The Guardian of the Solar System

Companion Chronicles #5.1

Released: 15 July 2010

Listened: 2/20/20

For the first time in this project, I’m disadvantaged by trying to go in chronological order and conflicting with the Companion Chronicles format. These three stories form a trilogy with Sara, where the frame stories go in release order, but the flashbacks go in reverse order. So listening to this story first gives me spoilers for “Home Truths.” Alas. But turning to the flashback, it relies a lot on the listener’s knowledge of “The Daleks Master Plan,” or at least Sara’s role in it. The story about Mavic Chen using a giant mystical clock to keep the Earth Empire running is...kind of surreal, which doesn’t really match my limited knowledge of the “Master Plan,” so that kind of jars, but the frame story is also a bit surreal, so that fits. Even though this is the final part of the frame story, it doesn’t really resolve, just suggests, and maybe that’s appropriate.