**spoiler alert** Set in Series B (after the death of Gan) the remainder of the B7 crew (Blake, Jenna, Avon, Vila & Cally) investigate rumours of a my**spoiler alert** Set in Series B (after the death of Gan) the remainder of the B7 crew (Blake, Jenna, Avon, Vila & Cally) investigate rumours of a mysterious Federation project called Archangel.
Again this is a really high quality story with a plot that unfolds just like an episode of the show. You really do feel like you could be watching this one.
The characters are all on point: Avon, Servalan, Blake, Vila... Heck even Jenna gets a little bit of action. My only niggle is the complete uselessness of Cally - She is utterly wasted in this one and I feel that is really bad oversight. We're dealing with a group of cyborgs who communicate telepathically - there's some suggestion of a hive mind and we certainly get chunks of them interacting mentally with 'the program' - Cally is the ideal choice to play a central role here - she could communicate with them, heck at least sense their consciousness but that idea doesn't ever get used.
Other than that though, I really liked this. I particularly love the nature of the project - the next step up from mutoids seems very plausible and the possible application of fusing them with ships... is a concept I find fascinating.
The continuity/B7 universe is solid in this as well. We get a mention of Jenna's friend Virna who crops up in the Liberator Chronicle 4.2: Epitaph, and we get a Gauda Prime Blake epilogue in which he encounters and helps Katri Tam. This one feels very Blake's 7 not only in good depiction of character, but in the representation of the Federation, technology and the nature of the project.
Lastly I also like the way this is written - we get various flashbacks 'artefacts' from different perspectives, and cut scenes which help the pace and make it feel even more like an episode script.
So far I'm highly impressed with the Big Finish B7 spin off range, it's of much higher quality and consistency than a lot of other sci-fi show tie-in fiction. It rarely feels rushed and you get the feeling that the writers are as much fans of the show as the readers. Archangel is a good example. ...more
The Doctor (Paul McGann) and Lucy (Sheridan Smith) take a trip to the seaside. They end up in a deserted Suffolk village where everything seems to havThe Doctor (Paul McGann) and Lucy (Sheridan Smith) take a trip to the seaside. They end up in a deserted Suffolk village where everything seems to have stopped in 1991. Absolutely adore the set up here and not just because, since I'm a Suffolk girl, it's of the local interest. It's really creepy. And when you start bringing in Autons and autonomous ones at that, you think creepy central - sadly not the case and it soon goes downhill, largely due to the plot.
1st off Autons are a very visual enemy and don't work too well in audio. I am pleased this didn't go down the cliched route, rehashing what has gone before: Describing people being attacked by plastic items would be tedious in audio. However I fear this moved a bit too far from the Auton concept - There's no way you would mistake an Auton for a human, they look like plastic mannequins. And yet... the Doctor and Lucie and all the Uzbek soldiers believe they are human. I know these are autonomous autons, but I don't quite get the new appearance.
Secondly one of the biggest strengths of the Auton/Nestene consciousness is its basis in Lovecraft - Anyone who's seen the TV spin off series Auton will note the elder god like Nestene (heck we even get tentacles in Spearhead from space) but we get none of that here. And instead of a nice creepy Suffolk town (again very Lovecraft) it turns out to be oil mines in Uzbekistan and we get this whole plot about the autons wanting to preserve the oil because its the basis for plastic. Having the Nestene Consciousness as a signal was a bit of an anticlimax.
The story also didn't give the Doctor much of a chance to shine. Lucie had a slightly more interesting role, connecting with the missing Auton girl Sally. But I don't know, the Doctor himself isn't very dynamic here.
Overall I was disappointed with this one - production vales are great and the cast do a good job with what they have, however the story is a missed opportunity and this isn't a great vehicle for the Doctor. I love the fact that it features Autons, but honestly it doesn't feel very, for want of a better word... Who-y....more
**spoiler alert** So this audio is a direct sequel to one of my favourite classic Who stories - Robots of Death, but with Sylvester McCoy as the Docto**spoiler alert** So this audio is a direct sequel to one of my favourite classic Who stories - Robots of Death, but with Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor instead of Baker. It begins on a robot transport liner where the Doctor is listening to the 'facts' of events on Sand-miner 4 (ROD) before a similar scenario occurs - members of the crew are being bumped off and security footage shows it to be a robot doing the killing.
It's not a bad story, it's just that having heard the marvellous 'Sons of Kaldor' which does a similar thing, in half the length and much more innovative in its use of the source material, this one comes as a teeny bit of a disappointment. Partly it's down to McCoy being the Doctor - I'm biased, hands up, Tom Baker is THE Doctor for me. I find McCoy's smugness and secretiveness a little annoying at times, particularly here. I like the twist that it's a human killer rather than the robots, who turn out to be innocent, but the whole insane human behind it all... its just a rehash of Robots of death.
