The Dead men Diaries The Doomsday Manuscript The Secret of Cassandra The Gods of the Underworld The Squire's Crystal The Stone's Lament The Extinction Event The Infernal Nexus The Skymines of Karthos

Big Finish Benny Season 2

• Science Fiction has never been so much fun! by Jamas Enright

Science Fiction has never been so much fun! by Jamas Enright 4/11/02

After Virgin decided not to renew their licence on Benny books, Big Finish, who had already done Benny audios at that point, took up the reigns on producing new books and audio adventures for the popular archaeologist.

The new season was five novels and four audio plays, including a short story anthology. The story continued after the Virgin novels, with Jason trapped in an alternative universe, and Benny now working for Irving Braxiatel in the Braxiatel Collection set up on the asteroid that contained the Oracle of the Lost. From there, it was a spring broad into new adventures.

The Benny on the covers were based on the actress who plays Benny in the audios, Lisa Bowerman (who had previously been in Doctor Who as Karra in Survival), the covers first painted by Carolyn Edwards and later by Adrian Salmon. With the new season came a new opening song (although Dragons' Wrath also features this song, that was finished after the new season started) Adventure is my Game sung by Emily Barker. I must admit that when I first heard it, I didn't like it, but I have come to love it..

The Dead Men Diaries (novel)

This is the short story anthology edited by Bernice's creator Paul Cornell. The framing sequence is written by Paul Cornell, and he's still on top of Benny's personality. Caroline Symcox turns in a decent enough story. Kate Orman supplies the story referred to in Walking To Babylon. Eddie Robson's story is an interesting take on the concept of taking a picture takes one's soul. Daniel O'Mahony's story is somewhat depressing. After this and his entry in Short Trips and Side Steps, he really needs to lighten up. Kathryn O'Sullivan's story gets rather confusing towards the end, I had trouble keeping up with who was where doing what. Matt Jones gives a tale of love that might have benefited from being a bit longer. Cavan Scott and Mark Wright provide a rather odd tale, dark and a bit off from the Benny norm. Dave Stone shows that he still knows how to write Jason Kane, and this story works well as a prelude to The Infernal Nexus. Steven Moffat continues to produce humour, although I thought the explanation for the woman was rather obvious (I'm not sure if it was supposed to be or not), but the end twist was nice. The final story, by Mark Michalowski, is a nice wry tale with a great touch of how Benny gets her way.

In all, a varied introduction to the world of Bernice Summerfield, some of which does need prior knowledge of Benny (though I doubt there'll be many people who will buy these books without knowing who she is), but a welcome return all the same.

The Doomsday Manuscript (novel)

Veteran Benny writer Justin Richards writes the first fully fledged new Big Finish Bernice Summerfield adventure. It features Benny and a neferious character by the name of Straklant seeking the other half of the so-called 'Doomsday manuscript' which provides the key to unlocking a tomb, a tomb which, if unlocked, will lead to the world ending. Which would be a pretty good reason for not opening it, but there you go. What I really want to know, and what the Virgin Benny Adventures really suffered from, is why is it always the end of the world, or the universe, or existence? Does the story really need to have such large scale consequences to be impressive? Not that the hyperbole isn't justified in the story, but still...

This story really comes across as a set-piece, the clues leading from one encounter to another, some of which could easily have been removed without effecting the narrative. My favourite scene was with Munroe Hennessy, the concept of Benny inadvertently being in a movie a great idea. Bernice, as ever, remains herself. Straklant is nicely varied, although Justin Richards continues to remind us time and time again of how brutal he really is. We get the point. The other characters, suffering from the set-piece structure, are around long enough to make an impression.

Its set-piece nature gives the book a feeling of just being a melange of successful elements from other Benny novels, and it's an impression I can't say isn't justified.

The Secret of Cassandra (audio)

This is my first Bernice-solo adventure, the only other place I had encountered Lisa Bowerman as Benny was in The Shadow of the Scourge. I must say I was rather disappointed. The story involves two factions at war with each other, and the lengths they go to in order to win, as it plays out on one yacht sailing the seas. Maybe I'm too used to the Doctor Who audios, but even at only 70 minutes this story came across as padded. David Bailey does provide some nice twists and excitement at the end, but there are a large number of implausibilities in play, not the least of which is Benny's insertion into the story. I also noted a rather large goof with the computer not being able to see into the hold where the prisoner was, yet could still interact with those inside as if she could.

