Altrix Books has released an anthology volume, Master Switches, focusing on the Doctor’s main (fr)enemy. And it’s all in aid of The Stroke Association.
These short stories cover numerous incarnations of the evil Time Lord, and act as a follow-up to the popular Master Pieces, released in 2019.
Here’s what Master Switches is about:
After a series of adventures without the Doctor (Master Pieces), 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…
Editor, Paul Driscoll says:
“What makes this collection different is not that the Doctor doesn’t always win, or that the Master isn’t always in the wrong. It’s more a question of perspective. The focus of these stories is on the actions and reactions of Doctor Who’s go-to villain. These are the Master’s stories mostly told from their perspective, but as is the renegade’s want, the Doctor is a major part of them.
“In Master Pieces (2019) we explored what might happen to the Master’s 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’s intervention? Indeed, could their nemesis’s unwelcomed no-show be the reason for such humiliating defeats? Ironically, in almost every story in Master Pieces the Doctor was more present that ever… the shadow both ahead of and behind the Master’s every move.
“For this follow-up volume we wanted to put the Doctor back into the stories as an active character. We’ve 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.”
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.
In our review of Master Pieces, James Baldock wrote:
“Driscoll and his fellow writers hone in on the details, and some of the most enjoyable moments occur when they’re poking fun at the show’s trademark conventions: “You need a summer wardrobe”, one erstwhile companion notes of Delgado’s perennially black ensemble, while Missy is humorously described as “like someone forgot to colour in Mary Poppins”.”
Master Switches is available to buy now for a limited time on Amazon.
