The Cold Equations is the second story to feature Oliver Harper after The Perpetual Bond. We knew that there was a secret that Harper had but it was going to be interesting to see whether it would be something big or a big disappointment. The story is set on a ship which is a scavenger ship that hovering above the earth. It’s still fun to hear Harper’s reaction to the future. It’s partly down to Tom Allen who has a wonderful way of playing the character. This story was written by Simon Guerrier who’s track record is a strong one, having written the Sara Kingdom trilogy and also writing The Perpetual Bond.
The story doesn’t really get going until Part 2. The first part seems oddly disjointed and it was quite a while before I got into it and found the whole setting to be a bit too dull for my liking. The thing about these sort of releases is that they need to either instantly hit the listener straight away or have something rewarding by the half way point. If you get to the midway point and don’t find it to be engaging then the second half has to work really hard to get my interest. The setting was quite bleak and it could have done with a bit more drama and cranked up the tension a little bit. Also I think that they could have done something with the sound because it was a bit ordinary on this occasion.
The revelation is something that I was slightly disappointed with but on the other hand I’m kind of glad that if this was the revelation that they had from the very beginning then it’s a good thing that they got it out of the way now as opposed to dragging out for a few more stories. Also it was quite interesting how from Harper’s point of view (1960’s) is different from Steven’s (not sure on time). Even by 2011’s standards, being gay isnt the big taboo thing that it was in the 60’s. As I mentioned before, Tom Allen is very good as Oliver Harper and he works well with Peter Purves. Purves himself is quite good and I enjoy his Hartnell impression everytime that I hear it.
The Cold Equations isnt the best story of the series but its an important part of the Harper series. It’s not Simon Guerrier’s finest work but its not the worst that he’s come up with and neither is it the worst companion chronicle of the series. I think that the Harper character is interesting and has potential and I think that as the final story to the fifth series it’s a fine example of just how far this series has developed over the last 44 releases.
The story doesn’t really get going until Part 2. The first part seems oddly disjointed and it was quite a while before I got into it and found the whole setting to be a bit too dull for my liking. The thing about these sort of releases is that they need to either instantly hit the listener straight away or have something rewarding by the half way point. If you get to the midway point and don’t find it to be engaging then the second half has to work really hard to get my interest. The setting was quite bleak and it could have done with a bit more drama and cranked up the tension a little bit. Also I think that they could have done something with the sound because it was a bit ordinary on this occasion.
The revelation is something that I was slightly disappointed with but on the other hand I’m kind of glad that if this was the revelation that they had from the very beginning then it’s a good thing that they got it out of the way now as opposed to dragging out for a few more stories. Also it was quite interesting how from Harper’s point of view (1960’s) is different from Steven’s (not sure on time). Even by 2011’s standards, being gay isnt the big taboo thing that it was in the 60’s. As I mentioned before, Tom Allen is very good as Oliver Harper and he works well with Peter Purves. Purves himself is quite good and I enjoy his Hartnell impression everytime that I hear it.
The Cold Equations isnt the best story of the series but its an important part of the Harper series. It’s not Simon Guerrier’s finest work but its not the worst that he’s come up with and neither is it the worst companion chronicle of the series. I think that the Harper character is interesting and has potential and I think that as the final story to the fifth series it’s a fine example of just how far this series has developed over the last 44 releases.
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