In 2005, Noise Monster Productions released a trilogy of audio dramas under the umbrella moniker Space: 1889, all set in a 19th century that sees the colonial powers - including Great Britain and Germany - plying the void of space in ether-ships, competing with one another to dominate the various worlds of the solar system.  Beginning with "Red Devils", continuing in "The Steppes of Thoth" and concluding in "The Siege of Alclyon", stiff-upper-lipped Brits duked it out with nefarious Germans for domination of the Red Planet - never mind the place was already inhabited!  It's all very campy and retro, following in the footsteps of such pioneering genre writers as Verne and Haggard, and reminiscent of the vintage radio shows of the early 20th century.

For 2006, Space: 1889 embarks on a new adventure with a new destination - one a little closer to home.  In "The Lunar Inheritance", British Captain Nathaniel Blake is sent on a mission to the moon to investigate the disappearance of the eminent scientist Doctor Cyrus Grant.  When their ship is shot down by a powerful lightning gun, Captain Blake and his crew find themselves going toe-to-toe with their Russian counterparts, who have formed an alliance with a race of enigmatic moon-men living deep underground.

There's a certain formulaic same-ness to "The Lunar Inheritance": a redoubtable British commander; a beautiful-but-scrappy feminist love interest; a schoolmasterly uncle to be rescued; sneering, foreign-accented villains; subservient aliens instead of subservient third-worlders.  It's entertaining, to be sure, but it lacks the excitement and freshness of the first audio drama "Red Devils". 

But...it's difficult to heap too much praise on the high production values of Noise Monster's audio dramas.  Rousing music, great audio effects, and a top-notch voice cast - "The Lunar Inheritance" includes supporting roles from genre veterans Nicholas Briggs (Doctor Who) and Garrick Hagon (Star Wars).  It's all packaged very nicely, and will appeal to lovers of old-school adventure.

