Cyberman 2 is the long-delayed sequel to 2005's Cyberman miniseries. In the time since the first one, Nicholas Briggs was promoted to producer of Big Finish's main Doctor Who range, leaving him without the time to perform all the roles on Cyberman 2 that he did on the first one: writing, directing, sound design, music, Cyber voices. James Swallow took over writing duties after his work on 2008's Kingdom of Silver, a Cyber-centric Doctor Who release that ties into this story in a small way. Cyberman 2 also has a slightly different format: instead of four monthly single-CD releases, we get one big boxset with four CDs in it (plus one CD of extras).

It's a bit weird for one author to take over from another on something so tightly author-based. There’s niggly little differences: not contradictions, just things we’d never heard before, like terminology such as "Greater Britannica" and Sam's need for recharging. But on a bigger scale, there's differences, too: the tone is different. It's a little less raw, a little more action/adventure, though very much still grim. The direct-audience-address monologues are still there, but there's less of them. It's more one big story than the original Cyberman was, which had a slightly different focus and style for each disc. None of these are complaints, mind you, just observations: Cyberman 2 is a different story and rightly so.

Cyberman 2 is not quite as a good as the first series, but it set a high bar. James Swallow is more than successful, however, in carrying out the desperate tone that made the first one work so well. These are people pushed to the edge and down to the wire, doing what has to be done. I love that, and I love a good bit of space opera. Cyberman 2 delivers on all accounts-- even if I think my beloved Cybermen haven’t quite had their due! The ending is definitely a conclusion, but there's also a space for a Cyberman 3, and I'd certainly listen to that.

You can read a longer version of this review at Unreality SF.