The Sphere

"Money makes the world go round."

Writer: Steven Guerrier

Format: Audio

Released: November 2010

Series: Graceless 1.01

Featuring: Abby, Zara

Synopsis

"It's great here. You can get anything!"

The Sphere is a private satellite complex and offers every kind of entertainment. It doubles in size every week. They lash new hotels and casinos to the outer skin, pinning them in place with huge girders.

Zara came here by mistake and was quickly caught up in the noise and excitement. It's got into her head. When her sister Abby comes to the rescue, Zara insists that she can't leave.

What is the secret that Zara is carrying with her? Why is Abby so ill? And how long can she resist the Sphere getting into her head as well?

Verdict

The Sphere was a great start to the Graceless spinoff series following on from the Key 2 Time trilogy from the Monthly Adventures of Big Finish! After a sale from Big Finish a couple of months ago for this series, I purchased it in its entirety knowing I was so close to being introduced to them in The Judgement of Isskar. I thought the name change of Amy to Abby, presumably given the 2010 release date and the introduction of Amy Pond in The Eleventh Hour, was handled well and done quite quickly without making too much of it. I liked that she arrived on the Sphere to get Zara at the request of Pargrave which was some nice continuity from The Chaos Pool. The Sphere made for a very good setting and I liked how it was a place where they couldn't leave. It was essentially a faraday cage and the time rings were non-functional which created a tricky little predicament. Marek made for an intriguing character and I can't say I was a huge fan of his. The relationship he had with Zara was interesting and she certainly seem to find her way from man to man, but his efforts to assert control and just his general demeanour made him a quite unlikeable character. I do think that may be the intention. The moment he announced he was going to a 'dump' was just weird. Abby and Zara's powers waining because they were cut off from the rest of the universe worked well and added to the situation nicely. I thought the noise of the Sphere, particularly the Core, was very good in establishing just what kind of place it was and the casino theme that dominated things was terrific. I also liked the concept of it doubling in size every week and the issues that brought. It was uncontrollable. Marek's shift in character once Zara went to bed towards Amy was very sudden and uncomfortable, especially with what he wanted as rent payment. He was not a nice man and I kind of hope he befalls the same fate as Zink. Abby being able to get into his head to prevent her payment was great. The revelation that Zara was pregnant was unexpected but it was something I liked and I'm very intrigued to see where that goes for the rest of the series and beyond! The pregnancy being what Abby had been feeling in her stomach was a good moment too. Their efforts to get expelled from the Sphere by cheating the casino system seemed logical, but then once they were caught it seemed that their punishment would be execution! Uncle Lindsey made for a good villain as the casino chain owner and an example was made of Zara in quite uncomfortable circumstances, especially considering she was pregnant. The flashback moment to Erratoon during The Prisoner's Dilemma was intriguing and I liked how Abby knew what had happened and told her sister that everyone was saved from the planet's security measures. The same could not be said of Mars though. I thought the idea of Abby working for Lindsey was very good and it was a refreshing dynamic to have her acting as something other than the good sister. It was interesting to explore the possibility of Abby feeling envious of Zara because of the excitement she got for being the bad sister and doing things she ought not to. She got to enjoy some of that bad sister element when she was working for Lindsey and ripping people of all they owned at the casino. She was even given ownership of Marek which was interesting, but all she did there was have physical relations! Zara could feel that and I was hoping she'd have been a bit more annoyed about that instead of not caring in the slightest. The Sphere being a place where the longer you were there, the more you got buried within was brilliant and I was a big fan of it throughout. The conclusion was pretty decent with Abby using her mind to remove the pins from the Sphere and enable the time rings to work again in order for her and Zara to escape. They landed somewhere with a pub, but were soon under arrest for murder in a good cliffhanger! Overall, a fine start to the spinoff series. 

Rating: 8/10