The Magician's Oath

 

"Everyone and everything, frozen in death."

Writer: Scott Handcock

Format: Audio

Released: April 2009

Series: Companion Chronicles 3.10

Featuring: Third Doctor, Jo, Brigadier, Mike

Synopsis

"You must never tell. Not a soul. That's the magician's oath."

A heatwave in July and a tube train is discovered buried in twenty inches of snow. A Saturday afternoon in Hyde Park and scores of people are instantly frozen to death where they stand while the sun beats down from the sky. Freak weather conditions in London, and the Doctor and UNIT are called in to find the cause. 

Meanwhile, a street magician who was witnessed at the scene of the tragedy entertains crowds in Covent Garden. As Jo Grant and Mike Yates disobey orders and investigate alone, they discover an enemy with terrifying powers. And they may not live to share his secrets...

Verdict

The Magician's Oath was an excellent Companion Chronicles audio adventure! I thought this was a great story and Mike Yates was able to shine with him highlighted in the lead role. Hearing him discuss the current UNIT and how it didn't even mean the same thing anymore was intriguing and it was just nice for Mike to reflect on his time at UNIT and all he experienced. It was nice to know that even in 2009 he was still meeting up with Jo and there she'd provided him with an alien artefact that wasn't catalogued by UNIT back into the 1970s. The setting taking place close to The Claws of Axos with the absurd weather conditions was terrific and incorporating that into the plot was fantastic. The freezing over of Hyde Park was quite something and the description of all those that were killed was unexpected. Yates describing how he wasn't sure how UNIT had covered it up was good and I liked placing this close to the start of Mike's time at UNIT. This was a new experience for him. The weather conditions being cold in the middle of summer was good but there was just an incredibly morbid scene painted by Mike with the corpses frozen mid-swim. That was horrific! Geraldine being the sole survivor was intriguing and I liked how she was drawn to Diamond Jack, a mysterious and popular local magician performer. His card trick turning into a disappearing act was really fun and Mike and Jo then going to investigate him was great. The Brigadier and the Doctor running off to Highgate cemetery where the Doctor's scientific evidence led him with his readings was also fun. Jo disappearing whilst Mike was on call to the Brigadier as part of Diamond Jack's performance was superb and I liked how her mind was then linked with the magician. He was scared of the Doctor's powers and abilities and knowing of his experiences was brilliant. The voices stalking Yates through the darkness was eery and really added to the atmosphere for this audio which I thought was terrific. The Doctor warning Yates not to interact with Diamon Jack was fun because it came far too late. Yates finding Jo was good and the possibility of time distortion was interesting. The concept of Diamond Jack's home being frozen around him was very good and I really enjoyed learning about his past and how he'd had his abilities since he was a child and it was good to hear him worrying about the current situation. Jack filtering Jo's memories was great and I thought the concept of him not having any memories of his own and suffering from short term memory was unique and really well done. The Doctor's use of the device from the ship at the cemetery to return Jack's memories to him was intriguing and the device contained all of his memories and personality as a back up. And the Doctor returned them. It turned out the vessel was a prison ship and Diamond Jack was subjected to mental execution which I thought was an excellent punishment. He had been sentenced and given a second chance at life in his new form and the memories and personality were evidence to be used to showcase his change. His powers drawing energy worked well in explaining how the more extravagant meant more extreme effects on the environment. He drew on heat as a source and that explained what had occurred at Hyde Park which I thought tied things up fantastically. Meeting Diamon Jack's other form and true self was very good and the sense of evil that came from its breathing alone was magnificent. Jack having taken Jo to London Bridge was good and the prospect of the troop being called in was building to a ice conclusion. The Doctor selling the evil capabilities of the true creature was good but the only qualm I had with the story was that we needed some more information about the species and why they were evil. The concept of the human element disappearing from him if the true creature caught up was a good plot development and the conclusion resulting in Jack fighting himself across forms without realising it was really well done. I liked that a lot. The final trick of Diamond Jack knowing about Yates and how he felt about Jo was very good and him revealing to Jo that her card was the jack of diamonds which was fun. He was planning to steal Jo's memories and leave her a new person but Yates wasn't having that and shot him dead before he could take full effect of her. Jo having been in a coma and not remembering the events of this story worked well and it turning out that the artefact she brought him when they recently met up was her card was wonderful as it had her memories stored within. She knew now how Yates had saved her and how he felt about her which was lovely and she'd tracked him down to say sorry. I just felt incredibly sorry for Mike Yates by the end of the audio as he didn't have anybody around anymore which was just rather sad. Overall though, a fantastic listen!

Rating: 9/10