Doctor Who: Primeval

Big Finish: Monthly Range #26

by Lance Parkin

Nyssa will die at dawn, and the Doctor doesn't even know why.

To save her life, he must make a desperate journey to the only place in the universe where a cure might exist.

When even that fails, the Doctor has a choice -- let Nyssa die, or make a deal with the devil.

After all, the road to hell is paved with good intentions...

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Audiobook, Fiction, British Literature, Media Tie In

Audio CD

First published November 26, 2001

About the author

Lance Parkin is an author who has written professional Doctor Who fiction since the 1990s. He is one of the few authors to write for both the 1963 and 2005 version of the programme — though much of his fiction has actually been based on the 1996 iteration. Indeed, he was notably the first author to write original prose for the Eighth Doctor in The Dying Days. He was also the author chosen to deliver the nominal 35th anniversary story, The Infinity Doctors, and the final volume in the Eighth Doctor Adventures range, The Gallifrey Chronicles. More recently, he has written for the Tenth Doctor in The Eyeless.

He is further notable for his work with Big Finish Productions, where he is arguably most known for writing the Sixth Doctor adventure, Davros.

Outside of Doctor Who, he has written things like Warlords of Utopia and (with Mark Jones) Dark Matter, a guide to the author Philip Pullman.

Reviews

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big Finish are brilliant at finding tiny little bits of continuity points and expanding on them to get effect.

First and foremost all these additional adventures with just Five and Nyssa shows what a great pairing these two would have made on screen together.
It also helps that the Time Lord is desperate to save her life as the play strongly opens.

Talking about continuity I like how Nyssa's fainting (so she could be written out of Kinda) is now revealed in much greater detail.
Whilst this also serves as both a fascinating Prequel/Sequel to her debut adventure The Keeper of Traken.

Seeing a companions homeworld 3000 years in the past also seems like such a simple and obvious story to tell.

Both TARDIS regulars put in great performances as this adventure really plays to their strengths.
Whilst the guest cast are also strong including a much memorable villian are good too.

The type of story that I wasn't clamouring for but glad that they went there.

[Gail Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This audio kept my attention. I listened to it in one go. The plot really moved along. It takes place on Traken, Nyssa's home planet. The Doctor has taken her there because she has become gravely ill and the only one who can save her is a famous doctor from Traken's early days. While on Traken we learn that its citizens worship a god called the Source but there is a competing god on a spaceship called Kwundaar. This entire audio can be considered as a prequel to the classic Doctor Who episode, The Keeper of Traken.

[Frank Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a little odd that I liked this one so much because it reeks of themes that I normally cringe through; Nyssa is ill because she has come into contact with "evil" too many times, we meet an omniscient, living god, there's some psychic powers involved and a whole bunch of idealistic zealots on both sides.

Nevertheless, this story starts strong and I enjoyed it thoroughly throughout. The energy level is just right, Doc Five is at his very best and although Nyssa is initially sidelined because of her affliction she eventually gets to spend a reasonable amount of the story working alongside the Doctor, (I always prefer it when the Doctor and companions are not separated.)

"The mark of a gentleman is that he knows how to Charleston but he doesn't."

Given the theme, there were many witty quotes that could have stuck with me but instead I ended up with the amusing line above which the Doctor gave in response to whether he would join in with Nyssa's dance lessons.

I'm not very good at recalling the names of planets visited in the various scifi universes that I've watched, listened or read about and yet as soon as I heard the name "Traken" I knew it was familiar. It turns out that Nyssa's home planet is Traken and this story not only revisits that world but also expands on its history and its future.

This was an extremely enjoyable audiodrama.

