Title: The Legends of Ashildr
Writer/s: James Goss, David Llewellyn, Jenny T. Colgan and Justin Richards
Original Release Date: 10 December 2015
Taking a break from our usual Classic Who reviews, we come to The Legends of Ashildr, an anthology of four short stories starring Ashildr on her many adventures during her eternal life, taking place in between the Series 9 episodes, The Girl Who Died and The Woman Who Lived. Because of its format I thought it would be best to review each of the four short stories individually and give my final verdict of the book at the end. To start with we have...
The Arabian Nightmare by James Goss
Opening the collection comes an interestingly-formatted story basing itself around the idea of shorter adventures combined into a large scale picture and it works to an extent. The length of only 70 pages (in rather large font) results in a writing style that feels far too passive and condensed, that if a paragraph is skipped (or even a sentence for that matter) you may miss a multitude of key events.
These shorter adventures tie together well but a certain character seems to have been forgotten and is written out without any conclusion which may have been done on purpose, to make a statement on how things as important as human life is dismissed so easily when one is immortal, but this seems more like an afterthought.
Overall an interestingly formatted story that didn't quite work, but may have done so better if stretched out into a full book.
5/10
The Fortunate Isles by David Llewellyn
Second in order, David Llewellyn's entry is a much better example of a structured and well-construed story, telling of Ashildr, in alliance with a group of sailors, in search of an island of treasures, providing a slightly naff but better realised plot.
Second in order, David Llewellyn's entry is a much better example of a structured and well-construed story, telling of Ashildr, in alliance with a group of sailors, in search of an island of treasures, providing a slightly naff but better realised plot.
From the get go you'll notice the much more detailed and drawn out writing style, offering a significant improvement over the previous entry, and there being much more focus, allowing for a more leisurely and natural pace. That is until halfway through the story, which feels much more rushed and once again could have worked better if developed into a full book, a recurring problem with this anthology. The Fortunate Isles' biggest problem lies in the fact two stories into the book it is nothing more than a filler.
6.5/10
The Triple Knife by Jenny T. Colgan
Tragic, emotive and heavy in significance, The Triple Knife is an example of what these short stories should be. There is not much that can be said without spoiling the plot, for it leads into an event we've seen on TV beautifully, and in a clever fashion, and explores the moral hardships Ashildr faced and the narration carries a definite weight, reflecting the character's outlook on life, but falls down slightly in the delivery which would have benefited from a few extra pages, resulting in a slightly convoluted telling of the tale, and the main plot feel forced to fit the conclusion.
Tragic, emotive and heavy in significance, The Triple Knife is an example of what these short stories should be. There is not much that can be said without spoiling the plot, for it leads into an event we've seen on TV beautifully, and in a clever fashion, and explores the moral hardships Ashildr faced and the narration carries a definite weight, reflecting the character's outlook on life, but falls down slightly in the delivery which would have benefited from a few extra pages, resulting in a slightly convoluted telling of the tale, and the main plot feel forced to fit the conclusion.
7.5/10
The Ghosts of Branscombe Wood by Justin Richards
Ending the collection with a bang, The Ghosts of Branscombe Wood is the perfect mixture between filler and arc-heavy, allowing for its own tale to be told, but also connections to be made with previous adventures and TV appearances. By the end of the tale you also get a real sense of the character's development, which worked much better in the narration of Ashildr, rather than third person used in the first two. The plot is fun and intriguing, simple but fitting for its length and it is told in perfect pace, something that is lacking in the other tales.
Ending the collection with a bang, The Ghosts of Branscombe Wood is the perfect mixture between filler and arc-heavy, allowing for its own tale to be told, but also connections to be made with previous adventures and TV appearances. By the end of the tale you also get a real sense of the character's development, which worked much better in the narration of Ashildr, rather than third person used in the first two. The plot is fun and intriguing, simple but fitting for its length and it is told in perfect pace, something that is lacking in the other tales.
9.5/10
Overview
Overall The Legends of Ashildr is a mixed bag, with two mediocre stories that failed to grasp the essence of the character and the show, feeling more like fairy tales than extended universe stories, and two excellent ones, working in a much better perspective, that allows for better pacing, plots and characterization of the woman who lived.
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