nwhyte's review
3.0
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2785482.html
This was the first of the Bernice Summerfield books published by Big Finish. I'm taking them in publication order, which slightly to my surprise means I am already out of sequence - this is an anthology, but apparently the first novel, which I will read next month, is set earlier. I think it would also be a bit confusing for those not familiar with Benny continuity, as the stories are by old hands riffing off established characters and themes. The standout piece is Stephen Moffat's "The Least Important Man" which features a Blake's 7 fan brought forward to Benny's time; I also enjoyed "Steal from the World" by Kate Orman, about a return to the site of a youthful expedition, and "The Door in to Bedlam" by Dave Stone, which features communication with the exiled Jason. Both "The Light that Never Dies" by Eddie Robson and the final story, "Digging up the Past" by Mark Michalowski, feature movies (or equivalent), a medium that Benny has only fleetingly graced.
This was the first of the Bernice Summerfield books published by Big Finish. I'm taking them in publication order, which slightly to my surprise means I am already out of sequence - this is an anthology, but apparently the first novel, which I will read next month, is set earlier. I think it would also be a bit confusing for those not familiar with Benny continuity, as the stories are by old hands riffing off established characters and themes. The standout piece is Stephen Moffat's "The Least Important Man" which features a Blake's 7 fan brought forward to Benny's time; I also enjoyed "Steal from the World" by Kate Orman, about a return to the site of a youthful expedition, and "The Door in to Bedlam" by Dave Stone, which features communication with the exiled Jason. Both "The Light that Never Dies" by Eddie Robson and the final story, "Digging up the Past" by Mark Michalowski, feature movies (or equivalent), a medium that Benny has only fleetingly graced.
unevendays's review
3.0
Some of these stories were better than others. I quite liked the running commentary after each story by Benny herself but felt that the conceit was a little bit silly.
Benny didn't really lend herself to short stories as much as full length novels, and a lot of the stories ended up seeming a bit pointless: Benny showed up, said hello, went home. The End.
I was slightly disappointed with Steven Moffat's contribution, but I think I've probably come to expect too much from him after his superb writing for Doctor Who. His story was quite a good idea but didn't really get chance to get going before it was over.
Braxiatel was also a bit of a convenient plot device in a lot of the stories. Brax presents plot, Benny goes and does adventure, the end.
However, there were some gems: I liked "The Light that Never Dies" - nice idea and neat execution. "The Monster and the Archaeologists" was also great fun.
Benny didn't really lend herself to short stories as much as full length novels, and a lot of the stories ended up seeming a bit pointless: Benny showed up, said hello, went home. The End.
I was slightly disappointed with Steven Moffat's contribution, but I think I've probably come to expect too much from him after his superb writing for Doctor Who. His story was quite a good idea but didn't really get chance to get going before it was over.
Braxiatel was also a bit of a convenient plot device in a lot of the stories. Brax presents plot, Benny goes and does adventure, the end.
However, there were some gems: I liked "The Light that Never Dies" - nice idea and neat execution. "The Monster and the Archaeologists" was also great fun.
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