Planet Skaro > Reviews > Doctor Who: The Legacy > Ruins of Self I - Chapter One
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Chapter One Review by Elizabeth Medeiros

From the blatant silliness of “The Collector” to the dramatic seriousness of “Ruins 1”, this first chapter leaves no doubt, there is something terribly wrong with the Doctor. These aren't cryptic hints anymore, or seemingly out of character actions by the Doctor. The Doctor simply can't regenerate and “Ruins 1” takes off from there.

It's hard for me to be completely impartial in this review. I've watched this tale develop practically from the beginning, and Andie (Drew) asked me for my imput and altered an aspect of this story based on my reactions. Plus, I'm the co-author of “Ruins of Self part the second”. So, forgive me if I admit this right away; I like “Ruins 1” a lot

Ruins 1 begins with the crash of the Earth's Pride and the struggles of the Doctor and later, Nick and Alf to survive. The scenes with the Doctor are intriguing and suspenseful, particularly the Doctor seeing his other self on Nova Mondas at the Cyber Control. Seeing the two versions himself is like an out of body experience for him, he's detached and removed, as he watches the desperate measures of his other self. What comes across very well is the Doctor's confusion, i.e. there's a great line Andie writes “He looks over at his other self and begins to realise that he is but a ghost in his own past.” But this whole section is well written, you get a very real sense of how fragile the Doctor is now, because it's not just his physical body but also his emotional state is that is damaged and affected. The only drawback to this part is that readers who are unfamiliar with the season two storyline probably will have trouble following this part. If that's the case, just go back and read!

But there are some great descriptive sequences in this chapter. The section where the Creature tells exactly who it is ..'Once long ago, in ancient times, I had a name. It was whispered, through the endless tunnels of darkness at the heart of eternity.' evokes an effective otherworldly creepy quality. The Doctor's plan to trick the Creature is also nicely inventive but a bit hard to follow. And the scene where Alf and Nick feel each other's pain comes across well.

The section centering on Alf and Nick are dramatic as well. The image of Nick dragging Alf out of the wreckage is jarring and the feelings they have for each other is described wonderfully. At times these two have a complicated relationship, it's about time we saw some trust and tenderness between them.

But make no mistake, the Doctor is the focal point for this tale. For most of this chapter he has been looking backward, trying to recapture his memory. The remarkable-if not totally unexpected- cliffhanger tells you why the Doctor can’t remember at all.

Chapter One Review by Paul Clement

What a start to a story Andie has given us - the Prologue kicks off in so much obvious pain and we get a wonderful glimpse of the caring side of the Doctor when he is prepared to give up one of his lives to enable him to save his friends. And then the shock and horror is so evident as the Doctor realises he cannot regenerate. This is the kind of Prologue that grabs your interest and makes you want to read the rest of the story.

The chapter proper kicks off with the Doctor coming round from unconsciousness to find himself in a room with members of an alien species standing over him. The Doctor is obviously still in a lot of pain and at one point even consciously decides to ignore the senses that control pain. A noticeable absence from the first part of this chapter is, especially after the prologue, his concern for Nick and Alf, which obviously seems to be a result of the pain he is in.

The scene then changes to a dreamscape, which at first glance seems to beggar the question in what way is it relevant to the story. Andie's writing is maturing with every story and it is extremely evident in this passage, he has the ability to capture the horror the Doctor is feeling and convey it to the reader in a way that makes you feel as if you were there with him. The quality of Andie's narrative is further on evidence during the Doctor's self-analysing of his dream and at last his thoughts as they move back towards Nick and Alf, before going back into another dreamscape.

With the arrival of Nick and Alf in the story, we also gain an insight into how they have arrived in their situation through another well-written piece of narrative touching on memories, something that seems at this stage to be an important part of this story. This first chapter also builds upon the growing closeness between Nick and Alf following on well from The Collector as their closeness is rekindled.

We also finally learn the name of the planet that they have crashed upon, Voga. If this was a surprise however, nothing could possibly compare with the final couple of scenes featuring the Doctor. Faced with the “Figure” a mysterious person he has encountered on a number of occasions before, he learns in very short order that the planet they are on the inhabitants' Gods are none other than the Time Lords - which seems to imply that the Time Lords still exist. And then the final shock that the dreams have been leading to... that the Doctor is only a clone of the real Doctor and is now dying and that the real Doctor died a long time before on Nova Mondas.

What can be said about this first chapter but WOW? If this is anything to go by, the rest of the story is a must read. Another excellent piece of work by Andie throwing up so many questions that will need answering and demanding the readers attention for the rest of the work. I wouldn't want to miss it, would you?