Sister Melody arrives at a convent in a time of civil war – but she’s really only interested in one particular book in their scriptorium…

Lizbeth Myles’ highly enjoyable tale for River drops her completely out of her comfort zone in a place where she has to rely on her wits, and try to think two to three steps ahead of her opponents. It’s not just that she’s dealing – perhaps inevitably – with some form of alien incursion, but she also has to contend with the attitudes of the time, particularly with regard to God and, more mundanely, medicine.

It’s a story whose twists you sense are coming, but Myles pulls the rug out on a couple of occasions – one of them particularly heartbreaking, both for River and for the listener. That last provides Alex Kingston with the opportunity for River to let rip – although her anger is tempered by certain realisations.

There’s another strong performance from Jaye Griffiths as Sister Ursula, matched by Aurora Burghart’s Sister Patrick while Janet Henfrey’s Sister Magdalene is clearly an early ancestor of Miss Hardaker from The Curse of Fenric! Ken Bentley’s direction and Howard Carter’s sound design and score give a strong sense of period.

Verdict: Some bittersweet moments amidst a well-told tale. 9/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order The Diary of River Song Volume 7 from Big Finish