The Skymines of Karthos
A Benny Audio Adventure
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Big Finish The Skymines of Karthos A Benny Audio Adventure |
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| Author | David Bailey |  |
| Released | 2000 | |
| Cover | Adrian Salmon |
| Synopsis: Arriving on Karthos, Bernice finds that her old friend Caitlin is missing, and the colony is under attack from vicious creatures that seem to have come from nowhere. |
Underrated by Joe Ford 21/11/03
Well geez Louise that was actually quite fun! Do any of you remember The Secret of Cassandra, that inept, insomniac pleasing hour of your life that you would never get back? Written by David Bailey I believe and judging by that particular piece an even worse writer than the brilliantly awful Gary Russell! After putting myself through Cassandra I promised I would never listen to another Benny CD by Bailey again, it would be like climbing a tree again after falling from the top branch, risking the same pain all over again. But to be honest I am firmly in love with the Benny audio series now and next original CD is The Poison Seas as written by Bailey so I thought why not, something to tide you over until that arrives.
Unfortunately I went about reading some reviews first and none of them were particularly promising, I Who 3 said it was one of the worst ever (although Lars Pearson and I disagree on a great many things... Eater of Wasps generic? Earthworld awkward? Huh!) and Doctor Who Magazine said the audio never really takes off. And remembering it is the finale to season two, where only The Extinction Event escapes with any credibility I slotted it into my CD man with no real enthusiasm.
Oh Joe how foolish you are...
No The Skymines of Karthos isn't perfect, its length hardly allows for the time to explore the planet or the ideas adequately but I found the story quite entertaining and certainly never wanted to turn it off. Certain moments impressed me a great deal and it contains some A-class bitching from our favourite archaeologist.
Most of the fun from this story comes from the character Michael, the guy Benny hates and the lover of her close friend, Caitlin. The fact that he happens to be a complete and utter bastard is what makes this story. You are rooting for Benny all the way, Michael is self absorbed, rude, opinionated and sarcastic, the sort you want to kick in the nuts every time he opens his mouth which of course makes him great fun to listen to. Jimmy Wilson (who is pretty damn cute looking at the photos on the inside cover) is perfect, the way he stresses his insults and sounds so bored of the whole thing creating a character you love to hate.
I have only ever been scared three times by a Big Finish audio now. The Chimes of Midnight frequently rattled me but a short sadistic laugh from the house that has trapped them inside really chilled my bones. Later that season Embrace the Darkness similarly affected me, scenes of terrified characters stumbling around in the dark terrified are used to maximum effect. And now The Skymines of Karthos with the terrifying Firefly attacks. Honest to God the sound FX for these nasty little creatures is really scary, long, protracted screams, overlapping as they hunt characters down. At one point listening to this I fell asleep, not because it was dull but because I was exhausted and woke up with a terrible start when the Fireflies started screaming.
It also works well because it uses Benny as a sensitive character first and an archaeologist second. Too many of these stories start with Benny getting a call because some artefact has been uncovered and needs her expert eyes to go over it, it's a good way of getting her involved with these complicated adventures but does begin to grate. So when this story begins, Benny off searching for her missing friend, it gives a solid motivation for her travels. Okay so there is a lost civilisation to be uncovered in the mountains but that is by the by (heh).
David Bailey has managed to create an interesting planet and keeps adding detail right until the last scene. Karthos with its terrifying population of Fireflies, built from the planet itself and growing a collective intelligence. It is another example of how easy it is for the Benny range to explore fascinating alien worlds; being set in the future we can take for granted these excursions to foreign locations. Cleverly the Benny range is slowly carving out an entire universe.
Benny is pregnant, this audio slotting into a period when the Big Finish books and audios were working side by side to her story. It is very enjoyable to read a book like The Squire's Crystal and then be able to listen to the woman in the next story, it helps to make her more real. Jason, Adrian, Brax... they all have the bonus of being voiced as well as written, I would just die to able to hear Fitz and Anji and Compassion in an audio.
The story isn't exactly fast paced but it does contain some nice moments, Michael forcing the ship through a cloud of Fireflies, Benny reminded that she is putting her baby's life in danger by abseiling, the increasing mystery of what is happening to Konstantin and Caitlin under an alien influence, the climatic ending that threatens to unleash the Fireflies on the universe... don't be fooled, this isn't a power charged, emotion fuelled masterpiece but it works a charm at passing an hour amiably. It isn't forgettable fare like most of season two, it enjoys its identity as a filler story but decent performances and some clever direction from Ed Salt, Benny expert, helps.
So go on, give it a listen. If, like me, you have some time on your hands you might find you enjoy this B-movie rip off more enjoyable than you think.