Who story! The sound design helps to bring it to life effectively, but the effect wears off after a while since a lot of the story is set indoors.
Part 1 of this story slowly but surely builds tension and atmosphere as Five and Nyssa land in Alaska and slowly get involved in the strange events going on there, all the while we slowly learn about the ambitious Shaun Brett, his right-hand man Tulung, and their ongoing project.
The rest of the story kind of falls apart as a very uneven pace, murky action sequences, and silly, reanimated dinosaur skeleton monster thingies disrupt the initially promising atmosphere. The scope of the story remains very limited, and the audio format doesn't do its ideas justice.
Stephen Cole tries to inject some environmentalist and cultural themes into the plot (such as Native American beliefs), but they feel a bit heavy-handed. The Permians as a very evolved pre-dinosaur species is a good idea on paper, but the execution makes them fall pretty flat.
Despite some dramatic build-up, Part 4 never goes anywhere interesting and remains a bit flat and disappointing. The climax comes and goes with a little fanfare.
The dialogue is clunky in places, particularly when describing the Permians.
Nyssa was never my favourite companion, but she and Five make for a pretty well-oiled TARDIS team, and Sutton slips back into the role with no problems. Peter Davison is as reliable as ever in the lead.
Shaun Brett is arguably the most compelling villain in the Main Range so far, and the story puts a great effort into exploring his motivations, emotions, and ambitions. Tulung is a great sidekick as well, even if Neril Robert's accent can feel a bit forced at times. Andrew Fettes, as Gaborik, suffers from the same problem. Overall, the supporting cast ends up being pretty forgettable.
The snowy and remote Alaskan setting makes for a great landscape for a Doctor Who story! The sound design helps to bring it to life effectively, but the effect wears off after a while since a lot of the story is set indoors.