Planet Skaro > Reviews > Doctor Who: The Legacy > The Collector - Chapter Three
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Chapter Three Review by Elizabeth Medeiros

For the Doctor, Nick and Alf the danger escalates and there are a few surprises too, in this third part of "The Collector." At last, I like that this chapter is written straightforwardly, without interludes or diary entries that occasionally slow things down. As a result, the pace quickens considerably and the tension builds scene after scene to an unexpected and gripping cliffhanger.

The chapter begins with a portrayal of Alf as a hunter. She has downloaded a program to practice her skills and even though she isn't doing this of her own free will, she delves into it with all her might. But, that also keeps her busy enough so that she can avoid Nick. She has yet to come to grips with her conflicting emotions, and testing her hunting prowess is a very powerful distraction. These scenes are tense, Adam's descriptions of the spider creatures confronting Alf are vivid and engrossing. I could just see those spiders crawling ever closer and the image of the spiders feasting is a little gruesome.

When the actions shifts back to the Doctor and Nick, who's temporarily hosting the Doctor's brain, the imagery is just as terrific. There's a marvelous scene where the Creature, the ancient evil that the Doctor has detected is honing in on the Doctor and Nick. The story here is exceptionally well written, from 'The body of the medium, currently home to something else, watched the Doctor. A thought sent his body slumping into her arms, as the force field holding him switched off. The thing inside her head laughed.' to 'The untapped potential of the Doctor's brain is now mine to command.' Every word made Nick want to be sick. He continued to kiss the Doctor's feet. 'Are you enjoying this Doctor?' Every sentence pulls you in until you feel like you're in the same room as Nick and the Doctor watching this happen before your eyes.

But as good as this is, Adam might have saved the best for the chapter's last scene. Alf, still under the Creature's control, has come across Nick and the Doctor and has targeted them as her prey. The way Adam writes this last part, with just a phrase at a time, is quite effective. It forces you to take a breath after each line, because what the Creature forces Alf to do is shocking, for her, Nick, the Doctor and the reading audience. What a cliffhanger!

Chapter Three Review by Paul Clement

Chapter three opens with a bang and never stops from there on in. After the interrupting style of the last two chapters, this chapter seems like a breath of fresh air.

At last, Alf really enters the fray and she's so reminiscent of the Ace from the NA series, aggressive, dangerous and able in the extreme. Yet still there is a vulnerability to her character that is endearing and her fears for her future with Nick are evident as is her fears for what she may be becoming.

Nick continues to be a staple ingredient of the 3a series, once again well written and a mainstay of the stories he is involved in, while the Doctor is relatively absent from the chapter. A situation that doesn't hamper this segment of the story in the slightest.

Adam's style of prose seems eminently suited to the fast and frenetic pace of this chapter and the battle scenes between Alf and the various groups of guests at the zoo are both well written and well executed, with an interesting account of the battle from Alf's perspective entertaining the reader.

The parts of the chapter dealing with Nick and the Doctor function as a good counterpoint to the battle being raged outside by Alf, with a story that seems to be based around a more mental and perhaps far more deadly peril.

There are some questions answered at last in this chapter, such as the identity of the Bounty Hunter at last. And there are some truly chilling moments, such as Alf's flight from the Spiders and the body they were eating alive.

The final scene in the chapter is truly dramatic, and it poses the question has Alf become so enraptured in battle that she is no longer safe to be around, even to her friends.

All in all, this has been a great chapter to read filled with excitement and action. I can't wait for the final chapter and the resolution of not only the story but the outcome of this chapters final scene.