BBC Radio 4, February 26, 2021, and on BBC Sounds

Jan and Maya each face uncertain futures.

The concluding part of Melissa Murray’s SF trilogy is as bleak as I anticipated it would be, with each of the lead characters facing choices, and handling them the best way they can. For Jan, this means accepting a fate that horrifies her, and she fights as best she can to avoid it; for Maya, it’s travelling to another timeline, seeing the choices that that world’s version of herself made and trying to find a purpose. For the members of the Seven, the fact that they’re not moving to another timeline suggests they have control they haven’t had in some time – or in Renata’s case, it’s about taking control in a different way than usual.

There’s some interesting hints dropped that the world the story starts in isn’t actually our world, contrary to the impression initially given, and the one in which Maya and Horace arrive feels like ours a few years down the line, as the anticipated next pandemics make life even more locked-down than we’ve experienced over the last year. Murray sensibly doesn’t provide all the answers – and there’s plenty of scope for a sequel. I for one wonder if what Renata says about Jan’s condition is actually correct, let alone Maya and Horace’s future in a timeline where they’re the only ones they know of who have fallen through.

This has been a well constructed trilogy, with Caleb Knightley’s sound design and Emma Harding’s direction combining with strong performances across the board.

Verdict: A dark ending to an intriguing series. 8/10

Paul Simpson