UNIT: Nemesis 2: Agents of the Vulpreen

UNIT: The New Series #10

by Andrew Smith, Kenneth Grant, Lizzie Hopley

UNIT has stopped the Eleven’s efforts to retrieve the Arch. But questions remain. How did an artefact imbedded with advanced technology become buried under a prehistoric lava flow? Why does it form a connection with an alien world? And just who are the Vulpreen, the alien race that live there?

Those questions are about to be answered...

2.1 The Man From Gallifrey by Andrew Smith
As Osgood works flat out to rescue a lost friend, Kate is at a demonstration of a new UK spaceship, the Starseeker. There she meets two people.

Lieutenant Jimmy Tan looks like potential UNIT material, and the stranger called Hasper knows a lot about UNIT and the Eleven. He should – he’s the Celestial Intervention Agency operative who sent the Eleven through the Arch millions of years ago.

2.2 Power of the Dominators by Kenneth Grant
Portstone New Town is a living space for the future. A dream community, or so the advertising promises. But UNIT discovers the developers are alien Dominators. Which means there’s a more sinister purpose behind Portstone, and the Dominators’ deadly killer robots - the Quarks - can’t be far away.

2.3 The War Factory by Lizzie Hopley
Temporal anomalies strike in the present and the past - 19th century infantry at Belmarsh Prison in the present day, and Brigadier Winifred Bambera is confronted by Tudor warships on the Thames in the late 20th century.

Enquiries by UNIT past and present lead them to the site of Woolwich Arsenal, where the Eleven is trying to create a bridge to another world. And UNIT will learn he’s not the only one on the side of their alien adversaries.

2.4 Ten Minutes in Hell by John Dorney
On the alien world on the far side of the Arch, the Vulpreen put their human prisoner through an ordeal. Osgood must lead a desperate rescue attempt - and she’s got ten minutes to do it.

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Audiobook

Audiobook

First published March 3, 2022

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Andrew^Smith

others:
Andrew2^Smith : Fiction, Young Adult
Andrew3^Smith : GR Author Historical Fiction, Literature
Andrew4^Smith : wrote Dr Who
Andrew5^Smith : Scottish surgeon, explorer, ethnologist and zoologist (1797-1872)
Andrew6^Smith : GR Author, Fiction & Nonfiction
Andrew7^Smith : Literature & Fiction, Horror, Gothic
Andrew8^Smith : Philosophy
Andrew9^Smith : GR Author, Fiction
Andrew10^Smith : GR Author, Fiction
Andrew11^Smith : Children's book illustrator
Andrew12^Smith: GR Author
Andrew13^Smith: Sports
Andrew14^Smith: IT
Andrew15^Smith: South Africa, Zoology
Andrew16^Smith: Veterinary, Canada
Andrew17^Smith: Cities
Andrew18^Smith: Business
Andrew19^Smith: Comics
Andrew20^Smith: Stroke
Andrew21^Smith: GR Author, Children's books
Andrew22^Smith: "Haunted historian" (NZ)

Reviews

[Taksya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Secondo capitolo per le avventure della UNIT contro The Eleven e gli alieni Vulpreen.

2.1 The Man From Gallifrey by Andrew Smith
Mentre Osgood cerca di recuperare una amica dispersa, Kate partecipa alla presentazione di una nuova astronave britannica, la Starseeker.
Due nuovi incontri sembrano essere interessanti: il tenente Jimmy Tan sembra ottimo materiale per la UNIT, mentre lo straniero Hasper sembra sapere fin troppo riguardo la UNIT e lo stesso Eleven... cosa non strana, visto che lavora per la Celestial Intervention Agency ed è il responsabile dell'esilio di The Eleven nel passato remoto dove la UNIT l'ha recuperato nello scorso boxset.

