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Doctor Who Novel Adaptations #2
Doctor Who: The Highest Science
Sakkrat. Many legends speak of this world, home of an ancient empire destroyed by its own greatest achievement: the Highest Science, the pinnacle of technological discovery.
When the TARDIS alerts the Doctor and Bernice to the presence of an enormous temporal fluctuation on a large, green, unremarkable planet, they are not to know of any connection with the legend.
But the connection is there, and it will lead them into conflict with the monstrous Chelonians, with their contempt for human parasites; into adventure with a group of youngsters whose musical taste has suddenly become dangerously significant; and will force them to face Sheldukher, the most wanted criminal in the galaxy.
NOTE: This is an audio play adapted from the novel The Highest Science by Gareth Roberts. It is not a new edition of the novel.
When the TARDIS alerts the Doctor and Bernice to the presence of an enormous temporal fluctuation on a large, green, unremarkable planet, they are not to know of any connection with the legend.
But the connection is there, and it will lead them into conflict with the monstrous Chelonians, with their contempt for human parasites; into adventure with a group of youngsters whose musical taste has suddenly become dangerously significant; and will force them to face Sheldukher, the most wanted criminal in the galaxy.
NOTE: This is an audio play adapted from the novel The Highest Science by Gareth Roberts. It is not a new edition of the novel.
Audio CD
First published December 1, 2014
1 person is currently reading
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About the author
Jacqueline Rayner
130 books169 followersJacqueline Rayner is a best selling British author, best known for her work with the licensed fiction based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.
Her first professional writing credit came when she adapted Paul Cornell's Virgin New Adventure novel Oh No It Isn't! for the audio format, the first release by Big Finish. (The novel featured the character of Bernice Summerfield and was part of a spin-off series from Doctor Who.) She went on to do five of the six Bernice Summerfield audio adaptations and further work for Big Finish before going to work for BBC Books on their Doctor Who lines.
Her first novels came in 2001, with the Eighth Doctor Adventures novel EarthWorld for BBC Books and the Bernice Summerfield novel The Squire's Crystal for Big Finish. Rayner has written several other Doctor Who spin-offs and was also for a period the executive producer for the BBC on the Big Finish range of Doctor Who audio dramas. She has also contributed to the audio range as a writer. In all, her Doctor Who and related work (Bernice Summerfield stories), consists of five novels, a number of short stories and four original audio plays.
Rayner has edited several anthologies of Doctor Who short stories, mainly for Big Finish, and done work for Doctor Who Magazine. Beyond Doctor Who, her work includes the children's television tie-in book Horses Like Blaze.
With the start of the new television series of Doctor Who in 2005 and a shift in the BBC's Doctor Who related book output, Rayner has become, along with Justin Richards and Stephen Cole, one of the regular authors of the BBC's New Series Adventures. She has also abridged several of the books to be made into audiobooks.
She was also a member of Doctor Who Magazine's original Time Team.
Her first professional writing credit came when she adapted Paul Cornell's Virgin New Adventure novel Oh No It Isn't! for the audio format, the first release by Big Finish. (The novel featured the character of Bernice Summerfield and was part of a spin-off series from Doctor Who.) She went on to do five of the six Bernice Summerfield audio adaptations and further work for Big Finish before going to work for BBC Books on their Doctor Who lines.
Her first novels came in 2001, with the Eighth Doctor Adventures novel EarthWorld for BBC Books and the Bernice Summerfield novel The Squire's Crystal for Big Finish. Rayner has written several other Doctor Who spin-offs and was also for a period the executive producer for the BBC on the Big Finish range of Doctor Who audio dramas. She has also contributed to the audio range as a writer. In all, her Doctor Who and related work (Bernice Summerfield stories), consists of five novels, a number of short stories and four original audio plays.
Rayner has edited several anthologies of Doctor Who short stories, mainly for Big Finish, and done work for Doctor Who Magazine. Beyond Doctor Who, her work includes the children's television tie-in book Horses Like Blaze.
With the start of the new television series of Doctor Who in 2005 and a shift in the BBC's Doctor Who related book output, Rayner has become, along with Justin Richards and Stephen Cole, one of the regular authors of the BBC's New Series Adventures. She has also abridged several of the books to be made into audiobooks.
She was also a member of Doctor Who Magazine's original Time Team.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 19, 2018
Mix between 2/3 stars.
This is my second time listening to the Highest Science and it's one of the weakest Novel adaptations Big Finish have done. They cut a lot from the book and like anything else, I do understand they have to cut things from the book in order to fit the time scale.
