It's a story which features the Vardans, which is a stroke of genius - they really belong much more to Season 3 than to the colour era, and somehow the sense of the story fits rather well to the era in which it was set, with Peter Purves and Tom Allen bleakly sparking off each other as death and destruction rage around them. I felt though looking back on it that there wasn't quite enough plot to sustain a full hour of audio. ( )

Having enjoyed The Perpetual Bond and glorified The Cold Equations, you might imagine that I was a wee bit excited to get ahold of the final part of the Oliver Harper trilogy, The First Wave. As with the other two, this release was written by Simon Guerrier, directed by Lisa Bowerman, produced by David Richardson, and sound designed by Richard Fox and Lauren Yason. It stars, once again, Peter Purves as Steven Taylor and Tom Allen as Oliver Harper.

The First Wave isn't quite as immersive in the 1960s as its predecessors were, but it still has a feeling of staunch emotional realism for all the characters involved, especially Steven. Steven has rarely been treated so well as a character as in The Cold Equations, and that trend continues here. Once again, the characters are in a space environment that lets Steven shine but also feels utterly real-- and completely resonant with the emotional tone of the story. The First Wave takes place on an mostly airless planetoid at the fringes of the solar system, and the starkness mirrors Steven's mood. He's seen Katarina and Sara die... and the Doctor too. How can he and Oliver possibly survive this one?

Back in August, I hoped that The First Wave would be good enough that the Oliver stories would replace the Sara ones as the best The Companion Chronicles had to offer. My hope came true. The Perpetual Bond, The Cold Equations, and The First Wave are amongst the best Doctor Who stories that have been told. Don't miss out.

You can read a longer version of this review at Unreality SF.