Terror of the Sontarans

"A Sontaran knows no fear."

Writers: Dan Starkey & John Dorney

Format: Audio

Released: September 2015

Series: Monthly Adventures 203

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Mel

Synopsis

Once it was a mining facility. Then later its corridors rang with screams generated by grotesque military experiments. However when the Doctor and Mel arrive on a hostile alien world after detecting a distress signal, the base they find themselves in is almost deserted.

But not for long. Soon the Doctor's old enemies, the Sontarans, have landed, and are searching for the remnants of their previous research team. Before long they uncover evidence of strange occurrences on the planet. Of madness and death.

They are warriors bred for war, strong of spirit and unafraid of death. To fear the enemy is an act of betrayal. Nothing holds terror for the Sontarans.

Until now...

Verdict

Terror of the Sontarans was an excellent audio to continue my way through the Monthly Adventures! This was right up my alley as I'm a huge fan of the Sontarans and this explored them really well. This was a fine use of the Sontar natives and they battled well with the Seventh Doctor. They were onto a winner in describing Mel as the red woman because of her hair which was humorous and it was a perfect piece of evidence for the humour that accompanies the Sontarans. They're an impressive enemy because whilst their ability for humour is incredibly easy, it rarely makes them seem silly which is a terrific feat. As soon as I pressed play on part one, I said to myself I really hoped that the cliffhanger for part one wasn't just the emergence of the Sontarans. Thankfully, they were actually the first voice we heard and with the Sontarans being in the title there was no need to keep their appearance hidden. I thought the setting of the mining facility was really good and the continuity back to Colony in Space with it being owned by the IMC was so simple but so brilliant. It really does just add a lot and gives an instant history with the Doctor. It just adds to the scale of things which I appreciate. I liked how the Sontarans were angered by the presence of the Doctor because they instantly thought that everything that was going wrong was due to the actions of the Doctor. Despite it not being the case, you can't really argue with the logic given the Time Lord's history with the Sontaran race! Utilising Mel's abilities as a computer programmer was nice once again following on from The Warehouse and I just love that these Big Finish series showcase her talents as a companion because she really is so much more than a scream. I thought the concept behind the base being a testing ground for what was essentially psychic warfare was terrific. It was a real sense of horror in hearing Skegg's mental torment. He was barely a Sontaran anymore! He disgraced his species with his words and actions which was so fascinating to hear. I was a big fan of him having resorted his Sontaran armour wear into knitting! That didn't sit well with Field Major Kayste at all. His reaction to hearing one of his fellow species announce they were scared was potentially the highlight of the story for me. The shock was so genuine and I just loved it. Given that the Sontaran race is basically governed by honour, admitting being frightened is unthinkable. I thought Anvil Jackson was a pretty fun character as one of those detained along with Ketch the clown. Referring to the latter as simply Clown was pretty amusing and I really enjoyed their dynamic together. Anvil was the highlight though as he thought himself pretty famous. The emergence of the Bloom at the end of part three as the true enemies of the piece was fantastic and I think the timing was perfect because it never felt like they stole the thunder of the Sontarans. They only added to the story and the concept behind them of absorbing everything around them was intriguing. It provided the means for the conclusion in wiping out the Sontarans and the Bloom altogether, with actually very little surviving the blast! I thought the use of an explosion and the chemical in particular to soak the place and make it a fire hazard was strong and pretty sound proof in wrapping everything up. The Doctor having some sympathy with the Bloom in how they were feeding off the Sontarans and their tendencies for war and violence. He knew they had simply evolved the wrong way and with the explosion he'd reverted them back to a gestalt entity and sent them back among the stars to start again. That was interesting and I liked how he was quizzed about whether leaving things to chance was the right move for them as a race. It remains to be seen, but it feels quite fitting of the Seventh Doctor to go down that route. Overall, a strong use of the Sontarans and just an excellent story! 

Rating: 9/10