However, I feel like they have cut off the wrong scenes. In the book, we saw a lot more of Benny being drugged, getting caught in the swamp with Rodo and his friend.
I also felt the Chelonians were a bit forced in certain aspects of the story on audio, especially in act two. Though their concept of family relations was unusual.
It's an odd choice for a novel adaptation and would have loved to see more novel adaptations from the virgin new adventures but sadly, big finish are no longer doing them.
This is my second time listening to the Highest Science and it's one of the weakest Novel adaptations Big Finish have done. They cut a lot from the book and like anything else, I do understand they have to cut things from the book in order to fit the time scale.
However, I feel like they have cut off the wrong scenes. In the book, we saw a lot more of Benny being drugged, getting caught in the swamp with Rodo and his friend.
I also felt the Chelonians were a bit forced in certain aspects of the story on audio, especially in act two. Though their concept of family relations was unusual.
It's an odd choice for a novel adaptation and would have loved to see more novel adaptations from the virgin new adventures but sadly, big finish are no longer doing them.
December 8, 2021
La Scienza Suprema. L'apice della conoscenza e un'arma terribile. Una leggenda - niente di più.
Sheldukher. Il criminale più ricercato della galassia. Malvagio fino al midollo e affamato di potere, qualunque sia il costo.
I Cheloniani. Una vasta potenza militare, impegnata a sradicare i parassiti umani ovunque si trovino.
Il Dottore. Un Signore del Tempo antico e saggio che traccia una fluttuazione temporale che mette in pericolo l'universo stesso.
Alcune cose non dovrebbero mai incontrarsi, ma come la professoressa Summerfield sta per scoprire, l'universo è pieno di coincidenze.
--------------------------------------------------------
Di questo adattamento non ho letto il libro originale, e magari è per questo che l'ho trovato particolarmente confusionario. Sembra quasi che siano presenti due storie, che non hanno punti in comune se non per il fatto che accadono nello stesso luogo e nello stesso tempo, complicando le cose da ambo i lati. Da una parte, abbiamo un paio di malviventi spaziali, di cui uno in particolare – Sheldukher – è decisamente sadico e intenzionato ad utilizzare un cervello sintetico per trovare un leggendario pianeta che nasconde “la Scienza Suprema”, la più elevata fonte di conoscenza. Da un'altra parte, un gruppo di umani dispersi sul suddetto pianeta sono in guerra con i Cheloniani, una razza di tartarughe antropomorfe altamente militarizzate. Ad unire le due cose c'è il Dottore, in compagnia di Benny, alla ricerca di uno “sfarfallio Forteano”, un fenomeno metafisico che causa un notevole incremento negli eventi casuali.
Per il modo in cui queste scene vengono alternate, è difficile seguire cosa sta succedendo. Inoltre, le voci dei Cheloniani, così distorte, sono spesso quasi incomprensibili, e per il modo in cui vengono rappresentati sembrano più macchiette che delle vere minacce. Ed è per questo che secondo me il punto più forte risulta proprio il filone di Sheldukher e della sua ricerca.
Dopo che si è presa familiarità con la storia, almeno dopo le prime due parti, diventa intrigante e riserva anche dei colpi di scena, ma il modo in cui si risolve rimane insoddisfacente e, nel caso di una determinata situazione, addirittura inconcludente (si dovrà aspettare “Happy Endings”, con Romana che risolve lo stallo in poco più di due righe).
Alla fin fine, dopo ben due ascolti, non so cosa mi sia veramente rimasto di questa storia. Le interazioni tra il Dottore e Benny sono molto piacevoli, ma per il resto credo di dover leggere il libro per poter apprezzare appieno la trama.
Sheldukher. Il criminale più ricercato della galassia. Malvagio fino al midollo e affamato di potere, qualunque sia il costo.
I Cheloniani. Una vasta potenza militare, impegnata a sradicare i parassiti umani ovunque si trovino.
Il Dottore. Un Signore del Tempo antico e saggio che traccia una fluttuazione temporale che mette in pericolo l'universo stesso.
Alcune cose non dovrebbero mai incontrarsi, ma come la professoressa Summerfield sta per scoprire, l'universo è pieno di coincidenze.
--------------------------------------------------------
Di questo adattamento non ho letto il libro originale, e magari è per questo che l'ho trovato particolarmente confusionario. Sembra quasi che siano presenti due storie, che non hanno punti in comune se non per il fatto che accadono nello stesso luogo e nello stesso tempo, complicando le cose da ambo i lati. Da una parte, abbiamo un paio di malviventi spaziali, di cui uno in particolare – Sheldukher – è decisamente sadico e intenzionato ad utilizzare un cervello sintetico per trovare un leggendario pianeta che nasconde “la Scienza Suprema”, la più elevata fonte di conoscenza. Da un'altra parte, un gruppo di umani dispersi sul suddetto pianeta sono in guerra con i Cheloniani, una razza di tartarughe antropomorfe altamente militarizzate. Ad unire le due cose c'è il Dottore, in compagnia di Benny, alla ricerca di uno “sfarfallio Forteano”, un fenomeno metafisico che causa un notevole incremento negli eventi casuali.
