Big Finish The Two Jasons A Novel

Written by	Dave Stone
ISBN	1 84435 279 1
Published	2006

Synopsis: A few years ago, Jason Kane created three clones of himself, to help him in a scam. Afterwards, the replicants went their separate ways, but now somebody is trying to kill them. Plagued by flashbacks of the original Jason's life, the surviving clones must join forces or die. Or possibly both.

• A Review by Joe Ford

A Review by Joe Ford 15/3/10

I don't think there is anything beyond this range now. This book was ultimate Bernice Summerfield experience: we head back into the realms of the Virgin New Adventures and re-visit her first meeting with Jason Kane and then tear forward to her exciting new role as the President of Earth. Only thing is, Bernice Summerfield does not appear in this book. Well she does, but not in the current timeline that we know her. No, this time Dave Stone has returned to his creation, Jason Kane, and has provided the ultimate Jason Kane experience.

What is so clever is how Stone has taken what was basically a comedy sketch in an anthology and turned into something so much deeper. He has also tied the plot into the current audio series too so the book adds layers to the running story and made Jason Kane's current departure from the series a memorable one.

I want to talk a little about Stone's writing, which he himself addresses in the back of this book. It has improved in leaps and bounds since he first burst into the Doctor Who universe with Sky Pirates. He admits: "Back in the day I had a lot of energy but much less skill, and far less clarity of thought in any literary sense than I have now." He goes on to admit that accusing those of hating his initial writing style (ooh that's me by the way) were not stupid, they were clever for spotting generally terrible prose. What a brave thing to admit to an audience. And whilst I wouldn't be quite as harsh as he is (there are some comedy gems in all of his early works, including Sky Pirates) I would have to agree that his work has come on in leaps and bounds. It is just a shame that his peerless prose as featured in the Big Finish Benny range is being appreciated by such a small audience. Still, on the plus side, I feel pleased to be able to have chartered the work of this remarkable and imaginative (and very funny) author over 10 years. Stone says this book is his suicide note and, if so, The Two Jasons is the pinnacle of his Doctor Who (and related spinoffs) career.

It sounds like such a lame idea, doesn't it? Bernice and Jason's introductory stories being re-told for their latest audience because so many Big Finish readers seem to be asking why did she ever marry this jerk? This really, really works though. What Stone has done, almost imperceptibly at first (it took me three or four chapters to realise that I had already!) is take all of the best bits out of Death and Diplomacy (ie the Benny and Jason scenes), excised the Doctor completely and re-written all of the scenes that were originally all from Bernice's point of view so they now read from Jason's point of view. Suddenly this material feels fresh and exciting; if you can have Death and Diplomacy next to you whilst reading this you can see not only how much better written this is, embellished in all the right places and with some painfully dull material cut out, but you'll now understand exactly why this rough boy was exactly the type Bernice would fall for. Initially, these scenes are the highlight of the book because from Jason's POV they are even funnier but because it is such a brilliant reminder of the past and how far we have come since then.

The second plot playing out concurrently is from the point of view of two Jason wanabees, duplicates that were created in the hilariously zany Sex Secrets of the Robot Replicants. Continuing this probing look at what makes Jason work as a character, there are some alarming flashbacks to his childhood before he was whipped away into the future. These read uncomfortably because they head into some disturbing adult territory featuring Jason's father stalking through their house searching for Jason and his younger sister so he can abuse them. Memories of Lucy having her fingers broken with a mallet and his mum so terrified that she has to cheer on the monster are so sick you begin to understand why Jason has so much trouble committing. It is this sort of probing and uncomfortable material that I miss from the Doctor Who range, forcing a character to confront his disturbing past. The character work that has been done with Jason in the Big Finish range is nothing short of a miracle, taking something of a one-dimensional rogue and turning all that around. Accusing him of being a cheater and a traitor (for the Fifth Axis) and then proving him to be a real hero and family man. The nips and tucks that Braxiatel has been making to his timeline are worrying because he is trying to put Jason aside and make him look like a loser but even with his revisions Jason is still coming through. He is the unsung hero of the Bernice range.

You would think the adventures of a replica of Jason would be thoroughly boring but it is through this character that we are taken through the flashbacks to Death and Diplomacy. Where the novels scores even more is the 2Jason's comments on his "real" self's choices, it reads like a psychological examination of your own past, complete with embarrassment, shock and anger. The replica heats up throughout the book, angered by Jason's cruel decision to have the replicas not remember his intimate moments (the best of his life) and vividly recall all of the pain and sacrifice (especially walking away from his sister and mother and leaving them at the mercy of his monstrous father). It is typical of how the characters grow and mature throughout that he comes to realise just why the "real" Jason has excised his better memories and even becomes self aware of the purpose behind his creation. Jason was scared his life was being manipulated and wanted to create copies with all of his memories implanted. This ties in beautifully with the shocking and dramatic revelations in The End of the World where Jason finally snaps and confronts his tormentor Braxiatel with devastating results.

The character of Mira initially proves superfluous; another element of Jason's past to give him a more rounded history but her contribution to the story is essential. The final chapter blossoms with twists and turns that undermines everything Mira has done throughout the book. Her very existence is questioned and we suddenly realise just how far Braxiatel has gone. This is beyond protecting the Collection; lives are being created and snuffed out, wars brewed and races dying; what are the motives behind this enigmatic Time Lord? Being embroiled in the pain and torture of characters we have come to sympathise who are being manipulated to such a degree makes Brax appear more villainous than ever. It's gripping stuff.

An intriguing mixture of rehashing the past and brewing drama for the future; this is not all nostalgia and arc-building though. It tells the story of a Jason Kane who was never meant to exist, one who was grown in a laboratory and fed his 30 years of memories from his first day of existence. A construct that has become a pawn in a deadly game and is coming to terms with the trauma and anguish of his "real" counterparts past. Plotting the story so the replica frames the Death and Diplomacy sequences as a narrative and revealing why his life comes to a point where remembering that narrative is necessary, Stone creates a circular story that probes Jason Kane without actually visiting the character we know and love until the last few chapters. And that is only scripted moments from The End of the World CD. The Two Jasons pleasingly leaves the replica in a happy place ten years in the future with a Bernice who will feature in the upcoming CD The Final Amendment. Whilst closing the storyline for the replica this story is ready to be picked up by "our" Jason in The End of the World. Clever, clever stuff, intertwining novel and audio so both is the richer for it.

I adored this book and read in a day, unable to put it down. That is a feeling I have not felt for a while. Whilst there is hardly a regular Bernice range novel output these days, what they have been producing has been top-flight stuff and Dave Stone has proven to be not only a prolific contributor, but also the best. This book is recommend to any fan of Benny and I promise you will definitely want to find out what happens next...