Truth and Bone
Bloodlines
Stations of the Cross
Preferred You Dead
Lucifers Sentinel
Trapped in Amber
World Hex

All reviews are useful and gratefully received.

"Here is some strong evidence that Fine Line has what it takes to create some highly professional sounding dramas.

Right from the excellent theme tune I was hooked, and although some moments of the performances sounded a little too 'read from a script', the enjoyment factor was sustained throughout.

Characterization was strong and bodes well for future projects, and the whole package was presented as a coherent and thrilling tale that would not fail to entertain any fan of decent sci-fi stories.

I liked the mystery aspect a lot, and the characters themselves worked well off each other given their circumstances. The ending was fantastic, and left me grinning. The AoP are just crying out to be seen on TV... they really are. For a first story, this is a true winner. Again, the mix slips a bit here and there but it doesn't harm the flow of the story. I look forward to the next installment!"
Andrew Hawnt

"Well, I finally took the plunge and ordered a copy of Fineline's first ever semi-pro CD audio title, Truth & Bone.

The story opens with an impressive sequence set at a London Underground station. Some train is using the Underground to collect passengers, but not drop them off. Obviously, the London Underground Board are deeply distressed at the situation, as they're loosing paying customers (literally!). Having no one else to turn to, the Board turn to the Psyence Agency, headed by one Sebastian Hayward. He gives the case to his best two agents, Rice and Bianca, who take rooky Agent Gabriel along with them for the ride. What they soon discover is a ghost train that takes the passengers to Hell - but they soon discover that it's a one-way ticket, and when one of their own number gets shot, the Agents quickly realise that they're out of their depth...

This opening installment is a curious mixture. Because it's the first chapter, there's a lot of explanation required at the start of the title, to allow those of us (like myself) who've never heard of the comicbook series to get into these new characters. Although the explanation is welcome, it seems somewhat ham-fisted in its insertion, almost as if you still need a good grasp on the characters before you can understand them properly. However, the above comments are based on my thoughts after I'd heard the story for the first time, which was last night.

I re-listened to the story a second time this morning before writing this review, and I have to say that it works much better the second time around. Now that I have a good understanding of the characters of Rice and Bianca, I have to say that the story works very well. This title is definitely one that you'll want to listen to a couple of times, to fully appreciate it. The actual storyline itself is quite exciting. When Rice and Bianca get stuck in the Hell dimension, things quickly become quite exciting, with them attempting to evade sharks, demons, and various other life-threatening situations.

Although some of the dialogue is a little badly written, this doesn't detract from a very exciting episode, which has some suspense in it. It was just a shame, however, that Rice and Bianca managed to get embroiled in the main plot so quickly.

There was more than enough room on the CD to fit in some more scenes earlier on. The acting in this story is very good, as one would expect given who's in it. Regular Fineline actress Amy Ward pops up here as Bianca, playing her to her usual charm and finess. Zak Hailey as Rice is very well cast as well - striking me as sounding exactly how the character should sound (always a delicate thing to achieve on audio).

Nigel Peever guest-stars as Sebastian Hayward, and given how good an actor Nigel is, it's such a shame that Hayward doesn't get a much more meatier role. He comes across a lot like Edward Woodward's character in CI5: The New Professionals. The rest of the cast all turn in solid performances, with Simon Williams as Gabriel sounding a heck of a lot like Lennox Greave's from the Big Finish title The Shadow of the Scourge! :-) The post-production is actually very polished in this release, with this being the first Fineline release to be recorded digitally - and the improvement shows. The whole production has a very professional air about it, and everything sounds extremely realistic. Steve Johnson's title theme absolutely rocks!

The incidental music from Ed Pugh is, unfortunately, a little on the sparse side, and sometimes a little out of place, given the scene it's running underneath. However, those minor quibbles aside, the whole production is very nice. Overall, I'd have to say that Truth & Bone is a very good release from Fine Line, and well recommended to anyone who follows their line of fan-made Dr Who audios, or if you follow the comicbook it's based upon. Oh, and considering this series feels like a UK-version of X Men, I'm sure it'll definitely appeal to fans of the that series as well. :-)"
Matthew Kopelke

"Overall, I was very impressed. The production is extremely professional, the performances good, and the writing up to Rik's usual high standard.

