In Jonathan Morris’s Doctor Who: Once and Future – A Genius For War, the Time Lords need the Doctor’s (Sylvester McCoy) help. They’ve received a frantic distress call from Davros (Terry Molloy), creator of the Daleks. In exchange for their help in freeing him from the Daleks’ prison, he’s willing to provide the Time Lords the key to ending the Time War once and for all. But he’ll only give them that key if the Doctor agrees to free him from captivity. What follows is a classic Doctor Who cat-and-mouse chase with Davros, the Doctor, and the Time Lords all trying to outwit one another.

A Genius For War is easily the best entry in the Once and Future series so far. As a standalone story, it’s wholly realized. Dripping with Time War intrigue, betrayal after betrayal, and a healthy helping of tension, it’s a well-written, action-packed thrill ride from start to finish. But even better – it’s the first entry in the series that really makes use of the Doctor’s ongoing degeneration crisis. Sure, most of the story feels like it could’ve happened to any Doctor, almost wholly removed from this ongoing 60th-anniversary tale. But then the climax kicks in, and you realize that the series’ ongoing plot properly factors into this specific story. And suddenly, it’s as though the stakes raise even higher – in the best way possible. It’s such a shame it took until the third entry in the series to finally make use of its most interesting idea, but at least it finally happened.

A Genius For War isn’t about its plot, though. Not really. It’s primarily another entry in the long-running genre of Doctor/Davros conversational pieces. Those stories where Davors and the Doctor spend an hour or two pushing each others’ buttons, probing just how similar they are – even as the depths to which they’re willing to go vary vastly. A Genius For War is a great addition to this long list of stories, and McCoy and Molloy really give it the gravitas it needs to succeed – with tons of help from Morris’ excellent script. This is a Davros all but forsaken by his creations, locked in prison while the Time War rages outside of his cell. And this is a Doctor, besieged by some kind of degeneration crisis, unsure of who he is or what he stands for. Two desperate men, coming head to head, each trying to outwit the other. What could be better?

The rest of the cast gets moments to shine, too. Particularly Beth Chalmers as Veklin and Ken Bones as the General. Any story that features the General is always a fun time, and we really get to see just how far the General’s willing to go to secure victory for Gallifrey. As for Veklin, she makes for a nice foil to McCoy’s Doctor. Not quite a companion, per se, but someone who holds McCoy’s Doctor to the ground, wholly willing to rake him across the coals as needed. Bones and Chalmers are great additions here, and they’re given quite a lot to do too – which is nice.

Overall, A Genius For War is a delightful listen from start to finish. Its script is packed with plenty of tension and action, with a really juicy cat-and-mouse chase at its center. McCoy and Molloy steal the show with their respective performances, each pushing the other to new heights. But the entire cast brings their A-game here, resulting in a listen that genuinely feels worthy of Doctor Who‘s 60th anniversary. I’m still not entirely convinced by this ongoing storyline, especially as we still don’t feel any closer to unraveling the mystery behind the Doctor’s degeneration. But this is the first story in the Once and Future series to actually use that degeneration as something other than window dressing, so it feels like we’re finally starting to move in the right direction.

4.5 out of 5 wands.