The Pyralis Effect is a standard Doctor and aliens runabout. My expectations for this were pretty low, based partly on steve_mollmann's review but largely on the fact that it is by George Mann, whose fiction and non-fiction has failed to impress me. The fact that it more or less held my attention to the end has to be considered a major triumph, and (given the discussion in the extra tracks of the number of rewrites extracted from Mann by Big Finish) a triumph shared by many. Let us consider it equivalent in quality to the average Season 17 story, and leave it there. ( )

Lalla Ward. Lalla Ward. Mmm, say it again: Lalla Ward. The second Romana is probably my favorite classic series companion (except when I prefer Tegan, Sarah Jane, or Liz), so I was pretty excited to be able to review this Companion Chronicle. The Pyralis Effect stars Lalla Ward as Romana, with Jess Robinson as the guest voice, playing a whopping three roles (Suri, CAIN, and the Pyralis), though admittedly two of them are under heavy distortion. And it's written by British sf novelist George Mann - I'm not familiar with his fiction, but I have read a couple of the collections he's edited for Solaris Books and really enjoyed them.

The Pyralis Effect sees the Doctor and Romana materializing on a spaceship called the Myriad, which carries the genetic data of the destroyed planet Pavonis IV. The crew hope to recreate their planet, but they want to help of the Doctor to do it, and they've come all the way to the constellation of Kasterborous to do it. Meanwhile, there's a deadly robot with a fungal brain loose and they're just about to release an ancient evil known as the Pyralis. Sound exciting? Not if you've seen or read scores of other Doctor Who stories.

The Pyralis Effect is a bit of damp squib. Lalla Ward shines, but the story is serviceable at best, and the sound design and acting from Jess Robinson let it down a little. But I suppose that if you're looking for Underworld: The Version Without Bad CSO, you might be in for a treat.

You can read a longer version of this review at Unreality SF.