[Taksya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interessante tuffo nel passato di Traken, con il quinto Dottore e Nyssa.
Per seguire bene la storia non è fondamentale avere visto The Keeper of Traken, episodio che introduce sia il personaggio di Nyssa che il nuovo volto del Master, con Sarah Sutton e Anthony Ainley nelle rispettive parti.
La storia di Primeval si svolge nel lontano passato di Traken e spiega la nascita della figura del Keeper.
Oltre alla parte storica, la storia non è tra quelle eccezionali. Si ascolta, ma non coinvolge più di tanto.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

あらすじ

Part1

意識を失ったニッサを助ける術がわからないドクターはターディスで3000年前のトラクンに赴き、ターディスの図書館で習い知った腕利きの治療師シェイラに助けを求める。



シェイラはニッサがトクラン人と知り、ドクターに対して疑問が湧き上がるものの、応急処置にあたる。ニッサは瀕死の状態で、ドクターが連れてくるのがもう少し遅ければ命を落としていた危険があった。翌朝、ニッサの状態は安定するが、命の危険に変わりないとシェイラはドクターに告げる。シェイラはドクターをトクランの執政ハーサとジェネスの元に連れて行くが、ニッサが弱っているのは悪に蝕まれているせいだと言われ、思わず失笑したドクターは心証を悪くしてしまう。ハーサとジェネスはドクターがトクランに悪影響を与えると強制退去を命じる。しかし、ニッサの容体が悪化し、とても動かせる状態ではない。シェイラはドクターにクワンダならニッサを救えるかもしれないといい、セビアンにニッサに付き添ってもらってい、2人でクワンダに逢いに行くことにする。クワンダに会うため商船で移動するシェイラとドクター。しかし、途中でクワンダの使いから攻撃を受け商船の船長は殺されてしまう。使いのアノナ中尉はクワンダの命でドクターとシェイラを迎えに来たという。その頃、意識を取り戻したニッサはドクターに死の危険が迫っていることを感知しうなされていた。

Part2

クワンダの目を見たことで心を読まうドクター。反射的に防衛したためドクターは意識を失ってしまう。その頃ニッサはハーサとジェネスからドクターとシェイラの行方について尋問されていた。ニッサを蝕む闇が疫病のように広まる前にニッサとドクターは直ちに退去するよう言い渡されるが、ニッサは再び意識を失ってしまう。ニッサの治療を任されたセビアンはニッサを癒しの温泉に案内する。再びクワンダに呼び出されたドクターはニッサを助けたければトラクンのデータベースであるソースを破壊しろと言われ、断る。するとソースのコントロール・ルームにあるものを探して欲しいと保管庫を開ける番号を告げられる。ソースの保管庫の中にあるものをクワンダに届ければニッサの命を助けると言われるが、何を探すのか具体的に告げないままクワンダが去ってしまいドクターは困惑する。その頃、温泉から出たニッサの体調はすっきりと回復していた。トラクンに戻るのにシェイラは置いていくよう言われ、ドクターはシェイラを連れて宇宙船を盗み脱出する。

Part3

トラクンに到着した途端、ドクターとシェイラは逮捕されてしまう。執政官にクワンダがソースを破壊し、トラクンを支配しようと目論んでいると伝えるが、早々ににトラクンから去るよう言い渡される。ターディスに戻る途中、ドクターはニッサにクワンダからソースの保管庫にあるものをとってきて欲しいと頼まれたことを話し、クワンダの正体と、クワンダが何を欲しがったのかを知りたいという好奇心が勝り、ドクターはニッサとともにソースの保管庫に行き、クワンダから教えられたパスワードを入力する。しかし、それはトクランの防衛システムを解除するコードで、クワンダが侵略を開始してきた。

Part4

脅威になるとしてクワンダは部下にドクターを殺すよう命じる。数世紀前、クワンダはトラクンの民に科学や言語を与え神として崇められてきたが、ソースを作ったことでクワンダ必要としなくなった人々に追放されたという。



感想
TVのエピソード“The Keeper of Traken”を見て、内容をしっかりと覚えていればもうちょっと面白く感じられたのかもしれない。トクランのキーパーになるということがどういうことかを知っていれば、もっとドラマに入り込めたのかもしれないが...。悪役側のどの人が最終的に味方になってくれて味方側の誰が最終的に裏切るんだろうなというのが最初からわかりすぎだったのもイマイチ楽しめなかった要因かも。ドクターも結構大変なめにあっているのでもっとハラハラしていてもよさそうなものなのだけど。

