The Crystal of Cantus
A Benny Audio Adventure
|
|
Big Finish The Crystal of Cantus A Benny Audio Adventure |
|
| Author | Joseph Lidster |  |
| Released | 2006 | |
| Cover | Adrian Salmon |
| Synopsis: Fabled crystals from long-dead civilisations. Jason Kane blundering into situations out of his control. Entombed Cybermen waking from a century-long sleep. |
Finally... some answers! by Joe Ford 13/4/07
That was fantastic.
The Bernice Summerfield was in danger of becoming The X-Files of the Doctor Who universe, with its intriguing hints and whispers of a back-story and a "grander plan" but without confirming anything or bringing it all out into the open. Well it's now out in the open and the answers were certainly worth waiting for.
It is a shame, because a story with Benny and the Cybermen really should be the most exciting about this adventure and whilst it is as exhilarating and gripping as you would imagine, the metal meanies don't stand a chance against the dramatic arc developments. Whilst not all of the regulars appear in this story, the three most important do and it is what occurs between them that makes this so special.
Braxiatel has always threatened to topple Benny as the most interesting character in this series because he is so darn enigmatic. He has been around since the early days of the New Adventures and has grown as a character to a point where he is actually as "listenable" as the Doctor himself. He became an important regular in the Virgin Benny novels before becoming the essential head of the Collection where the Benny series we now enjoy takes place. To add some fascinating background colour we can also experience his life on Gallifrey in the series of the same name, finding out how close he is to President Romana and why he chose to leave Gallifrey.
But back in season three Braxiatel forced Jason to forget a terrible secret that he learnt about Brax when they confronted themselves in the mirror. Since then, Jason has been suffering terrible headaches when he tries to remember gaps in his memory, such as that incident with the Purpara Pawn where he was accused of murder. Hints have been left that Jason has been Braxiatel's puppet ever since then but what on Earth could be so important that Brax would use Benny's beau in such a manipulative fashion?
What is so brilliant about Crystal of Cantus is how skilfully it weaves in so much continuity but manages to make it all seem pre-planned and (even better) make the answers satisfactory and worthy of a story in its own right (instead of just winding the answers around a basic plot). Life During Wartime plays a huge part in Braxiatel's justification, the Fifth Axis invasion of the Collection proving that drastic steps are needed to protect the collection. A short story in A Life Worth Living also proves vital to the overall story, Brax manoeuvring his players into position skilfully (and if you go back and read A Summer Affair by Joseph Lidster it is all there in the text). And the last short story anthology, Something Changed, leads to a dramatic climax where Braxiatel kills scientist Doggles to save the multiverse, proving how ruthless the guy is if the situation is bad enough.
Finally, Braxiatel's plan comes to fruition on Cantus, home of an entire Cyber-army. As the pieces all fall into place, it soon becomes frighteningly obvious to Jason that everybody - Benny, Ms Jones, Ronan, even Peter - have been used by Braxiatel to ensure the future of the Collection. The Cybermen are a ready-made army to be exploited if they have a leader who is willing to wait and rest with them until the Collection is in danger. And Braxiatel has a willing slave in Jason Kane...
It is an audacious twist, which comes entirely out of the blue and strikes you dead in the chest. The scene where Jason suddenly realises he has been manipulated and will be sacrificed by Braxiatel is one of the most terrifying audio moments in ages. You learn how little Brax genuinely feels for Jason (how he mimics his earlier "We're like that" sent chills down my spine) and how arrogant he thinks Bernice is. I always knew the Time Lord could be icy cold and selfish, even a little bit nasty at times if his friends are in danger, but his attitude towards Jason here is downright terrifying; he's willing to do anything, right down to lying to and hurting his closest friends, to protect his life. At the end of the day, it is not Benny who has been used so, understandably, it is Jason who gets the big confrontation scene with Brax. Squeezing his throat and telling the big guy to fuck off is superbly written and deeply uncomfortable after all they have been through together.
You have to give the series credit for not letting you get comfortable. Bumping off Clarissa Jones, suggesting Peter might be a murderer, the invasion of the Collection by the Fifth Axis, the burgeoning romance between Bev and Jason and now outing Braxiatel as the terrifying schemer that he really is. It is this series' consistent quality and fascinating developments that have kept me so enraptured for so long. As Benny and Jason discuss at the end, things are totally different to how they started on this series and nobody knows how things are going to be from now on. Brilliant maturity for a series and I will be eager to find out just how the Collection copes without Braxiatel.
Joseph Lidster has written a superb script, his finest to date. It has been a fascinating experience watching Lidster mature into such a striking audio writer; his initial script (The Rapture) was an interesting idea but a pushed a little too hard, Master saw much more potential with a superb two-handed second episode, Terror Firma pushed Doctor Who drama to a stonking new level and was crammed full (too full) of great ideas and finally his UNIT story, The Longest Night, lacked subtlety but made up for it by supplying a gripping real-time drama. All of Lidster's strengths are in evidence here, especially his ability to push a series boundaries and pull several gob-smacking rabbits out of his hat. There is a brilliant narrative style, with Benny, Brax and Jason all commenting on and pushing the action onwards, being interrogated by student Parasiel. It is especially good when Parasiel and Brax talk together when you realise how far Brax has gone and start to fear for the kid's life.
The Cybermen are relegated to the second division but just as Lidster managed to exploit the Daleks, he makes some astute observations about the Cybermen too. Benny's anger when Parasiel just wants the story to push forward to the bits with the Cybermen is especially good; I loved it when she explains to him how horrifying it would be if the Cybermen invaded the Collection and converted all of his friends. Nothing could quite have prepared me for the depravity of Lidster's imagination when he reveals just what Cybermats are made out of and Benny's hysterical reaction drives the horror home even more. Even better though is Jason's fear when he is being turned into a Cybercontroller, to hear his terrified voice in a Cyber modulation drives home the point that they really were people once. The hints that Jason might still be under their control are a nice touch especially the last line of the play, "Excellent"...
The Crystal of Cantus is the Benny range on great form but let's be honest, this is a series that rarely isn't. They've got the format, the length and the tone of this series down to a fine art now and it pleases me so much to see another six releases coming out this year with some damn fine writers behind the scripts. It is this sort of story that has seen this character survive so long and prosper into a seventh season.
Bravo.