1.5 stars | do not recommend

Omg all this time I've been pronouncing it like Chris but with a z. Chrizz. It's cuh-rizz. I'm a fool.

This story, though? It may have had cuh-rizz, but it certainly didn't have rizz. Let's talk about it.

Honestly this is quite a let-down after the brilliance of Scherzo. A rather dull audio that doesn't take advantage of the medium at all, or really do anything interesting. It feels especially strange after Scherzo's whole idea about them being competing with the only other evolving thing in the place, and then they walk right into this zone with loads of life and civilisation... I feel like I've just had a big lore dump, or listened to an audiobook, rather than experiencing a story in a creative and engaging way.

I shouldn't be surprised - I really didn't enjoy the other one of Martin's audios I've listened to (Mission to Magnus) either. I really did want to like this - it's a companion introduction, for a companion I know a lot of people really love, and part of a story arc that has real potential - but I just couldn't get into it.

This story made even capitalism-as-the-source-of-imperialism seem dull. Disappointing. And I'm not even going to start on what the frick frack f**k happened to Charley. 1.5 stars. At least we got to hear the lizard boy be tortured, that was fun.