The highlight is the casting of Nicola Walker - she plays med tech. Liv Chenka and takes on the companion role since McCoy is flying solo in this one. She's smart, curious, capable but has a real likeability factor - great emotional range and her voice is well suited to audio. This is her first appearance in the Who world and I really hope that Big Finish realise what a gem they have and cast her in subsequent stories. Liv would make a great companion for real, rather than being simply a guest star. Dan Starkey more recognisable as a Sontaran also deserves credit here as Cravenet - he's a great comic character actor and adds some real fun here.
This does a great job of re-evoking the Robots of Death universe, production values are excellent and I do like that this offers up new characters rather than rehashing Uvanov/Toos/Poul/Taren Capell. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but it's not quite as amazing as I'd hoped. ...more
**spoiler alert** This 'sequel' to Robots of Death has The Doctor (Tom Baker) and Leela land on a grounded airship outside Kaldor City. There has been**spoiler alert** This 'sequel' to Robots of Death has The Doctor (Tom Baker) and Leela land on a grounded airship outside Kaldor City. There has been a revolution in Kaldor City and a faction of humans descended from the 20 founding families calling themselves 'The Sons of Kaldor' have taken power and are hunting down and killing all robots. The airship was damaged in a skirmish and the human crew all killed except the captain who is in suspended animation, leaving the robots to run the show. On their own they have adapted and become sentient and definitely don't want to die at the hands of the zealous sons of Kaldor.
Absolutely adored this one. It's an excellent follow up to Robots of Death picking up lots of threads from the classic episode and taking things in new and interesting directions. The most interesting being the robots themselves - in ROD they are the villains and this completely turns that on its head as they become the unlikely heroes. The Founding Families have created an oppressive regime in Kaldor City very similar to the Federation in Blake's 7 - which ties in very nicely with the spin off audio series Kaldor City and has a very Chris Boucher feel.
It's a cracking story, well paced and with top notch production values. I like how we get a whole set of new characters in the ROD universe and this doesn't bring in Taren Capel (Humanity be in him) or Uvanov or any of the other original characters (not that I don't love them to bits, but we've seen them in Corpse Marker and Kaldor City so it's really great to get something fresh.) Rebben Tace is an excellent new villain and I liked poor Commander Lind and the new alien slave force that the sons of Kaldor are using instead of Robots.
This universe is so rich and there's a great deal of potential here to explore - the future of the evolved robots, the history of the founding families, what happened to make them switch to robots.
Fans of Robots of Death are really going to love this one. I was highly impressed with it. ...more
Now I'm a massive fan of the other Kaldor City audios and the whole Chris Boucher universe - DW: Robots of Death/Image of the Fendahl/Blake's 7 - WeapNow I'm a massive fan of the other Kaldor City audios and the whole Chris Boucher universe - DW: Robots of Death/Image of the Fendahl/Blake's 7 - Weapon. Admittedly Checkmate got a bit weird towards the end but I loved the super dark ending and the inclusion of the Fendahl. Storm Mine however.... What the heck?!!! MY HEAD HURTS!!!!!
So it's set 18 months after Checkmate. Blayes wakes up on a storm mine with no idea how she got there. Everything's off - firstly she should be dead (although Checkmate doesn't say that conclusively so maybe she survived) she's never visited a storm mine, the crew look and sound familiar but aren't Uvanov, Toos, Poul etc... but like dream versions of them. Iago her murderer is with her and yet nobody else can see/hear him.... As Blayes (and the audience) try and work out what's going on and who's telling the truth the story moves to some form of evolution but like everything else is so ambiguous it could mean anything. The whole thing seems to centre around the subtle difference between the phrase 'we are all in this together or we need to pull together' -
So the most plausible theory is that Blayes is inside the Fendahl Gestault and this is all a construct leading to her (and thus humanity's) final assimilation? And perhaps Iago is a representation of ego and trying to subvert this. There's loads of eastern mysticism and philosophy references - the fact that the storm mine repeats in a figure eight loop (symbol of infinity) :
"When you set out upon a journey, kill everyone you happen upon: kill your friends and your parents and your children, should you meet them on the road. Kill the topmasters, the firstmasters, and the holy men; only that way can you become free. Only when you have killed everyone will you become truly enlightened." Almost word for word the teaching of Zen Master Linji Yixuan ( If you meet your parents, kill your parents. If you meet your kinfolk, kill your kinfolk. Then for the first time you will gain emancipation).
