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Bernice receives a message from her old friend Caitlin, saying
that she has found evidence of an ancient civilisation on
the mining colony of Karthos. The Professor is intrigued,
because apart from the colonists the planet is supposed to
be lifeless. When she arrives on Karthos, Bernice discovers
that Caitlin has gone missing...
There
are shades of the Doctor Who serial The Mutants
and the Star Trek episode The Devil in the Dark
in this lively story by David Bailey. The activities of the
human colonists, who have been mining a valuable element from
Karthos' rich atmosphere, have somehow awakened dangerous
bat-like creatures that seem to be appearing from nowhere.
However, the creatures, dubbed Fireflies, prove to be a far
less sympathetic threat to humanity than the victimised Mutts
or Horta.
In
her search for Caitlin, Bernice is joined by Caitlin's husband
Michael (Jimmy Wilson). It is made clear from the beginning,
thanks to a message that Benny leaves on Irving Braxiatel's
answer-phone (a useful story-telling device) that she does
not approve of Caitlin's choice of husband. Consequently,
she and Michael endure a grudging partnership of necessity.
Picking
up an ongoing plot line from the most recent Bernice Summerfield
novel, Dave Stone's Infernal Nexus, a great deal of
attention is paid to Benny's current "condition". However,
the writer doesn't allow this to get in the way of his story.
The
deliberately premature cueing in of the closing theme tune
makes for an effective red herring towards to end - you'll
hear what I mean when you get there.
It
does appear that these single-CD adventures have shaken off
their earlier inertia, are becoming more exciting, and are
now truly mining the series' potential.
Richard
McGinlay
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