The Big Sleep

"The Silurian ram would wait out the disaster in stasis."

Writer: Dave Rudden

Format: Short Story

Released: September 2022

Printed in: Origin Stories 06

Featuring: Vastra

Synopsis 

We all change, when you think about. We're all different people all through our lives...

Amy Pond looks for her Raggedy Man, Jo Grant remembers her childhood, the Master hunts the past... a young girl discovers a love for explosives.

Eleven incredible stories from the world of Doctor – the early lives of friends and foes that have never been told before.

Verdict 

The Big Sleep was a great adventure to continue my way through the Origin Stories collection! I was a huge fan of the setting for this one with it being on Earth but a very long time ago and a version we would almost think of as an alien society. Visiting Silurian civilisation before the entire race went into stasis is such a brilliant idea and I really do think there is so much potential there. It’s screaming out for a Big Finish spin-off series in its own right because it’s a whole new world with so much potential! I really enjoyed exploring it here and having Vastra present was a delight. She just seemed younger in her actions which was good to point out through the characterisation and it’s terrific to see all of her detective tendencies on display. The Silurian world was on the verge of shutting down for a while as the asteroid that would become the Moon had been detected and predicted to take away the atmosphere for around a century. Much of the Silurian peoples had already gone into stasis hibernation, but Vastra couldn’t possibly just have five days to enjoy before her own sleep was due to start. There was paperwork to be done and a mystery to solve. I thought that was great and exactly what we would expect of the character we would know as the de facto leader of the Paternoster Gang. She’s confident and brash and it’s pretty fun to actually see her in action against the dinosaurs! The Deinonychus were an intriguing species of dinosaur and one I can’t say I’ve ever heard of, but Vastra seemed to accept her fate as soon as she set sight on them! They hunted in packs and she stood little chance. She gained the upper hand though nicely with some skill and saw that there was more to these dinosaurs than met the eye. They were glowing in their throats and this was no malfunction. Vastra knew they were already off course and not hunting in a usual area to get prey. There were many easier locations for a snack. It all tied in nicely with the eight murders of criminals that Vastra was investigation and she just couldn’t wrap her head around it. No death was the same but the targets were all former or reformed criminals. Old enemies hashing revenge as a new world was due? Law and order were on the verge of already being put to bed so criminals taking advantage of that could be feasible. However, the truth was much more dark. Acrocan as a High Judge was a good character and he was trying to convince Vastra to just relax and retire the case. Law and order could reestablished in the new world. Her line about there being new new world without fixing the old one first was sensational. I’m a huge fan of hers. I thought it was brilliant how she worked out what was going on just as it seemed she was doomed by the combination of criminal gangs. The mystery surrounding shipments all came to life as it was revealed that Acrocan had been intercepting the shipment of these gang’s datascales meaning they couldn’t enter stasis and be part of the Sleep. The High Judge had already murdered several criminals and now wanted to ensure that many more were left to the fate of the Crisis. Vastra was horrified by that as being a criminal didn’t mean she should let them die. And she wouldn’t. I liked how she had to take actions into her own hands and beat Acrocan to the punch when it came to the death blow, but she would put him into stasis anyway and would see he faced trial upon awakening. I liked the conclusion with it being revealed that Vastra was recalling these events to Jenny, and it would seem that he is still asleep! Pondering on whether Vastra would want to wake up her race was very intriguing, but for now this was a really great read!

Rating: 8/10