By James Bow

This image above is courtesy the BBC.

So, did he do it? Did Russell T. Davies stick the landing?

In a word, yes.

In four words, he did stumble somewhat.

In several hundred more workds: well...

Although some of The Reality War was a word salad, and while the almost comedic number of cameos and reunions made me wonder if Russell T. Davies was using this to distract from the flaws of his story, for me The Reality War followed up well on Wish World, addressing most of my concerns, and resolving most of the outstanding plot threads in an exciting and twisty fashion. While it remains, in my opinion, the weakest episode of Disney Series Two, that's largely due to the sterling quality of the remaining episodes of the season, and it certainly satisfied me more than The Empire of Death last season.

But now that the events behind the scenes in the making of Reality War have been revealed, I can't help but be concerned about the future of the program as well as Russell's ability to tie up significant plot threads now left dangling, while at the same time being in awe of Russell's true abilities.

I'll try to explain as best I can. Please note that spoilers follow...

The image above is courtesy James Pardon at BBC Studios and Bad Wolf.

Whatever happens over the next two weeks, Russell T. Davies has delivered one of the best runs of Doctor Who episodes that I can recall in years. The Robot Revolution was a wild and fun opener that introduced the new companion and geared us up for the series arc. Lux featured a great return of the Pantheon with the Chatotic God of Light Lux. The Well was the terrifying Midnight sequel we never realized we needed. Lucky Day was a brilliantly infuriating story ripped from social media and the Story and the Engine was a compelling tale about the power of story that showed the series could still bring something fresh and new to the table even after sixty-two years.

And with the Interstellar Song Contest, we have a tale that again provides a fantastic and grim allegory of our treatment of people in the Middle East (I don't think it's a coincidence that they riffed on the burning of poppies), before kicking the season arc into high gear with a big revelation and the promise of mayhem to come.

But will it make sense?

The truth is, as fantastic a writer and showrunner that Russell is, he has a tendency to promise the world when it comes to his season finales. Sometimes he lives up to what he promises, but many times he can't. Consider Doctor Who's Disney Series One, which I enjoyed. The season arc is launched with promise around the origins of Ruby Sunday in The Church on Ruby Road. A big confrontation is promised through cryptic remarks by Maistro in The Devil's Chord and the mysterious Twists in the end, before it snaps into play in The Legend of Ruby Sunday when the Doctor decides NOW is the time to explore Ruby's origins, and we muddle around for the big cliffhanger reveal of Sutekh. Ruby's origins prove to be surprisingly mundane (and I can understand and appreciate Russell's reasoning here), but it makes Sutekh's eventual downfall all the more confusing and weak.

This season, Russell T. Davies has done a better job building up the series plot by simplifying it. Instead of, "Where did Ruby Come From?" we have "We need to bring Belinda Home... Except there's no home for Belinda to go back to." There's more focus and less confusion when Mrs. Flood takes on the Susan Twist role throughout the season, and it feels like the resolution will have a pay-off that builds naturally from what comes before, and will be more satisfying as a result.

That is, assuming that Russell can actually stick the landing and provide a logical resolution. And I'm a little leery here due to past experience, and the fact that, at the end if The Interstellar Song Contest, he has chosen the least interesting big revelation that he could have picked.

Hear me out.

Oh, and by the way, spoilers follow from here on out, so if you haven't seen these episodes up to The Interstellar Song Contest, stop reading and start watching, and return here once you catch up. You really do deserve to see these episodes as unspoiled as possible. Russell and company gave us some excellent moments and excellent pay-offs, and they're all the better encountered in the moment. So go away and don't come back until you're prepared.

Back already? Let us continue.

Okay, so: Mrs. Flood is the Rani, and we should have guessed because Floods are caused by a lot of Rain and Rain is an anagram of Rani, haha, Russell you sneaky bastard. The events of The Interstellar Song Contest cause Anita Dobson's Mrs. Flood to bi-generate into herself and Archie Punjabi (it's about time that the character was played by a South Asian actress), and the new Rani leads the way offscreen promising to "bring terror to the Doctor". Meanwhile, the Doctor learns that the Earth disintegrated within seconds on May 24, 2025 and, when trying to bring Belinda back there, the TARDIS explodes.

