In the case of "Jade", that central theme (if it can even be called that) is, well, "jade", a tribute to Doctor Who's thirty-fifth (jade) anniversary. All the stories feature "jade" in one form or another, using the word in a variety of meanings, although its gem sense unsurprisingly predominates. It's not a dominant theme at all, as co-editors James Bow and Matt Grady (who are, oddly, never directly credited as such) have wisely chosen to give their authors ample freedom in writing their stories. It's so unobtrusive, in fact, that I had forgotten there was a linking theme at all until about halfway through the book, and when I did take note of it thereafter, it was almost distracting, leading me to think that perhaps in this case the linking theme should have been dispensed with altogether. But this is a minor point, and not one which particularly affected me as I was reading the stories.

Like most collections of Doctor Who short fiction, "Jade" has its fair share of good and not-so-good stories. Unlike the later "Decalog" books, however (I've not yet read either "Short Trips" collection so I can't comment on those), "Jade" is successful in having more good than mediocre, and only one story I found particularly hard to enjoy. It also benefits from generally good illustrations, with Martin Proctor's contributions -- as always -- standing out, though the (uncredited) illustrations accompanying "String Theory" also caught my eye. Like "Myth Makers Presents 3: The Fires Of Prometheus", "Jade" does have a few too many typos and the general design feels a little early-Nineties, but again these quibbles had only a minor impact on my enjoyment of the collection as a whole.

SPOILERS for the individual stories ahead.....

"Jade" begins on a bit of a down note, with Edward J Beach's "Dirt". As I suggested in my review of "Myth Makers Presents 3" some time ago, I think "Brief Encounter"-style fiction is one of the hardest styles to get right, because it's very difficult to write something just a page or two long which stands up on its own, is interesting to read, and actually has a reason for existing. While "Dirt" is well-written, it doesn't really say anything new, either about the Doctor or the unnamed companion (or companions in general, for that matter). It really felt more like the first chapter of a longer story, and although "Dirt" is a nice "introductory" tale for a companion, it's not much more than that.

Far better is "Little Green Men" by Edward Chan and Brad Connors (aka James Bow and Martin Proctor), which might indeed be the best story of the whole collection. Delightful to read, "Little Green Men" nicely plays on our preconceived notions of Doctor Who and the Hartnell era in particular: when the Doctor is faced with an environment which should not exist, we naturally suspect that there's some foul plot afoot which has brought said environment into being. Instead, Bow and Proctor take the story in an entirely different direction. The characterisation of all the characters -- but especially the First Doctor -- is spot on, and the surprise guest star is nicely handled. The image of the First Doctor, clad in bright green shoes, dancing away down a country road is one that will stay with me for quite a while...

Cameron Dixon's "The Uncertain Savages" provides an intriguing look at someone who is, basically, a "John Q Public" in Time Lord society. This is rare in Doctor Who fiction, which is mostly concerned only with Gallifrey's renegades and rulers. The story is hamstrung by a present-tense writing style, however, which seems to serve no purpose other than to distract. I also felt that it went on a bit too long -- I felt my interest flagging about three-quarters of the way through, and although "The Uncertain savages" is not short on theme or characterisation, I do think that it could have used a bit of tightening up. I also think it's a bit unfortunate that Patrick Troughton's is the only incarnation of the Doctor not to have a story where he is the central character. The Second Doctor has been notoriously underrepresented in Doctor Who fiction, and that trend continues here. This is not, of course, a criticism of "The Uncertain Savages" but of "Jade" in its entirety.

The fourth story in the collection is Jeri Massi's "Two of a Kind" which, like her "Myth Makers Presents 3" story is a Third Doctor/Jo adventure. I was underwhelmed by that previous offering, but fortunately found "Two of a Kind" far superior. It has a very tight, interesting plot and the characterisation of the regulars is spot on. I was particularly pleased by Massi's ability to capture the desperation the Third Doctor felt in Seasons Seven and Eight to escape his exile on Earth. I had no problem believing that this story could have taken place shortly before, say "The Claws Of Axos". My only concern was that the Doctor evinces an awful lot of affection for Jo so early in their relationship; I found this strained the bounds of credulity somewhat, weakening an otherwise enjoyable story.

Another excellent tale is "String Theory" by Andrew Kearley. The longest story in "Jade", it justifies its length with a superior plot and excellent portrayals of the Fourth Doctor and the Second Romana. Kearley has a very readable, entertaining writing style and here he proves able to handle a wide variety of story elements, as the plot ranges from an almost "Black Orchid"-style English mystery (an impression no doubt reinforced by the omnipresent cricket game!) to a high-flying space action yarn. Fun and thrilling to read, "String Theory" challenges "Little Green Men" as the best this collection has to offer.

