The Roof of the World

"What kind of battles take place at night?"

Writer: Adrian Rigelsford

Format: Audio

Released: July 2004

Series: Main Range 59

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Peri, Erimem

Synopsis 

Tibet, 1917.

It's a time of great exploration, with intrepid teams of adventurers heading blindly into uncharted territory, determined to beat inexplicable odds and overcome any challenge they encounter...

But some things are not necessarily that easy to defeat...

An ancient evil, perhaps older than time itself, is stirring deep within the heart of the Himalayas... It has always known it will return and finish off what it started so many centuries before...

But the time has to be right...

As the TARDIS materialises, with the Doctor determined to take full advantage of an invite to a cricket match, the catalyst that the dark forces need unwittingly arrives...

Verdict 

The Roof of the World was another very good audio from Big Finish's Main Range of adventures and I must say I've been very pleased with the quality of the latest audios I have been listening to. My audio listening has increased quite a bit lately and I do hope that I can catch up with the Main Range but with other Doctor Who commitments such as Doctor Who Comic, Doctor Who Magazine's own comic strips and numerous unblogged television, novelised and audio stories I realise that will be difficult. And I know the cost will start to hinder my progress once I get to audio number 107 as that's where my generous friend stopped collecting. However, he sent me the first 106 audios nearly three years ago now so I'm roughly catching up at a rate of doing five years' worth in three years. I'm sure that will increase though soon enough. This story was another good one along the way and I was pleased to be listening to another Fifth Doctor, Peri and Erimem story so quickly after the excellent The Axis of Insanity. I loved how this audio was all about Erimem and as well as the focus solely being on her for arguably the first time, she was also central to the plot and I really liked that. My opinions on Peter Davison in the audio format have quickly changed and I must say I thought he was superb once again reprising his role as the fantastic Fifth Doctor. His speech during the climax was outstanding and was probably the most memorable thing about the adventure. It was the standout moment and I think it's good that it came towards the end. It really did remind me of the Eleventh Doctor's speech in The Rings of Akhaten, that's how good it was. Focusing a story on Erimem was great but in saying that I think this particular adventure would have been better suited being released closer to when The Eye of the Scorpion, a story that was nicely referenced, took place. Of course in narrative terms it seemed that was the case but I like to think of the release order of Big Finish audios with new companions also being the narrative order. Part two was probably my favourite part of the story as Erimem was just wonderful as we learned so much about her past and her reasoning for joining the Doctor and Peri in the TARDIS. Her fears of the Great Old Ones seemed warranted and I loved the connection it brought to this audio. It was really clearly done and fitted with the theme and plot of the story perfectly. Peri seemed to be on the back burner a bit in this story but Nicola Bryant is always fabulous. Peri is one of my favourite companions and although I do prefer her alongside the Sixth Doctor, it's great seeing the relationship she has with Erimem. It was highlighted very well here which I liked. The reference to Black Orchid, a story I watched not too long ago, was really good and I liked how we had another cricket oriented story for the Fifth Doctor. I must admit, Tibet and cricket don't seem to add up to me but the explanation was good which I was glad about. I was surprised we didn't get a reference to The Abominable Snowmen though as that would have been something I'd have enjoyed. Lord Mortimer was good and obviously much better as a threat when possessed. He was toying with Erimem and I really liked seeing her out of her comfort zone, even when she was seeing her father once again. General Bruce was a good character as well. The cliffhangers were pretty strong throughout and the plot as whole was very good with a strong climax. Overall, another good audio!

Rating: 8/10