It would be so nice if this was as straightforward as that - but it isn't. I'm none the wiser whether this enlightenment is a good or bad thing. And we also have issues of evolution and the creation of AI.
There is so much packed in here and so much ambiguity that I don't think it's even possible to come up with a definitive interpretation. I really really struggled. I think what disappointed me most is the possibility of hope which is kind of the antithesis of what Checkmate seemed to imply - and as with the ending of Blake's 7 I just love Chris Boucher's sucker punch endings - so this philosophical mire in my opinion ruins what had been up to this point an amazing series. Paul Darrow makes this listenable and there's so much information relevant to the Kaldor City universe, useful for fan-fiction and heck just understanding the world here that despite being an incomprehensible mess does sadly make storm mine useful.
Overall though this truly made my head explode and I'm no closer to understanding that I was at the end of checkmate. ...more
**spoiler alert** This is the last of the 5 main, linked Kaldor City audio books based on Doctor Who: Robots of Death, sequel novel The Corpse Marker **spoiler alert** This is the last of the 5 main, linked Kaldor City audio books based on Doctor Who: Robots of Death, sequel novel The Corpse Marker and Blake's 7 'Weapon'. This draws all its threads and characters together into one jaw dropping finale which brings in another Chris Boucher Dr Who: Image of the Fendahl. It is super involved and complicated and you need a very good grasp of all the source material and what has gone before to even begin to fathom this one - but if you are a massive Who Geek then this really does do justice to its fans, it's subtle, clever and downright genius for the most part.
To begin then we have Uvanov, Iago and Landerchild trying to sort out the mess of Taren Capel's 2nd Robots of Death fiasco. But while it was the focus of the last instalment, here it plays a very minor role and everything is more or less under control. There is something much darker afoot, hinted at in Carnell's farewell speech suggesting an ancient evil.
So remember the skull from Death's Head? Well it's the same skull from Image of the Fendahl and the Church of Capel are in fact the cult of 12, led by poor, mad Ander Poul (now under the name Paullus) who've got their heart set on Justina as the host for their god. The Doctor if you know your Who, beat the Fendahl by tossing it into a supernova. However now it's back - the supernova having made it stronger. Initial thoughts - we're all doomed. There's no Doctor around and hell if a supernova couldn't kill the damn thing... Kaldor City is done for! Now we all know Chris Boucher likes dark and unexpected endings - I still haven't recovered from Blake's 7, but this.... well now.
There are some really unexpected deaths, the highlight being the confrontation between Cotton and poor Rull in hospital. Amazing writing and such great black humour. We also get a 'this town ain't big enough for the both of us' showdown between Iago and Blayes (interestingly NOT Carnell who has fled) - up to this point it's 5* OMG this is awesome but then it all goes to the weird. And I'm still struggling to piece it all together.
So with no obstacles the 12 succeed this time around in resurrecting the Fendahl. Everything's fucked. The Blayes/Iago shoot out went down. I think Blayes got killed (but I'm not 100% sure) and Iago lies bleeding to death when Justina now the core of the Fendahl comes to him. Because Justina truly loved Iago she offers to let him time-travel back in time, which he does, to the point in Occam's Razor where he's objecting to Justina's painting. Here he shoots Justina (presumably to stop the Fendahl before it can manesfest) but then Carnell turns up and kills Iago. WTF?!
So the main upshot is that there is no escaping the Fendahl (a metaphor for evil and the darkness of the human soul?) and whatever you do you're fucked I think. But I'm struggling to work out why/how Carnell kills Iago and hell what happened to Carnell (I mean last we saw he ran away) - If you infer that Carnell is Stael from IOTF (note both were played by the same actor) then perhaps he died to become part of the Fendahl? In which case his presence might enable some sort of 'letting go' before absorption sort of thing for Justina and Iago - If Iago is able to shoot Justina then he doesn't love her - so she is able to give up and embrace the darkness. Iago is defeated by Carnell the only character to offer him serious challenge, so he too is forced to give up and embrace the darkness... Maybe. I'm reaching here. Honestly, the ending really left me scratching my head.
Other than the truly bizarre ending I have to say that the Kaldor City audios are amongst the best Who audio adventures out there - They are consistently good with witty writing, complex plot and an amazing voice cast - Paul Darrow and Brian Croucher really are amazing here - Normally with linked Who stories you get some weaker ones but not so here, all 5 stories are all brilliant and incredibly clever, sometimes perhaps even too clever. Everything is included for a reason and really challenges the listener. It expects its fans to be intelligent and to piece things together and make all the right inferences. In some cases perhaps it's a tad too subtle and ambiguous but that is part of it's genius.
