Review by Daniel Mansfield

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UNIT Eras is a brand new anthology series, showcasing characters from across UNIT’s nearly sixty-year history.

Rise of the Valiant by Andrew Smith kicks things off as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Jon Culshaw) finds his mission to Peru interrupted by the Dalek invasion seen in The Stolen Earth. Joined by Harry Sullivan (Christopher Naylor) and Colonel Mace (Rupert Holliday-Evans) from The Sontaran Stratagem, the Brigadier must fight to make it across the South American jungle to find a secret weapon that will prove invaluable in the fight against the Daleks.

This is UNIT storytelling at its most action-packed: full of impressive audio set pieces brought to life by Steve Foxon‘s sound design and Borna Matosic‘s score. There’s less thematic depth here than elsewhere in the set, aside from a twist or two, but when the lead performances and sense of adventure are this strong, it’s hard not to come away from listening to this having thoroughly enjoyed yourself.

The Indigo Child by Ken Bentley is a lot more grounded, picking up on Kate Lethbridge-Stewart’s story after being ousted from UNIT by Prentis during Flux. Now working undercover, she reunites with her faithful assistant Osgood to investigate reports about a child refugee with strange powers.

This is a very modern-feeling, politically-charged story, dealing with immigration, genocide and the care system – serious topics that Bentley has clearly done a lot of research into, and the gravity of which he doesn’t undersell here. My one gripe, however, is that the story feels very simple – Kate and Osgood set out to save the child, do so, and then the story is over. Had this been the pilot to a whole new series about Kate post-UNIT, as originally intended, the simplicity of the script might have been overlooked, but the end result is ultimately anticlimactic.

The best of the bunch is The Life and Death of Private Eddie Wise by Hannah Kennedy, which tells the story of a UNIT soldier and the effect his very unconventional job has on his life. It’s hard-hitting stuff and, as the title suggests, ultimately a tragedy, held together with an understated performance from George Somner, who manages to create a great deal of sympathy for his character despite the hour-long runtime.

Sadie Miller also impresses as Sarah Jane in plucky journalist mode, and Jon Culshaw‘s brief appearances as the Brigadier add a touch more complexity to the character we know and love. Despite a slightly weaker ending, The Life and Death of Eddie Wise is a real success, proving that a UNIT series can involve more than just action and adventure.

Deadstar by Joshua Pruett and Jonathan S Powell rounds things off, bringing us bang up to date with a visit to modern-day UNIT, complete with shiny skyscraper, Melanie Bush and the Vlinx. When a new telescope is brought online, UNIT tower goes into lockdown and Mel, new recruit Isla Ellis and Colonel Alec Grover must contend with a hostile alien presence with a strange influence over the Vlinx.

What could have been a pretty standard base-under-siege story is elevated by the charming interplay between Mel and Isla, who must contend both with this chilling extraterrestrial threat, and secrets from their respective pasts. Bonnie Langford excels at bringing to life a slightly more bitter, regretful Mel than we’re used to, while Danielle Bird tugs at the heartstrings as the grieving Isla, who has a lot to prove, but isn’t sure how to do it.

It’s also nice that the Vlinx (Nicholas Briggs) gets a little more to do than on TV, becoming the mouthpiece for the villain of the story to sinister effect. Briggs can always be counted on to voice a memorable monster, and Deadstar is no exception.

Though not every story in Hostile Universe lands equally, it’s a joy spending time with some of the Whoniverse‘s most iconic characters. More importantly, Hostile Universe proves just how many different kinds of stories UNIT still has left to tell – let’s hope it’s not too long before we hear more of them.

Hostile Universe is available as a download from http://www.bigfinish.com