The Destroyer of Delights

"We need that segment."

Writer: Jonathan Clements
Format: Audio
Released: February 2009
Series: Monthly Adventures 118

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Amy

Synopsis

"You will be always looking in the wrong place. I have searched through all of Time and I cannot find it."

The search for the Key to Time has stalled: the next segment does not appear to exist anywhere in the universe. Forced into a temporary alliance with one of his greatest enemies, the Fifth Doctor suggests a course of action that is a validation of chaos itself.

Thrown at random across space and time, the Doctor and Amy arrive in 9th century Sudan, where the greedy Lord Cassim is hoarding gold from the Legate of Caliph. But why does Cassim look so familiar? What is the mysterious Djinni that lives out in the desert? And why does it need so much treasure?

Verdict

The Destroyer of Delights was a very good continuation of the Key 2 Time story arc that is occurring in what is now known as the Monthly Adventures from Big Finish! I really liked this one and it was a good follow up to The Judgement of Isskar, continuing right where that one left off with the Black Guardian saving the Doctor and Amy from crashing into a sun. I like the idea of the Black Guardian returning for a one off where the Key to Time is concerned, and it was refreshing to hear something knew regarding the all powerful Guardians. We heard the booming voice we became so accustomed to on television, but then we were able to hear how the Black Guardian transformed shape and voiced brilliantly by David Troughton. I thought it was good that the Doctor mentioned Turlough early on and how the Black Guardian tried to have him killed. The concept of the fifth segment of the Key to Time not being found anywhere in the universe was intriguing and the idea of prime candidates for its location was a lot of fun. We settled on ninth century Sudan which was far from a common setting for the story which I liked! Originality is key and this was definitely in line with that. Amy being separated from the Doctor for much of the story was good as her character developed and her initial worry when she realised her satchel was missing with the other four segments was very good. I liked Cassim's character and finding out that he was actually the Black Guardian all along was very fun. The alien voice of the Djinni was another interesting element and I really enjoyed the line of the master having a master. That must have been quite new for the Sudanese people of this time. The Black Guardian needed gold and had been refraining from paying taxes in the substance for two years because of it. The irony of the Caliph, the one responsible for collecting the taxes, being the White Guardian was terrific and a great deal of fun. The looming threat of the Destroyer of Delights throughout the audio was decent, but I'm not sure it warranted being its title as the overriding story was very much focused elsewhere. I really enjoyed Amy's relationship with Nisrin and the latter was a great character. She seemed content being a slave as she thought she could basically flirt and sleep her way to freedom, so the reaction when Amy unknowingly put herself out there with her eyelashes was excellent. With the segments decaying, the powers of the Guardians were also diminishing which presented a good dynamic for both the Black and White. They were stuck in mere five dimensions and were experiencing the universe in the same way humanity did. The thought! The White Guardian was pretty horrified. Gold being the answer to power the Black Guardian's warp manifold and get him off the planet was good and I liked the problems being in the ninth century provided that task. The idea of Amy being the Doctor's slave was something good to put forward, even if it was far from the case. The Doctor's discussions regarding the blue man and how blue and black were the same in Arabic language was fun, especially when the man turned out to be blue! The Djinni serving as the Black Guardian's pilot worked pretty well, but what I really liked was how with powers diminishing, the Black Guardian's ideas were no longer original. The Doctor remembered how Tegan had been used in Enlightenment and was able to topple his nemesis once again as he'd already defeated the tactics before. The events in this story serving as an analogy for the Guardians and their battle for reality was good, and probably should have been mentioned more. The gold that the Black Guardian assembled turning out to be the fifth segment was fantastic and something I didn't see coming. It never occurred to him that he had to be there for the segment to be realised, and Amy as a Tracer was able to quietly convert it and seal it in her satchel. The Doctor being reunited with his TARDIS because that's what the White Guardian had followed to end up in Sudan was brilliant and I very much liked his reaction. Peter Davison was on fine form as the Fifth Doctor once again. Amy getting to press the trigger of the projectile that saw off the Black Guardian's escape was good and it was nice that she wanted to be involved. Nisrin and Omar's relationship towards the end was also very good and a nice way to leave things for the regular Sudanese characters. The Guardians were stuck now until the Key to Time was recovered as one, so we set our sights on the sixth segment which is sure to serve as a brilliant finale of the trilogy! Overall, a very good audio adventure.

Rating: 8/10