The old President tries to kill a large number of birds with one stone…

Steve Lyons’ tale wraps up this second box set with an idea that I’m very surprised hasn’t been done before in the Blake’s 7 universe – the Federation directly framing the Liberator crew for an atrocity. Lyons plays with the listener’s perceptions in the early part of the story, as we’re not quite sure exactly who, what and when we’re hearing things, but very sensibly doesn’t push this throughout the audio. Instead, we get another examination of Vila Restal’s psyche, and what makes him tick, thanks to someone who’s been forced to try to put himself inside Vila’s mind (although not in the way Cally or other Auron might.) It makes for a fascinating sequence as a real and ersatz Vila have to work together, with the apprentice understanding his subject perhaps rather better than the original might like.

That’s set against a backdrop of manoeuvring by the old President who seems, thank goodness, to have dropped his overly melodramatic way of speaking. His new number two is still very much an old school bad guy, but at least now there’s a contrast.

There’s also an interesting plotline for Tarrant as he tries to get through to a Federation civilian that perhaps the Liberator crew aren’t the evil monstrosities that they’re being painted as – and I was pleased that this wasn’t resolved in an oversimplified way.

Verdict: A good piece of Blake’s 7. 8/10

Paul Simpson