Cwej: Down the Middle

Cwej: Down the Middle is a 2020 science-fiction anthology published by Arcbeatle Press, with contributions from various authors, including the creator of Chris Cwej, Andy Lane, and was edited by Hunter O'Connell. It is the first installment in Cwej: The Series, and is a spin-off of the multi-media series Doctor Who.

Cwej: Down the Middle
AuthorVarious
Cover artistBri Crozier
LanguageEnglish
SeriesCwej: The Series
GenreScience fiction
PublishedOctober 28, 2020
Media typePrint
Pages686

The anthology features the return of Chris Cwej, a companion of the Doctor from the Virgin New Adventures series, as well as the character of Iris Wildthyme. Elements from the Arcbeatle series 10,000 Dawns would also appear.

It received mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised it for its strong writing and stories, with some comparisons being made to the Faction Paradox series, another spin-off of Doctor Who.

Stories
StoryAuthor
A Bright White CrackHunter O'Connell
Fountain of YouthJeffery Koval
Flickering FlameAndy Lane
Hearts of GoldSam Maleski
InfinityMatthew Sychantha
Judy Collins vs Christopher CwejRachel Redhead
In the LoopJames Wylder
Ring TheoryCharles Witt
Crushing RealityJames Hornby
The Weasels and the WarpfieldSimon Bucher-Jones
When I RememberSimon Bucher-Jones
The Mushroom at the End of the UniverseGreg Maughan
Collective UnconsciousMichael Robertson
Soft TargetVince Stadon
The EternalEvan Forman
The Ursine BroodGerard Power
The Trauma DeceptionJames Wylder
The PsyCon PredictionJames Wylder (story by Hunter O'Connell)
The AftermathHunter O'Connell
The V CwejesTyche McPhee Letts
Rebel RebelCharles Whitt, Mark Laherty
Vignettes of an UprisingHunter O'Connell, Gerard Power, Charles Whitt, James Wylder

Production

Originally, The PsyCon Prediction was to be called Cwej and the Thief, but this was changed before publication.[1]

Stories A Bright White Crack and Collective Unconscious were released online for free to promote the anthology.[2][3]

In a Reddit AMA, Andy Lane described his story as being inspired by TV show, The X-Files.[4]

Reception

Jon Arnold of We Are Cult stated that, "Down the Middle is a hugely promising start to the Cwej range: Rich in character and creative reimagining of older ideas to provide fresh perspectives and significant moral dilemmas with ongoing consequences for its characters."[5]

Lupan Evezan, creator of the series The Crew of the Copper-Colored Cupids, praised the anthology, calling it, "A wonderful continuation of the story of Chris Cwej".[6]

Actress Katy Manning, who played Jo Grant in Doctor Who, and also portrayed the character of Iris Wildthyme, would promote the book on her Twitter account.[7]

Sequels

Two anthology sequels, Hidden Truths, and Seasons, are scheduled to be released at an undetermined date.[8]

According to a tweet made by Blood and the Stars and 10,000 Dawns writer Aidan Mason, he will be contributing a story to the Seasons anthology.[9]

A comic, featuring the likeness of Travis Oliver, is also in the works.[8]

References
  1. "Facebook". facebook.com. Retrieved 3 September 2021.[self-published]
  2. "Cwej: A Bright White Crack by Hunter O'Connell". Arcbeatle Press. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  3. "Cwej: Collective Unconscious by Michael Robertson Mich". Arcbeatle Press. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  4. "[AMA] I'm the creator of the Doctor Who spin-off Cwej: The Series, here with Andy Lane and T. Maynard Banks. Ask us anything!". reddit.com. Retrieved 3 September 2021.]
  5. "Out of the wilderness: 'Cwej: Down the Middle'". We Are Cult. 23 November 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  6. "Lupan Evezan's review of Cwej: Down The Middle". goodreads.com. Retrieved 3 September 2021.[self-published]
  7. @ManningOfficial (10 January 2020). "a little #IrisWildethyme goes a long way luvvies 🍸😘! a new book by Hunter O ' connell xxx" (Tweet). Retrieved 3 September 2021 – via Twitter.[self-published]
  8. "Facebook". facebook.com. Retrieved 3 September 2021.[self-published]
  9. @Aidanspen (24 September 2021). "Since #DoctorWho is trending right now, I'm proud to announce that I'm in talks with @ArcbeatlePress to write for t…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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