I'm becoming used to Lisa Bowerman as Bernice, and her performance here is still very much Benny. Lennox Greaves turns in his third Big Finish role, but his accent seemed rather odd for the character. Sally Faulkner plays a nicely evil General Brennan, and Robert Curbishley delivers a diverting Sheen. Helen Goldwyn fills out the cast as the somewhat deus ex machina (sic) computer.

The Gods of the Underworld (novel)

To borrow from a Virgin Benny title: 'Another planet, another blockade'. It's another world, there's a blockade around it, Benny wants to have a look at a temple there... er, didn't we just see this in The Doomsday Manuscript? Fortunately, other than in those superficial details, this book is different. There's an interesting problem with the natives accepting spacefarers, but not necessarily the good ones. There's a small Alien influence (although that sort of thing will always be attributed to Alien). And there's a whole weird thing near the end where the story seems to slip into the crime genre.

Bernice is less the focus here, with more attention paid to the natives, which provides an interesting, and different, perspective on matters. There was a race of rats I was expecting to be Pakhars, but we don't get references that overt (there are other references scattered throughout the books to previous novels in the Virgin range). The rest of the cast really came across as minor characters, only there to fill certain stereotypes that a science-fiction novel involving politics and crime needed. The ending is pretty good, not an easy victory, which is a pleasant change.

The crime aspect really undercuts what is an otherwise good novel, but it's a well written story.

The Squire's Crystal (novel)

Jacqueline Rayner is known to Benny fans for her adaptations of Virgin Benny stories into audio format (see previous review of Season One). This is the shortest Benny book so far (less than 200 pages), but I think this proves the point I made in my review of EarthWorld, in that a slightly shorter length leads to a better story for Jacqueline Rayner. And this is indeed a fine story. The Squire's Crystal uses the premise of body-swapping, a la Freaky Friday, but with the Professor Summerfield twist. Instead of trading places with a relative, or even a fellow archeologist, Benny gets a body that's younger, fitter, male and far more attractive than her own. As Bernice goes through a sharp learning curve, I will finally agree that science fiction has never been more fun!

The books have a continuing trend of referencing the Fifth Axis and their goings on. Whilst not the Gods arc, it's nice to see a continuance of plot details, which the Virgin Benny's took to wonderful lengths (such as continual references to the burglar Cat's Paw, before she finally turned up and you already knew a lot about her).

The character of Dominic Troy is fun, especially the lengths he goes to in the name of vanity. Avril gets to set up some interesting events in the life of Benny, although I found it hard to believe that she couldn't see what was really happening in the diaries. Poppy is just irritating.

The plot may be light, but it's well done, making this book well worth while.

The Stone's Lament (audio)

It has to be said: damn fine story. Which is surprising considering my usual reaction to works by Mike Tucker. Benny is invited to the house of Bratheen Traloor, a reclusive billionaire, to look at an artefact he found. Adrian Wall also tags along to check out the Killoran construction crew that is building an extension to Traloor's house, but finds his crew missing. The three of them are alone in the house, but not alone enough.

There are some real scary moments in this story, and the tension and horror mount throughout, but really ramp up towards the end. Although the audience can tell there is more going on that we know about, at no point was I ahead of events. Some events were confusing, told only through an audio medium, and at times the music and effects obscured the dialog, but on the whole the adventure was very well played. There were also links with The Squire's Crystal, which were necessary for the character interactions, but if you're listening to the audios without reading the books you will miss out on required back story.

Lisa Bowerman is once again superb as Bernice, injecting the right amount of humour and terror at the appropriate moments. James Lailey was good as Traloor, and came off as suitably pathetic at the right moments. The actress playing the House I didn't get at all. As for Harry Myers as Adrian Wall, well, his acting was good enough, but I don't think his voice was right for the part. The Killorans are a race of big hulking near giants, and that doesn't really come across at all. You need someone with a big deep voice, and Harry Myers, it must be said, sounds like a bloke from down the road.

