The Eighth Doctor tries to visit one of the Wonders of the Universe, but the world and its inhabitants are not what he’s expecting.

Readers of the first Time Lord Victorious novel have already encountered Brian the Ood, but chronologically this is his first adventure as Silas Carson gives us a very different sort of assassin – one who can admire the pretty patterns that corpses make. Sensibly we don’t get loads of back story to explain quite how Brian has come to be this way – we just know that he, with the assistance of course of Mr Ball, will do whatever it takes to fulfil his mission. Kudos to director Scott Handcock for getting Carson back to reprise the role he played across David Tennant’s tenure as the Doctor – it gives a good sense of aural continuity.

The world the Doctor arrives on – or at least the area that he visits – feels pulled out of an idealised world of a Western movie, with a few shakes of the set-up, and there are a couple of scenes that don’t quite land. The soundscape by Peter Doggart works well – particularly the final scenes between the Doctor and Brian.

Verdict: A solid introduction for Brian the Ood Assassin. 7/10

Paul Simpson

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