Highly recommended and I think these will get better the more times you listen, because once you know the basic plot, you can start looking for the clues that were there right from the very beginning....more
This 4th Kaldor City audio is a worthy sequel to Doctor Who: Robots of Death, detailing the second phase of Taren Capel's plan. OMG does this end on aThis 4th Kaldor City audio is a worthy sequel to Doctor Who: Robots of Death, detailing the second phase of Taren Capel's plan. OMG does this end on a mighty cliff-hanger so have 'Checkmate' on hand!
It's incredibly involved, and you need to have a good knowledge of the source material (Robots of Death, Corpse Marker, the previous Kaldor City audios and Blake's 7 Weapon) but if you do, you'll really appreciate the excellent writing and plotting, weaving all the characters and threads together.
So Iago finally makes his move against Carnell. I particularly like the chess imagery in this one - Carnell has programmed a Voc 31 with Taren Capel's profile and plays chess against him - the game mirroring all the strategies and characters in the series.
Whilst this one is pretty plot heavy there are some nice character moments - Justina going to Carnell for romantic advice (she's in love with Iago and wants him to love her in return) and Cotton (the wonderful Brian Croucher) who gets to arrest Landerchild. And lets not forget Iago/Uvanov - I do so love how they try and manipulate each other.
Definitely not a stand alone, at first I found this one a bit less interesting than the earlier tales but by the end it really comes into its own.
So in terms of timeline, this one's a direct sequel to Chris Boucher's Robots of Death sequel novel 'Corpse Marker' - We begin with Uvanov & LanderchiSo in terms of timeline, this one's a direct sequel to Chris Boucher's Robots of Death sequel novel 'Corpse Marker' - We begin with Uvanov & Landerchild attending the funeral of ex-First-master Pitter, and neither seem too cut up about it. The main plot centres around Blayes (whom we met in Death's Head) she's defected it would seem and has joined a band of Tarenist terrorists about to attack an oxygen plant. Uvanov is further hindered by the fact that he's had to take on Cotton (Brian Croucher) as his bodyguard whilst Iago takes a leave of absence, ostensibly to visit his sick mother....
Weakest thing about this one is the plot and trying to get your head around who's working for whom. Just who's side is Blayes really on? I'm still uncertain... Uvanov believes she's working for him, Landerchild thinks she's working for him, the Tarenists think she's working with them and behind it all.... psycho-strategist Carnell though he definitely seems to be slipping....
The highlight is character (and performance). Massive Paul Darrow fan and he is awesome here. Iago's interaction with Uvanov is priceless - I love the scene where he asks for leave of absence for compassionate leave and Uvanov calls him the least compassionate man he's ever met:
"You'd shoot an orphan in the face to win at musical chairs during a children's tea party"
Brian Croucher is at his funniest yet as Cotton follows Iago's schedule to the letter - which happens to include screwing Justina (for at least 30 minutes) - Her reaction when she opens the door and finds Cotton is comedy gold.
It's astonishing how sympathetic Iago is as a character - I mean this guy shoots innocent hostages, goes awol to assassinate someone who's pissed him off, has sex pencilled into his daily schedule and yet.... you can't help but root for him. Partly it's the voice and maybe a little bleed through from Avon - but it's also his wit and ruthlessness pitted against the villainy of the other characters. Writing is excellent!
If you like character, dialogue, dark intrigue and manipulation you should definitely check out this series. It is super involved but personally I loved it. ...more
**spoiler alert** While perhaps not as tight in terms of plot as Occam's Razor there's still a huge amount to praise in this second Dr.Who (Robots of **spoiler alert** While perhaps not as tight in terms of plot as Occam's Razor there's still a huge amount to praise in this second Dr.Who (Robots of Death)/Blake's 7 (Weapon) crossover audio.
An assassin tries to kill Uvanov with the skull of Taren Capel coated in poison. The plot fails because the assassin gets poisoned himself before Uvanov touches the skull. He thought he was safe having taken an antidote only to find that he's been betrayed. Uvanov's bodyguard, assassin Kason Iago (the awesome Paul Darrow) offers to investigate, but Uvanov feels he may be compromised since he's screwing his PA, the woman who let the poisoner in....
Character on this is brilliant and there are some razor sharp lines of dialogue. Paul Darrow steals the show, but then when doesn't he? Kaston Iago, (Imagine if Avon was a villain) is such a great character, smart, suave manipulative and deadly. I love conversation where Uvanov reveals Iago has placed a bug in the hair of his lover, PA Justina - when questioned about the possibility of her brushing it out, he says deadpan, "I didn't say it was on her head...." you just think OMG you calculating bastard!
