The Pawn of Leptos

Zine
Title:	The Pawn of Leptos
Publisher:	Mary D. Bloemker
Editor:
Author(s):	Constans Faddis
Cover Artist(s):	Mary D. Bloemker
Illustrator(s):
Date(s):	1981
Medium:	print
Size:
Genre:
Fandom:	Doctor Who
Language:	English
External Links:
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cover by Mary D. Bloemker

The Pawn of Leptos is a gen Doctor Who 107-page novel by Connie Faddis. It is a Faces of Time Special Edition #1. It is illoed by Stephanie Hawks, with one illo by Mary D. Bloemker.

Summaries and Blurbs

"The Faces of Time Special Edition: Pawn of Leptos is a single story zine... Originally, the story was to be the centerpiece of Faces of Time #2. The length and complexity - and sheer quality of the writing - prompted Mary to publish this as a standalone."

"Sarah Jane Smith is used to the Doctor's mysterious disappearances but this time he's left TARDIS behind. Something sinister is brewing, and time is running out -- in more ways that one."

"During a spur-of-the-moment visit to Sarah Jane's New York apartment, the Doctor mysteriously disappears. Not so unusual- but this time, he's left the TARDIS behind. The Doctor is facing the fight of his lives and time is running out...in more ways than one."

Sample Interior

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  Stephanie Hawks

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  Stephanie Hawks

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  Stephanie Hawks

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  Mary D. Bloemker

Reactions and Reviews

Connie packs a lot of story into this, with no wasted words. As is typical of Connie's style, every sentence, every line of dialogue, advances the plot or deepens the characterizations.

In PAWN OF LEPTOS, Connie Faddis injects all the delights and charm of the series and adds more of her own. It is packed with wit ("I fancy you find some gratification in these displays of esoteric name-dropping" and a description of the Doctor as "a bourgeois Emmett Kelly"), a delightfully complicated science fiction plot that could have been penned by DW's most imaginative scriptwriter, and the added plus of the Doctor's warmest, most memorable of companions, Sarah Jane Smith. I'm rather prejudiced when it comes to Sarah, as she's my favorite of the companions seen on U.S. TV. Basically, the evil Leptosians kidnap the Doctor and brainwash him in their attempt to drive a wedge in the time treaty negotiations between Gallifrey and the Ishii, a sort of stick-like, hard-skinned species, so that the Leptosians will be free to loot and pillage the universe with time as their weapon. By far the best scenes here involve the Doctor, trapped in asphasic silence, desperately trying to communicate and clinging to Sarah because she is the only one who can blunt the pain in which the Leptosians have left him. Then, too, there is Sarah herself, whom Connie has down pat. My cynicism toward my own species is forgotten when Sarah, among all the aliens, does her innocent best to help. It is her humanness that saves her from all the bizarre goings-on, which she can barely understand. Her courage and eagerness to assist is poignantly shown in this line of dialogue: ". . .we [humans] aren't all namby-pambies, we have good ideas too. . ." She is the driving force for the Doctor, whose thoughts on her ("My Sarah. My Beatrice.") and humans in general show his ability to love and care and make us understand why the alien Time Lord would want to hang around with humans: "He wondered vaguely how addicted he was, now, to the unique effects of companioning with humans. No so addicted; but for all their shortcomings, and their pitifully brief lifespans, they were — the earing ones — a strength for him and a kind of stimulation." This is the kind of humanistic idealism that is all too rare in sf shows and media fandom. It's what gave ST its life. One of the more memorable scenes occurs when the Doctor, kidnapped a second time by the Leptosians, is again put into the brainwashing tank, causing his other selves to band together and discuss how they can help. Connie has their speech and wit down perfectly. She's got everyone down perfectly, including the Doctor's old Gallifreyan tutor, Borusa, who comes across as sternly compassionate, ever mathematical, yet learning to cope with things as they come. Her Ishii aliens are wonderfully drawn. One of them, Uexkull, has a delightful English phraseology. ("Large inconsistency in planet name. Should not be 'Earth'. More fittingly called 'Sea'.") Of course, the one thing I'm leery about is the show's and this novel's portrayal of the relationship between the Doctor/Gallifrey and British and American intelligence services. Wouldn't trust any alien that collaborates with those elements. But DW doesn't deserve that kind of analysis. It's just a lot of lightweight fun with some sincere human warmth thrown in. Faddis' writing is, as usual, enviably masterful. Her technique and style are powerfully evocative, economical, and always active. A rather frustrating, yet instructive, experience for the neo writer. The art is by Stephanie Hawks and Mary Bloemker. Hawks' illos are beautifully detailed, fluid, and all too infrequent depictions of powerful, pertinent scenes. Her best is unarguably that of the tormented Doctor, who has chained himself to a post so that he will not carry out the imprinted Leptosian directive to assassinate the Ishii delegate. The illo is set inside the Ishii pavilion, with Borusa looking on. Behind him is the Ishii delegate, still in its trance. Bloemker, a long-time favorite of mine with her free, expressive style, gives us an impressive cover with all the principles wearing various detailed expressions. Her illo of the Doctor and Sarah could easily be sold for quite a bit of money at an art auction. But my favorite of hers has to be the last, that of Sarah's kitten licking its paw. (Sorry folks, I'm an incurable catlover.) The only complaint I have of this zine's illos concern those of Sarah, whose short, curly hair-do makes her look a little unattractive. I prefer the earlier hairstyle. A fine buy for all DW fans.

This special issue is wholly a Doctor Who novel by Connie Faddis, "The Pawn of Leptos." Part of it is a theme the author has used before, in Star Trek fandom "None There Embrace," and in Starsky & Hutch fandom "Solitaire": the hero through no fault of his own must suffer deep physical and psychological torment until the help of his friends pulls him back from full death. In all her stories, Faddis has used complex and compelling imagery to express this theme.

Unlike the others, which ended on the catharsis, "Pawn" goes on with a fairly standard Dr. Who plot; the Doctor must determine who is trying to wreck Gallifrey's negotiations with the Ishii and stop him, and as a bonus, he finds out who has placed him in his jeopardy in the beginning of the story. The writing, as is typical for Faddis, is classy; even though this novel is a juvenile, it's professional.

In contrast to the wealth of the imagery, the story is not overly complex, nor the style recondite, which is probably due in large part to the genre ~ Dr. Who is after all a kid's program though with class. For the uninitiated reader, "Pawn" is not difficult to follow, in fact it's clearer and more comprehensible than many of the TV episodes. Recommended.

CONTENTS-5 GRAPHICS-4 $ WORTH -4

The Doctor has been kidnapped and brainwashed - to do what? This is a first-rate adventure story by Ms. Faddis. The Doctor and Sarah Jane are always in character and it is one of those books you find almost impossible to put down. (At least I did. I read the whole thing at one sitting. I wasn't about to miss what happened on the next page!)

Artwork ranges from very good to excellent. A quality zine and well worth the price.