BASIC PLOT
Somebody is about to change everything - and it's possible that no one on the Crooked World will ever be happy again. The Doctor's TARDIS is about to arrive. And when it does... That's all folks!

DOCTOR
Eighth.

COMPANIONS
Fitz and Anji.

MATERIALISATION CIRCUIT
Streaky Bacon's farm, The Crooked World, the future (page 4).

PREPARATORY READING
None.

CONTINUITY REFERENCES
Pg 17 "His lone heart was pumping his life away." The Doctor lost his heart in The Adventuress of Henrietta Street.

Pg 19 "No hospitals..." The eighth Doctor clearly isn't too comfortable with hospitals, after events in the Telemovie.

Pg 29 "Anji had only recently been here before" The TARDIS also flipped in The Book of the Still.

Pg 47 "Fitz... er, Fortune." EarthWorld.

Pg 57 "Not talking dogs. Not again." Mad Dogs and Englishmen.

Pg 99 "Some time ago, the TARDIS had taken her to a place where folk tales had come true." Grimm Reality.

Pg 130 "I mean the fairy tale world I could understand." Grimm Reality.

Pg 134 "She grabbed a tablet from the food machine." First seen in The Daleks.

Pg 181 "The man was dressed in a red smoking jacket, a ruffled shirt and black pantaloons (an outfit like the Doctor might have worn, although the Doctor's clothes weren't phosphorescent, of course)." Reference to the third Doctor's outfit.

Pgs 196-197 "The owner of an Earth-based theme park, perhaps, like EarthWorld, sent out of control." EarthWorld

OLD FRIENDS AND OLD ENEMIES
None.

NEW FRIENDS AND NEW ENEMIES
Streaky Bacon, Boss Dogg, Jasper the cat, Angel Falls, Mr Weasley.

The Skeleton Crew: Mike Leader, Thelma Brains, Harmony Looker, Tim Coward and Fearless the dog.

Mr Gruenwald.

CONTINUITY COCK-UPS

1. Pg 23 "Someone was moving through the fighting animals, unaffected and apparently unconcerned by them, his heard jerking from side to side as if looking for something" I wonder if his head was jerking as well?
2. Pg 212 Fitz can swim here, although he couldn't in EarthWorld. It's unlikely to be a side effect of the Crooked World's unusual physics, since they're breaking down at this point. Also, Reckless Engineering (pg 114) reveals that he still can't swim, having had only two lessons from Anji.

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

1. The figure is clearly listening for something as well.
2. This must be one of the few remaining aspects of the Crooked World's unusual phsyics to remain intact. Lucky Fitz!

FEATURED ALIEN RACES
A variety of cartoon characters, although as they're all based on Earth animals, they're not really aliens. The 'true', susceptible forms of the aliens may be the (very similar and also unnamed) Gods from Salvation, although this is never made explicit.

In the same vein, although it's never stated explicitly, the child mentioned on page 243 was almost certainly human.

FEATURED LOCATIONS
Zanytown and surroundings, The Crooked World.

IN SUMMARY - Robert Smith?
For a novel set in a cartoon universe of mindless violence, contrived plots and comic pratfalls, The Crooked World is surprisingly serious. There are some hilarious jokes scattered throughout and the worldbuilding is worth the price of admission alone. However, the seriousness works perfectly to offset the wacky setting, as characters undergo emotional growth, the regulars begin to understand and manipulate the world and the story rockets towards a conclusion that's both surprising and touching. I can't think of an EDA I've enjoyed more.