It is just possible the fleet heading for the Eternity Club isn’t a threat. Just. But what they want from the Club is the greatest threat its universe has ever faced.

The satisfying clicks of pieces placed in a solved puzzle provides a backdrop almost as pleasing as Rob Harvey’s lovely, Elfman-ian score to this story. Sensibly this is functionally a two-parter, the done-in-ones of the previous volumes replaced by events too big for the Club to deal with in half an hour. Even more sensibly, every single one of those previous episodes matters. This is accretion storytelling, or perhaps, archaeological storytelling and it’s the sort of story you can only do with characters like Bernice. Lisa Bowerman, who has been superb throughout, pivots effortlessly here. Bernice’s good-natured complaints have always been a tell. She’s had rather more fun than she wants to admit with the Eternity Club and seeing them and the threat to the universe beyond them, threatened has snapped her into focus. It’s a great role, and a great performance, compassion, empathy, terror and rage all back-to-back daring an enemy to make the first move.

It’s also a story crammed full of big reveals. As well as the enormously well done reveal on what’s really been going on we get a reveal on the true nature of The Oldest and the Nurse, both of which shouldn’t be spoiled and both of which impress immensely. Pilkington especially, and Shane O’Byrne’s needlepoint brilliant sound design in a crucial scene, is excellent.

We get some nice beats with everyone else too, especially Starll and Grizella’s only slightly terrifying romance (Starkey gets the best laugh of the ensued with the ten syllable of martial joy he finds in the word ‘BLADES’). The fact we do means this volume doesn’t stuff the landing, shifting gear but keeping this ramshackle group of geniuses, misfits and warriors very much in lockstep.

Verdict: Everything counts, everything has mattered. Here comes the last puzzle piece. 10/10

Alasdair Stuart

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