Per il modo in cui queste scene vengono alternate, è difficile seguire cosa sta succedendo. Inoltre, le voci dei Cheloniani, così distorte, sono spesso quasi incomprensibili, e per il modo in cui vengono rappresentati sembrano più macchiette che delle vere minacce. Ed è per questo che secondo me il punto più forte risulta proprio il filone di Sheldukher e della sua ricerca.
Dopo che si è presa familiarità con la storia, almeno dopo le prime due parti, diventa intrigante e riserva anche dei colpi di scena, ma il modo in cui si risolve rimane insoddisfacente e, nel caso di una determinata situazione, addirittura inconcludente (si dovrà aspettare “Happy Endings”, con Romana che risolve lo stallo in poco più di due righe).
Alla fin fine, dopo ben due ascolti, non so cosa mi sia veramente rimasto di questa storia. Le interazioni tra il Dottore e Benny sono molto piacevoli, ma per il resto credo di dover leggere il libro per poter apprezzare appieno la trama.
August 18, 2019
A lot more fun than the original novel. Whereas the book suffers from the first time author problem of chucking all their good ideas in and not particularly worrying about them fitting together, the audio’s a lot more coherent thanks to Jac Rayner’s pruning and Lisa Bowerman’s terrific performance as a younger, greener Benny. Which is a good job as The Highest Science’s reputation really rested on being one of the few early New Adventures that tried to be funny rather than grandiose SF, and the proliferation of sharp, witty Doctor Who this century rather takes that selling point away. Sadly it leaves the original ‘oh shit, I’m over my word count’ ending intact and this time there’s no Happy Endings to smooth it over. Still, worth a listen for what a good adaptor and performer can make of mediocre material.
October 15, 2022
Say one thing for Jac Rayner - she can polish a turd.
Adaptations of the New Adventures novels are difficult enough, but Gareth Roberts' The Highest Science was high-volume kitchen sink filler to begin with. Rayner has to trim out lots of extraneous fluff to create a narrative that comes close to working, and it almost isn't enough. It doesn't help that Roberts' original writing was dull and lumpy. If we're awarding points though, it's solely because Jac Rayner has made a valiant effort to give it some shape.
Adaptations of the New Adventures novels are difficult enough, but Gareth Roberts' The Highest Science was high-volume kitchen sink filler to begin with. Rayner has to trim out lots of extraneous fluff to create a narrative that comes close to working, and it almost isn't enough. It doesn't help that Roberts' original writing was dull and lumpy. If we're awarding points though, it's solely because Jac Rayner has made a valiant effort to give it some shape.
February 13, 2018
What a mess! This sadly wasn't one of the better ones, I was looking forward to a Seventh and Bernice adventure.
December 28, 2022
These novel adaptations aren’t quite doing it for me as much as I thought they would.
December 12, 2014
I was quite surprised to see I hadn't read the Highest Science as I thought I'd read most of Gareth Roberts classic who novels. So the story for this was a total surprise for me. It did feel a little bit like it was an early novel and in some ways not quite as sophisticated as some of the more recent Big Finish audios. That said it was LOVELY to hear Lisa Bowerman being early Benny again. She went through the WHOLE adventure without a G&T! Or any booze at all! But she was still Very funny and witty and a joy to hear. The comedy aliens were less annoying than most comedy aliens, though I was a bit confused as to which were the the aliens as the voice effects seemed stronger on some than others. Still it was a fun adventure and definitely good value for £12.99 when it seems like most four CD box sets are £20 these days. So definitely one I'd recommend.
February 21, 2015
Really enjoyed this one. Glad to hear more 7th Doctor and Bernice stories in the audio format, especially the novel adaptations. This one has many levels of awesome, that I won't even get into. Just pick it up!
September 4, 2015
Good adaptation, fares better than many of the other abbreviations. Finding more and more that McCoy's performance isn't as good as it used to be. He always seems isolated, like he's reading his lines alone.
June 28, 2015
Not without potential but too convoluted and unsatisfying.
November 18, 2015
It didn't make much sense. Too many one-purpose characters with way too little back-up story, yet the main plot line was rather simple.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews