Master Works: Companions Meet the Doctor’s Best Frenemy

Master Works: Companions Meet the Doctor’s Greatest Frenemy (2020), edited by Elizabeth A. Allen, was a limited-edition, print-on-demand, unlicensed, unofficial charity anthology of Doctor Who fanfic and art. All written and illustrated pieces were donated by the creators, and all proceeds from four weeks of sales ($528.57) went to Migrant Justice, a Vermont-based nonprofit organization supporting migrant workers and promoting their rights. In four weeks of sales, Master Works raised $550.00 for Migrant Justice.

From the back cover:

We all know that the Master has a — shall we say? — tempestuous relationship with the Doctor, their greatest frenemy. Across their regenerations, the Master’s relationships with the Doctor’s companions are equally variable. The Doctor Who fanthology Master Works explores that frenemy/companion bond with short stories and art.

Masters and companions appear in diverse combinations in these pages. Clara swoops in to rescue Bill from Razor Master and a Cyber dystopia. Trapped in the Vault, Missy asks Jo for a teensy little favor. Barred from contact with the Doctor, a sick Alison must depend on the robotic Master for help. Leela squares off against the War Master. Jo resists Delgado Master’s mind powers. Ace and Ainley Master unwillingly collaborate to escape the Cheetah Planet. Iris and Ainley Master make for a dastardly duo, if not always an effective one. Clara and Me encounter Pryce Master in the sewers of Tersurus. Jack Harkness meets an innocent old man—or is it Yana Master, an earlier version of his past enemy? Sally and Macqueen Master match wits against a familiar fairy tale figure. And Bill gives Missy a surprisingly useful gift.

Revolutionary, prisoner, nurse, cheetah in progress, and more—whatever form the Master takes in these stories, they’re a formidable character. And they always meet their match in the Doctor’s companions. Whether serious or comic, cerebral or action-packed, the stories and art in Master Works celebrate companions’ resourcefulness and the Master’s cleverness with creativity and style.

This is a charity anthology, with all proceeds going to support Migrant Justice, a U.S.-based nonprofit that uplifts the farmworker community and partners with community organizations to promote economic justice and human rights.

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