The Library of St. John the Beheaded contains the most dangerous books in all creation, so when some of them are stolen, who else should the Vatican call but Sherlock Holmes?
Immediately, one of the possible suspects seems more suspicious than others. He has no traceable background, refuses to give straight answers and hides behind a pseudonym. However, Holmes and his loyal friend Watson soon realise this suspect is also their greatest hope: war is brewing and an Old God is rising. To save humanity they need the Doctor as much as he needs them.
ALL-CONSUMING FIRE
One of the more celebrated New Adventures was Andy Lane’s “All-Consuming Fire,” largely because it was well-written and because of the synopsis: the Doctor and his companions team up with Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson to battle Lovecraftian horrors! And since Big Finish produces Sherlock Holmes stories of their own, this was a natural target for an audio adaptation, in this case by Guy Adams. The result? Another success for what has become a very strong range.
Despite some of my criticisms, I have no problem with Nick Briggs’ ubiquity in the Doctor Who ranges. While I dislike his overuse in the writer’s chair, I have absolutely no issue with his talents as a director or as an actor. I mention this because some have dismissed “All-Consuming Fire” as a vanity project, given that Briggs himself plays Sherlock Holmes for Big Finish, but I don’t see the problem. In fact, this is my first experience hearing Briggs as Holmes, and I think he’s quite good! It’s akin to the classic portrayals: he’s brilliant but frustrating, arrogant but kind-hearted, and absent of the sociopathic characteristics of the modern Holmes presentations. I also like how Holmes is written: he’s intelligent enough to take everything in his stride, even a voyage to an alien world, but he’s thrown completely off his game by the Doctor, the only person on whom his famous deductions don’t work.
Frankly I’m surprised the Doctor Who/Sherlock Holmes crossover has only happened in this story. Holmes and Watson work brilliantly in a Doctor Who setting because their relationship remains strong even as Watson gets to see Holmes genuinely wrong-footed. The team of the genius detective and the pragmatic doctor works in even the most fantastic settings because it’s quite similar to the Doctor/companion relationship. I also like how Benny is presented as the star struck TARDIS crewmember while the Doctor is largely amused by the ordeal – a meta-acknowledgement of the situation, perhaps? Setting Benny opposite Watson is a delight as well. She acts entirely within character but to a man of Watson’s era she seems incredibly forward and uncouth – but he’s too much of a gentleman to point it out. Clichéd, sure, but entertaining nonetheless.
Unfortunately, the story goes a bit too far in how it tries to incorporate the Cthulhu mythos into Doctor Who. We’ve had hints at this in other (much, much worse) McCoy Big Finish stories, as well as other New Adventures, and though this story is better than many of those it doesn’t entirely work. The biggest problem is that it’s simply overcomplicated: I don’t mind the story following Holmes from Earth to another planet, but trying to introduce Lovecraftian elements with the story more than half over just clutters things up. It feels rushed and disorganized in ways the rest of the story does not – suddenly you have a villain with a motivation that is simultaneously basic and difficult to understand. The book handled this a bit better because it had more room to explore and elaborate, but the same struggles were evident there. But then that was the case with a number of the New Adventures: they were often too ambitious for their own good. That said, I’d rather have a story whose mission statement is “Sherlock Holmes and the Doctor team up to fight Azathoth!” than “It’s just like a TV episode from the 1970s!”
The production is great, both from director Scott Handcock and sound designer Alistair Lock. Sylvester McCoy is fantastic while Lisa Bowerman and Richard Earl, as Watson, have a great deal of fun. Even Ace, in her limited time, is quite clearly the “NA Ace” – and she’s quite likable. Overall, “All-Consuming Fire” is yet another strong release in the Novel Adaptations series, with only the overcrowded ending keeping it from joining the ranks of the elite. It’s Doctor Who meets Sherlock Holmes – how can you say no?
Highly recommended.
8/10