#gauntlet of absolution

Today we have a Q&A with Forgotten Lives author Kara Dennison, whose story ‘Gauntlet of Absolution’ features the Philip Hinchcliffe Doctor.

First, the opening of the story:

‘For some, the appearance of the TARDIS from thin air on their home world was met with confusion, bemusement, or even fear. Some fled, sensing an incongruous power from the vessel as it warped and shifted to fit its surroundings. Others scoffed at the sight, believing it to be a prank and not wanting to give its perpetrator the satisfaction of a reaction. But as the TARDIS materialised on the pinkish-white earth of Idrotha, butted up just against the inside of its capital kingdom’s outer walls, the two guards nearby only watched calmly.’

FL: Tell us a little about yourself.

KD: Weird American, easily distracted, possibly too influenced by anime. My first story in print was with Obverse Books, actually – in The Perennial Miss Wildthyme. Since then I’ve shown up in the Black Archive series, a few City of the Saved anthologies, a Sherlock Holmes book, several SF/F books and charity collections, and occasionally people’s homes if they leave their tea cabinet unattended. By day I’m a journalist writing for Crunchyroll, Otaku USA, and Sci Fi Magazine. Guinea pigs are involved in this somehow.

FL: What attracted you to this project?

KD: For one thing, it was the opportunity to create a Doctor almost entirely from the ground up. I’ve written a lot of existing Doctors for charity anthologies, and written a lot about what makes a well-portrayed Doctor, but I’ve never tried it myself to any serious degree. I wanted the fun and the challenge – both of which I got.

Also, working with Philip Purser-Hallard is always a treat. He’s kind of like the Kojima of my writing circles: he calls, I drop everything and answer, no questions asked. And I always have a great time, and love the people I’ve gotten to work with and alongside because of him.

FL: Each story in the book features a different incarnation of the Doctor. Tell us about yours.

This Doctor is just so excited about his new regeneration. He’s going to live every cavalier swashbuckler dream, and he doesn’t care how ridiculous he looks doing it. Which is good, because he looks extremely ridiculous most of the time.

This is the Doctor, though, so there’s a terrifying level of competence even under his occasionally childish behaviour. It’s just a matter of whether you ever get to see it. If you do, you’re likely either a very close friend or about to get your entire situation destroyed.

FL: These Doctors only exist in a couple of photos. How did you approach the characterisation of your incarnation?

KD: To me, Doctor Who has always played like a classic adventure serial. So I wanted a classic adventure serial hero. I really pandered to myself in that regard: who would I tune in to watch every week? My version of the Hinchliffe Doctor is my answer. This is my ideal classic adventure hero. I’m not sure what that says about me.

The other big help was my habit of ‘casting’ someone as any new character I write until they’re evolved enough to stand on their own. In this Doctor’s case, it was a certain Rogue from a certain online D&D campaign. There’s still one little hold-over I left in as a hat-tip, if you know what to look for.

FL: What’s your story about?

KD: Our heroic Doctor has a fresh face and a fresh outfit, and he’s taking both to the planet Idrotha. But he’s ended up getting rolled into the planet’s outdated correctional system, which jails you for minor infractions and dangles absolution at the end of a very long competition. He’s going to run that Gauntlet – to its end, if he has his way – and might even pick up a new companion along the way. Expect political intrigue, science-fantasy antics, and no fewer than one epic arena battle.

FL: The stories are intended to represent a ‘prehistory’ of Doctor Who before 1963. How did that affect your approach?

KD: For me, as someone born in the US in 1981, I knew I’d do better approaching the ‘prehistory’ element from a literary and stylistic angle. Forgotten Lives would be taking place, if it existed, just as the revival of what we now call sword-and-planet fiction was about to hit. So I was looking to mid-century writers like Michael Moorcock and Manly Wade Wellman, and of course the writers they would have looked to (Edgar Rice Burroughs in particular).

I imagine this Doctor’s adventures as instalments in Amazing Stories, and that was the experience I wanted to give the reader: that they’re picking up the magazine and starting a new adventure series.

FL: Who would be your ideal casting for a pre-Hartnell Doctor?

KD: Gene Kelly. Stick with me here. Does his own stunts (even if you try to stop him), looks fantastic even in ridiculous clothes, can somehow make even the silliest dialogue work. I’d love to see it.

FL: What other projects are you working on at present?

KD: So much in the cooker! 2020’s compressed and expanded pretty much every writer and publisher’s schedule in crazy ways, but a lot of things are rolling out. My first book in The Chronosmith Chronicles, Eleanor’s Tears, is one cover typeset away from publication, and there are some anthologies I’m on pins and needles waiting to tell everyone about.