2.2 Power of the Dominators by Kenneth Grant
Piccola pausa dalle mortali macchinazioni di The Eleven.
Siamo a Portstone New Town, una nuova comunità sembra essere lo spazio ideale per le abitazioni del futuro. Una comunità da sogno, promette la pubblicità, ma la UNIT scopre che dietro a tutto ci sono i soliti alieni... questa volta tocca ai Dominators e ai loro mortali robot, i Quark.

2.3 The War Factory by Lizzie Hopley
Torniamo sulla trama principale, con The Eleven che cerca di creare un ponte con un altro mondo, dando origine ad anomalie temporali che mettono in serie difficoltà la UNIT del presente e del passato.
Il Brigadier Winifred Bambera, comparsa in Battlefield, con il settimo Dottore e presto protagonista di una serie Big Finish a lei dedicata, si ritrova a dover gestire una nave da guerra di epoca Tudor nel Tamigi.
Ovviamente bisogna impedire che The eleven peggiori le cose ulteriormente.

2.4 Ten Minutes in Hell by John Dorney
Nell'utima storia del set ricompaiono anche i Vulpreen.
Durante un esperimento con un arco simile a quello ritrovato a inizio avventura, Kate si ritrova bloccata in un mondo dominato e soggiogato dai Vulpreen. Il tempo scorre diversamente dai due lati dell'arco e Osgood deve riuscire a trovare un modo per liberare il suo capo in meno di dieci minuti.

Come tutti i boxset pubblicati a distanza l'uno dall'altro, si tende a dimenticare quello che è accaduto prima e ci vuole un po' per ingranare e ritrovare il filo... cosa ancora più difficile se si tende a dimenticare quanto letto/ascoltato dopo poco tempo.
I vari episodi di questo box sono sempre ben strutturati, ormai i vari interpreti sono nel personaggio e non ci sono sorprese.
L'episodio con i Dominatori e i Quark non stona più di tanto e fa da contentino a chi cerca riferimenti dalla serie classica, mentre l'introduzione di Bambera nell'universo BF risulta ben giocato e crea interesse per la nuova serie dedicata alla UNIT degli anni '80.

Il secondo capitolo di UNIT: Nemesis si mantiene sugli standard e, sapendo che altri due boxset ci aspettano, il cliffhanger finale non disturba più di tatno.

[Jamie Revell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second volume in this 4-volume series showing UNIT going up against the Eleven and a bunch of alien warriors, this is less effective than the first. That’s partly due to a diversion in the second episode that doesn’t work, and partly due to it obviously being a middle section of something larger that just serves to connect volumes 1 and 3. I’m also honestly still unclear what the Eleven thinks he’s gaining out of any of this and whether or not I’m supposed to yet. (If I am, the answer is presumably ‘he’s just a git’, which would be unsatisfying).

The Man From Gallifrey – The first episode kicks off where we left off, with UNIT still trying to reactivate the Stargate Arch. It’s a straight continuation of what went before, although it introduces a couple of new characters, the titular one (introduced in the opening teaser) and an army officer who turns up during a scene that’s apparently setting something up for later – and that, added to the portal, is giving some of this distinct Stargate SG-1 vibes. This latter character isn’t adding much at this stage, beyond being useful in some of the action scenes and providing a little more ethnic diversity. Little is resolved by the end, but it isn’t intended to be; this is clearly part of a larger whole. Still, it’s fast-moving and there are some significant developments. 4 stars.

Power of the Dominators – Yes, those Dominators. The villains in what could fairly be described as “the weakest serial of ‘60s Who that isn’t called ‘The Space Pirates’”. An attempt is made to salvage them here by at least partly playing them for laughs – they’re portrayed as being rubbish but oblivious to the fact. Given how rubbish they are, it’s hard to see how their scheme has managed to get as far as it has, which dents some of the suspension of disbelief, and there’s also the weakness that their plan is essentially the same as the one in the TV story. Only, you know, on Earth. The story has some good moments but it’s unrelated to everything else and the humour mostly misses the target. 2.5 stars.

