Richard Smyers' follow-up to "A Fair to Remember" finds Kim Possible, Ron Stoppable, Rufus, and Doctor Who pursuing the stolen TARDIS to 1862 Virginia. 1862 Virginia?! Why can't it ever be Wa Keeney, Kansas, on a pleasant Spring morning in 1953? Well, the "Empath" who swiped the time-traveling device apparently feeds off the "emotional tension" that accompanies stress-filled moments, and you can't get much more stressful than the period immediately before a major battle of the early Civil War. After Doctor Who is temporarily incapacitated, it's up to the teens and the naked mole rat to pinpoint the missing TARDIS, even as the rain pours down, the rivers overflood their banks, and the preparations for battle have begun...
As always, Richard has done his historical homework here, and he thankfully resists the temptation to run Team Possible up against a parade of famous figures of history, even granted that the one major player who crosses paths with them here, George Armstrong Custer, hadn't "made his bones" quite yet. Instead, we get a glimpse of a minor, yet fascinating, aspect of the war -- namely, the use of observation balloons for reconnaissance -- with Kim and Ron assisting "Professor" Thaddeus Lowe of the U.S. Army Aeronautic Corps in his efforts to gain intelligence on Confederate movements. Since Kim is as good at brainwork as she is at spin-kicks and cheerleader flips, this is a nice tribute to the character's full range of abilities, and something that we would probably not get to see in lesser KP fanfics that dote rather too much on either physical brawls or angsty teenage romance.
Small but noteworthy milestone: This is the first fanfic that I transferred to my Kindle and read on the device in .PDF format. The transfer seemed to work quite well, and more such digitizations are certain to follow. Thus do we progress...
Fans of the Tom Baker years like to believe there is a gap between his 6th and 7th year as the Doctor (due to an industrial strike at the BBC and drastic change in production behind-the-scenes) allowing for many different tales to be told, as well as many fans disliking the approach the series took in the 1980s, when John Nathan-Turner and Eric Saward took over. Sooo, it wouldn't offend anyone if The 4th Doctor became the Middleton counterpart to Gyro Gearloose. :)
ReplyDeleteSo, you would like to see The Doctor spend some time in Middleton? Well, "Anything is possible . . . for a Possible." And thanks for the compliments on the historical accuracy, Chris. Finding unusual events and facts and putting them into a fanfic is something I like to do. By the way, did you ever hear of the Great Airship Mystery of 1897? Or the time in 19th. century Cornwall when endless rows of hoof-prints appeared in the snow on a single night? By the time this story is finished you may be somewhat surprised by the twists and turns!
ReplyDeleteRichard Smyers
I'm glad you are thinking along those lines, Richard. It is fun to see Kim and co. Out of their own time, but Middleton would pose some interesting challenges for our resident Time Lord. Just seeing what Mr. Barkin would make of him would be a hoot.
ReplyDeleteChris