The Monthly Adventures #004 - "The Land of the Dead" by Stephen Cole

It’s no secret I have an affinity for snowy settings. The Thing is and probably always will be my favourite film of all time, the landscapes of snowy Antarctica or Alaska make for genius settings in anything from horrors to thrillers and there’s something so evocative about that endless, white nothing. So, reading the blurb for The Land of the Dead, set in an isolated, surreal house in the wastes of Alaska, I was incredibly excited for what surely had to be an atmospheric and unsettling outing for the Fifth Doctor. Turns out Stephen Cole missed the memo and instead wrote 2 hours of dull trudging around a decidedly uninteresting tundra.

Following a peculiar energy signature, the Doctor and Nyssa end up in the remote mansion of English oil baron Shaun Brett, where ravenous hybrid creatures and monsters from prehistory prepare to awaken from a very long sleep.

(CONTAINS SPOILERS)

The Land of the Dead, more than anything, disappointed me. It’s undeniably filled with some great ideas; as I mentioned before, I’m a huge fan of the setting, even if the atmosphere is barely utilised. The idiosyncrasies of Brett’s peculiar monument to his father - a house full of rooms themed to the surrounding environment - is a great background for our story and, if it had been done better, I can see it being a fantastic catalyst for some well done horror. On top of this, The Land of the Dead boasts some brilliant antagonists in the form of living fossils from the Permian era that rapidly evolve based on what they consume. Living fossils, on their own, is a great image, and I still don’t really know how The Land of the Dead makes it so very boring. Slightly helping my interest is our side cast, half of which are great. Quick-witted architect Lucy Campbell is a little too generic for my taste but the soft spoken, damaged Inuit assistant to Brett - Tulung - was excellently acted by Neil Roberts and was easily the best character here. I will note however that this story boasts Big Finish’s recurring issue of forced American accents, though I’m not too bothered by it.

I am bothered, however, by how utterly glacial this whole story is. It moves at a snail’s pace, the whole first part begins with the Doctor and Nyssa getting attacked by poorly-visualised hybrid creatures and then proceeds to wander aimlessly around Brett’s house for 25 more minutes without any care in the world, despite the rabid monsters outside. Past this, I just ended up losing interest. I listened to this audio about forty five minutes ago and I genuinely can’t remember the final part, because I’d tuned out by then. Although I praised part of our sidecast, our other half is less than stellar. My main problem lies in Brett himself, who feels like a one note evil rich stereotype who did not need to act as a very unnecessary secondary antagonist towards the end. As for the other characters, Nyssa is notably very dull here, Sarah Sutton is really not giving it her all for the sake of this script and apathetically delivers most of her lines. Really, The Land of the Dead’s biggest sin is wasting so many ideas. I love the setting and Tulung and the Permians but it’s stuck in Stephen Cole’s failed attempt at an icy chiller and frankly I’m just sad these ideas aren’t in a better story.

I heard it was bland, still got excited after reading the summary, and wasn’t too shocked to find it was, indeed, very bland. Boring and slow moving but unfortunately filled with ideas that have clearly come from better stories. Stephen Cole is a writer who I am yet to be impressed by, and this hasn’t helped him go up in my rankings.

4/10

Pros:

+ Great idea for a setting, Brett’s bizarre monument to his father is a very cool concept

+ The Permians made for incredibly interesting antagonists and had a great design

+ Tulung was easily the most likeable and interesting of the sidecast

Cons:

- Utter drag of a story that barely moves and just wallows in one spot for nearly two hours

- Brett is a thoroughly under characterised and an unneeded secondary antagonist

- Sarah Sutton’s acting is simply not up to scratch

- Utter wasted potential, filled with cool ideas that are stuck in a story as dead as the fossils featured in it

Wow, what a disaster. I had managed to avoid Land of the Dead up until now and would definitely recommend others avoid it, too.

It definitely doesn't sit well with me that we are telling indigenous stories from a very British perspective, the sound effects are overused and detract from what could have been a spooky and interesting monster in the form of the Permians, while the Doctor and Sarah don't have much to do of substance throughout. It's interesting you can tell this story might have been written with Tegan in mind and had to cut her out and replaced with Monica, but it really just makes her a useless character with some rough attitudes that never really get addressed.

