Outsiders

"There is nothing to fear..."

Writer: James Swallow

Format: Audio

Released: December 2009

Series: Cyberman 2.01

Featuring: Samantha, Barnaby 

Synopsis 

Earth has fallen to the Cybermen;

But the war has only just begun...

Across the planet, the silver legions stand impassive in every city; mankind has sacrificed its freedoms for the sake of a distant conflict against its android creations, and now the price must be paid. On the streets, in the depths of space, a web of lies and deceit draws ever tighter, and the lines between human and android, between enemy and ally, are blurred. Only one choice remains - resist or surrender...

Verdict 

Outsiders was an excellent start to the second series of the Cyberman audio spinoff! I must admit I was not expecting to be listening to the second series immediately following the first but after doing some research on purchasing the boxset of series two, I found out that getting a physical copy of the CDs, something I always prefer to have, would prove either extremely difficult or very expensive. I have just started work for the summer (something else that contributed to my listening of this today) and my intention is to save a considerable amount for sight seeing holidays abroad and Wales away trips in the football. After watching my beloved nation at the Euros recently, I absolutely loved going to France to support my team and I'm now hoping to watch us away as often as I can. University will get in the way of that but once my student loan comes in again, I'm looking forward to saving up the money. That might mean I have to choose my Doctor Who purchases very wisely and really concentrate on what I already have, something I really should do more of. However, having a large supply of unblogged Doctor Who is beneficial. But as I say, purchasing this audio physically would be around the £50 mark whilst downloading alone would've been £25. So thanks to Audible and a free trial that I immediately cancelled, I was able to download this second series completely free of charge which is just incredible! With the length of the audios, and starting work, I thought I may as well continue straight away with the second series and complete the spinoff. It's going to be hugely beneficial considering there was a four year gap between each series original release but I liked how despite a change of writer, the atmosphere and style of the stories remain very much the same. One thing I must criticise though is the covers. I think they're horrific I must say which is a shame because I thought the ones for the first series were fantastic. I'm delighted that Samantha and Barnaby are going to continue to be the main characters and I liked where their story went here. They were separated at the end after Samantha blew her cover as an android on the Antares and the rescue team were soon quick to arrest Barnaby and chase after Samantha who escaped. Some of the new characters were great with Hazel, Yan and Milo particularly standing out. I love the situation on Earth with the Cybermen ruling supreme and Paul Hunt being used as nothing more than a puppet. The Cybermen really are in control now and I'm looking forward to seeing how their plans come into action. I certainly got a similar to feel to how life on Earth was in the year that never was under the Master's rule in Utopia/The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords and that was excellent. The reference to Telos was great and I liked the action packed ending with the main characters getting separated. Overall, a fantastic start to the series!

Rating: 9/10