📝2/10

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! 

This time: Even Virgin couldn’t think of this one!

MY SCATTERED AND TOTALLY IRRELEVANT NOTES:

Nekromanteia is an unusual blend of a sprawling space corporation at war and a chaotic witch cult reminiscent of the Carrionite sisters from The Shakespeare Code. The story delves into occultism, mythology, and corrupt space fleets, but these elements never quite come together cohesively. It carries a similar vibe to Cat’s Cradle: Witch Mark, but feels messier and less impactful.

The narrative focuses heavily on corporate scheming among characters like Marr, Harlon, and Tallis. While their machinations are intended to feel sinister, they ultimately fall flat, failing to become truly engaging. This issue is particularly evident in Part 2, which drags on without significant developments. Meanwhile, the potentially fascinating witch cult remains frustratingly in the background, never fully integrated into the plot.

Part 2 takes a darker turn, implying that Erimem might have been assaulted by the Commander—a scene that feels unnecessary to establish his villainy, as his other actions are enough to paint him as despicable. The part concludes with an unsettling and bizarre cliffhanger: the witches decapitating the Doctor and feasting on his head. It’s one of the strangest and most off-putting moments in Doctor Who history and a key reason for this audio drama's divisive reputation.

The Doctor’s “death” leads to his strange limbo in Part 3, where he finds himself caught in a time loop, watching a cricket game and hearing eerie sounds and voices.

Erimem’s character arc is one of the story's brighter aspects, exploring her perspective as she navigates an alien world and grapples with unfamiliar concepts. Big Finish has done well in giving her moments to shine, although she is sidelined after suffering severe injuries. Her cat, Andronak, also gets some attention, making it all the more heartbreaking when the cat is killed in Part 4.

Peri, meanwhile, endures her own ordeal as the witches turn her into a mindless puppet. Although she is eventually rescued, she spends much of the story searching for the Doctor.

Yal Rom emerges as a likable adventurer over time, while the gruff Commander—voiced by Glyn Owen (known for playing Rohm-Dutt in The Power of Kroll)—starts strong but becomes increasingly irredeemable.

Despite its ambitious ideas, the inclusion of flesh-eating witches feels a bit too outlandish, even for Doctor Who. The story does have its moments of tension, particularly in its space battles and chaotic action sequences, but the second half devolves into a convoluted mess, undermining its potential.