Review by Ian McArdell

The Terra Nostra: Zero Point is the third in a set of audiobooks tied to Big Finish’s The Worlds of Blake’s 7 range. A companion to the recent boxset The Terra Nostra, it deals with the insidious organisation who wield soft power in the criminal underbelly of the Federation.This story take place just past the midpoint of the television series. In the wake of the intergalactic war and the destruction of Star One, the Federation’s control hub, Servalan has seized control and ousted the former President; the Space Command’s Supreme Commander is now a self-styled Empress. Against this backdrop, we meet a recently reformed Liberator crew. With Blake and Jenna seemingly lost for good, Avon assumes command. With him are Vila and Cally, plus two new recruits: weapons expert Dayna and former Federation officer Tarrant. The tetchy supercomputer Orac and Liberator’s control computer Zen complete the seven.

However, both the Liberator and Orac are in a bad way, severely damaged after a battle. Orac identifies a computer specialist who can repair it, so with options limited and Liberator’s energy supplies for auto-repair scarce, Avon and Tarrant take on a risky mission, Posing as Federation officers in an ailing pursuit ship, they seek out specialist Dr Pellas on a remote Federation base. On the base in question, under the ocean of a remote planet, we meet the unpleasant Dr Pellas and become involved in that Federation crew’s struggle for survival. The story does an excellent job of getting you involved, with the loss of one heroic officer a particular trauma. As it progresses, we come to understand that in the Federation military life is cheap – especially when the ranks are infested with the Terra Nostra.

The story splits up our heroes; Avon and Tarrant’s ruse is soon up and they’re forced into working for the Terra Nostra while Dayna remains as a hostage; she’s put to work with Dr Pellas, alongside her put-upon assistant. Meanwhile, Cally remains on Liberator supervising the auto-repair, while Villa gets to indulge in a terrific side-mission; he infiltrates a drug-addled pleasure cruise to seek a replacement crystal for Liberator’s weapons system. Villa Restal may be a congenital coward, but he’s also clever and resourceful too and this aspect of the story was terrifically entertaining.

Mark B. Oliver’s tale captures the crew at a fascinating point, with Tarrant and Dayna still integrating into the crew. It also puts some flesh on the bones of Servalan’s power grab. While she’s not directly involved in much of the action, her representatives appear throughout; like a secret society embedded within the Federation military, Servalan’s “Usalama” operatives helped raise her up and remain dedicated to keeping her in position.

Zero Point has a high body count and the feel of an action thriller, with multiple twists and reveals. It deftly brings together the wider political machinations of the Former President, Servalan and the Terra Nostra, bringing them to bear on our heroes who have got themselves caught in the middle. It is a great listen which I certainly recommend. With the assured narration of Stephen Grief, who played Travis onscreen, the story rips along and her populates it with a varied bunch of character voices. His take on Avon is a particular treat, doubtless coloured by the affection he clearly holds for his friend Paul Darrow.

The Future of Blake’s 7

While there are no further Blake’s 7 books announced, I’m looking forward to the two forthcoming audio drama boxsets in this range; After The War (set in the same period as Zero Point) comes in November, then December brings Allies and Enemies.

Additionally, all three of the recent audiobooks from The Worlds of Blake’s 7 range are being treated to a physical and eBook release: The Clone Masters: The Rule of Death comes in October, Bayban the Butcher: Bayban Ascending in November and The Terra Nostra: Zero Point in December.

The Worlds of Blake’s 7 – Zero Point is available on download from Big Finish.

Audio Review: The Worlds of Blake’s 7 – The Terra Nostra

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