The Orion War situation is worsening by the day. Now the time is right for the next phase of the Cyber plan to begin.
1 Comment
Styre
on May 7, 2016 at 8:53 PM
CYBERMAN: FEAR
I’m already getting the “heard it all before” feeling from Nicholas Briggs’ Cyberman series, mostly because he seems to be hitting exactly the same notes as the Dalek Empire predecessors. In both cases, invasions proceed in part because humanity has absolutely no recollection of either the Daleks or the Cybermen. Yes, there’s a point to be made here about repeating forgotten history, but it has the unfortunate side effect of making the humans look stupid — especially when we know that the humans programmed the androids with knowledge of the Cybermen in the first place! Briggs also includes the fairly standard political thriller tropes of a mysterious outsider gaining the president’s ear and freezing out the leader’s closest friend — there’s nothing wrong with these ideas, but they’re a bit unbelievable here. As far as I can tell, Paul Hunt is working alone, and yet nobody questions how he has singlehandedly shifted the approach of the executive government of the entire planet? The commander-in-chief of Earth’s armies, a highly-respected officer with millions of troops under his command, is completely disregarded as insane by everyone even though he has hard evidence of strange goings-on? Doesn’t this society have news media? I see what Briggs is getting at — it’s easy to control the flow of opinion during wartime, hence the title — but some of “Fear” is ludicrous under closer examination.
Plot quibbles aside, “Fear” picks up months after “Scorpius” left off and flies along at breakneck speed. Barnaby (Mark McDonnell, I think) is the central figure, and we listen as his entire world is turned upside down and destroyed in a matter of days. Briggs’ script ratchets the paranoia up to 11 and, much like a good episode of “24” or “Spooks,” the listener can feel control slipping away right along with the characters. Barnaby’s conflicted relationship with android spy Samantha is an old standard as well — the person he’s prejudiced against and distrusts the most is also the only one with any interest in helping him — but it’ll be interesting to find out how this android war started in the first place, given that these androids are practically indistinguishable from humans. It seems pretty clear even at this point that the humans will eventually side with the androids against the Cybermen — “better the devil you know” and all that — but despite this very familiar ground, “Fear” covers it with enough excitement and atmosphere to keep the interest throughout.
CYBERMAN: FEAR
I’m already getting the “heard it all before” feeling from Nicholas Briggs’ Cyberman series, mostly because he seems to be hitting exactly the same notes as the Dalek Empire predecessors. In both cases, invasions proceed in part because humanity has absolutely no recollection of either the Daleks or the Cybermen. Yes, there’s a point to be made here about repeating forgotten history, but it has the unfortunate side effect of making the humans look stupid — especially when we know that the humans programmed the androids with knowledge of the Cybermen in the first place! Briggs also includes the fairly standard political thriller tropes of a mysterious outsider gaining the president’s ear and freezing out the leader’s closest friend — there’s nothing wrong with these ideas, but they’re a bit unbelievable here. As far as I can tell, Paul Hunt is working alone, and yet nobody questions how he has singlehandedly shifted the approach of the executive government of the entire planet? The commander-in-chief of Earth’s armies, a highly-respected officer with millions of troops under his command, is completely disregarded as insane by everyone even though he has hard evidence of strange goings-on? Doesn’t this society have news media? I see what Briggs is getting at — it’s easy to control the flow of opinion during wartime, hence the title — but some of “Fear” is ludicrous under closer examination.
Plot quibbles aside, “Fear” picks up months after “Scorpius” left off and flies along at breakneck speed. Barnaby (Mark McDonnell, I think) is the central figure, and we listen as his entire world is turned upside down and destroyed in a matter of days. Briggs’ script ratchets the paranoia up to 11 and, much like a good episode of “24” or “Spooks,” the listener can feel control slipping away right along with the characters. Barnaby’s conflicted relationship with android spy Samantha is an old standard as well — the person he’s prejudiced against and distrusts the most is also the only one with any interest in helping him — but it’ll be interesting to find out how this android war started in the first place, given that these androids are practically indistinguishable from humans. It seems pretty clear even at this point that the humans will eventually side with the androids against the Cybermen — “better the devil you know” and all that — but despite this very familiar ground, “Fear” covers it with enough excitement and atmosphere to keep the interest throughout.
Very solid work.
7/10