INTRODUCTION

First of all, I’d like to thank everyone who wrote and said how much they enjoyed Stealing Eden. The critics were kind and some of the fans were eagerly desiring to know what happened next--myself included. So I sat down and wrote a lot; my editors wore out their proverbial red pens correcting it, and as a result, The Long Way Home has arrived in a little bit different form than I’d imagined it would look like. That it is even better than my expectations for it owes a lot to my team: Murray, Natacha, and Crystal. Thank you all for a job well done.

Next question: what to expect from The Long Way Home. If this were a TV story, you’d probably call it a Sarah story. Don’t let that put you off! Spike and Lynda and Colin and Frazz are all here, along with the rest of the cast. They all have their parts to play--especially Julie Craig, who has found a different role than the one Steven Moffat envisioned for her! Nevertheless, because of where we are in as a result of how Stealing Eden ended, a lot of this story has to be about Sarah and the Colonel. That will change in the next story that I write after this one, and will always be changing. This story also exists to set the stage for the future of the Junior Gazette, which Col. Marriner intends to change with Lynda Day’s help.

Third--a word to those who aren’t big Doctor Who fans. If you made it through the first story in one piece, you’ll do fine with this one. I’ve brought two characters from DW into this story. Castellan Spandrell didn’t get named in Stealing Eden, but he is named here. Spandrell appeared in the 1976 story ‘The Deadly Assassin’ and has shown up in several of the ‘Missing Adventures’ novelizations since then. The Castellan is the chief law enforcement officer of the Time Lords. Dr. Harry Sullivan was a companion to the fourth Doctor from 1974-75 and makes an appearance in this story as well. There is a brief reference to ‘Terror of the Zygons’ as well when Paul talks about owning a castle in Scotland. The Doctor does not appear, and I don’t think he will be much of a factor in stories to come.

Finally, according to the Programme Guide, Kevin actually does have a last name, though I don’t think it ever made it on-screen to become officially part of the PG Canon. I made up a last name for him in Stealing Eden, but in order to be correct, I have changed it to match the Programme Guide for this story.

Are we ready to go? Just about. Thanks to my cheerleading squad of Janet, Jocelyn, Liisa, and Eavan. And a big belated thank you to Sarah McLachlan for the music which inspired Stealing Eden’s finale and which plays in the distance as we pick up the story in the hospital, where Sarah Jackson is coming to grips with no longer being human.

This page created by Murray Head on the eleventh of June, 1998.