Review by Daniel Mansfield

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Big Finish‘s series of movie-length Time War adventures continues with Unknown Soldiers, a three-hour epic written by Timothy X Atack.

Opening episode Ready introduces us to a brand new ensemble of characters, who are far and away the best thing about this set. From Time Lord traitor Pars (Isla Blair) and genetically engineered Movellan Ormarelle (Amanda Shodeko) to brutish Ogron twins Og-One and Og-Two (Andrew James Spooner) and a disgraced regent, Lunim (Phillipe Bosher), this ragtag team serves as the emotional core of the boxset. This first episode spends time assembling the key players and laying the groundwork for what’s to come which means that, even though the Doctor is largely absent here, things still have a strong forward momentum.

With Jonathon Carley‘s Doctor now part of the gang, alongside fast-talking, gun-toting Bevvakk the Squirrn, episode two, Aim, introduces us to the Blind Bomb Maker (Adam Martyn), who it seems may be key to stopping the War. This middle episode feels like a bit of a runaround for most of its runtime, but the interactions between the characters, particularly the Doctor and Pars, are so well-written it’s just a joy to hang out with them.

After an audacious cliffhanger, it’s time for finale Fire, a fast-paced conclusion to the set full of Daleks (including the new Phase Dalek, seen on the front cover), noble sacrifices and shocking reveals. Each character gets their moment in the spotlight, their arcs culminating in ways that feel both poignant and earned, and while the ending feels bleak, it really hammers home just how devastating the Time War is.

Overall, this boxset feels a little meandering at times, and the listener is intentionally left in the dark on a few occasions as to what’s going on, which means it can be hard to fully invest in the storyline. As for the characters, though, this boxset has one of the best, most well-rounded guest casts in a Doctor Who, the perfect motley crew to accompany the Doctor on this most dangerous of adventures. With a little fine-tuning to the plot, this could have been an all-time classic. As it stands, though, Unknown Soldiers is another strong release in the War Doctor Rises series, and I hope we hear more from the range in 2025.

Unknown Soldiers is available on CD or as a download from http://www.bigfinish.com