Sisters of the Flame

"Sacred flame. Sacred fire."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs
Format: Audio
Released: July 2008
Series: EDA 2.07

Featuring: Eighth Doctor, Lucie

Synopsis

The richest man in the galaxy has just bought a backwards planet with no obvious mineral wealth in the outer reaches of the universe. An obscure Mystica sect has been revived after centuries of neglect. A new race of aliens are hunting for prey. Why?

As the Doctor and Lucie attempt to discover the answer, it becomes clear that someone is attempting to resurrect the past – and they need a Time Lord to help them achieve it.

Verdict

Sisters of the Flame was a very good penultimate adventure in the second series of the Eighth Doctor Adventures! However, despite its obvious quality, it really did have the feeling of just setting things up and I would have probably preferred to have known that this was a 'part one' of a wider series finale. I thought the pace was quite slow and that worked well with the whole working backwards element of the plot and learning how the Doctor and Lucie had been separated and came to be where they were following the mini cliffhanger before the opening titles. Now, I have to mention the opening titles at some point and I think now is the right time. I thought the overlapping sound of themes from different eras was because of all the timey-wimey nature of Dead London, but it's stuck and has grown on me now. There have been several returning elements in this series and taking things back to Karn is definitely exciting. Including the Sisterhood of Karn in that is pretty much a no brainer, but I really liked that they were no longer on their home planet. That was a great revelation and definitely something I didn't see coming. I guess it could have been worked out really given that Lucie was heading there and she wouldn't have been that distanced from the Doctor since the pre-titles. They were no longer there because of the Cult of Morbius and I won't try and hide my foreknowledge of his presumed return in the series finale. It's something I can't wait for and I'm extremely intrigued to see just how it is tackled. For now though, we had to get there and Lucie hearing the whispers about the sacred flame and fire was interesting and something I hope continues in the second part of this adventure. She seemed troubled which was good and not something I usually associate with her but it is definitely a good element to explore. The return of Straxus was another unexpected part of the story and I liked how Lucie took advantage of his lack of confidence and what have you. He may be from a powerful race, but the Doctor's companion definitely knew how to handle him which was good. Zarodnix being the richest man in the galaxy was quite good and I think there is more to come from him so it is a little early to judge things in that regard. That's the feeling I got throughout the entire audio as it just isn't complete, but I still am endeavouring to give it a singular rating despite having a different approach for the televised two-parters. The Trell were a good little (well, big) species and Lucie's reaction when she asked for a police officer but found that she was facing one was terrific. She wasn't expecting that at all! I like it when that happens to companions and it was good that she apologised for being what she perceived to be as racist. The ending was unexpected with the cliffhanger and I was so engrossed in the story that I didn't realise so much time had elapsed! I was stunned and now I look forward to seeing how the Doctor and Lucie can escape their fate of dispersal and instant death. I'm sure it'll be a lot of words or the doing of Morbius himself, but one thing for certain is that I can't wait to learn more about the Cult. Overall though, a good story of setting things up.

Rating: 8/10