Cyberman 2

The much-delayed sequel to Nicholas Briggs's Cyberman, this is another 4-part audio mini-series set in the Doctor Who universe. Notably, it does not include, or even mention, the Doctor, or any other characters from the TV series. While some might find that off-putting, to me, it's an excellent example of how the DW universe can be bigger than the one character it's undeniably built around.

The story is set a few centuries into the future, during the early days of the first Earth Empire, when a number of off-world colonies exist, but the bulk of the human population remains on Earth. The plot has two main strands, with one following the only surviving protagonists of the first mini-series, and the other following taxi driver Hazel as she becomes reluctantly involved in the resistance against an increasingly dictatorial Earth government.

The tone of the story is darker and grittier than typical DW fare, in some respects being closer to Torchwood. A major theme is the distrust between humans and their android creations, a distrust that is being exploited by the Cybermen (who, if anything, feel even less kinship to the androids than to the humans - there being no organic parts to cyber-convert).

It's clear from the beginning that the ending is not going to be an entirely happy one, and the cold logic of the Cybermen is played up as much as the body horror of cyber-conversion. In this respect, it's also notable that the Cybermen here are apparently the “Mk II” variant seen in TV stories like Tomb of the Cybermen, whose voices are more inhuman than those of the '70s and '80s.

In giving this 5 stars, I would have to admit that I'm comparing like with like, rather than saying this is up to the standards of the greatest science fiction novelists of our age. But I did find it a refreshing and very different take on the DW universe, a type of story that really couldn't be told if the Doctor was anywhere nearby. Within that context, it's a successful and grimly atmospheric tale. If there is a comparison to be made with the TV series, we'd have to go back to the early days when the Doctor was not yet the force of nature he would later become, and say that this is reminiscent, perhaps, of The Dalek Invasion of Earth.