In saying that bringing back the Rani is the last interesting big revelation Russell T. Davies could have picked, I have no objection to the Rani being involved in this season story arc and the two-part finale. And while she has only been on screen for a few seconds, Archie Punjabi looks ready to blow everyone away. However, if her motivation is to bring terror to the Doctor, my big question is: why?

Why here? Why now? Why him?

The Rani is not the Master, who has such a history with the Doctor throughout the whole show, I'd frankly be surprised (and a little disappointed) if he doesn't show up in the upcoming two-parter. In her previous appearances, she has been portrayed as an amoral researcher looking into the mysteries of the universe with an eye to exploiting them, and with not a single care of whomever could get hurt along the way. She's been annoyed by the Doctor's interference, and has used him on one occasion to try and achieve her goals, but she is not interested in revenge. She rolled her eyes up into her skull at the Master's obsession with fighting the Doctor. If this long game she's been playing is a dish she wants served cold, I have great trouble in buying it.

It also negates those moments where Mrs. Flood showed some compassion and empathy, such as encouraging Ruby to step on board the TARDIS, or her delight at the Doctor defeating Sutekh. Even her willingness to accept Sutekh's temporary win is at odds with this supposed declaration of war against the Doctor.

And is it pedantic of me to ask where Hell she was during the Time War, or any of the other elements and events that fell out around it?

I realize that with this series being as long as it is, it becomes harder and harder justifying why a particular villain waits so long to step out of the shadows and wreck their vengeance against the Doctor, but not doing that cheapens their arrival. There should be a reason for why the Rani is acting now and not before, and I'll be disappointed if none is supplied.

Indeed, why does she have to be the final villain, and why does her intent have to be villainous? There is still plenty of time for Russell to surprise me here (two episodes, in fact). While it may be natural to assume that the Rani is responsible for the Earth's destruction in a week's time, there is absolutely no evidence connecting the two. Maybe she isn't responsible, and she's angry at the Doctor because she believes that he's the one who's responsible, either through something he's done, or something he failed to do.

And given that there are still plot elements that we can still incorporate from the sixtieth anniversary specials, such as the fourteenth Doctor worrying that he let strange forces through by calling upon superstitions and using salt at the End of the Universe (see Wild Blue Yonder), then we have opportunities for some of those elements to play out in the mayhem to come. Perhaps these elements force the Doctor and the Rani into an uneasy alliance. I would find that interesting.

This season needs an extra curve ball in order to produce a resolution that is both effective and unexpected. We did not get that curve ball last year -- Sutekh just showed up, and then he was defeated, causing the series to fall flat -- and I'm worried that this could be another year where Russell is unable to deliver all that the set-up promises. Which would be a shame, because the episodes that have set all this up have been among the best the show has had to offer.

Wish World and Reality War? I'm rooting for you. But you have a big job ahead of you. I'd ask you not to mess things up, but that depends on whether this job is impossible to begin with.

We shall see.

This image is entitled MRSS Year 12 Steiner last day 2007 by Gavin Anderson. It is used in accordance with his Creative Commons license.

They still have school assemblies with visiting performers these days, don't they? I know they have author visits, and I know there are public safety mesages, talent shows, school plays and general seasonal celebrations, but were they like some of the presentations I saw in my childhood?

I remember one presentation in particular where we were hauled down to the gymnasium at Lord Lansdowne Public School and treated to a story about gas -- natural gas, to be exact. It featured a mad scientist (white coat, funny hair, glasses, the lot) in his mad laboratory, working with natural gas. And by some science magic, he manages to resurrect a dinosaur from the fossil fuel, performed by another performer in a large felt-covered suit (which must have been extremely hot under the lights).

The presentation went over all of the safety issues around natural gas, including how to smell a leak and what to do then, all told in such a way as to make the kids respect, but not fear, natural gas. They end with a song and dance number where the nerdy mad scientist dances comically badly.

Looking back, one thing that struck me about this presentation is that they went beyond safety to talk about the future of gas. The mad scientist pulled down a projection map of Canada which showed where our active gas reserves were, and he confidently told us that there was enough gas here (in and around the Rockies and in Ontario) to last us thirty years.

"Ahem," says the dinosaur. "I don't know about you, but I think these kids here plan to be around for longer than thirty years."

