Dying Light, The coverThe Second Doctor, Jamie and Zoe encounter someone whom the Time Lord never expected to meet again – Quadrigger Stoyn…

Penning a story set in the black and white era of the programme which features as its antagonist one of the Doctor’s fellow Time Lords is something of a juggling act, as various authors – notably David McIntee in the Virgin Missing Adventure The Dark Path – have discovered. Nick Wallace is the latest to try to find a balance between the Doctor and, in this case, Stoyn talking freely about their past (and after all, why shouldn’t they?) and the constraints of the series continuity. It does lead to some odd moments in this story which are caused by the decision to involve this particular TARDIS crew in this second confrontation with Stoyn.

The apparently benevolent leader (Abbot/Great Healer) whose agenda isn’t as straightforward as it seems to those around him is a familiar trope to Who audiences (and to at least one of the companions in this story), but Wallace’s tale doesn’t really present it with a new slant. Terry Molloy and Frazer Hines make good sparring partners as Stoyn and the Doctor, and there are some strong audio landscapes created, but overall while this moves Stoyn’s story forward, it doesn’t stand out in the way many releases have in recent times.

Verdict: A solid story. 7/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order The Dying Light from Big Finish

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