The War Factory – A series of time fractures appear around the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich. Which, for those of unfamiliar with it, is an area of London has not been at all military since 1997. The time fractures, of course, are bringing in people and items from when it definitely still was, leading to all manner of chaos. The significant element of this story is that some of the main characters pop back in time to when there was a UNIT facility on the site, allowing Brigadier Bambera, from the TV story Battlefield, to make her debut in this series. It’s interesting to see her, although she’s largely a contrast with Kate rather than being particularly well developed in her own right. The story is also heavy on action of the sort that on audio leads to ‘well I can hear a lot of guns firing, but I’m not really sure what’s going on’. It’s a treat if you’ve been really waiting for Bambera to return, and it moves the story on, but otherwise, it doesn’t work quite as well as it might. 3.5 stars.

Ten Minutes of Hell – This follows on directly from the end of the prior episode, arguably making them a two-parter. The setting, however, is different, as we head back to the Void Planet from the previous collection. The title of the episode, combined with some heavy hints by one of the villains early on make it clear what the ‘big surprise’ of the story is going to be, although it takes a while before it’s spelled out explicitly. Still, it does work as a counterpoint to the action-oriented scenes as Josh and Osgood try to infiltrate the enemy base, even if it’s mainly a vehicle for Kate looking tough and resourceful. Because the important ones are more personal, it’s easier to follow the action scenes in this than the previous one, and that makes it generally more effective. As with the previous volume, it ends on a cliffhanger. 4 stars.

[Derelict Space Sheep · Rating 3 out of 5]

1. The Man From Gallifrey (3★)

Hasper (Glen McCready) proves a worthwhile character, but otherwise this story serves primarily as set-up for subsequent instalments. Effectively worked, save that its sacrifice is followed by the almost totally irrelevant ‘Power of the Dominators’, which comes across as a broadcast error.


2. Power of the Dominators (2★)

The humour would work better if: the Dominators weren’t such derisory adversaries (their deadly plan built around unnecessary human interactions); the script didn’t pepper scenes with vlogging-type exposition; Harry Sullivan weren’t so caricatured; and/or UNIT made any use whatsoever of its mandate/manpower/weaponry.


3. The War Factory (2.5★)

A strong female cast, which unfortunately is wasted somewhat by a story that skips about all over the place rather than focussing on one or two key elements. Yasmin Mwanza impresses as Private Lauren Huff. Angela Bruce/Brigadier Bambera makes a welcome return.


4. Ten Minutes in Hell (3★)

The time dynamic and Kate Stewart’s relationship with her fellow prisoner lend a certain distinction to this otherwise straightforward action piece. It’s a perfectly respectable almost-standalone story, but doesn’t offer a lot in terms of concluding the box set as a whole.

[Ellen Schoener · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, I think this was not quite as good and as fresh as the previous set.
Still, this is a big and loud action blockbuster full of explosions and breathless fights.
Mixed in with some torture porn for Kate Steward.
I really have to say, in the early UNIT sets, I found Kate Steward a bit boring and somehow too detached and analytical.
However, the performance has improved a lot, and it helps that the actress gets some real meat and bones here to chew through.
And you can hear that she relishes it.
The only breather episode is the second one with the Dominators, which is more of a comedy outing, but even that picks up the pace.
Certainly, there is no fault with the writing, pacing and the performance in this. And sound effects are also top notch.
The Eleven works perfectly, and is less the sometimes annoying nuisance of the 8th Doctor sets and more of an unhinged but still very dangerous threat.
I kind of missed some more quiet and personal character moments, but the story just is not really about that at all.
As I said, it is more of a action blockbuster with lots of explosions.
So if you are into that, look no further.

[Gabriel Mero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great UNIT series. I wasn't sure how including The Eleven as the primary villain would go but so far it's panning out. I can't wait for the next volume.

[Debra Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate, osgood and the unit crew fight the eleven and the vulpreen.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the reaction to the Celestial Intervention Agency having the CIA abbreviation.