7️⃣⏹️ = ENJOYABLE!

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“MURDER ON THE MUSEUM FLOOR”

The second story in the Excelis trilogy sees the Sixth Doctor return to Artaris a thousand years after his previous visit, chasing another relic and solving another mystery. It’s written by David McIntee, mostly known for penning several novels for the Virgin and BBC Books ranges, in his audio debut.

This story gets to the point early on—there’s a murder and a strange artefact, and the Doctor arrives in time to investigate while also being a prime suspect. The story is strongly centred around the artefact, the mystery of Reeve, and the way the artefact strongly affects him.

Charles Kay appears in a fine performance as the Curator (no, not that one), while Atnhony Stewart Head returns in a different (but really the same) role as Reeve Maupassant. It’s very different (soft-spoken and devilishly calm) from his colourful take on Gravyorn in the previous story, but no less effective.

It’s a joy to listen to the dialogue between Stewart Head and Colin Baker; their chemistry here is even better than the one between Stewart Head and Peter Davison in Excelis Dawns.

The simple guitar jingle that keeps looping across the story is pretty infectious and a great moodbuilder. What bums me a bit, however, is that we don't get a good grasp on how Artaris has evolved since the Doctor's last visit, as the entire story is confined to the museum.

Excelis Rising moves along at a steady pace without being very exciting or action-packed. It’s very focused on its two main plot strands and allows the characters to move the narrative forward. It also remains true to its style and pace all the way through, delivering an interesting finale that doesn’t grow much from what comes before it. Everything is sort of wrapped up neatly and without fanfare.

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

• A murder mystery inside a museum featuring the 6th Doctor—where have I encountered such a story before? Oh yes, Whispers of Terror, the third release of the Big Finish Main Range!
• The Doctor mentions here that he is around 900 years of age, which would mean that he hasn’t aged a lot by the time he is in his 9th incarnation.