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Three Companion Chronicles

The Revenants, by Ian Potter, was a free download for DWM subscribers a month or so ago. William Russell returns as Ian Chesterton, telling the story of how he and Barbara were apparently abandoned by the First Doctor in Orkney in 1956, just after Susan's departure in Tardis time. The plot is fairly standard (creatures in the bog which may or may not be a Threat To Us All) but there are some lovely character moments for all three of the Tardis crew, and Sharon Small puts in an appearance as several different local Orcadian women.

I find Eddie Robson's writing a bit variable, but The Jigsaw War is definitely hit rather than miss. Fraser Hines as Jamie, occasionally channelling the Second Doctor, is joined by Dominic Mafham as his interrogator / captor / fellow prisoner, and must assemble the different elements of a disjointed timeline in order to resolve the plot. It's a straight two-hander, all dialogue and no narration, an original idea implemented well, and requiring only minimal knowledge of Who to appreciate.

I'm afraid I was not as impressed by Ken Bentley's The Rings of Ikiria, with Richard Franklin reprising Mike Yates and Felicity Duncan as several female characters. The plot is basically a rip-off of Claws of Axos; Yates, who at this point in continuity has only just arrived at UNIT, keeps emoting about how it is his only real home and then has to have most of the story explained to him, including the parts that were blindingly obvious. I'm prejudiced, as I'm not a fan of Yates or Franklin, and I will admit that there is one glorious image of the Third Doctor's face revealed in crop circles, but on the whole I think this one is skippable.

In summary: The Jigsaw War is an excellent concept done well, The Revenants will please Ian and Barbara fans, and The Rings of Ikiria wasn't all that special.

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  • nwhyte
    25 Jan 2023, 13:24
    O tempora! O mores!
  • nwhyte
    24 Jan 2023, 10:34
    Hello! Your entry got to top-25 of the most popular entries in LiveJournal!
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  • nwhyte
    8 Dec 2022, 12:44
    UK mailboxes aren't waterproof?! That seems like an odd design.
  • nwhyte
    29 Oct 2022, 16:28
    Now I know that "psephologist" is a word.
  • nwhyte
    9 Sep 2022, 11:19
    That would make things less awkward.
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