Doctor Who: Telos Novella: The Frayed

The Frayed written by Tara Samms time line code number #0.3

*Spoilers*

The doctor and Susan have landed in a war on the planet Iwa humans fight against the evil foxes. As The Doctor and Susan are separated, The Doctor soon takes charge of a place known as the refuge, its marooned unable to evacuate anyone due to ships not being available for 5 months. Where is Susan and what do the foxes want?

This story made me feel so many emotions, Tara Samms did an amazing job with the characters and the setting description. The soldiers remind me of the group from aliens, how there all misfits. As they introduce the characters I love how they tell you about what books they like to read, its a fun way of getting to know everyone and the doctor is written perfectly. 

The Future Deviants or FDS is talked about a lot, they are placed on Iwa for experimentation but when the foxes attacked the massive community of kids doctors etc fell to just 70 ish people left behind. We find this out while Webber and The Doctor go to the power generator after it goes out.

When we get to Susan Iwa is amazingly described, I could really imagine this planet and every step she took I was hoping she would find someone, anyone from Cass's patrol group. Cass is a very interesting character, we really get to see inside her head and what lead her to be who she is, its in my opionion very shocking on where her character ends up. 

The story slowly starts to become a bit dark, the dream chamber scene describing a woman with no mouth just a bloody mess is disgusting but brilliant. My emotions felt very up and down reading this and it was perfect, every time we cut to a dream chamber scene I was like oh no no no, not cause they where bad but because they where scary. In chapter seven talking about Hunhau its so dark Jill and Olmec scenes are honestly some of the best parts of the book, very dark, very scary.

Later on Junipers squad getting attacked a very bleak moment, we start to get more Juniper info then shes attacked by the foxes. Leaving only her left alive the rest of that squad are whipped out she goes back and try to find Cass.

its extremely similar to how most of these mentors are being killed in the dream chambers, the kids they experimented on didn't like them which is why there dying. Its very much like nightmare on elm street for that theme. Things are starting to make sense as the book goes on with both roman numeral chapters and written number chapters becoming more linked, intertwined and start to feel like a jigsaw that's perfectly fitting together.

Then A bomb shell is dropped the Foxes are revealed to be seeking help, not to fight, all the deaths that have happened where because the creatures where scared and needed help. This has early signs of the Doctor helping negotiate two species to talk and not fight.

Cass and Salih rush in though not knowing what happened and start blasting the gun fire hitting Mosley in the cross fire, making him close to death. The Doctor and Webber try to stop it escalating, Webber really falls into the companion role in this story, which is not what I expected. Cass went more into the villain role which is also not what i expected i expected the reverse for both.

This story never slows down its beat after beat after beat, I was never board. You really hope for 1st n Susan to reunite and you can tell 1st is desperate for her to be safe. The only thing I don't know how to feel bout, Jill n Olmecs relationship like its clear Jill deeply loves Omlec that she cant let him go but I don't know i find it creepy.

The Foxes using Mosley as a way to talk to Salih and Juniper is quite dark but some how the least dark thing in the whole book, but this leads too the research centre on Iwa opening up again instead of experimenting on kids is the foxes, to help there species. Finally after being separated all story Susan and The Doctor reunite, genially such a good happy moment after all that horror and gore. This story ends on an uplifting note as The Doctor and Susan walk off taking not at how stories will never end.

My Ranking: 10/10

Next Time: The Five O'Clock Shadow