The Land of the Dead

"There is no heart in this place, only shadows."

Writer: Stephen Cole
Format: Audio
Released: January 2000
Series: Main Range 04

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Nyssa

Synopsis

Landing in Alaska, the Doctor and Nyssa encounter a group of people in a most unusual house, cut off not only by the harsh climate but also by their individual secrets and obsessions.

Millionaire Shaun Brett is utilising chunks of the local area to construct a shrine to his dead father. But when deadly creatures start roaming outside, and a terrifying discovery is made inside the house, the Doctor realises that Brett has unleashed an unimaginably ancient force.

Verdict

The Land of the Dead was another very strong Fifth Doctor audio adventure. Having a lot to do to match the standards of Phantasmagoria, this story was definitely close to matching it in terms of quality! A unique adventure as it is the first time ever in performed Doctor Who that we get a Fifth Doctor and sole Nyssa TARDIS pairing. Nyssa was excellent throughout the story and Sarah Sutton sounded as if she was still on board during season 19! Taking place after Time-Flight, the references to leaving Tegan were subtle and you had the sense that the Doctor wanted to avoid any questions about his companion who he'd seemingly forgotten about. Shaun Brett was a good character and his villainous was great. His motives were strangely unique. I really loved the idea of the Permians and they were depicted very well by Stephen Cole. The Alaska setting, briefly 30 years prior to where the main bulk of the story took place (which was a great plot thread), was excellent and definitely something different. The other guest characters were excellent and I enjoyed the relationship between the Doctor and Monica. Tulung was also very good. The plot itself was fantastic with a great climax and I think the pairing of the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa worked wonderfully well and I now look forward to future audios with them together!

Rating: 9/10