Doctor Who Review: The First Doctor Volume 2 – ‘Across the Darkened City’ (Audio)
By James Aggas
Steven Taylor is separated from his friends on a darkened world, and the only ally he has is something that can never be trusted, in the second story of ‘The First Doctor Volume 2’.
"On the planet Shade, The Chaons, an invading race of strange, amorphous creatures that ravenously absorb energy, have reduced the city there to a desolate ruin. Separated from the Doctor and Vicki, Steven has to join forces with an unexpected ally to find his way back to the TARDIS. Ahead, lies a nightmare journey through the dark – a test of endurance and trust."
Now I’m going to begin this review by saying something that’s very important. When you listen to this one, the answer to the inevitable question you’ll ask at the start is, “No, you didn’t accidentally skip to part 3.”
Seriously, the second story of The First Doctor: Volume 2 story begins literally in the middle of things. Steven is already separated from the First Doctor and a prisoner of the Daleks. We don’t know the circumstances of how this happened. For this particular story, oddly enough, it’s not important.
What is important is what happens when Steven is forced to trust a Dalek. This isn’t a regular Dalek, though. It’s not eager to kill when someone’s usefulness has ended. It has more of a sense of logic and reason to it. It’s able to recognize when it needs help from another race. But are all of these different elements enough for Steven to trust it? Especially when it’s the only one who can help him get back to his friends?
Daleks: A Darker Era
I adored this story. I’m a massive fan of Sixties Dalek stories – they’re surprisingly darker and grittier than many of the later decades. (Well, apart from The Chase, but the rest of them were solid.)
Across the Darkened City perfectly captures those early Dalek stories. It shows them at their coldest and most ruthless. It’s very atmospheric, it’s incredibly dark and gritty, and it gets the tone of the story exactly right.
It also allows for plenty of decent drama, too. The story is focused on Steven and the Dalek he’s forced to travel with. Neither Steven nor the audience is meant to trust the Dalek. Still, there are enough moments to make you wonder if it really is being genuine about its intentions. The dialogue between Steven and the Dalek is surprisingly effective.
This is easily my favourite of the set. It’s a great psychological story as well as great science-fiction. Writer David Bartlett is a name I hadn’t heard of before this story, but I certainly hope he writes a lot more after this one. Especially Dalek stories. Honestly, I think Nicholas Briggs has a new rival when it comes to the best writer for the metal pepperpots if Bartlett writes more of this high quality.
Oh, and when the story ends and you hear the closing theme, keep listening. Trust me, you’re going to love it.
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