The rest of the voice cast are good too - I love Brian Croucher as Cotton, probably far more than I ever loved him as Travis (I always thought Stephen Grief had better presence) but as the somewhat dim but ever amusing Cotton, Croucher does a great job. The introduction of far too bright Blayes is cool also, I hope she appears in subsequent stories.
The structure on this one's a little odd, with Carnell like a Greek Chorus. I think I'd have preferred him more involved in the action although it does kind of work and certainly ties in very well with the ending as you finally discover just how many strategies are in play.
I'm not sure how this works as a stand alone or if you're unfamiliar with the source material, however if you're a huge B7 and Who geek, this series is like a dream come true. It's super involved with quite twisted and brilliant characters trying to outmanoeuvre each other.
If you're a Blake's 7 and Dr Who fan - the Kaldor City audios are an absolute treat.
So we're in the DW: Robots of Death Universe, generally speaking aIf you're a Blake's 7 and Dr Who fan - the Kaldor City audios are an absolute treat.
So we're in the DW: Robots of Death Universe, generally speaking after Chris Boucher's sequel novel Corpse Marker (well Uvanov is Firstmaster Chairholder now. However you really do have to ignore the fact that Carnell was defeated and absconded with tail between his legs and just imagine he's back working for Uvanov.) The planet is an isolated world, in the wider Blake's 7 universe and we have to assume that the Company is, if not 'officially' run by the Federation, at least infiltrated by Federation personnel. In B7 terms I guess this is likely after the last series and you have to imagine Avon survived, absconded to Kaldor City, changed his identity to Kaston Iago and became an assassin.
So in keeping with Robots of Death, this is another murder mystery with Uvanov at the heart. Bodies of key board members (of the 20 ruling families) are turning up dead in front of Uvanov (one on his desk, another sent to him through the post....) He turns to psycho-strategist Carnell to help him solve the case. The obvious suspect is assassin Iago (Paul Darrow) who happens to be on holiday in Kaldor City. However after Uvanov's military fail to bring him in, Iago confronts Uvanov privately and tells him he's innocent. He offers to help solve the case. You then get this tense rivalry between Carnell and Iago as the body count rises and they try and work out whodunnit.
The highlight of this is the interplay between Carnell and Iago. I love how they constantly try and out plot each other. Darrow is amazing as Iago, not only does he have a voice I could listen to forever and razor sharp dialogue, but his suave and cynical character is like Avon... only Avon gone to the bad which is how you imagine the character might well have gone after events in the last episode.
The voice cast do a superb job with this and the dialogue is brilliant. It is very dialogue heavy and less reliant on special effects as many of the other Blake's 7 and Who audios. I don't think that's a bad thing but it does take a little while to get into.
It's rather refreshing that although this is set in the Robots of Death universe the story doesn't really centre around robots at all but very human characters and motivations. This also brings out lots of Boucher's signature themes: � People not being who they seem � Assassins � Paranoia, secret agents, spies and mistrust � Aristocracy vs the herd � Psycho-strategist, puppet-masters, conspiracy & manipulation � Population control and suppression
Really looking forward to the rest of this series. I loved this one....more
David Collings (Chief Mover Poul) reads Chris Boucher's sequel to Robots of Death. He does a pretty decent job with the material and being audio this David Collings (Chief Mover Poul) reads Chris Boucher's sequel to Robots of Death. He does a pretty decent job with the material and being audio this gets rid of all the editorial mistakes to be found in the novel itself.
This is still an overly complex plot with far too many characters, not enough story and a lame pay off. However the audio version really helps bring this alive hence the extra star.
World building and character are excellent and I love the widening of the Robots of Death microcosm to include Kaldor City and of course the hint that it is part of the Blake's 7 universe.
I struggled a bit with the Carnell sections, it's really not until the end when his plot is revealed that you finally understand what's going on - but I didn't feel his character came across strongly enough. Or maybe it's just he's overshadowed by The Doctor, Leela, Toos, Uvanov, Poul, Con, Padil who are more easily accessible.
I have to wonder if this would have worked better as a full cast radio drama, however it's still well worth a listen for Robots of Death and Kaldor City fans. ...more
Now I'm a massive fan of both Doctor Who and Blake's 7 and Chris Boucher's TV work in particular. I think Robots of Death is a masterpiece so you can Now I'm a massive fan of both Doctor Who and Blake's 7 and Chris Boucher's TV work in particular. I think Robots of Death is a masterpiece so you can imagine my excitement at a sequel, written by Boucher and bringing in Blake's 7 elements (here the character of Psycho-Strategist Carnell from the B7 episode 'Weapon' and the hint that the world here is part of the B7 wider universe). However I can't help being rather disappointed with the result.
