I watched Blake's 7 as a child, but can barely remember the era when Blake was in charge of the ship. As such I approached this book with some trepidation. Would I remember enough to follow it? Would I enjoy it? I'm not a huge fan of space set sci fi, so that last point was uncertain. But I needn't have worried. It captures the essence of the TV series well, and is particularly strong on its characterisation of the crew. As I read it I remembered more and more from over 30 years ago, and grew to care for this crew, and the dangers they faced. Best of all it made me want to rewatch the original series, which I haven't seen since it first aired. And I can't give much higher praise than that. Thoroughly recommended, to both old fans and new ones who haven't seen the series before. This is an excellently crafted piece of sci fi.

I bought this one more in hope than expectation, but was rather pleasantly surprised with the quality of the writing.
Okay, it’s not Jeff Noon, but it’s a good, solid Blake’s 7 story, so it does what it says on the tin. I was in the mood for this, and I got what I came for.

Spoiler

I particularly appreciated the way this story over-shadows the execution of Blake in the last episode (S04 E13 “Blake”) by examining the demise of a half-forgotten enemy of the Terran Federation and the presence of an antique revolver in that scene.

This is what I’m talking about: (edited to hide spoilers)

‘Hold still,’ Avon snapped [taking over the highly technical task]. ‘I’m impressed you got this far.’
‘It’s a knack,’ shrugged Vila.
Avon.... ‘It wasn’t a compliment.’

Surprisingly good book that captures the characters of the old show while updating the style enough to entertain the (kind of) adult this viewer has now become.