The Tyrants of Logic

"We are human with the right to survive."

Writer: Marc Platt

Format: Audio

Released: March 2018

Series: Third Doctor Adventures 4.02

Featuring: Third Doctor, Jo

Synopsis 

The Doctor and Jo land on Port Anvil – a bleak, abandoned mining colony on the remote planet Burnt Salt. A huge armoured crate has recently arrived in the almost derelict Spacehub. No-one knows who it's for. No-one knows what it contains.

Strange creatures lurk around the outskirts, and a rag-tag population of misfits inhabit what is left of the town: a soon bar owner, a literal one-man band and a hunter of very unusual prey. If they want to survive the night, they're going to have to work together.

Because the Cybermen wants the contents of the crate. And they will stop at noting to get hold of it.

Verdict

The Tyrants of Logic was an excellent story to conclude the fourth volume of Third Doctor Adventures! I am such a big fan of this range now and it's a shame that we don't get even more as two stories per series just doesn't seem enough, but they are two-hours long so I cannot be too picky! When the Companion Chronicles range was first released, Big Finish wasted no time in giving us something that was missing from the Classic run on television and that was an encounter between the Cybermen and the Third Doctor. Now, I thought The Blue Tooth was a decent adventure but that never felt like the story we had been waiting for. This one was sublime though and more than filled the gap between The Invasion and Revenge of the Cybermen. I thought that was really well done and the Cybermen acknowledging that the Doctor's appearance had altered again was really good. It fitted in seamlessly with the TV run and it also saw Jo get to tackle another of the biggest enemies from the show which was delightful. I thought the Spacehub setting on Burnt Salt was tremendous and worked so well. It was nice to take the Third Doctor away from Earth as that was the bulk of his era and having Jo on a spaceship worked well as well. I enjoyed the dynamic and the timeline of post-Cyber war was fantastic. The mystery of what was in the crate was excellent and I loved the reactions of those on the hub when the Cybermen, long thought extinct, emerged for what was inside. The idea behind the Cyber Leveller was fascinating and I liked how it was basically a Cyber Planner with weaponised elements. It was good to expand on the Cyber hierarchy and that started with the Cybermats being the first to feature. That's always fun and even though the cliffhanger for part one was incredibly predictable, it was brilliant. The emergence of the Cybermen always works when done well and this was no exception here. I thought some of the characters in this one were actually tremendous with Gusto an obvious standout. The fact she was only partially converted was intriguing and having part-Cyberman humans take on the Cybermen themselves really added to the dynamic of the newly reborn Cyber Wars. I wasn't a huge fan of the Lamuri in the story and it was a bit harsh to hear how they were treated, but even they were worried by and could feel the incoming presence of the Cybermen. Schaeffer was a strong character too and her luring the Cybermen to the Hub in order to enact revenge on the conversion they had forced upon her husband was questionable whilst admirable. She had balls for sure! The Doctor didn't exactly approve. I loved the use of Cyber smoke to start the conversion process and hearing that even take over the Doctor momentarily was superb. It was clear that the Doctor was playing along, but he did so tremendously well. I thought Tim Treloar was outstanding once again as the Third Doctor and he really has settled into the role wonderfully well. It's an incredible recast and does so much to honour and continue the legacy of the incarnation. Chad's death was a shocking moment and just the concept of a one-man band and the sound effects that went with it was barmy. But it somehow worked. I loved the Doctor challenging the Cybermen on their very nature and ambushing them vocally with how they couldn't escape being partially human was superb stuff. I was a huge fan of that and the Cybermen were never fully alive or dead, just always wounded. That was incredible to think about really. The conclusion was good and exciting with a decent move with the cure being fed through to ensure the Cyber smoke was no longer an issue. Overall, a really great audio! 

Rating: 9/10