The War To End All Wars [AUDIO/2014.4.9]

★★★★☆

  Peter Purves was always a great actor, and Classic serials with him always managed to bring me some form of enjoyment. It's wonderful that Big Finish's Companion Chronicles range allowed so many companions to become a step above what they were, to show just how good they can be. Steven's journey from appointed king to deposed recluse is an intriguing one, and The War To End All Wars gives us small glimpses of the society of The Savages, while acting as a setup for Steven's future adventures with his granddaughter and a mental copy of the Doctor.

  It's also a tale of war, the age-old story of soldiers being whipped into shape as the perfect disposable killing machines while the higher-ups and politicians sip on their brandy and talk about a peace they're not lifting a finger to achieve. Purves' narration whisks us away into the grimy, desolate battlefields, and for an hour we're in the middle of that war, not just during the fighting and killing but also in the spaces of time between... the silence. The audio story has an air of discomfort (ironic, considering the planet's name), a dread creeping up as Steven attempts his hand at politics with Dodo to try and figure out what's going on. This is exactly the kind of adventure that excites and stimulates with mystery and political intrigue (and the bleak world) rather than guns and chases, and it's not only brilliant, it's also very fitting for a First Doctor story.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ  

  Simon Guerrier was always fantastic with First Doctor tales, especially ones with Steven, and it gives me great pleasure to report that The War To End All Wars is yet another hit. Steven is fantastic here, with the young man in the story using every trick and tip from his travels with the Doctor at his disposal and the old, wizened fellow carrying an air of gleaming intellect and mischief around an ancient exterior... not unlike the Doctor he knew. When Guerrier pens Steven, no wrong can come of it.