It's a shame, too, because I like the Alaskan setting and think this story has miles of potential with the Permians as they sound creepy as on idea, but it really doesn't work with it well at all in its execution. I also think it is something the franchise could and should explore more, especially outside of Big Finish's early days, now that they might have resources to actually tap into more indigenous talent. This could have made the story more authentic feeling and give the story more energy, both of which Land of the Dead severely lacks. I do hope Doctor Who explores more of these ideas in the future as currently it is rarely touched on at best, because it sucks such stories are often relegated to audios like this one, which was a chore to get through more than anything, and a little problematic with how we treat the Koyukon, who seemed to only get the barest of research by writer Stephen Cole.

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

"The Land of the Dead: A Promising Start That Loses Its Way"

Part 1 of The Land of the Dead builds tension effectively as the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa arrive in Alaska, slowly becoming entangled in the strange events surrounding Shaun Brett, his ambitious construction project, and his loyal assistant, Tulung. The remote Alaskan setting and eerie atmosphere hold great promise, supported by strong sound design that brings the snowy landscape to life.

Unfortunately, the story falters as it progresses. The initially gripping atmosphere is disrupted by uneven pacing, murky action sequences, and the introduction of reanimated dinosaur skeletons, which feel more silly than menacing. The limited scope of the narrative and the constraints of the audio format leave many ideas underdeveloped.

Stephen Cole attempts to weave in environmentalist and cultural themes, particularly Native American beliefs, but these often come across as heavy-handed. The concept of the Permians—a pre-dinosaur species with advanced evolution—sounds intriguing on paper but fails to translate effectively in execution. The dialogue, especially when describing the Permians, is clunky and detracts from the immersion.

Despite some dramatic tension, the final part never delivers a satisfying payoff. The climax feels rushed and lacks the impact needed to tie up the story's loose ends.

Peter Davison is, as always, a reliable lead, and Sarah Sutton slips back into her role as Nyssa with ease. While not the most dynamic companion, Nyssa works well alongside Five, making for a cohesive TARDIS team.

Shaun Brett stands out as the most compelling villain in the Main Range so far, with a well-explored blend of ambition, emotion, and flaws. Tulung makes for an effective sidekick, though Neril Roberts' accent occasionally feels forced. The rest of the supporting cast, including Andrew Fettes as Gaborik, is largely forgettable and similarly hindered by unconvincing accents.

The Alaskan setting initially shines as a unique and atmospheric backdrop, but the indoor focus of much of the story diminishes its potential. While the sound design helps establish the environment early on, the effect wears thin as the story progresses.

📝Verdict: 6/10

The Land of the Dead starts strong but ultimately fails to capitalise on its potential, leaving an uneven and underwhelming impression.

On the one hand, it's probably not a good idea to write reviews ~6 months after you listened to something.

On the other, there's something to be said for the what moments you can remember from a story after 6 months. Going back to review Whispers of Terror, I could remember how much I enjoyed it, I could remember the plot, the characters, the monster, the setting.

Land of the Dead, I remember absolutely nothing. Hell, going back to read what I said about it at the time on the forum also didn't help, even then I said I couldn't remember much and that it generally just felt a bit meh.

It's a story that just had exactly 0 impact on me.

The first dud of the Big Finish Doctor Who releases. The plot is a dull thudding of nothingness that just keeps going with a drudging game of hide and seek that leaves you lost in a void of generic rooms, to the point that the CD release has a floor plan. The characterisation is either annoying and whiney, or baffling to the point of me audible say WTF or groaning. The sound design is OK with the caveat that generic_monster_sound_24_MASTER is supposed to do some heavy lifting, along with, even more generic, verbal descriptions. This was a struggle to get through. I actually stopped about halfway through for a full day and just couldn't bare getting back to it. I think only sleep deprivation allowed me to finish it. All-in-all, a very disappointing and never-to-be-listened-to-again release.