Death in the New Forest

"I've witnessed trees praying to New Gods."

Writer: Roland Moore
Format: Audio
Released: March 2018
Series: Tales From New Earth 1.02

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Devon

Synopsis

On his first mission for Senator Hame, Devon crosses continents to arrive in the New Forest and meet its people.

Trees are dying of unnatural causes, Sapling Vale, a cutting of the noble Jabe of the Forest of Cheem, will help Devon investigate the threat to her people.

So too will an alien, an old friend of New Earth... a time traveller known as the Doctor!

Verdict

Death in the New Forest was another really good audio adventure! I am really liking the Tales From New Earth boxset and I would certainly encourage any fans who were like me and very sceptical about the release to give it a try! It really is quite different with the futuristic setting and mingling of different natural species which gives it a unique dynamic. It's definitely one that works and I liked the story that was told here. We followed on from Escape From New New York with Devon seeking out Thorn's family to tell them of his sacrifice and death, but it turned out that there was something horrific going on in the New Forest and Thorn's family had fallen victim. They were dead. Where Senator Hame played a big role in the previous audio, I was delighted that Sapling Vale accompanied Devon for this one. She was a great character and I thought it was fantastic that she was a cutting from Jabe of the Forest of Cheem. It was really nice to hear how much she was revered on New Earth, even amongst the new humans, and the Doctor was also there because of her and what she did for him in The End of the World. It was very good to mention that story and the Doctor's previous incarnation, and it was just good to have the Tenth Doctor feature. I would have preferred it if Jacob Dudman was able to provide his skills as David Tennant's incarnation as there were a few moments where Kieran Hodgson didn't quite sound different to his main character of Devon. But then on the other hand, there were some phrases and moments where he sounded exactly like the Tenth Doctor! It was a weird little character performance. I think it has something to do with the fact that it wasn't Tennant himself performing, but I was a little surprised that the presence of the Doctor didn't really take the focus off of Devon. He is a very likeable character and his role in everything that is going on with the Lux and New Earth is great with him being a new human. I like what he brings to the overall story. The Termitons proved to be good enemies and a conflict regarding the land of the New Forest and continent was excellent. Billions of years into the future and there would still be disagreements and murders over who owned what and who could go where. Devon's struggles to get across the border were good and I liked that there was a whole Termiton mound. One left. They were voiced terrifically and I was a big fan of the fact they were not subsidiary to the Lux in this story. They actually used them and their technology for their own plan and were so close to wiping out the Tree-kind and their religion. Touching upon a religious theme was good but I was glad that it wasn't the primary focus. Xylem Maple Dorm being identified as the next target for the Termitons and their Light was good but I was surprised that the Doctor had a history with him. The ending was quite shocking though with Vale having no other choice but to use the Lux technology against the Termitons and destroy the mound and taking them with it. It saved an entire planet and species, but it was not something she wanted to do. She simply had to do it. The Doctor was surprisingly sympathetic so he really must have believed there was no other way and he understands the choice she made and will have to live with. The promise at the end that he will be keeping an eye on New Earth was great as I hope he will appear in at least one more adventure. Overall, a very good story!

Rating: 8/10