The plot is very involved and convoluted and if you have little knowledge of Robots of Death and the concept of a psycho-strategist then this is going to make no sense whatsoever. It is not a DW adventure you can pick up and enjoy as a general fan and indeed it fails utterly as a stand alone. It is very much an episode of the larger multi-media whole (TV: Robots of Death/B7 Weapon, Audio Books: Kaldor City).
The narrative structure is ghastly. We follow 7 separate sets of different characters - The Doctor/Leela and her new ally Padil/Poul/Uvanov/Toos/Carnell/Robot SASV1 and we have a multitude of minor characters as well, various techs, members of the 20 aristocratic families, and a load of anti-robot rebels - trying to juggle the cast as we weave back and forth between the different stands is a nightmare. This reads like a screenplay - there's very little description and we get loads of cut scenes - we'll leave characters and then rejoin them somewhere else and you have to infer a great deal. (eg we leave the Doctor and Con being hemmed in by robots at one point and Con breaks the nose of their master. Next time we see them the Doctor and Con are in a cage.... eh? You just have to imagine the scene in between). You'll also in some cases get explanation after the fact - like there being a trap in a docking bay laid for Poul yet we only learn later on why the robots assumed he was going to be there.
The plot itself is over-complicated and unsatisfying. Part of this is down to the dreadful structure and writing style but the story itself is also problematic - I had so many questions I kept a notebook on hand and of my 10 questions I had by the end of the novel, only 3 were really answered. You also have so many different secret agents, conspiracies and betrayals that you question every single character's loyalties - so as well as keeping track of the characters themselves you're also trying to work out who's working for whom and what their motivations are. Great in an ongoing series. In a novel... MAJOR HEADACHE! And I have to say that with many of the minor characters... I just didn't care. It's like oh so this minor aristo's a villain.... oh ok.
As well as awkward writing, the editing is poor and really gets bad towards the end as if the editor didn't even bother with the last couple of chapters. Carnell becomes Carnel, Camel and even Capel/Cappell in a couple of instances (which is another character entirely) It set me to giggle every time he's referred to as Camel.
Such a shame because the premise and source material are amazing. I also have to give this credit for superb characterisation and some excellent dialogue.
This also evokes the Robots of Death setting remarkably well. I love the universe and tensions and this also brings out lots of Boucher's signature themes: � The fallibility of human memory � Fear of Technology � Paranoia, secret agents, spies and mistrust � Aristocracy vs the herd � Psycho-strategist, puppet-masters, conspiracy & manipulation � Population control and suppression � Robot with a split personality (like in DW: Face of Evil)
I also like some of the role-reversals here - Uvanov working with robots Taren Capel being the god of the anti-robot rebels The Doctor being mistaken for Taren Capel
If you are a really in depth Who geek who knows the source material then you are really going to appreciate this one, even if the narrative is all over the place, character and world building are top notch. If you just fancy picking up a random Who novel however, this really is not a good one to go for....more
This 2nd Blake's 7 annual is more adult that the 1979 one and the stories are more in keeping with the show. However it's still not great.
The featuresThis 2nd Blake's 7 annual is more adult that the 1979 one and the stories are more in keeping with the show. However it's still not great.
The features are all hard science space facts (based on available data from the 70's) and pathetically I could answer very few of the quiz questions, so that gives you an idea of the difficulty level here - The puzzles just aren't that fun, compared to the silliness of last volume. Again we get a simple boardgame at the back which has things like "Attack by Travis!" win advance. Which at least has a marginal B7 connection.
There are 5 illustrated stories:
� Planet of No Escape � Museum Piece � Sabotage � A Task for Bondor � Red for Danger
Which are, while not great, at least in the spirit of the show and in which the characters are acting to type. The first two are probably the best - 'Planet of No Escape' has the crew going back to Cygnus Alpha to effect a jail break and I love how they actually get in the way. Museum Piece is also interesting - The crew are on the hunt for an information gathering satellite to stop it getting into the hands of the Federation. It gets found by robot archivists of a space museum and Avon & Blake get made into a tableaux there and have to be rescued. Nice idea even if not handled as well as it could be. Sabotage has Vila discover a couple of cryogenically frozen chemists specialising in making weapons. A Task for Bondor has Blake try and get a retired freedom fighter back into action and Red for Danger has the crew fall into another trap devised by Travis. Illustrations are serviceable but not great.
