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Misadventures in Space and Time #1
Master Pieces: Misadventures in Space and Time
21 stories
19 authors
14 Masters
but not a single Doctor in sight?
For centuries, whether by design or default, the Master has lived in the shadow of another Time Lord. An obsession and fierce rivalry with the Doctor has been at the heart of countless evil schemes, causing him to once observe that ‘the cosmos without the Doctor scarcely bears thinking about’.
So what happens when the Doctor doesn’t show up? Can the Master emerge from the shadow of being the Doctor’s arch-enemy? Is there really no pleasure, no mischief, and no reward to be had in a world without the Doctor?
Master Pieces is an unofficial charity anthology from Altrix Books, written in aid of The Stroke Association.
19 authors
14 Masters
but not a single Doctor in sight?
For centuries, whether by design or default, the Master has lived in the shadow of another Time Lord. An obsession and fierce rivalry with the Doctor has been at the heart of countless evil schemes, causing him to once observe that ‘the cosmos without the Doctor scarcely bears thinking about’.
So what happens when the Doctor doesn’t show up? Can the Master emerge from the shadow of being the Doctor’s arch-enemy? Is there really no pleasure, no mischief, and no reward to be had in a world without the Doctor?
Master Pieces is an unofficial charity anthology from Altrix Books, written in aid of The Stroke Association.
- GenresDoctor Who
307 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2019
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21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 26, 2020
The story goes that, as planning for the 1971 season of Doctor Who was underway, producer Barry Letts and script editor Terrance Dicks realized that the Doctor needed a Moriarity to his Sherlock Holmes. So, between them, they created a rival Time Lord named the Master. First played on-screen by Roger Delgado, the character has had a long life with different incarnations across different media. Paying homage to the Master in and their many incarnations is Master Pieces, a for charity anthology edited by Paul Driscoll and benefiting the British based The Stroke Association.
Being done unofficially and outside BBC purview, Driscoll and his writers take advantage of their free reign. Across 300 odd pages and 21 stories, you'll find the width and breadth of the Doctor's archnemesis. There are TV incarnations from Roger Delgado and Anthony Ainley, John Simm to Michelle Gomez's Missy, and even appearances from Eric Roberts, and Derek Jacobi's War Master. There are incarnations from spin-off media, Unbound tales, and even a couple of new Masters. Whoever your favorite Master might be, they've very likely got a story in here.
And what stories the 19 writers involved tell. Some works fill in gaps in the continuity, "what happed after" stories such as Mike Morgan's Everything He Ever Wanted and Mark McManus' The Greater of Two Evils, the latter filling in what happened to the Master and the Rani after the events of Mark of the Rani. Tim Gambrell's Plaything offers up a fun tale for the Eric Roberts Master post-1996 TV Movie, offering new life for this underrated incarnation. Daniel Tessier's story The Devil You Know presents a sequel to a classic TV story featuring the Master, wrong-footing the reader brilliantly. There's a pair of fun stories of Missy stories from Kara Dennison and Nathan Mullins, exploring what she got up to when the Twelfth Doctor wasn't around (with Mullins' The Diamond of the Gods being a particular favorite of mine from this volume). Even the rare misfiring story (such as Chris McKeon's confusing and continuity laced Bandages) has items of interest all their own. It's a stout collection, running the gambit between lighthearted fun to decidedly chilling. Not to mention everything in-between.
Reading it, Master Pieces is a labor of love for all involved, something very much made clear from reading the stories contained within. The attention brought to each incarnation, be they pre-existing or brand new, is apparent no matter the author from the descriptions of Delgado and Roberts to Missy as a demented Mary Poppins. The pair of stories from editor Driscoll likewise reveals his attention to detail as both overseer and author, with the tale that closes out the volume, in particular highlighting the fact.
As much as the term "fan fiction" is used as a slur upon writers of all kinds, something like Master Pieces demonstrates how unfair that can be. With 21 stories by 19 authors, it's a celebration of what makes one of Doctor Who's most enduring creations so, and just what is going on inside their head. It's a collection that can proudly sit alongside past volumes of Doctor Who short fiction, official and unofficial, especially in support of such a worthy cause.
If you're a fan of the Master or good Who-inspired prose, you could do a lot worse than spend a little on Amazon in the US or UK and give this a buy.
Being done unofficially and outside BBC purview, Driscoll and his writers take advantage of their free reign. Across 300 odd pages and 21 stories, you'll find the width and breadth of the Doctor's archnemesis. There are TV incarnations from Roger Delgado and Anthony Ainley, John Simm to Michelle Gomez's Missy, and even appearances from Eric Roberts, and Derek Jacobi's War Master. There are incarnations from spin-off media, Unbound tales, and even a couple of new Masters. Whoever your favorite Master might be, they've very likely got a story in here.
