Reviews > Doctor Who: The Legacy > Tiger's Eye - Chapter One
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Chapter Two Review by Elizabeth Medeiros

This second chapter of Tiger's Eye plunges us even deeper into the mystery in this exotic, desert world. Richard's descriptions of this society are rich in every detail. I like the atmosphere he creates, i.e. the opening scene is referred to as Styx, or the place of the dead is very effective. And the other references to the Veil of Isis and Oscar Wilde were very nice touches.

The downside to this is that there is so much precise detail, that all the alien names make for much slower reading. When the action shifts back to the main characters, the story gets more smooth and fluid. Perhaps that's because I just prefer to read the scenes where Alf, Nick and the Doctor are directly involved. They're like old friends and I want to keep up with what's happening to them when they're in danger. And of course, they are never far from that in The Legacy. (And I am having a lot of sympathy for Alf, she's had more than her share of misfortune this season!)

By that token, however, where the main characters are concerned, it's two steps forward, one step back in their representation. Alf is mentioned as trying to keep her promise to become less violent, and Nick quite rightly still has some real qualms when he thinks the Doctor has skipped out on him again. The Doctor though, seems to be caught in a time loop in this chapter. The Doctor-clone is shown talking with the Figure in a virtual rehash of their conversation in Ruins of Self 1. Time has passed, I would think he'd be getting better not worse by now.

And what does all this have to do with the Tiger's Eye? There are no answers yet of course, but the foundation is, with all the competing factions and figures trying to defend their own turf. There's intrigue plenty and I'm not quite certain where it all will lead. But I do want to find out

Chapter Two Review by Paul Clement

With chapter two, Richard's obvious writing talent is matched by the story itself. After the lacklustre description of the last chapter, this one kicks off with the most superb use of descriptive prose I've seen for a long time. The whole area that Alf finds herself in was lodged firmly into my mine with the flowing scene setting that Richard provides, while Nick's travels are made so much more lifelike as the things he sees are brought vividly to the readers attention.

Richard delivers some great scenes, with wonderful interplay between the characters, with perhaps the most interesting one being the Doctor's dream conversation with the Tardis/Figure. The whole scene is utterly enthralling, with the Doctor's need for the Tardis brought into sharp focus, and the reminiscence of the Doctor's first regeneration was excellent.

As with most of the authors writing for the Legacy, Nick is once again portrayed well, seeming more human with every passing story. I loved the scene with the two children fighting with the swords, the way Nick realises that the Doctor's personality and traits are rubbing off on him being a nice little touch, as was the Star Wars quote about blasters being random and clumsy. While noting this "quote", I need to ask, was the Swiss Cheese reference linked to Quantum Leap at all?

The whole world seems so much more alive in this chapter, and I found myself eagerly going from scene to scene, hoping this chapter would never end. The characters that Richard has created work so much better now that the scenes don't seem to jump around as much, and also now that they seem to be coming together as a whole storyline.

The only down point that slows my enjoyment of this story, and it is a small one, is the names. One or two just picture something else in my mind, as Andrew said, Tixliss sounds like a cough medicine, while another name, guess which one, reminds me a little of a well known breakfast cereal

Finally, one can I say but SONTARANS!!!!!!!!!. Is this story going to be the Sontaran equivalent of Spare Parts? If it manages to be half as good then we have a great writer in Richard. How different could my views be from chapter 1 to chapter 2.