Since John Hurt's one-off appearance in
the 50
th anniversary special
The Day of the Doctor,
Doctor Who fans have been eager to see more of this mysterious
incarnation of their hero. All we've had are the aforementioned
special, a brief appearance in the preceding episode, a
post-regenerative glimpse in mini-ep
The Night of the Doctor,
and a single novel, George Mann's
Engines of War. Until now.
Declan May, in association with
Chinbeard Books, has developed
Seasons of War, a grand
undertaking bringing together both new and established authors to
create a host of new stories featuring Hurt's War Doctor. The
unofficial
Doctor Who anthology is something of a tradition,
from such old favourites as
Missing Pieces through
Walking
in Eternity and up to
Shelf Life.
Seasons of War
follows this grand tradition but takes it further, crafting a
multimedia experience to go along with the, frankly exemplary, short
fiction anthology. A quick visit to the
website will allow you to not
only learn more about the background of the project, but also view a
specially shot
short film, starring one Tom Menary as the man once
called Doctor. Plus, you can visit the site of Caudwell Children, the
charity May has chosen to benefit from the sales of his book. An
organisation dedicated to improving the lives of children with
disabilities and life-threatening conditions, Caudwell Children is an
established national charity that does remarkable work. I don't think
May could have chosen a more deserving cause.
The anthology itself boasts a huge
collection of stories, and is sure to be a hefty tome once the
physical paperback version of the book is released (as of writing it
is available in Kindle and PDF formats).
Doctor Who fans will
recognise many of the names attached to the project: there are
stories by acclaimed novelists including Paul Magrs, Lance Parkin,
Kate Orman, George Mann and Jenny Colgan, as well as
Who stalwarts
such as Gary Russell and John Peel. The excellent Matt Fitton takes a
moment out from his Big Finish work to pen the opening story – the
Epilogue, of course – while the writer of 1981's
Full Circle,
Andrew Smith, also provides an adventure. As a
Doctor Who fan,
however, the most affecting part of this publication is the preface
by the great Nick Briggs, speaking about Paul Spragg, to whom this
book is dedicated. For those who don't know, Spragg was a vital
member of Big Finish's team who was a beloved figure in fan circles,
and his sudden death last year was a shock to us all. As Declan May
points out, even those of us who never really knew him well were hit
by his loss. I'd scarcely even communicated with the man, but he was
such a part of Big Finish that his loss is felt any time I listen to
one of their regular, much-adored podcasts. One of the last projects
Mr Spragg worked on was this very anthology, setting much of it in
motion, and so
Seasons of War stands as a lasting tribute to
him.
And no finer tribute could he have had.
Seasons of War is a truly excellent piece of work. As noted,
it begins with an epilogue and ends with a prologue, as befits a book
concerning war across time, but for the most part, the stories are
arranged in chronological order from the Doctor's point of view.
Between the main stories lie vignettes, uncredited but presumably
written by May, which lend context to the individual tales. Taking
the War Doctor's life from his first moments on Karn to his final
fateful decision on the eve of the Last Day, there's a definite
evolution of the character. While each author has his of her own take
on the character, there is certainly a consistency across the
collection. For the most part, the War Doctor begins hardened and
callous, but gradually his compassion resurfaces as he grows older.
Nonetheless, he grows more desperate as the War grinds on, and both
suffers and commits terrible cruelties. We see him at his most
ruthless, almost unidentifiable as the Doctor, in “Here Comes the
Doctor” by Christopher Bryant, but his most questionable actions
are always followed by regret. There are companions, from time to
time, most notably the Girl with the Purple Hair, whose relationship
with the Doctor is just as timey-wimey as anything in Steven Moffat's
episodes and just as beautiful and tragic. While some stories take
place on the front lines of the War, many of them occur on its
fringes, exploring the effects on individuals and cultures that exist
in the sphere of conflict.
There's a great mix of material in
here. When the harder, uncompromising war stories threaten to become
a bit much, a lighter interlude pops up. There's some genuinely funny
material amongst all the horrors of war. Often, the quieter moments
between battles allow more exploration of the War Doctor's character.
It's not all prose, either. Matthew Sweet's “An Historical
Curiosity” takes a twisted, Whovian look at Shakespeare and makes
some fun pokes at continuity and canon while it's at it. Jenny Colgan
provides a sonnet. Jim Mortimore and Simon A. Brett provide a
glorious comic strip account of the War, and Paul Hanley provides
excellent artwork throughout. While, as with any anthology, some
stories are better than others (or simply more to my individual
taste), the overall standard of the work is extremely high. I'm not
reluctant to say that
Seasons of War contains some of the best
Who fiction I have read in a very long time. There's also, as
one might expect, some exploration of the mythology of the series,
including not only terms we've heard in relation to the War such as
the Nightmare Child and the Horde of Travesties, but elements from
other eras of the series. The Corsair makes and appearance, as does
the Land of Fiction. George Mann provides a missing scene from his
own War Doctor novel. Strands are connected, but it's never
overbearing or to the detriment of the stories. One small quibble is
that some elements can become a little repetitive in the early part
when the character is still being established. The War Doctor's
dislike of being called the Doctor is handled better by some authors
than by others, for instance, and it becomes a little gimmicky on
occasion. That is a very minor complaint, though, in a collection of
such quality.
Many of the best stories are by authors
who are new to me. I'm not going to go into detail on every entry in
the collection, but certain stories to warrant particular praise.
Christopher Bryant's aforementioned “Here Comes the Doctor” is a
highlight of the early part of the book. “The Holdover” by Daniel
Wealands is a powerful exploration of the lengths to which
authorities will go in times of war, and shows us better than any
other story how low the Time Lords have sunk. With “Making Endings”
Nick Mellish weaves an affecting tale with a genuinely clever twist,
while Alan Ronald's “The Ingenious Gentleman” provides a welcome
respite from the War with a meeting of two improbable men. Jon
Arnold's “Always Face the Curtain With a Bow” is a wickedly funny
but ultimately haunting tale that affects the Doctor deeply,
something that is not forgotten later in the collection. Matt
Barber's story, “The Fall,” seems especially pertinent as I write
this on the 22
nd of February, the anniversary of the death
of
Doctor Who' old soldier, Nicholas Courtney.
For me, however, the strongest story in
the collection is Paul Driscoll's “The Time Lord Who Came to Tea,”
an incredibly moving portrait of the life of one girl in the slums of
wartorn Gallifrey. While the details of the horrors she experiences
are imaginative and fantastical, it reflects the hard truth of
reality; that the people who suffer the most during wartime are often
the ones who are not involved in the fighting at all, but ordinary
people struggling to survive. A truly affecting, remarkable story.
While I pick out these few stories as particular favourites, the
whole collection really is excellent. Plans are already afoot for
volumes two and three of
Seasons of War. There's even a
cliffhanger.