An entirely different type of story is Dan Kukwa's "The Gift". A deeply personal story for the Doctor, "The Gift" reexamines a facet of the Time Lord's character which is often overlooked, if not downright shunned. Kukwa handles his story with a great deal of intelligence, coming across as neither too emotional nor too dispassionate in his portrayal of the Doctor. Like "The Uncertain savages", "The Gift" does feel like it's a page or two overlong, but Kukwa's careful and considered writing helps to make up for this.

Also very different in tone is "London Girl" by Sean Twist. Essentially a character study for a previously-unknown companion of the Sixth Doctor, "London Girl" tries hard but is ultimately only partly successful in conceiving a realistic portrayal of somebody who has joined the Doctor in his travels. Although the story begins very strongly with the depiction of the early life of its principal character, Daphne, I found her autobiography became rather less believable around the time she gains a job at Forbidden Planet. While I'm sure this wasn't Twist's intention, the sudden intrusion of "actual" science-fiction into this science-fiction story made it seem less real, and somewhat pushed me out of the story. While the rest of the tale varies from quite enjoyable (the Sixth Doctor and Daphne's confrontation with the Pithons) to rather melodramatic (the death of the Doctor and Daphne's other travelling companion, Helena, which feels almost shoehorned in to give the story a means of closure), it never quite regains that almost edgy feel of the first couple of pages, which is a shame. Although "gritty" Doctor Who has certainly been attempted in the past, "realistic" Doctor Who rarely has, and I think "London Girl" would have been much better had Twist stuck to that path.

Matt Grady's "Adventurer By fate" is a nice, if somewhat missable eighth installment in the collection. "Adventurer" does a much better job than "Dirt" of making the most of its brevity, but its story just didn't really do much to hold my attention. Nonetheless, the dialogue in the conversation between the Seventh Doctor and Vincent Van Gogh makes for an enjoyable read, and the story as a whole is very well-written.

Sadly, the same cannot be said for Melanie Dixon's "Possession". This is really the only instance in "Jade" of a story inappropriate for the genre -- "Possession" is a much longer story compressed into five pages, and it shows. Although the story starts out well enough with its description of what seems to be a planet's final hours, it quickly goes downhill as Dixon races through a plot involving the Rani, some outer space mercenaries, problems with the TARDIS, a new potential companion for the Doctor, and even a cat which is more than it appears. In the course of trying to cram in the bare essentials of her story, Dixon gives short shrift to the characterisation of most of her players; indeed, the only character which struck me as particularly well-developed -- the seismologist Threvia -- disappears about a page in! It would have made far more sense to have Threvia fill the role of Otillie, the potential companion, as Threvia is given more character in her one page than Otillie receives in the subsequent four. The dialogue in "Possession" also suffers as the story wears on; towards the end it becomes downright painful during the Doctor's confrontation with the Rani, and seems very hurried indeed. All in all, "Possession" is "Jade"'s only major disappointment.

Picking the pace back up again is "Perfect Beauty", by newlyweds Erin Noteboom and James Bow. The only Doctorless story in the collection, "Perfect Beauty" paints an excellent characterisation of a Delgado Master becoming desperate to extend his own existence. The familiar deviousness is still there, but there is an undertone of desperation to his manner too which Noteboom and Bow convey very nicely. "Perfect Beauty" also benefits from some excellent writing generally, a very good plot, and a more-or-less alien civilisation which is established with surprising detail and conviction for the story's short length. I did find myself somewhat confused by the exact details of the plot -- specifically the connection between the petrified children and long-lived state of Kir-ithnan's people -- despite reading the story three times, but this was the only problem I had with an otherwise superior story.

The final story in "Jade" is "The Immortality Box", also penned by James Bow. Like "Adventurer By Fate", "The Immortality Box" is well-suited to its short length, Bow offers a solid portrayal of a Doctor nearing the end of his life, and his views on the onset of death. The appearance (sort of) of each of the Doctor's companions, on the other hand, was a bit distracting, feeling a bit too fannish for such an otherwise sombre and introspective story. But looking past that, "The Immortality Box" is a delightful set piece and a fitting conclusion to the book.

Altogether, "Jade" is one of the better collections of Doctor Who short stories I've read; while it doesn't quite hit the same highs the "Decalog" books attained with stories like "Continuity Errors" and "The Book of Shadows", it also largely avoids their lows, with only "Possession" proving entirely missable. "Little Green Men" and "String Theory" are excellent works of fiction which I would recommend to any Doctor Who fan, and "Two Of A Kind", "Perfect Beauty" and "The Immortality Box" rank not much lower. As James Bow's final output as fiction editor for DWIN, "Jade" is definitely a fine way to bow out. Excuse the dreadful pun.

7/10.

To order "Myth Makers Presents 4: Jade", write a cheque or money order for $8 CDN or US each and make it payable to:

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