Rage of the Time Lords: Darkness and Light

"They will talk of me as they would their own gods."

Writer: David Llewellyn 

Format: Audio

Released: July 2019

Series: The War Master 3.04

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, War Master

Synopsis

With the Master's plans near completion, his victory is threatened by the presence of his greatest friend and enemy: the Doctor.1

Verdict

Darkness and Light was a decent audio adventure to conclude Rage of the Time Lords, but I must admit that I was hoping this third series of War Master stories would finish in slightly better fashion. That's pretty harsh considering the fact I still gave it a strong rating, but I just love the character so much and having him here alongside the Eighth Doctor is fantastic and just a joy. I think this has definitely been Derek Jacobi's best boxset for his performances as the titular character and that didn't change with this story. I really did think things were going to be different in this one following on from The Missing Link and all the great things that happened there. This one always seemed like it was just waiting on that big moment to happen and in my opinion it never really came. Finding out that Mandrake wasn't all he seemed was interesting but I certainly wouldn't envy his mission set by the CIA! Not only did they want him to stabilise and bring them the weapon that the Master had created, but they also wanted the man himself. They clearly weren't asking for much. Taking things into the deep and distant past, history that is so unfamiliar in the Doctor Who universe, at the time of the Big Bang is quite incredible really. It was a concept I loved and I can't help but feel that it wasn't utilised as well as it could have been. The prospect that there may well be a little bit of the Doctor and the Master in everything was a delightful way to end things and it's just terrific that it could well be the case! Finding the result of the Master's experiment seemed a little underwhelming and needed a little more of an impactful moment for me. The Rage was a very interesting species and I liked the compassion shown to it by the two Time Lords who were in charge of things here on Xenotopia. I think we could have pulled on some of the traits that were extracted to give some continuity but I was fine with what went on here. The relationship between the Doctor and the Master was an interesting one throughout and I really liked their conversation regarding the Time War. They were both wanting no part but it was for very different reasons. That is definitely something that could be played upon should they ever return for a televised story. Throwing in Turma as the hired muscle seemed a little unnecessary for me and I do question what, if anything, he actually brought to the game. It's something fun to play on. One thing I was a fan of occurring in this story was having the Doctor forget the appearance of the Master to ensure that the continuity matched and it certainly did. Utopia is definitely still intact, don't you worry! The Doctor having a plan all along which involved the Rage actually killing itself was an unexpected element of the story, but one I am very grateful for. It worked well, perhaps a little too easily, and the little speech the Rage got to give before parting ways was good. It was a nice enough moment for sure. I would have liked a little more of the Time War itself in this one and I hope it features heavily in the fourth edition. Overall though, this was a good end to what has been a great villain. Overall, a very good audio adventure!

Rating: 7/10