Chris Dows’ audio drama Martyrs of Elysia is the third and final instalment in the series that began with Scions of Elysia and continued with Renegades of Elysia, detailing the dangerous accusations levelled against Veteran Sergeant Zachariah and his efforts to clear his name. As he’s questioned by the relentless Commissar Mastroval, Zachariah relives a frenetic, fateful assault on the rebel-held world of Veyland Sinestre and the culmination of his ongoing feud with a senior officer, whose murder he’s been accused of. All the while Mastroval keeps digging – into Zachariah’s actions, his loyalties, and his history.
After two audios portraying Zachariah at a remove, through the eyes of fellow Elysians Adullam and Uldek, it’s great to find the Sarge (voiced by Stephen Perring) front and centre, matching wits with Mastroval and telling his side of the story. It’s the same premise as the other two, with the story split between the close confines of Mastroval’s interrogation and the explosive, widescreen action of life in the Elysian 158th. As befits the final part of the wider story, the stakes are higher than ever in both sections, and they’re woven together beautifully – Zachariah’s heroics in the midst of a chaotic, disastrous drop assault, and Mastroval’s sharp, insistent probing of Zachariah’s story.
Narratively it’s a story which could work fine in prose, but comes to life in audio with the juxtaposition of the two contrasting strands really emphasised by the changing soundscapes. There’s a spot-on balance of action and intrigue, both brought to vivid life by the usual sterling work from the voice cast, and Howard Carter’s music and SFX design. Once again Jonathan Keeble’s Mastroval is just a joy to listen to, while as the series has progressed there’s been gradually less of Steve Conlin’s brilliantly obnoxious Bandrac, who largely plays a background role here. Likewise most of the other characters – it all boils down to Zachariah and Mastroval now, and as the story progresses you’re left wondering whether Mastroval actually has a point, and just what was going on with Zachariah all along? If you’ve read either of Dows’ short stories featuring Zachariah, you’ll get just a little more context, but they’re not essential.
It’s testament to how good Black Library (notably producer Matt Renshaw) have got with audios that everything fits together seamlessly here – Dows’ script is tight and efficient, and John Banks’ narrator is used judiciously but often fades out leaving the actors and sound design to carry the story without any issues at all. Of the three audios this is probably the one to go for if you were only going to listen to one, but as the finale to the series it brings everything together beautifully, pulling in elements from earlier in the series that you might not have realised were important, and contextualising the work Dows has done with building up the political structures of Elysia. It’s a great story in its own right, and caps off the series in satisfying style – if you haven’t already, now would be a great time to start from the beginning and enjoy a smart, highly entertaining audio series.
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