Trevor Baxendale as the
choice for the writer for The Dark Flame
is an odd one as although he has written Doctor Who novels, he never wrote for
the Virgin Doctor Who Novels. That is a
real shame as Baxendale creates an atmosphere straight out of the Virgin New
Adventures of the period almost better than Paul Cornell’s The Shadow of the Scourge.
It’s a story that nails the characters so well it is almost like this
was meant to be a pitch for the Virgin New Adventures but was rejected for
having its characters get along. The
placement of this story is after All-Consuming
Fire when the Doctor, Ace and Benny were getting along at their best here
which is refreshing and really makes the story quite humorous as they in turn
tease each other for their flaws which I just love. Sophie Aldred and Lisa Bowerman steal the
show as Ace and Benny as they give their best performances ever. Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor is also great
as he has quite a lot to do here especially at the end as he goes into a mind
battle a la The Brain of Morbius, but
here as it is audio and McCoy is less arrogant than Tom Baker, the mind battle
is really tense as the Seventh Doctor is almost given total and absolute power
over time and space which allows the end to be an actual deus ex machina with
the Doctor as the god in the machine.
This all fits in the plot
which sees the Doctor, Ace and Benny mixed up with the resurrection of Vilus
Krull the leader of the cult of the dark flame which promises eternal power and
of course Krull wants to take over the world.
This is full of vivid imagery of people getting their eyes removed and
just a lot of murder which I adore in the story as it really makes you feel
that Doctor Who can do these dark subjects.
It helps that Baxendale does a good job at creating his supporting
characters as they are all unique. Krull
is the weakest character with a paper thin motivation as he just wants to
control the world. Remnex, the dead body
that Krull possesses, is also weak as he gets one scene before his death with
the establishment that he is the Doctor’s friend so has very little time for
any real characterization. They are
played by the same actor who does give a good performance as both of them. Joseph is a much more interesting character
who is basically the opposite of Marvin the Paranoid Android. Joesph isn’t depressed he is only a pessimist
who loves his work even if he doesn’t have the capacity for enjoyment. His self-sacrifice is genuinely
emotional. Slyde is the only other
character who gives a good performance as Michael Praed has one of those voices
which just make for a good and enjoyable listen. Slyde is a murderer which the Doctor allows
to go free so he doesn’t create a paradox involving the withering of Benny’s
hand and the nature of Remnex’s death.
The story may be a good
one with an atmosphere on point with The
Shadow of the Scourge, but it isn’t nearly as good. This can be put down to a couple of things,
first off the pacing is off which can make some of the portions of the audio to
be very boring and difficult to get through.
I also feel as the direction is falling flat especially compared to
Jason Haigh-Ellery’s last effort with The
Rapture and the music is also pretty bland sounding like generic stuff
composed by an amateur. Even though I
said the deus ex machina was creative it doesn’t forgive it for being a deus ex
machina which doesn’t really amount to anything. Baxendale and any writer should know that if
you reference the problem of your story it doesn’t forgive it for being a problem.
To summarize, The Dark Flame is leaps and bounds above
Nekromanteia, which isn’t very hard
to do, but it is still a flawed story.
The plot has some intrigue with its characters but there are problems
with the fact that it feels a lot like a traditional Doctor Who story. The regulars and Michael Praed give their
absolute best performances and are the highlights of the story, but the rest of
them are one note or are just a bit uninteresting. The direction and music also just feel a bit
flat on the whole. 68/100
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