So this one's ultimately forgettable. The stories are fine, if abrupt, but honestly not that great. I feel a distinct lack of Servalan who, so integral to B7 is bizarrely absent. Other than the Federation guard on the back cover there are no photos from the show whatsoever, and there are no interviews/features or anything remotely connected to the cast or crew. Bit disappointing really....more
In Blake's 7 Avon is referred to as a machine and prizes logic very highly indeed. This Story runs with that idea mixing in the Turing Test which asksIn Blake's 7 Avon is referred to as a machine and prizes logic very highly indeed. This Story runs with that idea mixing in the Turing Test which asks whether a robot could fool someone into thinking it's a woman.
So Avon poses as an android and Vila his creator in order to infiltrate a bunch of scientists who are working on creating (basically Cylons) for the Federation. Here Avon encounters 14, a female android almost as human as he is machine, and he is moved to rescue her only the scientists have built in a fail safe that means she'll die if she leaves the complex.
Avon fans are not going to want to miss this one. Paul Darrow has a voice I could listen to forever and he is on top form as the main narrator here - Michael Keating is also great as Vila - although his role isn't as integral, this story really is all about Avon. Like 'Rumours of Death' this one is beautifully tragic and really deepens Avon's character.
Excellent story, superb narration, I really can't fault this one....more
After the stunning Battleground/Drones I can't help feeling deeply disappointed with this 4th B7 audio. In terms of continuity it picks up the thread After the stunning Battleground/Drones I can't help feeling deeply disappointed with this 4th B7 audio. In terms of continuity it picks up the thread that the Federation have a computer to rival ORAC - FEDORAC and Blake and Avon go in search of it. I was so excited by this idea because the implications are terrifying. Sadly the pay off is really lame - Fedorac is nothing more than a mirror reflecting the information that Orac has sent through Federation channels. The idea of mirrors is further explored as Blake, Avon and Villa are subjected to a psychotropic drug on the automated planet. Blake sees Travis, Avon sees Blake and Villa meets himself - core idea here is awesome but again fails to live up to expectation. This part of the story relies heavily on technology that isn't explained in enough detail and the character elements just fall a bit flat.
Jenna and Cally have a separate adventure on a different planet - going after the officer who killed Jenna's father which turns out to be a ploy by Travis.
The voice cast do a wonderful job and make the most of what is at best a mediocre story with far too many missed opportunities. Travis is superbly villainous and as much as I far prefer Stephen Grief in the role Brian Croucher does OK - with such a distinctive voice, he works well in audio and really gets a chance to shine in this story.
This one's still engaging and a fun B7 adventure, just a biy lacklustre after what has gone before. Have Cold Fury on hand as this one leaves you on another clifhanger....more
This is the sequel to the wonderful 'Trail of the White Worm' and picks up from the cliffhanger of The Master opening a wormhole to let in a hellish aThis is the sequel to the wonderful 'Trail of the White Worm' and picks up from the cliffhanger of The Master opening a wormhole to let in a hellish alien invasion.
Oh dear. What a let down! For inspiration this picks up themes from The Android Invasion (1975) The portal leads to Oseidon where a bunch of Kraal and their android minions invade - but it's all a ruse to divert the attention from the Master's real plans....
The plot is over-complicated with android doppelgangers all over the place and unmaskings worthy of Scooby-Doo. I could deal with that if it was a good story but sadly it's a bit lame - This is The Doctor and his nemesis the Master! - there's so much fodder here for wit, out manoeuvring each other and the Doctor showing off his intellect with a worthy opponent - I didn't feel that at all here. The Master's plot bored me and I just wasn't feeling the electricity between our two Timelords.
Trail of the White Worm was so good because of its source material - throwing in Hammer, Lair of the White Worm and adding the Doctor to make something new and exciting. There's no myth or literary references in the Oseidon Adventure - it's all Who, and Who at it's most alien - While it's true to cannon without the outside references it weakens audience connection somehow. This is hard sci-fi where as the better Who stuff is a hybrid of horror, drama, fantasy with SF elements.
Saying that it's not awful - as ever the cast do a decent job. I liked the voices of the Kraal and Baker goes without saying. I think i was most disappointed in The Master who wasn't nearly evil or insidious enough. The biggest highlight are the pop culture references - like the colonel's demands to shut down the BBC and abolish free school milk. And there's a comedy gem at the end where it's revealed that the horse that's been stolen by the Kraal is in fact Shergar. That made me giggle.
Overall though - meh. Sadly one of the weaker Tom Baker audios and such a let down after part 1....more
Anthology of Jodorowsky's Metal Hurlant stories - The core of a planet becomes a screaming comet after it is forced to destroy its inhabitants - It's Anthology of Jodorowsky's Metal Hurlant stories - The core of a planet becomes a screaming comet after it is forced to destroy its inhabitants - It's infinite sorrow touches a few sentient beings on various worlds as it passes by - Each of the stories features someone 'enlightened' by the comet.
