Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! 

“THE SKYMINES OF KARTHOS – BATS, BABIES, AND BUREAUCRATIC A.I.”

A moody, rain-soaked finale with strong atmosphere and weak payoff

David Bailey, who opened Series 2 of The Adventures of Bernice Summerfield with The Secret of Cassandra, returns to wrap it all up with The Skymines of Karthos. It’s a slow-burn mystery set on a miserable mining colony where Benny arrives following a tip-off from her friend Caitlin about ancient ruins that may hold archaeological treasures—and, as it turns out, a lurking horror. By the time Benny arrives, Caitlin has vanished, the locals are on edge, and monsters prowl the stormy nights. Classic setup. So what could go wrong?

CHARACTERS FIRST, PLOT LATER

The early part of the play is heavily focused on mood and character. Benny investigates the colony and gets caught up in interpersonal tensions: Michael, Caitlin’s estranged and rather pompous husband, is cold, egotistical, and clearly annoyed at Benny’s presence. Jimmy Wilson gives Michael the sort of smug arrogance that instantly sets him apart as the character you hope gets what’s coming. Meanwhile, Konstantin—played with academic detachment by Johnson Willis—is more interested in dissecting the colony’s monstrous bat-like attackers than helping find a missing person.

This character focus pays off to an extent. There’s a richness to the performances, and Benny herself gets some layered writing here. The audio references her pregnancy (first introduced in the novels, notably The Squire’s Crystal), and her determination to remain capable and useful despite physical limitations feels very in character. Lisa Bowerman balances Benny’s wry humour and grit beautifully, as ever.

THE EXPEDITION AT LAST... SORT OF

Eventually, the trio sets out into the cold, wet wilderness, and this section is arguably the best part of the play. The sound design here is excellent: relentless rain, distant shrieks, and the oppressive calls of the so-called “Fireflies” create a tangible sense of dread. The creatures themselves, with cries like distressed cats, are unsettling at first—though perhaps a bit too omnipresent, to the point where their cries become more annoying than eerie.

The actual trek, however, suffers from sluggish pacing and awkward tension. The accidental crash caused by the men’s lack of experience in dangerous situations adds realism, but also more delay. When the team finally reaches the ruins, they find Caitlin and a group of colonists under the mental control of yet another villainous computer system.

THE RETURN OF THE EVIL A.I. (AGAIN)

The final act falters with a now-familiar Bernice Summerfield audio trope: a climactic info-dump. The Authority—a classic “kill all humans” computer—feels like a stale villain, echoing other evil A.I. foes we've seen (and heard) before. It mostly delivers generic threats and rigid mantras to its shadowy “Council” with little menace or invention. The confrontation lacks real danger, and while the script tries to inject drama, it peters out into more dialogue than decisive action.

TECHNICALLY IMPROVED, NARRATIVELY FAMILIAR

On a technical level, The Skymines of Karthos is a marked improvement over earlier stories in the series. The audio mixing is more balanced, and the direction allows for a more naturalistic soundscape. The heavy-handed effects and echoey recordings that plagued earlier entries are thankfully gone, and the world of Karthos feels convincingly lived-in and bleak.

Braxiatel is credited in the cast, but his only contribution is a brief phone call with Benny at the start—likely a nod to his presence in the novels and a reminder of the broader universe, but ultimately pointless to this audio’s plot.

📝VERDICT: 70/100

The Skymines of Karthos brings Series 2 to a close with strong performances, rich atmosphere, and thoughtful characterisation—particularly for Benny—but it stumbles on a clunky script that spends too long setting up a finale that fails to deliver. The villain is uninspired, the pacing patchy, and the resolution underwhelming. There’s quality here, especially in the production and acting, but it never quite gels into a satisfying story.