"You've spent your life looking at mask Madame Salvadore, without ever wondering what lay beneath them. Would you like to see beneath my mask..?"
Writer: Mike Tucker
Format: Audio
Released: June 2001
Series: Main Range 21
Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Ace, Bev
Synopsis
On nineteenth-century Earth, artist Edvard Munch hears an infinite scream pass through nature. Centuries later, his painting of that Scream hangs in a gallery on the barren dust world Duchamp 331.
Why is there a colony of artists on a planet that is little more than a glorified garage? What is the event that the passengers of the huge, opulent pleasure cruiser 'Gallery' are hoping to see? And what is hidden in the crates that litter the cargo hold?
The Doctor's diary indicates that the painting is about to be destroyed in 'mysterious circumstances', and when he and Ace arrive on Duchamp 331, those circumstances are well underway.
Why is there a colony of artists on a planet that is little more than a glorified garage? What is the event that the passengers of the huge, opulent pleasure cruiser 'Gallery' are hoping to see? And what is hidden in the crates that litter the cargo hold?
The Doctor's diary indicates that the painting is about to be destroyed in 'mysterious circumstances', and when he and Ace arrive on Duchamp 331, those circumstances are well underway.
Verdict
Dust Breeding is an excellent audio adventure and one full of more than a few surprises! It starts off wonderfully with us learning that the Doctor has his own art gallery inside the TARDIS. The City of Death reference in regards to the Mona Lisa was just beautiful, especially as the Doctor implied his version was the original. The Doctor's answer to having all these paintings in his gallery was so typical Doctor too, he 'rescued' them before they'd be destroyed or stolen in some way. Ace knew that he was stealing them, but the Doctor was humorously adamant that was not the case. The atmosphere of the story was all so eery and tense, especially with Mr Seta. It was obvious from the actor playing that role, the daunting music that accompanied his scenes and the anagram, that this was another alias of the Master! It'd been a while since my last Master story so for him to make an unexpected return, now in the audio format. The explanation to the current incarnation was outstanding. The Master had some difficulty stealing the painting in which the Warp Core was present, but he disturbed it massively and it tore the Trakenite aspect from the Master's body, leaving him similar to how he was before Anthony Ainley took the role. Decayed and dying as seen in The Deadly Assassin and The Keeper of Traken. The Master wasn't the only person making a return in this audio though as Bev Tarrant surprisingly returned which I very much welcomed! I really liked her in The Genocide Machine and now she was back here to add a new dynamic to the pairing of the Seventh Doctor and Ace. It was very similar to the setup of The Shadow of the Scourge. I thought the plot of this story was excellent and the threat posed by the Krill was terrific. The cliffhangers were all superb, part two's being a highlight with the revealing and confirmation that the Master was back. The relationship between the Doctor and the Master was terrific as always and the disgust in the Master's voice once he'd realised that the Doctor had once again got the better of him and the Warp Core turned on him, or rather not thanking or caring for being freed, was just brilliant. The guest cast were very good and I liked the characters of Madame Salvadori, Klemp, Guthrie and Damien! Four great guest cast. The climax was brilliant and I love how although the Master was defeated, he wasn't thwarted and would be making a return in the future. The Doctor would soon enough cross paths with his arch nemesis once again.
Rating: 9/10
Dust Breeding is an excellent audio adventure and one full of more than a few surprises! It starts off wonderfully with us learning that the Doctor has his own art gallery inside the TARDIS. The City of Death reference in regards to the Mona Lisa was just beautiful, especially as the Doctor implied his version was the original. The Doctor's answer to having all these paintings in his gallery was so typical Doctor too, he 'rescued' them before they'd be destroyed or stolen in some way. Ace knew that he was stealing them, but the Doctor was humorously adamant that was not the case. The atmosphere of the story was all so eery and tense, especially with Mr Seta. It was obvious from the actor playing that role, the daunting music that accompanied his scenes and the anagram, that this was another alias of the Master! It'd been a while since my last Master story so for him to make an unexpected return, now in the audio format. The explanation to the current incarnation was outstanding. The Master had some difficulty stealing the painting in which the Warp Core was present, but he disturbed it massively and it tore the Trakenite aspect from the Master's body, leaving him similar to how he was before Anthony Ainley took the role. Decayed and dying as seen in The Deadly Assassin and The Keeper of Traken. The Master wasn't the only person making a return in this audio though as Bev Tarrant surprisingly returned which I very much welcomed! I really liked her in The Genocide Machine and now she was back here to add a new dynamic to the pairing of the Seventh Doctor and Ace. It was very similar to the setup of The Shadow of the Scourge. I thought the plot of this story was excellent and the threat posed by the Krill was terrific. The cliffhangers were all superb, part two's being a highlight with the revealing and confirmation that the Master was back. The relationship between the Doctor and the Master was terrific as always and the disgust in the Master's voice once he'd realised that the Doctor had once again got the better of him and the Warp Core turned on him, or rather not thanking or caring for being freed, was just brilliant. The guest cast were very good and I liked the characters of Madame Salvadori, Klemp, Guthrie and Damien! Four great guest cast. The climax was brilliant and I love how although the Master was defeated, he wasn't thwarted and would be making a return in the future. The Doctor would soon enough cross paths with his arch nemesis once again.
Rating: 9/10
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