"Ah, well, you see," said the mad scientist, and he proceeds to highlight possible but untapped resources through the maritimes, and across the Arctic, boasting, "these should last us well into the next century!"

So...

Up to this point, this presentation was like the other public safety presentations where we were taught to respect but not fear a particular item, like police officers talking about drugs (and hauling out the incredibly creepy Blinky, the doe-eyed police car), and how prescription drugs were okay but you still had to be careful around them, or Hydro officers telling us to watch out for downed power lines after storms and not play with them like Indiana Jones and his whip. But none of the other presentations got into the subject of the future of Canada's resources.

Which makes me wonder who actually put on this presentation. A local gas company would be expected to tell kids about how to smell a gas leak and what to do if you do, but I doubt they'd have any interest in encouraging kids to support gas extraction in the Arctic. That smells like an industry public relations organization.

Well, as I'm still remembering this almost forty years down the line, all I can say is that their PR department got their money's worth.

(UPDATE): Doing a quick bit of research, I see that the gas company Enbridge is quite happy to speak to schools in this day and age but, again, more about being safe around gas rather than where to drill for it.

I am pleased to announce that, with the help of IngramSpark, you can now purchase physical and eBook copies of The Dream King's Daughter, my YA urban fantasy set in rural Saskatchewan.

If you've been following my blog, you'll know about the Novel that Got Away. The Dream King's Daughter is a story about a young woman who can see what people are dreaming just by looking them in the eye, whether she wants to or not. It was written around 2007-2008, accepted for publication by Scholastic Canada for 2018, and then delayed and ultimately cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To pay off the work I invested in this book, give it a little love, and also promote my other stories, I decided to serialize it on this blog chapter-by-chapter over twelve weeks at the start of this year. These chapters remain available for all to read for free, but I'm making the story available in book and ePub form at what I hope is close to at-cost, in case people want to read it in a more accessible or even physical format.

Besides, this gives The Dream King's Daughter its very own ISBN, and I believe that it deserves an ISBN, just like its siblings.

Ingram Spark is a book printer, which is useful for independent authors who want to self-publish and get their books out onto catalogues and into the various eBook venues, including Apple Books and Amazon. They also offer promotional services, but I've heard that these sorts of things from all such publishers aren't worth the funds you'll pour into it. Their book production system was easy to use, however, with only a minor complication coming from uploading the cover, and some confusion over how to upload revised versions on the system (note to Ingram Spark: a note stating that books need to be improved before you can upload revisions would go a long way to avoiding said confusion).

I've ordered a small number of phyisical copies for my own bookshelf and possible sale at book shows, so I'll be sure to tell you about the quality of the work then, but I am pleased at what I was able to do on my own using Adobe InDesign, Scrivener and Spark. I also would like to thank Susan Fish at Storywell, who gave the manuscript a thorough proof-read, and Alisha at Bibliofic Designs for designing such a great cover for the novel.

So, if you want to read The Dream King's Daughter, and you don't want to scroll through reams and reams of blog text on a screen, consider picking up the eBook copy, or buying the physical book. Enjoy a story that I had a lot of fun writing, and thanks to everyone for their support.

You can purchase physical copies of The Dream King's Daughter from Ingram Spark itself, or by asking for it at independent bookstores like McNally Robinson (who deliver), or on (shudder) Amazon. And you can purchase eBook copies of the story very reasonably at Ingram Spark, Apple Books, Indigo's Kobo, and Amazon's Kindle.

I hope you like the comic above promoting my upcoming re-release of my urban fantasy novel, The Night Girl. I would like to thank cartoonist Lar deSouza for taking on my idea for a two-panel comic and giving it life. I'm also honoured that he read the copy of The Night Girl that I sent him, and really digested it. Check out the detail in these panels. If you know the story, you'll pick out some key characters and characteristics (check out what's in Perpetua's hair). If ever I can get funding to turn The Night Girl into a graphic novel or an animated feature, I want Lar to take on the project.

Hopefully, this comic attracts a bit of attention, because it says something I've wanted to say for a while, while I'm still allowed to say it, and because I am looking forward to the release of The Night Girl under the auspices of Shadowpaw Press on August 12 of this year. I know Perpetua would have a lot of things to say about the current political situation, and it gives me great pleasure to give her that voice, with Lar's help.

