BASIC PLOT
The Fourth Doctor finds himself investigating a murder in Oxford in 1278... aided by Nyssa of Traken, who fondly remembers the young man she last saw on Terminus.

DOCTOR
Fourth (pre-Traken).

COMPANIONS
Nyssa (post-Terminus).

MATERIALISATION CIRCUIT
Nyssa's Home, 3488 (location uncertain).

Oxford 1278.

PREPARATORY READING
None.

CONTINUITY REFERENCES
Pgs 19-20 "She had conquered Lazar's Disease, and had helped to administer the distribution of the vaccine she had developed." We see the post-Terminus career of Nyssa and her eventual acceptance of a university post.

Pg 46 "Doctor, [...] what language have I been speaking today?" The TARDIS translation circuits perform an unusual function in thirteenth century Oxford - they translate the Doctor's speech into English or Latin, yet Nyssa's into courtly French (although both can switch at will). This is justified in the essay at the back of the book, where it explains that most people of the time were able to speak these languages to various degrees and would often switch back and forth, depending who they were talking to.

"She was, after all, the daughter of Consul Tremas, who had been Keeper-designate of all Traken." The Keeper of Traken, obviously. Nyssa decides that the TARDIS translates her speech into French, since she is the equivalent of a noblewoman.

Pg 65 "I am a member of a contemplative house. The Prydonian order. You won't have heard of it. We're terribly reclusive. I'm one of the very few peripatetic, mendicant members." The Doctor passes himself off loosely as a monk, which isn't that far from the Time Lords.

Pg 67 "I swear it by the Sash of Rassilon. [...] The Sash is the holiest of the relics of my order." The Deadly Assassin.

Pg 147 "He doesn't know I've killed Cybermen." Earthshock.

Pg 148 "For a second Nyssa was reminded of the Cyberman she had killed, and she winced at the memory." Earthshock again.

Pg 172 "I feel as though I've been running ever since my father died." The Keeper of Traken (although also Logopolis, presumably).

Pg 217 "I don't have regeneration or an afterlife to look forward to." Another comparison between religion and the Time Lords.

"To exist or not to exist. [...] That is the question. I gave Shakespeare that line, you know. but he changed it. ungrateful fellow." The Doctor also mentions helping Shakespeare in City of Death.

Pg 219 "I don't make a habit of letting my companions die." Implied reference to Adric's death in Earthshock. This explains much of the book's raison d'etre; a post-Adric Doctor would not have been so blase about leaving Nyssa in potential danger, but she spends a great deal of the book reflecting on safety and the danger she finds herself in.

OLD FRIENDS AND OLD ENEMIES
None.

NEW FRIENDS AND NEW ENEMIES
Non-corporeal aliens, Roger Bacon.

CONTINUITY COCK-UPS
None. Nyssa appears out of continuity, but this is dealt with in the book.

PLUGGING THE HOLES [Fan-wank theorizing of how to fix continuity cock-ups]
N/A

FEATURED ALIEN RACES
Unnamed non-corporeal aliens, who can inhabit the minds and bodies of corporeal beings.

FEATURED LOCATIONS
Oxford 1278.

London 1346.

Nyssa's Home, 3488.

IN SUMMARY - Robert Smith?
Quite charming. The murder mystery is a little obvious and Nyssa doesn't actually get to do very much for most of the book, but the book excels in evoking the details of the time and place it's set in. The odd pairing of the pre-Traken Fourth Doctor and post-Terminus Nyssa raises this above the ordinary to do some decent character exploration, in contrast to almost every other Past Doctor Adventure. This book also knows exactly when to stop, rather than padding out its page count and the 22 page essay at the end is fascinating and extremely well-written. Surprisingly delightful.