!!!CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS!!! "It is an old maxim of mine that when you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." At last. I have been waiting for this novella a long time. After almost three years of the interfering, are they good or are they evil, Dommervoy this story promises to reveal exactly who the Dommervoy are and why they act as they do. In previous Legacy stories, I’ve thought they’ve been used as a deus ex machina at times, or at the very least a convenience to resolve a pivotal moment in the plot. Now the truth is told… This fortieth Anniversary story, though, is more than simply a Dommervoy saga. Although it begins soberly with the previous Doctor’s body being stolen (by whom? why?), there is much more going on than that, of course. As befits an anniversary tale, included are references to both the real Who universe and Legacy history that marks this definitely as a fanwanky type story. But don’t let that scare you away. On the contrary, that’s what makes DMP appealing to read. As the novella begins, the Doctor arrives to pay his respects to his previous incarnation, and discovers the body is gone. The Doctor is concerned, Ruby is flabbergasted and after a conversation about whether the ASH Doctor is or is not “the” Doctor he realizes he has to find out what has happened and who the grave robber is. “Yes, obviously today is not a day of mourning after all. Rather a day of mysteries!” he says. Mysteries is putting it mildly. Skilfully crafted by Andie Frankham, DMP alludes to clues from the previous novellas from this past season, i.e. those pages of a book that appeared in Furies From the Deep and Winter Light. Of course, there’s a man-like figure that still lurks somewhere on the periphery, waiting and ever watchful. All this makes the novella very suspenseful. Yet the tone, the feel of this story is much different and lighter than the previous ones. Maybe it’s those other references to the Doctor Who world. Like renaming what was the previous prison satellite Shada, Outpost Gallifrey, the new world for the Time Lords - or as they are now known as from DMP, the Gallifreya. Or maybe it’s that the pages come from the book, "The Worshipful and Ancient Law of Gallifrey", an artefact from the old time? The Dommervoy Masterplan could have easily been bogged down by all these nods and winks and homages to past history. There is a point when too much continuity is too much of a good thing, but in this case I think a saving grace to this novella is its underlying humor. When Ruby calls the Seal of Rassilon “The Seal of Russell” and when that Ancient Law of Gallifrey book starts vibrating in the first chapter, I just smiled without even knowing. And later on in the final chapter there’s even a comment about those endless corridors that were so prevalent in the TV program that made me grin again. Perhaps the strongest clue of all about whatever is going is that Tardis is involved. She and the man-like shape have subtly guided the Doctor to Outpost Gallifrey, where the Millennium People Boss, masquerading as the previous Doctor, has just been invested as Lord President. Because of that, I knew whatever the man-figure was, it (he?) was altruistic and meant no harm to the Doctor or Ruby. The middle chapters of the story continues the efforts of the Doctor to establish his identity and the Machiavellian scheming of the fake Doctor President, but with a few important twists and interludes. When the Doctor meets up with Nick I was moved by how that is portrayed. The Doctor is stunned, and for a few moments refuses to believe his eyes, so great is his relief that Nick is very much alive. Losing Nick is something that the Doctor will never forget and although I guessed correctly that Nick would return, the actual scene held me spellbound. Nick may be a god, but his emotions remain quite human, and how he explains his encounter with Alf is as equally heartfelt and touching as his reunion with the Doctor. And the sudden reappearance of Brad affects the Doctor too, in ways he never anticipates. Wonderful reading. The other thread concerning the young Gallifreya - Rewunderer, Zelante and Shinjiru - is light-hearted. How unusual it is for the Doctor to have Time Lord fans, and the young Gallifreya’s regard for the Doctor is engaging and unexpected. They’re his cheering section, his loyal supporters, and their belief in him rivals Ruby’s. That they pass their free time watching the adventures of the Doctor’s other incarnations is a novel way Andie utilizes to include snippets from some of the TV Doctors in DMP. For me, it’s just fun to see that line muttered by the first Doctor, ‘Doctor who? What’s he talking about?’ By this time, I realized some things unique to this novella. The Doctor doesn’t really have anything to do with solving this plot. This is the Dommervoy masterplan, after all, and it’s the Doctor who has been manipulated like a puppet (albeit benevolently) by the Dommervoy. That’s out of the ordinary too, for the Dommervoy don’t really appear in any form until the latter half of the story. The Dommervoy Loci have things well in control and although the Forum Boss thinks he’s spinning a web to entrap the Doctor, in the end it’s the Boss and the corrupt MP who are trapped. The Doctor’s response in this tale literally is to sit back, watch his alternative past selves and enjoy it. That is both incredible and amazing. I can’t see the Brian Blessed incarnation relaxing as much (nor any of the television Doctors, for that matter). That this Doctor can step away and not be in control shows a whole new dimension to the Doctor. If the previous story, Furies From the Deep, was where the Doctor finally exorcised his inner doubts about being a clone and accepted himself completely as the Doctor, this story reinforces that the Doctor has nothing to prove anymore. He can sip on a drink and enjoy life for a few minutes and not be the hero every moment. Ruby’s incredulous at first and her reactions to the Doctor’s behavior are very entertaining. But the other characters are interesting too. I have a certain fondness for the Millennium People and the Boss in disguise as the Brian Blessed Doctor is fascinating. The Boss tries just a little too hard to emulate the previous Doctor, saying “Capital!” a bit too much, and even if you haven’t read many previous Legacy stories, you know quickly something is a bit amiss somehow. As for the Goddess of Dreamers, well it’s easy for me to like her and when she helps in defeating the Boss, I couldn’t help chuckling. In keeping with the overall mood of the story, the final resolution was done with wit and style. No torture, no excruciating pain. The Boss, along with the corrupt MP, just cease to exist and Time is entrusted to the care of the evolving joint race of Time Lords/Millennium People. Because chapter four was revised immediately before going on line, there are a couple of small errors in it, missing words and typos, that disrupt the flow of the narrative. Also, this sentence “Ruby watched the exchange and noticed that the woman with the daisy crown also smiled” should be rewritten, since there is no exchange between the Doctor and the goddess until after the goddess smiles. And how does Nick suddenly become Lord President? But I’m nitpicking. On the whole, this is a well crafted, well written story. Andie assumes his audience knows the Legacy storyline, and the characters don’t waste time in many lengthy explanations. For the most part this works, it’s not difficult to follow the main focus of DMP at all. Conclusions: The Dommervoy Masterplan is an atypical story for Doctor Who: The Legacy in a few ways. The previous stories this past season have been full of turmoil and drama and confrontations; this novella with its quiet humor and charm is a most welcome change to me. After reading DMP several times I think the main strength of this novella is in its characterizations, the repartee between the Doctor and Ruby, of course, and the other characters both new and old that appear. The Millennium People and who portrays them in the closing credits. Rewunderer, Shinjiru and Zelante, who add an earnest hero-worship that’s refreshing. And Andie cleverly wrote the return of Nick and Brad. A story doesn’t always have to be eye deep in blood and gore to keep a reader’s attention. Strong characters who draw you into their world are more interesting than just throwing around violence casually. DMP ties up a lot of loose ends, the section concerning Tiger’s Eye and Jeret Seth is inspired, I think. The Dommervoy Masterplan as an anniversary story and a story that wraps up one phase of the Legacy is an enjoyable, entertaining tale. There are ramifications for the Doctor that after this adventure - his life will never be the same again.