Review: The Liberator Chronicles – Volume 6 / Author: Peter Anghelides, Steve Lyons, Mark Wright, Cavan Scot / Publisher: Big Finish Productions / Starring: Paul Darrow, Steven Pacey, Adrian Lukis, Sally Knyvette, John Banks, Gareth Thomas / Release Date: Out Now
Volume 6 of The Liberator Chronicles covers one of the gaps in the transmitted series of Blake’s 7. After Series 2, both Blake and Jenna left the show following the aftermath of the intergalactic battle in Star One. Big Finish covered the battle earlier this year with the full-cast story Aftermath. This three-disc set plugs more of the gap.
The first story is Incentive by Peter Anghelides (who also wrote Warship). In this story we get not only the continuing story of Avon (Darrow) and the crew, but also the first appearance of Steven Pacey reprising the role of Tarrant. In addition, the story introduces a brilliantly played character Bracheeni (Lukis) and gives a reason why Avon didn’t just spend the next two series looking for Blake and Jenna. This is a very strong story and sets up the next two discs with aplomb.
Next up is Jenna’s Story by Steve Lyons. Here we learn all about what Jenna did next, how she struggled but why she didn’t help Blake in his rebellion. This is grim story and less immediate than its companions partly because the television stories failed to round her character out as well as the others.
The set ends with Blake’s Story by Mark Wright and Cavan Scott. This is a chance for Blake to tell Avon everything that happened between leaving the Liberator and arriving on Gauda Prime. We learn how he took the knowledge of the destruction of the Liberator (badly – and also odd to talk about as this is a Liberator Chronicle!). Blake is presented as grim, broken and almost washed up on the edges of the galaxy, hardly even a memory of the rebel he once was. This is a fascinating story but perhaps not to every fan’s taste. Overall, though, this is a highly recommended collection that is sure to trigger a reaction from any fan of the TV show.
