It's a great way to start the book as it really changes the status quo. Firstly there's the mystery of why the Brigadier is in there in the first place. It seem fairly obvious as a reader that he hasn't actually done anything bad but it's unclear if it's a miscarriage of justice or part of some grand plan. Putting Lethbridge-Stewart in this situation also works well because it's a rare time when we see him isolated. Here the Brig is utterly on his own and that's a great dynamic to see.
There's a wonderful homage to the Ronnie Barker prison-based sitcom 'Porridge' at the start of this book, before the drama really unfolds. The Brig shares his cell with Stanley, who is almost identical to Barker's character Norman Stanley Fletcher. There's also a nasty warder called Fulton, named after Fulton Mackay, the actor who played Porridge's warder Mr Mackay. There were a few other small references too and it was a lovely touch and really helped to set the scene.
The latter half of the book transforms into a Bond-esque thriller as Lethbridge-Stewart rushes to stop a villain. There's even a classic Bond fight in a sleeper train sequence. I really like it when this series goes for this feel and doesn't try to be too Doctor Who.
The sci-fi element of this book wasn't my favorite and coming straight after Lethbridge-Stewart: Blood of Atlantis the general idea felt a little tired. It did work in context of the story though and it was nice to have a relatively minor threat. It's mostly Lethbridge-Stewart who is in great danger here rather than the world in general.
A different style for the series which worked really well and kept things fresh- I really enjoyed it.
No comments:
Post a Comment