The Trenchcoat Discontinuity Guide
by Dan Kukwa, Erin Noteboom & Shannon Patrick Sullivan

One of the most detailed Doctor Who fan "universes" is that of the Trenchcoat series -- a (now) five-volume set detailing the stories of an imaginary Seasons 29 to 33 (with Season 27 being the first four NAs and Season 28 to be documented in the forthcoming "Trenchcoat 0"). The Trenchcoat 'zines, helmed first by James Bow and latterly by Chris Kocher, have introduced both the Eighth and Ninth Doctors as well as four new companions and maintained nicely the illusion of documenting "actual" TV seasons through the use of Martin Proctor's excellent Radio Thymes parodies, fake interviews, and so forth. Despite some variance in quality from story to story (as is only to be expected), the Trenchcoat issues are amongst the best fanfic out there today.

Now, original editor James Bow has taken the concept one step further with the release of "The Trenchcoat Discontinuity Handbook", a pastiche on "The Discontinuity Guide" by Paul Cornell, Martin Day and Keith Topping. As with the original DisConGuide, the Trenchcoat version gathers together continuity as depicted in the Trenchcoat stories, enumerates fluffs and goofs, laughs at lousy dialogue and fashion victims, and pays tribute to great lines. Perhaps most importantly, "The Trenchcoat Discontinuity Handbook" takes an honest look at each story one by one; to do this, Bow has gathered together three very disparate reviewers -- "Trenchcoat" contributor Dan Kukwa, popular fanfic writer Erin Noteboom, and, er, some guy by the name of Shannon Patrick Sullivan. *cough*

Okay, okay, so I suppose I'm a little biased. But I have to say that it is reading these reviews which proves by the far the most amusing exercise in perusing the "Handbook". Opinions differ wildly on many stories, and it proves to be great fun to see why one reviewer utterly loathed a story while another praised it to high heaven. The ability of my co-reviewers (obviously, I won't speak for myself) to express themselves in a clear yet interesting fashion contributes greatly to this -- a feat all the more noteworthy given the brevity of the reviews.

The "Handbook" does suffer somewhat from signs of a rushed production -- spelling errors and printing gaffes are not uncommon, for instance. But otherwise the exuberance of those who made it possible (and I'm thinking of James and Dan here in particular) shines through -- even the cover is a great in-joke for Doctor Who fans, as Martin Proctor pokes fun at a certain initials-loving novelisation/video cover artist...

While those unacquainted with the Trenchcoat series will find little in the "Handbook" to recommend it, it really is a must-have for anyone who's read and enjoyed an issue... and even those who disliked it will probably be in for a hearty chuckle, as James ensures nothing is too sacred to poke fun at.

The "Trenchcoat Discontinuity Handbook" can be ordered from:

	James Bow
	99 Krug Street
	Kitchener, ON
	CANADA   N2H 2X8
at a cost of $3 Canadian or American. You can e-mail James at jamesbow@golden.net for more information.

Oh, and of course the obligatory rating ("Handbook"-style no less!): 7/10.

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