Ghost Walk

 

Ghost Walk by James Goss

"This is how the world ends. On a Rainy Day."

On the one hand, Ghost Walk is a triumph for the Main Range, and one of the best audios in all of it. A banger in a series of bangers. On the other hand, it's so damn confusing. Difficult to wrap your head around, it's a timey wimey voyage that while I do feel probably syncs up satisfactorily, as the writing, to be plain, is extraordinary throughout, and I trust that James Goss knows what the hell he's writing... well. There's probably a really satisfactory explanation in it for some of the astray plot threads, as most of them are dealt with so deflty, although to be frank, on first impression, I'm unable to find them. It's a story that drastically departs from the traditional style of Doctor Who over four parts, using each part in an exceedingly atypical manner, so as a result, some minor confusion is inevitable. I love what it's doing overall, in all of it's individual bits, but it's conclusion is somewhat baffling. I'm confused as to why the Doctor said he was dead, why the TARDIS suddenly revitalizes itself, or why Tegan possessed a woman in that one scene. All questions, well, that, like I said, probably have answers, since the rest of it is so well written. But there is the word probably in there. Because quite frankly, I'm not sure where they are. It's the age old question of can a conclusion mire the rest of the story, and well, considering for three fourths of it I was considering Ghost Walk an absolute triumph and utterly, completely, brilliant, I doubt it's a fatal flaw, but it's one that is poking and prodding me as I write this review. But everything else - well, it's as close as perfect as you can get. The dialogue is magnificently clever, and Moffatian in style while not feeling inappropriate in the hands of the more seasoned Fifth Doctor regulars. The characterization is brilliant: the story spends much of it's entire runtime with Leanne, a character that as far as I'm aware doesn't even have a last name. But no - she's one of the most three dimensional, real, brilliant figures ever crafted in an audio play. Fenella Woolgar is unrecognizable - you would not believe Agatha Christie and Leanne are the same actress. As a matter of fact the whole cast is stunning, especially the always delightful Carolyn Seymour as an ordinary housemaid with a vile wicked streak, and Stephen Greif as Saboath, who actually convinces as a supernatural figure. The ideas at display are astonishing, it's so quick witted, and it's well played, I'd just like to know how it all connects so I can give it a perfect score please 

Seriously though what do I do here, a 9 or even a 9.5 feels needlessly cruel to this masterpiece, but I can't in all good thought actually give a 10 to a story that does indeed have such flaws. Ah, bollocks. Take your pick.