| DUST BREEDING by Mike Tucker |
| Story 21 Synopsis: The Doctor is planning to see The Scream, and save the famous painting before it is mysteriously destroyed. So he and Ace come to Duchamp 331, where they hook up with old acquaintance Bev Tarrant. Duchamp 331 is a dustworld, home to the Outhouse, a collective of artists. Also on the way to Duchamp 331 is the spaceship Gallery, chartered by Madam Salvadori, and host, amongst others to a collector, called Seta. Anyway, to cut a long story short, there is something strange in The Scream, as Ace finds out. Plus, the dust has strange properties, as the Doctor finds out. And the eggs that Seta is transporting are in fact the deadly Krill, as Salvadori's assistant, Klemp finds out. Worse, Mr Seta is The Master! He is after the WarpCore, a powerful thingummy that lives inside The Scream. It was created to thwart the Krill. Now, the Master has brought the Krill back to draw out the WarpCore, and take the power. The Krill run riot on the Gallery, the Doctor is a bit peeved to find that the Master is at the centre of things. The WarpCore defeats the Krill, the Doctor tricks the Master so that he can use his mental power, and everyone left alive lives happily ever after. The End. |
| Review:- I suppose I ought to get this review done whilst I can still remember what the Hell happens. If spoilers ruined Hope for me, then this adventure had no chance. Seta is the Master, and it's slightly tiresome listening for the big revelation that you know is inevitable. On the plus side, the Master has a decent motivation - he wants a power source. Also, the reasoning for him having his Traken voice, if you will, seems to hold up OK. Presumably, this allows Big Finish to stick two fingers up at Antony Ainley, who must have thought he had them over a barrel. On the downside, this is a terribly slim plot to stretch over 4 episodes. The Krill and the WarpCore are the crux of the matter, and the artistry is just a cover. The return of Bev Tarrant is neat, but would perhaps have been more exciting in a story with a different Doctor. As it is, it just seems like ensemble-building, the trouble of which, is there are more people needed than is necessary. This story has had a mixed reception. But there you are. The Doctor as Art Thief? (oh, it's in a good cause, you say - do me a favour. How about "But Ace, if I don't steal Glenn Miller, then he'll be lost forever!" Or, "But Ace, how can you accuse me of destroying great art galleries, to cover up the fact that I'm looting them. And I promise I'm not selling them on at a hefty profit, let alone copying them!") Yes, this is just about Art to draw comparison with Doctor Who's other story that visited an Art Gallery for no good reason, i.e. City Of Death. Mike, don't give up the day job (although, considering the crummy Krill head that's spawned 2 stories now, perhaps a change would do you good?) |
| Disclaimer: I own a copy. |