Doctor Who Mega Review - Big Finish's August Releases

MONTHLY RANGE 176 €“ "Starlight Robbery"

rating: 4

Sick of the same-old slaughter-appliances? In need of a killer new killing-machine? Then look no further than Garundel Galactic's secret arms auction. Blasters, tanks, missiles and bombs €“ no bang too big or micro-laser too small. If you've got the credits, Garundel's got the kill-sticks. (Cash buyers get preferential rates.) In search of the key to a sinister alien technology, the Doctor, Klein and Will set their sights on an illicit intergalactic arms fair run by an old acquaintance €“ the slippery Urodelian crook, Garundel. But what are their chances of pulling off a particularly audacious heist from under the noses of Garundel and his alien clients, the ever-belligerent Sontarans...?

STARRING: Sylvester McCoy (The Doctor), Tracey Childs (Dr Elizabeth Klein), Christian Edwards (Will Arrowsmith), Stuart Milligan (Garundel), Dan Starkey (Marshal Stenn/Major Vlaar/Sergeant Gredd/Asallis), Jo Woodcock (Ziv), Lizzie Roper(Krakenmother Benarra) Here we have the continuation of Arrowsmith's and Klein's journey in the TARDIS. It is, I am pleased to say, a resounding success. Yes, Garundel sounds a bit too much like Roger from American Dad!, but otherwise this is a good, solid story. I particularly liked the way the Sontarans were portrayed. Unlike their recent appearances on the TV series, they aren't played for laughs, and they are shown as being deadly, but honorable, warriors who don't massacre civilians for poops and giggles. I will say the voices were a bit distracting at times, as one Sontaran often sounded very much like an old school Sontaran while the other sounded quite new school (given the vocal talents of Dan Starkey, who plays Strax in the new series, this isn't much of a surprise). The other major interesting point is that Klein is learning more and more about her "past", and I'm getting very curious to see where this is going to go. In my wildest and wettest, we wind up seeing her arriving at Colditz and meeting a certain Feldwebel... The acting is, of course, quite good, with all concerned doing excellent jobs. As for a purchase recommendation, yes, I absolutely recommend this story for buying. It is true that you'll be slightly lost if you haven't heard the other parts, but if you have even a passing familiarity with the Seventh Doctor and the Sontarans, you'll do just fine.