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“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.

pretty fun story, but it does end pretty abruptly which kinda puts a damper on things unfortunately. i kinda expected the pregnancy to come into it more but im glad it didnt

Bernice Summerfield

#2.04. The Skymines of Karthos ~ 7/10

◆ An Introduction

David Bailey is our second returning writer… though his previous script was certainly nothing to write home about: genuinely, I couldn’t tell you a single thing that happened in ‘The Secret of Cassandra’.

I’m always willing to give someone a second chance though, so let’s dive into this one… just watch out for the Karthosian fireflies.

◆ Publisher’s Summary

When Bernice receives a message from her old friend Caitlin, saying that she's found evidence of a ruined civilisation on the mining colony of Karthos, the good professor is naturally intrigued. After all, the planet is meant to be barren, with no life other than the colonists.

Arriving on Karthos, Bernice finds that Caitlin is missing, and the colony is under attack from vicious creatures that seem to have come from nowhere. Bernice has no choice but to set out for the heart of the ruins to discover just why Karthos seems to have sprung to life once more…

◆ Prof. Bernice Summerfield

Lisa Bowerman’s performance in this final episode is pretty good.

Benny decides to go to Karthos in Irving’s personal shuttle (I’m sure he’s gonna love you for that). Once upon a time she might have been tempted to fly into a giant fireball in the sky, but given her current condition (five months pregnant with Adrian’s kid) there’s something a little bit off-putting about said giant fireball. She’s an expert at archaeology, but she threatens the fireflies by claiming she’s also good at hair pulling.

◆ Story Recap

A couple of parsecs away from the Braxiatel Collection is a small human mining colony. Karthos was supposedly an uninhabited world, with a burning sky… but a member of an environmental research team has apparently discovered the ruins of a lost civilisation up in the mountains.

Caitlin Peters got in touch with Benny about this and promised to report back with her findings… that was a few weeks ago. Since then, Caitlin has been missing in action. This prompts Benny to steal Brax’s personal shuttle and investigate.

What has happened to Caitlin, and is there really a lost civilisation on the surface of Karthos?

◆ Third Nondescript Planet of Series 2

David Bailey’s second contribution to the ‘Bernice Summerfield’ range is a definite improvement over his first… but I still found it lacking a certain something. The story is most definitely the weakest aspect, taking place on the third nondescript planet of Series Two (following Chosan and Rhinvil), and having the Karthosian Fireflies act like a generic monster of the week. Also, I love how they’re named “fireflies”… despite resembling massive vampire bats!

◆ Sound Design

Toby Richards and Emily Baker have finally been sacked, so I’m no longer filled with dread discussing the sound design. The soundscape is quite good, bringing the harsh landscape of Karthos to life.

The ringing of Braxiatel’s phone, followed by his answering machine. The growling of Karthosian fireflies, which sound oddly like a snarling cat, as they attempt to break into Konstantin’s lab. The cold icy winds of Karthos whistle around Benny. The actual speech of the fireflies reminds me of how CABAL would speak in Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun.

◆ Music

David Darlington’s music in ‘The Skymines of Karthos’ is properly mixed and doesn’t sound like it was recorded on water-damaged equipment. While the overall quality is leaps and bounds ahead of what we have endured in the last four releases, the music itself isn’t anything to write home about.

◆ Conclusion

“It’s the fireflies I’m concerned about…”

That’s the second series over, and it was pretty average if I’m honest (the only exception being Lance Parkin’s excellent episode). ‘The Skymines of Karthos’ has a lot going for it, mainly the fact we’ve actually got some listenable post-production again… now that Richards and Baker have politely been sacked!

That being said, this is the second Bailey script I’ve heard, and the second where the plot just feels like an after thought. Luckily for us, Series Three is absolutely magnificent.