The Edge

"Remember who you are."

Writer: Simon Guerrier
Format: Audio
Released: June 2013
Series: Graceless 3.01

Featuring: Abby, Zara

Synopsis

"It tore you up, everything you were..."

There's a hotel on a cliff overlooking the sea. All sorts of people wash up there. The retired policeman, the faded star of the music hall and a girl who doesn't know who she is...

Abby arrives at the hotel searching for her sister Zara – but after all they've been through and fought over, will she want to be found?

But they're not the only ones with secrets, running away from their pasts. And someone else in the hotel wants to see them all dead...

Verdict

The Edge was an excellent start to the third series of Graceless! This was definitely my favourite audio from the spinoff series yet and if it is just going to get better, then I am very excited for what's in store following the adventures of Abby and Zara. With the way The Dark left things at the end of series two, I was quite surprised by how quickly Abby found Zara at the hotel. She was just enjoying the sea which I thought was nice, although Dennis was indicated that she may be jumping in. What that foreshadowed I was only able to realise as the story went on which was fantastic. Zara having lost her memory was a good development and I was very intrigued when Abby looked into her sister's head and found that there was nothing there. She had been taken apart and reformed after going into the Vortex, but why would Abby have retained her memories after going through the same experience? The moment where Abby was able to help Zara retrieve her memories was fantastic with Joy heard and also the mention of the triceratops atop a tricycle. I liked the continuity there. Abby seeing that Zara wanted to forget her memories was also a very powerful moment. The moment where Abby and Zara stalled on how they were going to pay for the hotel was fun, especially when the former pushed Dennis when he thought he might get a bit lucky when it came to a service in place of monetary payment. Them discovering that Zara had signed into the hotel with her name was good as that meant her memory loss was unrelated to the Vortex and occurred at the hotel. The introductions of Miss Simone and Albert were handled very well and I thought Abby setting Zara and Kurt on a sort of date was wonderful. Her showing the obviously nervous waiter the truth about space and her memories travelling was terrific. I thought the post-war setting of the story, at least the portrayal of that, was good and I expected more to be made of that. Of course, it ended up actually just relating to Simone and Albert. Simone prying on the sisters was very good and she was a stereotypical nasty and nosy elderly woman. She pushed Abby into feeling envious of her sister and clearly knew more than she was letting on. Abby then losing her memories was an excellent development and it was clear that the sisters were trying to be broken apart. The accusation that Simone and Albert were feasting on memories was great, but things didn't go where I expected them to which was good. The relationship between Albert and Simone getting explored a little was fun, especially with the former pretending to be gay to avoid the latter's advances. The murder of Kurt was sudden but presented a brilliant threat and something that needed answering with the sisters on the verge of being set up. The fire then breaking out in the hotel was superb and the tension that went along with the action-packed scenes here was outstanding. Zara going back for Albert was desperate and the wind helping the fire spread was superb. Abby then going in for Zara, only for her to come out, was fantastic and I liked them playing on the fact that they couldn't die together. The emergence of the killer inside was good and he was quite enigmatic and energetic which worked well. He had a twisted mind and was hiding in the shadows. The description of him being as light as smoke and intangible was really good. I really wasn't expecting the moment where Simone stood up and scared the killer off! It was sublime. Albert not making it out alive was a shame, and I do think Simone should have been sadder. The confrontation between her and Dennis and how they threw insults about being a coward or leaving the real world behind was great stuff. The idea of the sea actually being what had the sisters under control was intriguing and I loved that they were being almost drawn in. Everyone else getting taken away by the sea was quick with the girls frozen also being a good threat. Simone giving her life for the sisters was excellent, and from there I liked how there was almost a reset at the hotel. Zara knew things were still wrong, and wanted to put them right as she felt she owed Simone that. I admired that. Kurt returning from the dead as the essence of the hotel and explaining that this place was essentially the waiting room at the end of time and space for those already dead was terrific. I thought that concept worked really well and I liked it a lot. They were on the cliff overlooking oblivion, and Kurt basically gave them the reason to complete the job of killing themselves. The description of the sisters washing up from the other side and being the first to do so was really good and after seeing into Zara's head, Kurt saw where the sisters were vulnerable. He'd learned of the deal with the Grace and that they would choose when they died. Zara fought back wondering why anyone needed to be pushed off the edge. Did they need to die? Abby and Zara joining together to put things right and bring back Simone and Albert was great and I liked how the returning pair got into Kurt's head and sent him on his way. They would run the hotel now and wouldn't be pushing anyone off the edge into confirmed death. I thought that was nice. The ending was also good leading into the next story, I presume, as they recalled the memory of Marek recorded in the tapestry and they realised that it might have been something that hadn't happened yet. Might they be reunited? Overall, a brilliant audio!

Rating: 9/10