Sea of Iron, The coverWhat can possibly have persuaded Cally and Servalan to work together?

Marc Platt’s contribution to this collection once again shows us some of Servalan’s manipulative side (and does unwittingly give the impression that she’s spending time on about fifteen different schemes at once, any one of which might interfere with the running of another at some point). The story is more about Cally, and Jan Chappell gets a chance to delve into her character’s backstory as she deals with a psychic assault (and Star Trek fans may note some similarities with the classic story about the giant space amoeba and Spock’s reaction to the destruction of the USS Intrepid).

One of the intriguing aspects about the Big Finish Blake’s 7 audios has been the way that it has treated the earlier incarnation – the Rebellion Reborn. Occasionally I’ve thought I’ve heard that series’ version of the theme pop up within the incidental music, and it didn’t really surprise me to find from Marc Platt’s interview in Vortex that this story was based on one prepared for that version, given how much it’s based on the idea of Cally being a clone.

It’s not that I object to elements from that series coming into the “prime” universe, but they never felt to me as if they were meant to be directly compatible, and at times this doesn’t feel like “our” Cally. Setting that aside, Platt gives Chappell plenty to work with and director Lisa Bowerman elicits a strong performance.

Verdict: Although it depends a little too much on “alternative” concepts, this is nevertheless an engrossing tale. 7/10

Paul Simpson

Liberator Chronicles, The - Volume 8 coverClick here to order The Liberator Chronicles Volume 8 from Big Finish

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