In 2040, expansion is an article of faith The human race must expand outwards to explore new territories.
1 Comment
Styre
on May 8, 2016 at 1:35 AM
SHORT TRIPS: 2040
After the disappointing Short Trips: Monsters, which followed on the heels of the mediocre Short Trips: Repercussions, it was up to Big Finish to prove that releasing four short story anthologies per year wasn’t overkill. Their subsequent release, Short Trips: 2040, attempted a series of stories linked by a common setting: Earth in the year 2040. As always, though, the success of the anthology would be determined by the quality of the stories themselves.
The Nuclear Option — Richard Salter — Yikes, is this how Canadians view the US? A solid government-run-conspiracy story, which finally brings Roz back to the printed page. Salter nails the regulars and the bookend hallucinatory and interview sequences are excellent; all in all, a solid start.
Separation — Tara Samms — Samms’ brilliant prose is a given by this point, and here we see the Doctor manipulating two shut-ins into going out and living their lives. The concern of the Internet fostering isolation is very real — this is yet another strong effort from the best Doctor Who short story writer.
Thinking Warrior — Huw Wilkins — As with his earlier “Monitor,” here Wilkins spends too much time on his setting: realistic as the tactical and economic discussions are, they’re also somewhat boring. Fortunately the ending rescues the piece.
Observer Effect — Lance Parkin — It wouldn’t surprise me at all if this is where reality TV ended up by this time, and in retrospect this is something of an amusing intermediate step between the present day and the new series’ Bad Wolf. Not sure if I like Parkin’s fourth Doctor, though. Good work all the same.
Artificial Intelligence — Andy Campbell — Another excellent story from Campbell which shows a strong grasp of first-person narrative. The diary style evolves into a poignant two-hander as the Doctor talks a super-intelligent young girl out of suicide. Thumbs up.
Daisy Chain — Xanna Eve Chown — I can’t tell which Doctor this is supposed to be, and that’s bad. Mel is perfect, though. Unfortunately, the plot is rather predictable, but the characterization of the cult members helps alleviate concerns. With all the ups and downs this balances out as average, if confusing.
Sustainable Energy — Matthew Griffiths — It’s the David Collings Unbound Doctor from Full Fathom Five in this story — but this isn’t explained, so anyone that hasn’t shelled out for the audio isn’t going to have any idea what’s going on. Griffiths nails the character, though — he’s every bit as driven and amoral as he was in the audio. Great work — I’m guessing that “Corridors of Power” was the aberration, not the trend, with this author.
Culture War — Kate Orman — Yet another wonderfully lyrical NA-style story from Orman, who intertwines familial relationships with nice supporting details about cheese and creates something that’s a pleasure to read. With the very high quality of the anthology thus far, it’s no mean feat for this to be the best story yet, even over Samms’ offering.
The Baron Wastes — Alexander Leithes — The first (and only) weak offering in this collection and the third in a row from Leithes, here we see an unrecognizable fourth Doctor crowbarred into a spy thriller that doesn’t really thrill. It’s way, way, way too long. I love the last line, though — not sure how much of this is the work of the editor, John Binns, but everyone in this anthology really knows how to end a story.
/Carpenter/Butterfly/Baronet/ — Gareth Wigmore — After two excellent Hartnell tales, Wigmore turns to Pertwee, and thankfully writes him and Jo as real characters. It’s a great story, with the Doctor at the top of his moralistic game — and then Wigmore pulls the rug out with a stunning twist ending that draws attention to the anthology’s underlying plot. Wigmore is another to watch out for — the Binns anthologies seem to feature some very promising authors.
Outsourcing — Marc Platt — I’m not familiar with the politics being satirized here, but Platt writes a wonderful angry sixth Doctor. Vish is a great character, captured well with Platt’s knack for third person limited narratives. And I love the revelation at the end — yet another story which goes out on a high note.
Anteus — Rebecca Levene — McCoy, Chris, and Roz are really taking Perseus apart, aren’t they? Levene shows the mastery of the NA characters you’d expect from the former range editor, and her concept of a future “zoned” London is frighteningly believable. I loved Chris’s recognition of Battersea Power Station from the Pink Floyd album cover, too.
The Last Emperor — Jacqueline Rayner — Nicely ties together the anthology with a poignant tale of what the various Doctors were doing on the side while they were destroying Perseus. Such an elegant use of Frobisher, too — Rayner has a real talent for these character pieces.
The Ethereal — John Binns — I’m not sure the collection needed this story, which appears to be an attempt by the editor to justify the framing device. The “arc” plot, such as it was, was so far in the background of most of the stories as to be unimportant, and unfortunately the collection would probably have worked better without a close to the frame. The last line, of course, is yet another positive kick up the pants.
This is, quite simply, a stunningly good anthology. With only one weak story out of thirteen (excluding the final entry), and all but one of the remainder rating above average to excellent, this is the sort of thing that Big Finish should be publishing on a more regular basis. Most of these anthologies aren’t worth the money; this one’s excellent, even if its arc plot isn’t as good as it would like to be. Highly recommended.
