Blood and Hope

It's the American Civil War. The TARDIS had brought the Doctor, Peri and Erimem to the most turbulent time in American history, and within moments of their arrival they are separated; the Doctor falls in with the Northern army but the girls find themselves attempting to survive amongst the racist attutides of the Deep South. With family loyalites split on either side of the border, three strangers immediately draw suspicion, especially if one of them appears to be a slave with more freedom than she should...

It's amazing how the small novella format of Telos packs just as much of a punch as an entire televised or Big Finish adventure. Writers labouring under a tight format have to be mindful of keeping the plot simple yet entertaining, the characters developed but not overwhelming, and here Iain McLachlin succeeds. And as the first writer to bring Erimem to the series, he is faced with the challenge of adapting his own creation to a reverse circumstance; Erimem came into the series as a Pharoah with slaves of her own, and now she has to stay hidden and pretend to be a slave herself, even enduring the physical abuse that came with the role.

Brilliant. And fun. Great book. Read it.

NEXT EPISODE : THE COUNCIL OF NICAEA