The Highest Science. The pinnacle of knowledge and a terrible weapon. A legend – nothing more.
Sheldukher. The most wanted criminal in the galaxy. Evil to the core and hungry for power, whatever the cost.
The Chelonians. A vast military power, pledged to eradicate human parasites wherever they are found.
The Doctor. An ancient and wise Time Lord tracking a temporal fluctuation that endangers the universe itself.
Some things should never meet, but as Professor Summerfield is about to discover, the universe is full of coincidences.
THE HIGHEST SCIENCE
When Big Finish produced an audio adaptation of “Love and War” for the anniversary of their Bernice Summerfield audios, it seemed like a one-off: an adaptation of a beloved novel that introduced an exceptionally popular and enduring character to the Doctor Who universe. But if a Big Finish release proves successful, you can bet that an entire range of similar releases is not far behind – and so it is here, a fledgling range of novel adaptations beginning with Gareth Roberts’ “The Highest Science,” adapted by Jacqueline Rayner.
“The Highest Science” is an interesting choice: it was Roberts’ first novel, it featured a strange mix of offbeat humor and downbeat drama, it introduced the Chelonians, and it was definitely one of the more traditional New Adventures. For the most part, this is a faithful adaptation that captures the feel of the novel, both in terms of strengths and flaws. Unfortunately, the novel’s biggest flaw was its lack of cohesiveness: it felt like a bunch of random elements tossed together with little rhyme or reason, and that’s exactly how the audio adaptation feels. The Chelonians and the 812s have absolutely no bearing on the plot and no reason to be there, and the fact that Roberts justifies this coincidence by introducing a cosmic coincidence generator (the “Fortean flicker”) doesn’t make it any more sensible. And the way the story ends, with the Doctor freezing everyone in a slow-time field and then giving up and leaving, is stunningly ill-conceived.
The main plot, such as it is, is much more interesting, and Roberts does a fine job of subverting traditional clichés in its construction. Everything is set up to draw the characters to Sakkrat and the Highest Science, and Roberts tells this part of the story as a quest narrative, bringing together a group of unlikely teammates to pursue a greater goal. So when it all turns out to be a trap to eliminate Sheldukher (Daniel Brocklebank) and recover the Cell (Sarah Ovens), it’s genuinely surprising. The further revelation that the Doctor knew what was happening all along – or at least suspected as much – is very much in keeping with his characterization in this era. I also like this glimpse at his early relationship with Benny, trusting her to survive on her own but still taking actions on her behalf for her own good.
Unfortunately, the acting is another issue with this adaptation. The Chelonians were always humorous characters, but Tom Bell’s performance is so wildly over the top that it stops being funny. Characters like this, no matter how ridiculous, should always take themselves seriously, yet the acting here is so clearly taking the piss that it ruins the immersion. Likewise with Brocklebank as Sheldukher – the character isn’t supposed to be a ranting megalomaniac, but that’s exactly how he comes across. Other issues come from the source material: lines like “Rumors of my breath have been greatly exaggerated” were in the novel but still almost made me drive off the road.
The production is solid as ever. Scott Handcock directs, and the action never feels overlong or drawn out, despite the large amount of padding in the script. Neil Gardner’s sound design is effective, as is Howard Carter’s score. Overall, however, “The Highest Science” doesn’t have a great deal working in its favor. It’s an audio adaptation of a debut novel best remembered for being fun and disposable – there’s nothing especially bad about it, but every good point has at least one flaw as a counterweight. I wasn’t sure about this decision when it was announced and I’m still not sure about it now.
Eh.
5/10