The dry humour in Kendragon's sequences was a particular highlight. The characters are established really well, without giving away too much of the mystery that surrounds them. My quibbles are minor. Writing-wise: Bianca has a great long speech while Rice is trying to board the "ghost" train that seems to slow the scene down and provide a blatent chunk of exposition at a moment when surely their minds should be on their job...?

Acting - overall extremely good (my lingering fears of something along the lines of the local am-dram company were thankfully not realised! I mean, I had faith in you, but there's always the possibility...)

Nigel Peever struck me as particularly good - exactly the right sense of natural authority, a man who doesn't have to struggle for their respect. I found Zak Hailey a little peculiar at first - he sounds young for Rice, and his accent globetrots severely; but after a few scenes I was quite happy to accept him. Roz Robinson, though, did sound rather like she was sightreading all her lines from a painfully slow autocue...

Well, you're probably all mortally offended now, but I have to complain about something... Overall, I think it's a triumph - particularly for the first part of a new series. Why aren't you guys working for Radio Four????"
Ceri Jordan

"I have never listened to one of these story-on-a-disc thingys so I have no pre-conceived ideas prior to listening or anything to judge Truth and Bone against - it stands or falls on its own merits. Before I get started I'd just like to say I thought the cover was really striking.

Good work. I think I would have preferred it if Rice, Bianca etc had a little more prominence.

Also the notes on the inside and back cover were clear, concise, with no unnecessary mumbo-jumbo. It made a good impression, the whole professional look of the CD surprised me. The sound FX were truly awesome (and the incidental music also) and well worth Gareth Preston's blood, sweat and tears. I hope he thinks so too. He has done an exquisite job there. I particularly liked the helicopter and Majestic sound effects.

Very good. As you know I've 'known' some of the characters for around 9 years now and whilst I would hesitate to call them friends(!) I do think I know a little about them and their characters/motivations etc. The voices… Rice, I always imagined him as a Harrison Ford type circa 1977. Han Solo if you like. Been around the block, seen it - done it all. What we've actually got on CD here is Luke Skywalker - young, impulsive and not quite as cocksure, though the arrogance, chip on the shoulder and sarcasm comes through beautifully. I didn't think Rice would be American at all - that shocked me at first but I got used to it - in fact now I prefer him that way. Zak Hailey's performance as Rice is outstanding, so natural. Bianca played by Amy Elisabeth was more as I imagined, an 'English Rose' type typified maybe by Joanna Lumley circa mid 1970's. Good performance by her too. I like their relationship too - Rice and Bianca, I mean! A bit of distance between them - enough to get them questioning each others motivations etc but at other times seemingly quite close.

I was actually amazed how closely the dialogue followed the original Psyence Fiction strip. I thought it would have to be extensively re-written - different medium after all. But it worked really well. The fact that I am not going to go into detail about the other contributors' voices in no way mean I was unhappy about their parts - I was impressed by all of them. Couldn't quite get my head around Mr October's attitude, he seemed too disrespectful for me (intentional no doubt) but it got up my nose. The scenes where Kendragon and his sidekick feature came across to me as very tongue-in-cheek. I thought of those old Alas Smith and Jones sketches where they face each other across a table filmed in close-up. These scenes slowed things down somewhat I thought. One or two other slight moans (nothing major), when Rice asks for a 'boot' it comes across in a far too relaxed way.

It sounds like he had just wandered into McDonalds and was asking for a big mac! No urgency there. When he asked for a 'boot', both times he was in deep s**t! He needed it NOW! There was also the scene where they were running back the way they'd come after Rice reached the locked gates. They were talking as they as they were running but they talked normally - no out of breath, cut-off sentences. They were supposed to be running for their lives. No big deal, it didn't spoil my enjoyment but it did kind of stick out. All in all an excellent start. I would quite happily give it 9 out of 10. Congratulations to all involved."
Adrian Eley.

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