And what stories the 19 writers involved tell. Some works fill in gaps in the continuity, "what happed after" stories such as Mike Morgan's Everything He Ever Wanted and Mark McManus' The Greater of Two Evils, the latter filling in what happened to the Master and the Rani after the events of Mark of the Rani. Tim Gambrell's Plaything offers up a fun tale for the Eric Roberts Master post-1996 TV Movie, offering new life for this underrated incarnation. Daniel Tessier's story The Devil You Know presents a sequel to a classic TV story featuring the Master, wrong-footing the reader brilliantly. There's a pair of fun stories of Missy stories from Kara Dennison and Nathan Mullins, exploring what she got up to when the Twelfth Doctor wasn't around (with Mullins' The Diamond of the Gods being a particular favorite of mine from this volume). Even the rare misfiring story (such as Chris McKeon's confusing and continuity laced Bandages) has items of interest all their own. It's a stout collection, running the gambit between lighthearted fun to decidedly chilling. Not to mention everything in-between.
Reading it, Master Pieces is a labor of love for all involved, something very much made clear from reading the stories contained within. The attention brought to each incarnation, be they pre-existing or brand new, is apparent no matter the author from the descriptions of Delgado and Roberts to Missy as a demented Mary Poppins. The pair of stories from editor Driscoll likewise reveals his attention to detail as both overseer and author, with the tale that closes out the volume, in particular highlighting the fact.
As much as the term "fan fiction" is used as a slur upon writers of all kinds, something like Master Pieces demonstrates how unfair that can be. With 21 stories by 19 authors, it's a celebration of what makes one of Doctor Who's most enduring creations so, and just what is going on inside their head. It's a collection that can proudly sit alongside past volumes of Doctor Who short fiction, official and unofficial, especially in support of such a worthy cause.
If you're a fan of the Master or good Who-inspired prose, you could do a lot worse than spend a little on Amazon in the US or UK and give this a buy.
March 3, 2020
I wrote one of the stories in it so I'm not going to do a review beyond saying that I read it on a lengthy trip on the train and the journey passed very quickly and pleasantly.
November 13, 2021
A unofficial collection of stories about the renegade Master from Doctor Who. Some of these stories are brilliant and rattle along breathlessly. Others, like the first, plod.
Some incarnations of the Master sing, but there are quite a few stories where I had no idea what Master I was supposed to be picturing. This was a failing. A picture of the appropriate Master at the start of each chapter or even text specifying what Master is should be would have helped hugely, especially as beyond the TV Masters there appears to be a vast amount which even as a devotee of spin off fiction, comics and audio I’d heard nothing about. For instance, the blurb says there are 14 Masters. This was news to me.
Some incarnations of the Master sing, but there are quite a few stories where I had no idea what Master I was supposed to be picturing. This was a failing. A picture of the appropriate Master at the start of each chapter or even text specifying what Master is should be would have helped hugely, especially as beyond the TV Masters there appears to be a vast amount which even as a devotee of spin off fiction, comics and audio I’d heard nothing about. For instance, the blurb says there are 14 Masters. This was news to me.
April 3, 2021
This is an anthology put together to raise funds for the Stroke Association.
As with most anthologies, there are some great stories, some good stories and some weaker ones. While the running theme between all the stories in this collection is the character, The Master, the approaches, styles and subject matter varies enormously, as well as the incarnations of the Master (covering right up to Missy). Some of the characterisations are so well done you feel like you're watching an episode of the TV show, while others leave you wondering exactly which incarnation is being described.
There are some common themes - psychopathy, redemption, out-mastering The Master, which can leave a few of stories feeling like you've already read them in a very similar incarnation just a few (virtual) pages previously, but others really do have quite innovative takes and are over all too quickly.
An enjoyable read for fans, and probably quite accessible for those with only minor knowledge of the character.
As with most anthologies, there are some great stories, some good stories and some weaker ones. While the running theme between all the stories in this collection is the character, The Master, the approaches, styles and subject matter varies enormously, as well as the incarnations of the Master (covering right up to Missy). Some of the characterisations are so well done you feel like you're watching an episode of the TV show, while others leave you wondering exactly which incarnation is being described.
There are some common themes - psychopathy, redemption, out-mastering The Master, which can leave a few of stories feeling like you've already read them in a very similar incarnation just a few (virtual) pages previously, but others really do have quite innovative takes and are over all too quickly.
An enjoyable read for fans, and probably quite accessible for those with only minor knowledge of the character.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews