Calufrax

Story: Balm of Gilead
Author: Patrice
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 37,496
Author's Summary: Still coping with the events surrounding "Enlightenment," the Doctor, Tegan, and Turlough stumble into the American South, circa 1850. While trying to help some newfound friends, Turlough makes a startling discovery about himself.
Characters/Pairings: Tegan Jovanka, Vislor Turlough, Fifth Doctor
Warnings: none

Recced because: Patrice is one of my favorite authors when it comes to the Fifth Doctor's era, and it was really hard to choose just one of her stories to rec. I finally decided on this one, though, for a variety of reasons. In it, she takes a difficult place and time period - the Deep South, sometime prior to the American Civil War - and throws the Doctor and his companions into a situation that that can't be "fixed" simply by a snap of the fingers. While there's an alien presence, many of the issues dealth with - most noticeably the issue of slavery - is because of humans, not aliens.

One of the things I adore about this story is that it gives us a deeper look at the Doctor, Tegan, and Turlough than is usually presented. By showing their reactions to the situation, each of them unique to the character's personality, it reveals quite a bit about who they really are inside. Add a delightfully complex plot to that, not to mention the story's length, and you're in for a terrific read.

( short excerpt )

Don't forget to leave feedback for the author if you enjoy the story.