The TARDIS brings the Doctor and Nyssa to a vast pyramid, floating in space. A tomb ship – the last resting place of the God-King of the Arrit, an incredibly advanced and incredibly ancient civilisation, long since extinct. They’re not alone, however. Another old dynasty walks its twisted, trap-ridden passages – a family of tomb raiders led by a fanatical matriarch, whose many sons and daughters have been tutored in tales of the God-King’s lost treasure. But those who seek the God-King will find death in their shadow. Death from below. Death from above. Death moving them back and forward, turning their own hearts against them. Because only the dead will survive…
Back many years ago, there was a rather terrible movie called Cube. It concerned a group of people who were trapped in some elaborate death-structure that killed anyone who made a wrong move. It was, frankly, a bit of a snooze-fest for me as soon as the logical parts of my brain started to kick in. I mention that movie because this story also features a group of people in an elaborate death-structure that kills anyone who makes a wrong move. Only Big Finish does it right. Mostly.
The story concerns the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa arriving on a space station around some distant planet. There they find a woman, her sons, and another woman who are all trying to survive a massive set of death traps. Some do this fairly wisely, and others not so much. The story unfolds with a series of traps that are clever and interesting, and the eventual resolution is acceptable. But there are some minor problems with this story.
First off, the whole “series of death traps designed to protect this place that if you can survive them, you get a great treasure” thing never makes sense any time it shows up in any work of fiction. As far as I know, such a thing has never existed in reality. If you wanted to reward the worthy, you could, and would likely find a way to do so without them possibly dying in the process, at least if you’re a decent person. If you’re not a decent person, you’ll likely just set things up so people die instantly, and if by some chance they make it to the goal, there won’t be anything there other than a tray of Oreos and a mocking note.
Second, the motivations of the woman with the sons in this story make limited sense, and I have a very tough time believing someone would just act as a breeding chute to a bunch of children, then hang around for a couple of decades, and then go off to try the death traps. This woman did not strike me as this patient. It would have made far more sense for her to simply hire some mercenaries.
Lastly, there’s a character who shows up very late in the game. This is a character we’ve seen exactly once before in one story. Now I liked this particular character, and I’m glad they’re back, but it seemed a bit forced and not entirely plausible. That said, the character showed up because they stowed away in the TARDIS, and if the 1980s Doctor Who era taught us nothing else, it at least taught us that pretty much anyone can wander in and make themselves at home.
All that said, I did enjoy this story in spite of its shortcomings. Davison and Sutton are on their game at their usual high level and all the guest stars did quite fine with their roles, limited and cliche though they may have been. This will never go down as a favorite of mine, but it’s a solid story, and I enjoyed it.
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