BASIC PLOT
Castle Extremis-whoever holds it can control the provinces either side that have been at war for centuries. Now the castle is about to play host to the signing of a peace treaty. But as the Doctor and Martha find out, not everyone wants the war to end.

DOCTOR
Tenth.

COMPANIONS
Martha Jones.

MATERIALISATION CIRCUIT
Pg 12 In a tunnel in Castle Extremis, time unknown.

Pg 239 Castle Extremis, a hundred years earlier.

PREPARATORY READING
None.

CONTINUITY REFERENCES
Pg 19 The psychic paper makes an appearance (The End of the World et al).

Pg 58 "Oh cripes. Crikey O'Reilly. Gordon Bennett." Ace used to say "Gordon Bennett" a lot, which is probably where the Doctor got it from. And "Crikey O'Reilly" might be related to Sarah Jane saying "Blimey O'Reilly" in The Paradise of Death.

Pg 85 "I'd spot mirror writing a mile off. Taught Leonardo how to do it." City of Death.

Pgs 109-110 "I like bananas." The Doctor Dances.

Pg 120 "I'm always all right." The Girl in the Fireplace.

Pg 130 The sonic screwdriver makes an appearance (Fury From the Deep et al).

Pg 135 "'It burned for a long time.' 'Everlasting match'" Doctor Who in an exciting Adventure with the Daleks.

Pg 148 "'It feels old. Yet...' He turned another page. 'Yet this is an entry for today.'" The diary is very similar to the books in Castrovalva.

Pg 158 "With a sigh, the Doctor adjusted a setting, and aimed the sonic screwdriver. The air was split with the deafening roar of the explosion as the mine detonated." Just as he does in The Sea Devils.

Pg 164 "'The hedges move?!' 'Well, I don't know. Be fun if they did though. I was in a maze once...'" The Horns of Nimon.

Pg 231 "'It isn't a real mirror at all,' the Doctor agreed. 'Otherwise we'd be on the lookout for a girl with a red balloon'" The Family of Blood.

OLD FRIENDS AND OLD ENEMIES
None.

NEW FRIENDS AND NEW ENEMIES
Stellman, Tylda, Tylda's reflection, Manfred Grieg, Bill & Bott, Lady Casaubon, Gonfer, Colonel Blench.

CONTINUITY COCK-UPS

• Front cover: There's no scene of two Marthas, one inside the mirror and one out. Worse, had there been, then the real Martha would have been trapped in a glass state, unable to function in the real world without chipping and shattering into tiny pieces.

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

• Mickey's in for a big surprise on his honeymoon.

FEATURED ALIEN RACES
Pg 8 Robots.

Pg 24/26 Zerugians, who look like walking crocodiles.

The Anthiums appear human, but it's unclear whether they're humans in the far future or aliens who look human.

Pg 199 Mirror men, reflections that become solid and are made of glass when they step into the real world.

FEATURED LOCATIONS
Pg 18 Castle Extremis, time unknown.

Pg 239 The same, but a hundred years earlier.

IN SUMMARY - Robert Smith?
This is a great little story that positively whizzes by. If it has a flaw, it's only that it's a little too much Justin Richards' Greatest Hits (particularly Dreams of Empire)... but that's not actually that much of a flaw, when you think about it. The crocodile monsters are good, the supporting cast are workable enough, the mirror menace is well done and there are even a couple of surprise twists. The identity of the villain isn't one (unless the twist is that he's so clearly the villain that you're sure it's going to be someone else), but there are enough other surprises to keep this running. The Doctor's annoying, yes, but that isn't actually out of character. Although someone should tell Justin Richards that humour doesn't work when it's forced; oh wait, I think I did that a decade ago. All in all, a snappy little read, with just one mystery: why is it called Martha in the Mirror when she spends a grand total of two scenes inside?