BASIC PLOT
The TARDIS lands in the middle of the American Civil War. With the Doctor trapped on the other side of the conflict, Peri and Erimem must struggle to survive the country's racism and hatred.

DOCTOR
Fifth.

COMPANIONS
Peri and Erimem.

MATERIALISATION CIRCUIT
Pgs 26, 27, 30 Inside some bushes, Gable, West Virginia, USA, February 21st 1865.

Pg 85 The Eye of Orion (probably).

Pgs 87-88 The Eye of Orion (probably), as well as an unseen trip to the USA, c 1865.

PREPARATORY READING
None.

CONTINUITY REFERENCES
Pg 26 Reference to Howard (Planet of Fire).

Pg 28 "I had seen her home, now it was her turn to see mine." Eye of the Scorpion.

Pg 54 "Like that time we downed three bottles of Denebian wine sitting outside a bar on Riga, just watching the four suns set into the sea." Deneb is referenced in The Ultimate Adventure.

Pg 55 "She had been chased by mercenaries outside Thebes." Eye of the Scorpion.

Pg 77 "It seems he is a real doctor. He said something about having studied in Glasgow." The Moonbase.

Pg 81 "He says that he will use it to take Peri and Erimem to a place where he is certain that they can heal and recover. It is not a hospital or, God forbid, a lunatic asylum. Instead he calls it a 'place of tranquillity'." Presumably the Eye of Orion, seen in The Five Doctors.

Pg 88 "'We can't change history,' he said. 'Not one line.'" The Aztecs.

OLD FRIENDS AND OLD ENEMIES
None.

NEW FRIENDS AND NEW ENEMIES
Will Johnson, Paul LeVal, Moses Smith, Claire Bartlett (although it's not clear if the TARDIS crew ever meet her).

CONTINUITY COCK-UPS

• Pg 79 "Interview with former Private Aaron Eddowes Conducted April 17th, 1895" It seems extremely odd that this interview is conducted thirty years later and that the private is still in prison. Or more likely that this is a typo for "1865".

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

• Attempted presidential assassination clearly carried a long sentence and Eddowes clearly didn't want to talk about it until he was on his deathbed.

FEATURED ALIEN RACES
Pg 86 Something between a cat and a rabbit.

Hand-sized butterflies.

FEATURED LOCATIONS
Note: Blood and Hope is presented in the form of letters and diary extracts, so the locations mentioned here are those from which the letters originate.

Quincy, Illinois, 1858.

Diensberg, Massachusetts, 1860, 1861.

Lyon Ridge, South Carolina, 1860, 1861, 1863.

Buckley, Virginia, 1861, 1865.

Gable, West Virginia, 1865.

Washington D.C., 1865.

Billingsville Prison, Virginia, 1865.

Richmond, Virginia, 1865

Appomattox Court House, Virginia, 1865.

Headquarters, Army of Northern Virginia, 1865.

Libby Prison, 1895 (but see Continuity Cock-Ups).

Pgs 81/85 The Eye of Orion (probably).

IN SUMMARY - Robert Smith?
Fantastic. One of the shortest novellas, but thoroughly involving. Presenting the events through letters and various extracts really makes this book, and for once you feel for the original characters even more than the TARDIS crew. Of the regulars, Peri gets the best work, although the Doctor is reasonably done. Erimem is almost nonexistent, which is a shame for those of us new to her, but probably unavoidable given the subject matter. Which is thoroughly involving and magnificently portrayed. Deliciously done.