Aside from the one casting problem, and the effects sometimes getting in the way, The Stone's Lament is as fine an audio as you could want.

The Extinction Event (audio)

All that remains of the planet Halstad is a harp. Or so Benny and Irving Braxiatel think as they attend its auction. But they soon find out that the truth about Halstad, why there isn't a Halstad any more and just what lengths people go to owe unique items. Lance Parkin pens this tale, and while I wouldn't necessarily use the word 'padded' there are some scenes I felt could have been shortened or even dropped entirely. The true story is revealed slowly, but there are some nice character moments along the way to keep the listeners amused.

One of the best parts of this audio is hearing the voice of Irving Braxiatel, played wonderfully by Miles Richardson (who also appeared in the Big Finish story Bloodtide). He has an air of culture and sophistication that lends so much character to Braxiatel, as well as keeping the alien nature of Braxiatel in contrast to those around him. The scenes between him and Lisa Bowerman, as Benny, are so believable, Braxiatel as the superior know-all and Benny as the all too feeling human.

Alexis Khan played the role of Davon brilliantly. She managed to fill 'Ms. Summerfield' with so much disdain you could hear it dripping. Daniel Brennan was fine as Hulver, but I would like to know who did the actual harp playing. Mark Donovan fills out the cast as the ambassador.

The Extinction Event has some nice points to it, but Miles Richardson is the best part of it.

The Infernal Nexus (novel)

This is pure Dave Stone from start to finish. Lots of whacky plot twists, revelations and heaps of humour. But, and this is a big 'but', it comes across as strained, as if Dave Stone knows how he should be writing, and really has to make an effort to get there.

The story involves Benny coming across Station Control, the 'infernal nexus' that links together the multiverses and their associated parallel dimensions. Whilst trying to get home she comes across a kidnapping plot and, of course, her husband Jason. (Yes, I know he isn't mentioned in the blurb at the back, and he is revealed as a big surprise, but come on! This is Dave Stone and we knew Jason was going to turn up sooner or later, this was just too obvious.)

Benny is as good as ever, and no-one can write Jason like Dave Stone can. Moreover, no-one else can do their relationship as well as he can (which was just another give-away to Jason's presence). Sleed was a lot of fun as the villain. Mora was plainly irritating, although written in a way that was obviously to appeal to readers. Mae An Tzhu was completely gratuitous, possibly inserted so Dave Stone could Mary Sue himself into Jason and have fun. The 'video script' at the end was along the same line of humour taken to the extreme.

A decent enough book, but the is something at the end that really took me by surprised, and showed me that Big Finish have plans for the Benny line. This book is a must have for that and the return of Jason. (And, boy, does it make you yearn for The Glass Prison.)

The Skymines of Karthos (audio)

On the planet of Karthos, miners mine for an element called thulium, which occurs in vicious storms that scour the skies of Karthos. However, when Bernice arrives to find her friend Caitlin Peters, she discovers Caitlan missing, and the colony under the attack of 'fire-flies', large bat-like creatures that have killed about six colonists a day. The fire-flies comes from the planet itself, which is strange as there have been no signs of life occurring on the planet before...

This story is written by David Bailey, the writer of The Secret of Cassandra, and is better than his previous attempt. The tale gains interest early on, and the Bernice-Caitlin-Michael relationship comes across and develops nicely. The secret of the fire-flies themselves is a little cliched, but the way they are controlled is innovative enough. Although I have to say that they sound more like cats than bats.

Lisa Bowerman still manages to capture Benny, even in her current situation (which was given in The Infernal Nexus, again you need the books to go with the audios). I love the accent Johnson Willis gives Doctor Konstantin, giving him a nicely exotic edge. Jimmy Wilson and Rebecca Jackson have a nice dynamic as Michael and Caitlin Peters and are extremely believable as a couple. Their dynamic also extends to Benny, giving the engaging edge to the story mentioned before.

A decent character story, although the sounds of the fire-flies tends towards the excessive.