[Finlay O'Riordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the lore side of this story, and the concepts it explored. It provides a satisfying explanation as to why Nyssa fainted her way out of "Kinda", and also expands on Traken culture and history. It also sort of paves the way for future big, evil omniscient beings to appear in Big Finish (sort of like how "Wild Blue Yonder" did in the televised series for the Pantheon, only the Great Old Ones of Big Finish are far more threatening and compelling villains than those). Stories such as "The Lovecraft Invasion", "Lurkers At Sunlight's Edge" and the 7/Elder Gods trilogy effectively all route back to events which occurred here, so on that front, this is quite an important, root-level Big Finish story.

However, in terms of the plot itself, I found it to be quite bare and generic. The Great Old One in question here basically wants access to the Source of Traken to take over the universe, or something thereabouts. That's really all there is to it, but I think the continuity feats really cover up the facts of how basic this plot is. A basic plot can be good, don't get me wrong, but normally it only works for two- or three-part long stories or books under 200 pages long. This is a full, two-hour long 4-part audio adventure, so by the time I'd reached the end of Part 3, I was already just desperate to get to the end of it and had to push myself to get through Part 4 when there wasn't really anything to shake up the plot or reinvigorate it for the final half-hour.

[Xander Toner · Rating 2 out of 5]

For me , this was an absolute slog. I was back on and invested with the Monthly Range again, after the enjoyable The Eye of the Scorpion and excellent Colditz, but this completely took the wind out of my sails. Maybe its because I didn’t do a rewatch of The Keeper of Traken like I think I should’ve, but either way I finished this simply out of a want to get this over with and start on something new. The Fifth Doctor and Nyssa have got the potential to be a really interesting and exciting TARDIS team, but each of their stories so far have either been lacklustre or just really, really dull, I was about to write them off, but their next venture is the seminal Spare Parts which I’m yet to listen to but am cautiously optimistic for. After a strong opening, Primeval just becomes more and more bogged down with Traken lore and just the most predictable Doctor Who villain you’ve ever heard. It’s a trap I find many Big Finish scripts fall into, where everything works well (or just like fine enough in this case) aside from a standard same-sounding villain, simply there to give the Doctor something to fight and drive the plot. The ending even does the most Doctor Who thing ever, with the Doctor fighting the villain in a battle of ‘mental energy’ or something that really doesn’t come across well in an audio-only format.

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will admit i liked and enjoyed this story, it's interesting and intriguing but i felt lost. I felt that i had jumped the gun, that there was another story before this I should of experienced first before this one. Now this is possibly true as I've been told some of the big finish eps fill in the gaps between old episodes and continues some stories sooo this is a possible reason why i felt lost as it just starts and keeps going. Oh well I guess, I assume this is probably what i should expect with some big finish stories moving forward.

[Viola · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is my favourite Main Range audio so far. It's not surprising as I'm easy for Fifth Doctor era stories, I love Nyssa and I find Traken a fascinating place and society. Also this audio has 3 female characters who aren't the companion, which isn't a lot but it's way better than most of the previous stories I listened to. And they didn't feel one-note, especially Shayla. None of the side characters did, except maybe the the two council members but I think that was on purpose.

[C S · Rating 4 out of 5]

The history of Nyssa’s homeworld is explored in this pre/sequel to 1981’s The Keeper of Traken, further demonstrating her complexity and resourcefulness as a companion to the Fifth Doctor in a battle of wits with a vengeful god.

[Charles Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 5th Doctor (Peter Davison) and Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) head to Traken where the Doctor hopes to find a remedy for Nyssa's sudden illness. As she recovers, the planet of Traken is under attack from alien invaders! How will they get out of this one?

