A secret war is raging. A war with no soldiers, only casualties…
Two species – one organic, one synthetic – face the greatest challenge to their existence; the cold logic and ancient power of the Cybermen. Earth lies trapped between oppression and destruction, and the future is shrouded in darkness.
Plans are drawn and choices are made; but the hidden truth that lurks in the shadows may be more terrible than anyone can imagine.
CYBERMAN 2: TERROR
“Terror,” the second part of Big Finish miniseries “Cyberman 2,” ratchets up the paranoia and oppressive atmosphere of its predecessor to even more unnerving heights. On the one hand, it’s a bit redundant to spend so much time on Hazel (Jo Castleton) and Yan (Ian Brooker) investigating what goes on at the Cyberman installation, because we know from experience that they’re converting abductees into more Cybermen. On the other, James Swallow writes it so well, and Nicholas Briggs directs so well, that it’s suspenseful almost in spite of itself. Furthermore, while Richter’s (Toby Hadoke) tip over the edge into madness was fully expected, Chessman (Ian Hallard) framing him for collaboration was not, and I’m not entirely sure where Barnaby’s adventure is going to conclude. There’s an obvious path here: defeat the Cybermen and stop the android bomb from destroying the solar system, but will the story go down that road? If so, I hope it keeps this limited, character-focused form of storytelling without making the mistake of getting too bombastic or action-packed at the conclusion. For right now, this is fine material indeed.
Highly recommended.
8/10