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 an officially licensed spin-off of the multi-media series Doctor Who.[1][2]

Cwej: Down the Middle
Cover of the anthology, featuring Chris Cwej in the center, with multiple other characters around him.
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

The project was devised as an anthology and multiple writers were commissioned to participate in the project, including those who had written for Doctor Who before, such as Simon Butcher Jones and Andy Lane. James Hornby, who wrote for the UNIT spin-off series, also was tapped to write a story.[2]

Editor Hunter O'Connell noted in a retrospective that the character of Cwej was, "like a puppy who was saved from a dog fight", stating that the intention of the anthology was to present Cwej's journey to return to where he was.[3] O'Connell also described the series as a passion project and described Cwej as, "Philosophically complex and motivated by truth".[4]

Originally, The PsyCon Prediction was to be called Cwej and the Thief, but this was changed before publication.[5]

Stories A Bright White Crack and Collective Unconscious were released online for free to promote the anthology.[6][7]

In a Reddit AMA, Andy Lane described his story as being inspired by TV show, The X-Files.[8]

Various pieces of original artwork were created by Bri Crozier, Mia Ashford-John, Brian Gorman, Emmeryn Telemain Reed, Callum and Stuart Brown, Dawn Rushim, Derek Dodebier, Newt Griffin, and Johannes Chazot.[4]

Reprint

The book was given a reprint in 2023, featuring a new cover with updated corrections to the original version.[9]

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."[10]

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".[11]

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.[12]

Sequels

In the press release for the second edition of Down the Middle, writer James Hornby noted that, "The team at Arcbeatle have big plans for Cwej, and it all begins with Down the Middle".[2]

Two anthology sequels, Hidden Truths, and Seasons, are scheduled to be released at an undetermined date.[13]

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.[14]

A comic, featuring the likeness of Travis Oliver, is also in the works.[13]

References
  1. "Elkhart publisher breathes new life to nostalgic sci-fi universe". The Goshen News. 27 October 2022.
  2. "New Edition of Sci-Fi Adventure "Cwej: Down the Middle" Coming March 21st". Associated Press. 9 March 2023.
  3. "New Edition of Sci-Fi Adventure "Cwej: Down the Middle" Coming March 21st". WXIN. 9 March 2023.
  4. Nolan, Peter. "Cwej: Down the Middle – The Doctor Who Companion's Own Collection is Out Now". Blogtor Who. DT Forum Ltd. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  5. "Facebook". facebook.com. Retrieved 3 September 2021.[self-published]
  6. "Cwej: A Bright White Crack by Hunter O'Connell". Arcbeatle Press. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  7. "Cwej: Collective Unconscious by Michael Robertson Mich". Arcbeatle Press. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  8. "[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.]
  9. "New Edition of Sci-Fi Adventure "Cwej: Down the Middle" Coming March 21st". KHON-TV. 9 March 2023.
  10. "Out of the wilderness: 'Cwej: Down the Middle'". We Are Cult. 23 November 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  11. "Lupan Evezan's review of Cwej: Down The Middle". goodreads.com. Retrieved 3 September 2021.[self-published]
  12. @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]
  13. "Facebook". facebook.com. Retrieved 3 September 2021.[self-published]
  14. @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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