{"id":33343,"date":"2021-09-25T19:12:27","date_gmt":"2021-09-25T18:12:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/?p=33343"},"modified":"2021-09-25T19:12:29","modified_gmt":"2021-09-25T18:12:29","slug":"out-now-charity-anthology-master-switches-from-altrix-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedoctorwhocompanion.com\/2021\/09\/25\/out-now-charity-anthology-master-switches-from-altrix-books\/","title":{"rendered":"Out Now: Charity Anthology, Master Switches from Altrix Books"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Altrix Books has released an anthology volume, Master Switches<\/em>, focusing on the Doctor’s main (fr)enemy. And it’s all in aid of The Stroke Association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These short stories cover numerous incarnations of the evil Time Lord, and act as a follow-up to the popular Master Pieces<\/em>, released in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s what Master Switches <\/em>is about:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a series of adventures without the Doctor (Master Pieces<\/em>), the many incarnations of the Master are back to doing what they do best; scheming to bring down their greatest adversary. The proverbial thorn in the side has made a hobby out of thwarting the Master’s plans for universal domination. But even the Doctor can’t always be the hero, the victor, and the star. Sometimes, the Master must take the Doctor’s place…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Editor, Paul Driscoll says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“What makes this collection different is not that the Doctor doesn\u2019t always win, or that the Master isn\u2019t always in the wrong. It\u2019s more a question of perspective. The focus of these stories is on the actions and reactions of Doctor Who<\/em>\u2019s go-to villain. These are the Master\u2019s stories mostly told from their perspective, but as is the renegade\u2019s want, the Doctor is a major part of them.<\/p>

“In Master Pieces<\/em> (2019) we explored what might happen to the Master\u2019s schemes if the Doctor never showed up. Can they have a life without the rival they are so obsessed with? Would they still lose without the Doctor\u2019s intervention? Indeed, could their nemesis\u2019s unwelcomed no-show be the reason for such humiliating defeats? Ironically, in almost every story in Master Pieces<\/em> the Doctor was more present that ever\u2026 the shadow both ahead of and behind the Master\u2019s every move.<\/p>

“For this follow-up volume we wanted to put the Doctor back into the stories as an active character. We\u2019ve given our returning and new writers the opportunity to explore the relationship between the hero and the villain by switching up the usual rules of engagement, whether that means using different Master\/Doctor pairings, providing alternative interpretations of old adventures, or playing around with the concepts of good and evil, of hero and villain.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The book features stories by Jon Arnold, Andrew Blair, Kara Dennison, Paul Driscoll, Kenton Hall, Stephen Hatcher, Paul Hiscock, Matthew Kresal, Gary J Mack, Greg Maughan, Iain McLaughlin, Ellen Montgomery, Nathan Mullins, Gerard Power, Rachel Redhead, Graham Tedesco-Blair, and Joshua Wanisko. The cover illustration and design is by Ginger Hoesly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our review of Master Pieces<\/em><\/a>, James Baldock wrote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Driscoll and his fellow writers hone in on the details, and some of the most enjoyable moments occur when they\u2019re poking fun at the show\u2019s trademark conventions: \u201cYou need a summer wardrobe\u201d, one erstwhile companion notes of Delgado\u2019s perennially black ensemble, while Missy is humorously described as \u201clike someone forgot to colour in Mary Poppins\u201d.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Master Switches<\/em> is available to buy now for a limited time on Amazon.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n