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the way Nyssa played a part in this one, the opening was different so I quite liked that as well.the quote about sharing fire and teaching fire was hilarious to me, though I don’t know why. The plot itself was not dull.

[James Jeans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nyssa was always something of a throw-away companion for me, but Big Finish has given her a little more personality and charm. This is an early story, and I hope they use her more as the range goes on.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great short DW story. I always love it when Doctor Who gets all timey-wimey and in this one the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa go to Traken many years before it was destroyed. Very enjoyable and makes me wish it was longer.

[Yosef Shapiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story shows us some of the early history of Traken.

[Luiz Santiago · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crítica | Big Finish Mensal #21 a 27: O Olho do Escorpião e Outras Histórias: https://www.planocritico.com/critica-...

[Steven Shinder · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good Traken story.

[Viviana · Rating 2 out of 5]

[audiobook CDs]

[Tabitha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Painful to get through, with some severe religious undertones

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I'm not going to was lyrical about this entry, Lance Parkin can always be trusted to play with the lore in interesting ways, and to neatly tie up a plot. Enjoyable.

[Zach · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars - solid follow up for Keeper of Traken. The scifi babble brings this story down

[Lennon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Primeval sees Nyssa exploring Traken’s past as she and the Doctor search for a cure to a debilitating illness that has taken hold of her. This ancient Traken, the ‘Primeval era’, is very different from what Nyssa’s expected. It is a time of disease and religion, when the Trakenites were less hospitable, and too committed to protecting their great Source – the origin of their wealth, power and comfort. Traken lore quickly takes a dichotomous turn when the sinister presence of Kwundaar, a cruel, godlike figure is established. Lurking just outside Traken’s protective shields, Kwundaar plots and schemes to infiltrate Traken, and reign supreme.

Frankly, the Traken worldbuilding is simple, forgettable and tiresome. The dusty council of elders who prevail in place of the Source are intrusive and antagonistic toward the Doctor and Nyssa from the onset. Deeply superstitious and alarmist, they are an irritable bunch that exist to be made fools of - scarcely different from the fools present in The Keeper of Traken.

Alternatively, Kwundaar is a direct and powerful foe, who would have provided great stakes, if it were not for the glowing beacon of a predictable plot device that was the Source - a Macguffin if there ever was one. The Trakenites want the Source, Kwundaar wants the source, and so the Doctor wants to protect the source – it's all a squabble over a fancy machine that’s vaguely powerful. The few surprises and revelations along the way were contrived, predictable or simply uninteresting.


Read my full review below:
https://sonicreviewwho.wordpress.com/...

[MrColdStream · Rating 1 out of 5]

We are thrown directly into the story in the opening moments, after which the story revolves around rather Christian themes of good vs evil and how our soul is weakened by exposure to evil. The rest of the story heavily builds upon the background of Nyssa's home planet, but it's not particularly interesting, unfortunately. This type of story is good for world-building but not for entertainment value.

Davison and Sutton are fine. The rest of the cast is average, but nothing special, with the possible exception of Stephen Greif as Kwundaar.

The Doctor is characteristically worried for Nyssa's safety but otherwise, he doesn't seem particularly engaged in the proceedings, other than trying to persuade the Trakenites of Kwandaa's evil intentions.

Nyssa doesn't play a big part here, just hanging around different people while the Doctor saves the day. The plot device of her death is also dismissed pretty quickly.

Kwundaar is another Godlike being pitted against the Doctor, similar to Azaal in The Dæmons (1971) or Fendahl in Image of the Fendahl (1978). He's just not very engaging and doesn't stand out from others like him.

The production is simple and there's nothing in the music or soundscapes that stand out.

This is a very slow-paced story, mostly due to the endless backstory and exposition given in dialogue rather than a bigger emphasis in action.

The synopsis makes it sound like this story could reach great heights of tension, but the story turns out to be pretty devoid of such an atmosphere. The ending to Part Three builds a sudden suspenseful finale out of almost nothing.

Big Finish sought to deepen Doctor Who lore by giving Traken a proper backstory, and in that sense, this story succeeds.

This is a story with too much backstory and not enough engaging material to warrant replays.

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

I like the connection this story makes to other adventured the Doctor has had with Nyssa, such as The Land of the Dead (2000) and Winter for the Adept (2000), which has shown Nyssa's strange psychic side.

This story is a prequel to The Keeper of Traken (1981), which introduced Nyssa.

Nyssa meeting "machine men" and seeing one of her companions die throughout her travels with the Doctor refers to the Cybermen and Adric in Earthshock (1982).

The Doctor forgets his sonic screwdriver was destroyed recently in The Visitation (1982).

Nyssa teaches the Charleston to Sabian, having learnt the dance herself from Tegan in Black Orchid (1982).

Score: 49/120

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

With Nyssa falling mysteriously ill, the Doctor seeks out the greatest physician of Trakenite biology. Travelling into Traken's own ancient past, can the Doctor save his companion without destroying Nyssa's homeworld before she was ever born?

As Peter Davison's Fifth is arguably my Doctor, I have a soft spot for his adventures and companions. While this lacks the certain familial atmosphere that Davison's all too crowded TARDIS provided. it gives room for him and Sarah Sutton (Nyssa) more room to play off one another. Much like the other adventurers featuring these two, to counter their similar intelligences, the Doctor usually ends up being the too clever by half of the pair.

The actual adventure is a bit of a mix unfortunately. While it does delve entertainingly into Traken's primeval history, the adventure's exploration of other factors the notion of religion and a god being real actually melds pretty well with Sutekh from Pyramids of Mars but its usage here is heavy-handed. It also seems to imply the launching of a larger story arc, which I'm not sure ever came to fruition have good ideas but the execution isn't quite up to snuff. Still, an entertaining adventure for those who like the classic series and those who want to explore it further.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

"There was religion so Trakken wasn't a true paradise" " "the water must be like acid for you" "Tell me how to set the stun setting or I will shoot you" (and that was before she got possessed by evil) I did enjoy Nyssa in this one. Trakken was one of the episodes I liked the best as a child and it was nice to see them return in this. An earlier different version of Trakken, but an interesting one. It was however, a bit disappointing that Lance didn't touch more on the fact that Nyssa had returned to her planet that had been destroyed. Even ill that should have given her really strong emotions. It was however nice to see Davison's Doctor risking so much to help save her. There were also a lot of interesting guest characters, especially the woman Trakken Doctor. After the unequal gender balance in the past couple audios I've listened to it was nice to have a more balanced world again. The big bad was a bit Over the top but still an enjoyable episode.

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this adventure, we find the 5th Doctor and Nyssa traveling back to Traken after Nyssa takes ill and the Doctor is unable to find a cure. Enjoyable story - the nemesis was definitely formidable and it was great to see (an earlier version) of Traken again - especially since this story establishes some events from the Keeper episode.

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good one. Davison's warm voice is such a relief! A very interesting story that brings Nyssa face to face with her long-lost Kraken's primeval past. A godlike machine, a demonic god, a head-in-the-sand utopia and a wasting disease all make for an exciting adventure with lots of atmosphere. 'A gentleman knows how to do the Charleston, but doesn't.' such a great sense of character!

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Doctor brings Nyssa to ancient Traken because she is ill. Trakens do not like strangers, and there is a warship on their doorstep. How far will the Doctor go to save Nyssa. This is a decent story and the characters are well played. The concept is interesting too, just not particularly memorable. A good listen.

[Nicholas Whyte]

At last, a good Nyssa/Fifth Doctor play! Nyssa is taken ill and Five brings her back to Traken, centuries before her own time. Lots of nice setting up, though there is a wee bit of Shaggy God story about it.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm really enjoying the adventures of Nyssa and the Doctor. In this one we learn more about her people.

There were some delightful satire with the saying of Darqua (sp?). Save yourself before you save anyone else. Darqua helps those who help themselves. Makes you stop and think a bit.