The War to End All Wars

"There was no enemy. They were at war with themselves."

Writer: Simon Guerrier

Format: Audio

Released: April 2014

Series: Companion Chronicles 8.10

Featuring: First Doctor, Steven, Dodo

Synopsis

Years after he gave up travelling in the TARDIS, Steven Taylor is the deposed king of a distant world.

From the confines of his cell, he shares his story with a young girl called Sida.

And one story in particular – a visit to a whole world at war, which will mark Steven for life...

Verdict

The War to End All Wars was a really good little Companion Chronicles audio adventure! I really liked how there was so much focus on the events after The Savages for Steven and it was really intriguing to learn of everything that has happened to him since his days in the TARDIS. It was very emotional to be honest and I liked how he had enacted change in his new home. I really liked how the adventure he told with the First Doctor and Dodo played a part in his decision to depart the TARDIS and take up the throne on his current home world. I thought Sida was a lovely character and with Steven locking himself away in a cell up in the mountains, she was challenging him a little which was marvellous. I loved learning about Steven's life and the revelation that he had daughters and even named one of them Dodo was really interesting and just lovely to know that he had started a family. It was clear that there was some dissension amongst the family though and the claims of favouritism towards his Dodo daughter made for a good development. Steven claiming to have just liked the name rather than it being anything to do with the person he travelled with didn't seem too necessary, but he did emphasise how he hadn't travelled with her long after she joined in The Massacre which was true. I thought the Doctor getting captured early on was a good way to basically write him out of the story but his role in the conclusion was delightful and definitely something I could see happening back in the 1960s if this adventure took place on television. Speaking of which, I liked how much this story felt a part of its era and the characterisation of all the characters was great. It's just good to get a new adventure with Dodo as they can be pretty rare and exploring the relationship she shared with Steven was really good. Their getting physically tested after the arrival on Comfort was good and I liked the issue of them being separated because of their results. The cliffhanger with Dodo being revealed as being on the other side of the war was unexpected but I loved that it turned out that the people of this planet were at war with themselves – and they didn't even know it! It later turned out that it was a prison planet for a particular type of criminal with intelligent personalities. So, the war turned out to simply be construct and the computer deciding who went where ensured that it was an endless stalemate. I liked that a lot and it was pretty unique! I liked how when Steven worked that out he then campaigned to get elected into office and hearing his election speeches and propaganda was terrific. I loved how he had taken a leaf out of the Doctor's book in trying to get the attention of those really in control instead of confronting the politicians and change their perception of the world they had grown up in. It all tied up very nicely and the glee in the voice of the Doctor when he claimed surrender on one side of the war was magnificent. Whilst I think the title and the finality of its title didn't really seem overly apt for the adventure we got, it was a really strong story and a nice exploration of Steven and his life after the Doctor. And there's definitely more to come with how things are ended as we don't have any feeling of closure regarding Sida and his relationship with her, or exploring the current state of affairs with there being no monarch and his relationship with his daughters. Exploring the death of Dodo was heartfelt and losing one's daughter must really have been tough. Overall, an intriguing tale with the aspect of the narration feeling like the main story a nice twist.

Rating: 8/10