SHORT TRIPS: 2040
After the disappointing Short Trips: Monsters, which followed on the heels of the mediocre Short Trips: Repercussions, it was up to Big Finish to prove that releasing four short story anthologies per year wasn’t overkill. Their subsequent release, Short Trips: 2040, attempted a series of stories linked by a common setting: Earth in the year 2040. As always, though, the success of the anthology would be determined by the quality of the stories themselves.
The Nuclear Option — Richard Salter — Yikes, is this how Canadians view the US? A solid government-run-conspiracy story, which finally brings Roz back to the printed page. Salter nails the regulars and the bookend hallucinatory and interview sequences are excellent; all in all, a solid start.
Separation — Tara Samms — Samms’ brilliant prose is a given by this point, and here we see the Doctor manipulating two shut-ins into going out and living their lives. The concern of the Internet fostering isolation is very real — this is yet another strong effort from the best Doctor Who short story writer.
Thinking Warrior — Huw Wilkins — As with his earlier “Monitor,” here Wilkins spends too much time on his setting: realistic as the tactical and economic discussions are, they’re also somewhat boring. Fortunately the ending rescues the piece.
Observer Effect — Lance Parkin — It wouldn’t surprise me at all if this is where reality TV ended up by this time, and in retrospect this is something of an amusing intermediate step between the present day and the new series’ Bad Wolf. Not sure if I like Parkin’s fourth Doctor, though. Good work all the same.
Artificial Intelligence — Andy Campbell — Another excellent story from Campbell which shows a strong grasp of first-person narrative. The diary style evolves into a poignant two-hander as the Doctor talks a super-intelligent young girl out of suicide. Thumbs up.
Daisy Chain — Xanna Eve Chown — I can’t tell which Doctor this is supposed to be, and that’s bad. Mel is perfect, though. Unfortunately, the plot is rather predictable, but the characterization of the cult members helps alleviate concerns. With all the ups and downs this balances out as average, if confusing.
Sustainable Energy — Matthew Griffiths — It’s the David Collings Unbound Doctor from Full Fathom Five in this story — but this isn’t explained, so anyone that hasn’t shelled out for the audio isn’t going to have any idea what’s going on. Griffiths nails the character, though — he’s every bit as driven and amoral as he was in the audio. Great work — I’m guessing that “Corridors of Power” was the aberration, not the trend, with this author.
Culture War — Kate Orman — Yet another wonderfully lyrical NA-style story from Orman, who intertwines familial relationships with nice supporting details about cheese and creates something that’s a pleasure to read. With the very high quality of the anthology thus far, it’s no mean feat for this to be the best story yet, even over Samms’ offering.
The Baron Wastes — Alexander Leithes — The first (and only) weak offering in this collection and the third in a row from Leithes, here we see an unrecognizable fourth Doctor crowbarred into a spy thriller that doesn’t really thrill. It’s way, way, way too long. I love the last line, though — not sure how much of this is the work of the editor, John Binns, but everyone in this anthology really knows how to end a story.
/Carpenter/Butterfly/Baronet/ — Gareth Wigmore — After two excellent Hartnell tales, Wigmore turns to Pertwee, and thankfully writes him and Jo as real characters. It’s a great story, with the Doctor at the top of his moralistic game — and then Wigmore pulls the rug out with a stunning twist ending that draws attention to the anthology’s underlying plot. Wigmore is another to watch out for — the Binns anthologies seem to feature some very promising authors.
Outsourcing — Marc Platt — I’m not familiar with the politics being satirized here, but Platt writes a wonderful angry sixth Doctor. Vish is a great character, captured well with Platt’s knack for third person limited narratives. And I love the revelation at the end — yet another story which goes out on a high note.
Anteus — Rebecca Levene — McCoy, Chris, and Roz are really taking Perseus apart, aren’t they? Levene shows the mastery of the NA characters you’d expect from the former range editor, and her concept of a future “zoned” London is frighteningly believable. I loved Chris’s recognition of Battersea Power Station from the Pink Floyd album cover, too.
The Last Emperor — Jacqueline Rayner — Nicely ties together the anthology with a poignant tale of what the various Doctors were doing on the side while they were destroying Perseus. Such an elegant use of Frobisher, too — Rayner has a real talent for these character pieces.
The Ethereal — John Binns — I’m not sure the collection needed this story, which appears to be an attempt by the editor to justify the framing device. The “arc” plot, such as it was, was so far in the background of most of the stories as to be unimportant, and unfortunately the collection would probably have worked better without a close to the frame. The last line, of course, is yet another positive kick up the pants.
This is, quite simply, a stunningly good anthology. With only one weak story out of thirteen (excluding the final entry), and all but one of the remainder rating above average to excellent, this is the sort of thing that Big Finish should be publishing on a more regular basis. Most of these anthologies aren’t worth the money; this one’s excellent, even if its arc plot isn’t as good as it would like to be. Highly recommended.