This features a variety of artists, styles and stories ranging from cautionary tales, philosophical fantasy to space satire. Loyal Khondor is one of the episodes used in the TV series and I have to say I'm a little disappointed. Loved the episode/story but Pascale Alixe's art isn't as good as some of the other pieces in here, I found the characters quite ugly.
Master of Destiny Is the other episode from the TV series and one of the highlights here - fabulous art by Adi Granov and a really fun sucker-punch ending.
My favourite though Is the first story Invasion - I have a huge weakness for SF featuring races of giant insects and I loved the plot twist and Igor Baranko's art.
The Guilt is really fun satire and I also liked the vampire tale Eucharist Sun.
If you like Heavy Metal Magazine and this type of European SF-Satire comics then Screaming Planet is a wonderful addition - even the weaker stories leave you thinking....more
This re-print of the Trina Robbins' 1985 graphic novel adaptation of Tanith Lee's novel is everything you could ask for.
The story is a simple coming oThis re-print of the Trina Robbins' 1985 graphic novel adaptation of Tanith Lee's novel is everything you could ask for.
The story is a simple coming of age tale about 16 year old plain Jane who falls in love with Silver, a robot troubador and runs off with him escaping her mother's shadow. Trina's bold simple art sets it off beautifully and its so refreshing to have a SF romance by women, for women - this really does not fit into any graphic novel niche. Love the character on this - Jane is very real and flawed having all the doubts and insecurities a normal 16 year old would.
This new hardback edition is gorgeous. Not only a wonderful, glossy re-print of the long out of print story but lots of bonus content too. Highlight for me was Trina's earlier attempt at adapting Lee (Exercise in Gold being the dream sequence from Don't Bite the Sun) - This featured in Heavy Metal 2 #9 (1979) and I thought I was going to have to go through my Heavy Metal back issues to find it, when lo, it's in the bonus material. There are bios of Lee, Robbins as well as Gail Simone, Storm Constantine and Collen Doran (who also did the wonderful cover art for this edition), and essays from Lee and Constantine plus background on the graphic itself.
Fans of Tanith Lee and the history of women in comics are going to want to check this out. I was rather impressed. ...more
This TPB contains Barbarella #1-4 plus a gallery of all the variant covers of the four issues.
#1-3 has our sexy space traveller land on a planet ruledThis TPB contains Barbarella #1-4 plus a gallery of all the variant covers of the four issues.
#1-3 has our sexy space traveller land on a planet ruled by the (largely male) priesthood where desire is outlawed. She is found guilty of smuggling bio-contraband (female sex organs) which are surgically removed before she's imprisoned. In prison she meets spy Quire who becomes her lesbian lover and the pair escape to continue Quire's mission. Things take a dark turn when it seems the mission is genocide and despite hating the priests and their rigid belief system is genocide really the answer?
Art on this arc is particularly strong - especially issue 1 - it feels like a lot of European comics which ties in nicely with her French origins.
#4 is a stand alone. Barbarella has a dalliance with a wealthy purple empath who provides bespoke planets for those that can afford them. However he needs to sabotage his latest project to save face after things go wrong - and that means killing off anyone who tries to stop him... including his new lover. While the art isn't as pretty I quite enjoyed this one shot story.
Overall this is better than you'd expect it to be - more Aeon Flux than Barbarella the movie. For those of you who like sexy space heroines who kick ass this is worth checking out....more
Set in a dystopian cyberpunk future world Megalex - the laws are simple: mandatory addiction to drugs, prohibition of all human labour and prohibitionSet in a dystopian cyberpunk future world Megalex - the laws are simple: mandatory addiction to drugs, prohibition of all human labour and prohibition of any sort of biological conception. Against this insane tyrannical regime, ruled over by mummy king yod, evil queen Marea and their heartless princess Kavatah, there are two opposing forces - Externally the alien threat of the Malak and internally an anti-tech resistance movement, led by the scientists who created the whole mess in the first place.
Jodorowsky's sublime mix of satire, futurism and eastern mysticism is perfectly set off by Beltran's gorgeous art - This looks fantastic and has the story to back it up.
It's a fusion of 2000AD, Logan's Run (the general populace is killed at 40), Incal and things like Requiem Vampire Knight.
If you like Heavy Metal magazine, the work of Jodorowsky and European sci-fi satire (like Enki Bilal) you're in for a real treat with this one. I adored it....more
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