It is 1953, Kenya and the Mau Mau uprising has trapped a group of women in a remote house. There is a mystery illness and a strange creature in the woods. And into all this comes the Seventh Doctor for a confrontation with Elizabeth Klein who he first met in Colditz.
I bought this as part of a special offer for the three stories in the Klein trilogy and it was very enjoyable. If you have read my previous reviews you will know that I love a confrontation between the Doctor and a strong willed opponent with a different philosophy. These battles of wills seem to be what I like most about Doctor Who. Obviously I enjoy a good monster story from time to time but listening to the Doctor clash minds with an opposing point of view makes for terrific audio drama.
Klein is a fascinating character, a scientist from another time stream where Germany won the second world war. She is very different from the conventional stereotype of a Nazi scientist, Klein is a believer but not in a straight forward way. She is complex and humane and quick to point out the flaws in the Doctor's own arguments against her. It takes a terrific performance from Tracey Childs to bring her to life and to make her a hero in a strange way.
Right now I am trying to decide which is my favourite of the Big Finish Doctors but if you asked me to pick which of the supporting characters I would like to see brought into the TV show I would pick Klein. Of course it is not all just a clash of wills. There is a mystery and a monster and it is all played out in a neat variant of the classic "Base in Peril" story. The monster itself is a clever commentary on the role of the English occupiers and the struggles of the Kenyans for independence.
All in all this was a great starter to the Klein trilogy. I have found some of my recent listens to be either too short or too long but this was like that third bowl of porridge, just right. It gets 4 out of 5 straw boaters. Next up will be Survival of the Fittest.
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