Inside Every Warrior

"When I grabbed at the beast I came aware with treasure."

Writer: Gemma Langford

Format: Audio

Released: March 2019

Series: Eighth of March 03

Featuring: Vastra, Jenny, Strax

Synopsis

The Great Detective, Madame Vastra, aided by her resourceful spouse, Jenny Flint, and loyal valet, Strax, is looking into a series of mysterious break-ins.

An eccentric scientist and his put-upon assistant are the latest victims. Evidence mounts, with animal footprints and a trail of destruction.

Verdict

Inside Every Warrior was an excellent story to continue The Eighth of March! This was a clever little release for the Paternoster Gang and serves as a fine example of what their own spinoff series will be like. I really can't wait to dive into that at some point as this was a terrific listen. The trio of Vastra, Strax and Jenny are just outstanding and that was on full display throughout this adventure. I liked how immediately the setting of the Victorian era was established and having the Gang on the hunt for a werewolf felt very appropriate for the atmosphere of the audio. Dr Pinch was introduced and he turned into a fascinating character and him being the subject of a burglary obviously put him in quite a vulnerable state mentally, but there was much more than that to his crazed demeanour. He was on the edge when it came to his mental capacities and that was fun, especially with Strax interacting. The burglar seemed to have come through the wall which added to the feasibility of it being something unordinary along the lines of a werewolf and coupling that with the big footprints that were found outside made for a good and intriguing mystery. Pinch revealing that he thought the werewolf was injured and had green blood was brilliant because that added to the alienness of the culprit and was quite the description in itself. I always think anytime werewolves are mentioned or featured in a Doctor Who story it needs to distance itself from Tooth and Claw and despite the Victorian setting, I thought this audio did a very good job. Pinch pondering over his lost specimen was interesting and I really liked the danger that came when it was Strax that was taken. Daisy Hodge as Pinch's assistant was a fantastic character and she turned out to be a pretty ruthless villain! Pinch's transformation throughout the audio worked well and I loved that he had an interest in Strax and got what he wanted. The alien prison being referred to as a cocktail parlour and Strax being the next flavour on the menu was both excellent and gruesome and hearing other captured aliens really sold the predicament well. I enjoy how Vastra has a reputation and hearing her vulnerability when it appeared Jenny had been fatally wounded was fantastic. She managed to grab pearls from the beast which sparked a heartwarming moment between her and Vastra. Daisy going so far as to extract the essence from Strax was excellent and I liked how some of the other aliens were addicted to the extraction sensation. That was disturbing but also strangely exciting. Daisy playing a game with Pinch over having him guess her name was powerful in highlighting the patriarchal society of the time. He didn't even know his assistant's first name. If he was correct everyone would be free, but if not well the timer wasn't for show! Daisy taunting Strax and Jenny over Vastra being their mistress and boss was superb because it actually gave them strength to both rise up which was really lovely. It was quite an emotional ending then with Daisy realising she was defeated and taking her own life. It all happened so suddenly and it was actually quite the fall from grace! Overall, a fantastic audio adventure! 

Rating: 9/10