There's a few people I'd like to thank. Thanks to Kisa at REUTS for giving life to The Night Girl back in 2019, and thanks to Ed at Shadowpaw for taking things to the next level. Thanks to Catelli for introducing me to Lar deSouza (and thanks again to Lar deSouza), and thanks to everyone who supported The Night Girl for its whole history, up to and including its publication in 2019, and I look forward to your support for this novel in 2025.

You can learn more about The Night Girl at its official website, and be sure to check out the updated book trailer by Damian Baranowski (thanks again, Damian!). In the weeks ahead, I'll be posting a few more promotional goodies, so stay tuned. And remember: Elon Musk is not a troll. He's just a jackass. Stop demeaning trolls.

Now that it's been over three months since the release of The Sun Runners and Tales from the Silence, promotions of these books will ease up, I suspect. But I am pleased to have some more kicks at the podcasting can.

One of the most fun times I've had on a podcast came thanks to Benjamin Gorman, a recent American ex-pat building a new life in Barcelona, Spain. Over on his podcast Writers Not Writing, he and I sat down to a fun and fascinating session talking about fighting fascism, enjoying Star Trek, and even how urban planning contributes to science fiction and fantasy. I had the opportunity to take part in building up a shared fantasy story, and I got to talk about my love for Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities. So, be sure to check out Benjamin's podcast, Writers Not Writing (here's the official site). He's a great guy, and his work deserves all the positive attention it can get.

Later today, I'll be taking part in a panel discussion on akaRadioRed, alongside Kim Lengling and Trevor W. Harrison. This podcast, entitled Read my Lips: Cool Conversations with Creatives will be LIVE to air starting at 5 p.m. TODAY on Youtube, Facebook, and LinkedIn. The live nature will add an extra frission of excitement, I'm sure, so tune in!

I'm also pleased to have spent time talking with Tricia Copeland, a fellow author who also podcasts and talks up her fellow authors in the industry. That episode will air on April 29, so stay tuned.

While The Sun Runners and Tales from the Silence promotion work may be ramping down, I expect things will be ramping up again as we approach the August 12 launch date for The Night Girl. In fact, that's already happened, thanks to the Picky Bookworm who ran a wonderful review of The Night Girl a couple of years ago, and arranged this podcast and said some really nice things about it. I'm hopeful that I'll turn up again closer to the book's new re-release date. Once again, stay tuned!

Snap Election Called

Years ago, when we had a much stronger and tight-knit blogging community in Canada, I'd be all over this recent election call by our new prime minister Mark Carney. I would likely have put together an election results pool, taking informal bets from all sorts of fellow bloggers across the political spectrum.

That's not happening, now, and that's a shame. The blogging community has largely disappeared, and politics have become much more partisan. Worse, we can now expect a firehose of misinformation from actors home and abroad trying to twist the Canadian electorate into their image -- with some images being particularly ugly and cruel.

That doesn't make this election any less important than the others. All elections are important, but this one is particularly so, as we've been asked to stand up and speak up as Canadians against a player who has no respect for our sovereignty or even our personal health and wellbeing

And yet, in spite of how harrowing the state of American politics currently is, I still feel hope, perhaps because I feel like I'm a part of a bit of a national awakening that's robbed our Trump-like leader of the opposition of their 30 point lead in the polls, and has Canadians everywhere willing to do some hard work forging more independence and connecting with and working with good people at home and abroad. It's a hard thing to resist, but it's harder still to resist alone.

And my country is showing me that I'm not alone.

This photo of the Saskatoon General Hospital was taken by Julia Adamson and is used in accordance with their Creative Commons license.

Thanks to everybody who has stayed with us these past twelve weeks as the story of The Dream King's Daughter has unfolded. In the coming weeks, I'll be putting this tale together into an e-book and a print-on-demand novel, so you can read it in whatever format you want. I'd like to thank Susan Fish at Storywell who is giving this tale an extra edit to make this as best it can be, so stay tuned for further details.

Enclosed, please find chapter eleven, which brings the story to a close. After Polk pulls Aurora back from the brink, possibly at the cost of his life, she has to face the consequences of her actions, as does her father. There are some recriminations, but also plenty of resolution, so read on: