Back in 1988, I was really, really excited to see “Silver Nemesis.”
The tidbits I gleaned from Doctor Who Magazine and the New Jersey Network special teasing the making of the story only served to whip my young Whovian self into a complete and total frenzy. The combination of Cybermen, Nazis, and someone who knew the secret of the Doctor’s past. Honestly, as I waited and speculated about “Silver Nemesis,” it didn’t seem like three episodes would be enough to handle all the cool things it would contain.
And then my PBS station gave me a gift. Instead of running “Dragonfire,” (which I’d already seen at this point) one Sunday night, they decided to go ahead and run “Silver Nemesis.” I can’t tell you how long that school day was the next day as I dreamed of the moment I’d be free to head home and watch “Silver Nemesis.”
Needless to say, I watched it — all three episodes in omnibus format in one sitting. And my first thought was — “Wait, isn’t that the same plot as ‘Remembrance of the Daleks’?”
Thirty-five years later, I’m still slightly disillusioned with “Silver Nemesis.” Sure, it teases some things about the Doctor’s past and adds a bit of the “who” back into the show’s title. And maybe it wouldn’t have felt quite so derivative if it aired farther away from the infinitely superior “Remembrance of the Daleks.” Or perhaps they should have gone for some kind of on-screen reunion of Doctors instead.
I’m not sure what would have necessarily made this one better in my mind, but there are a lot of pieces that don’t add up.
So, when the opportunity to visit it again as an audiobook arose, I have to admit I wasn’t necessarily all that pumped about it. I’d collected and read the book back upon initial publication, mainly because I love Sylvester McCoy as the Doctor. I didn’t recall the book adding much to the story in any substantial way, though it does insert in a few deleted scenes that I heard about later in Doctor Who Magazine, the extended VHS cut, and then the DVD release.
Kevin Clark moves a few scenes around to make the narrative flow a bit better and the battle between Ace and the Cybermen in part three takes place in a new housing construction zone instead of the airport hangar of the broadcast version. But if you’re looking for deeper hints of the Doctor’s origin or for exactly what Valedium is beyond a really cool McGuffin, you’re going to be sorely disappointed.
The audiobook is nicely done –as are all of the books in this range. I believe this one pretty much completes the McCoy era of the show, which leaves me feeling a bit bummed out that my favorite Doctor won’t get any more Target audiobooks. The performance of the story by David Banks is quite good and I find myself wishing there were another Cyber-story or two out there for him to perform. (Maybe he could to “Attack of the Cybermen” if they ever get around to it).
In an era when the Target books consistently added a bit to the television stories, it’s a shame that “Silver Nemesis” didn’t follow suit. It’s not a terrible story or novel, mind you. It’s just one I find disappointing.
Nashville Book Worm 