Six tales in the lives of The Doctors oldest and most dangerous friend The Master( Various writer Peter Angledises, Mark Wright, Jacqueline Reynor, Michael Tucker, Beverly Salford and Matthew Sweet.) Six very different tales ranging in tone from absurdist Douglas Adams science frippery to Stokeresque Gothic( Actually featuring Bram Stoker as the central character in a story just waiting to be told. ) And most surprisingly a story featuring the current incarnation in a tale that could have been written by John Le Carre. Is is a tale crying out to be read by Sacha Dhawan at some point.
The stories do lean towards the darkly comedic which works for some of the Masters incarnations more than others. It is though we can be forgiven enjoying the characters monstrous qualities if we can laugh at them. But there is one story which with forensic precision strikes the perfect balance of the macabre , the malign, the mischief and The Master and that is the story by Matthew Sweet The MasterAnd Margaretta. This story is a sublime gift to The Masters fanbase and the overall Doctor Who universe. It really is that good and easily one of the best Doctor Who related spin offs I have enjoyed for some time. I was drawn in almost immediately and despite the lateness of the hour I could not put the book down. It was darkly amusing, wittily paced and lovingly laced with some endearing continuity references that never felt forced. Oh Matthew Sweet, with this concoction youare spoiling us. I will not say much more but rather leave the discerning reader to find for themselves what a Doctorless treat this is ( Or perhaps I am teasing, disguising the presence of the Masters oldest and most dangerous friend The Doctor.)
Which ever incarnations of The Master you enjoy here are half a dozen possible winners for you. Given the characters history of failure that's better odds than he or she enjoys.
