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Down the Middle was an anthology published by Arcbeatle Press. It was the first full instalment in Cwej: The Series, a spin-off starring Chris Cwej, a former companion of the Seventh Doctor.

It was comprised of 28 short stories, and featured characters and concepts from various other series, some spin-offs, and others which weren't originally connected to the DWU, but crossed over for the duration of the anthology.

Vignettes of an Uprising, the last entry in Down the Middle acted as linking material for the previous short story, Rebel Rebel, and was also an umbrella title for 8 different stories.

Publisher's summary[]

Chris Cwej. Once, a policeman, tasked with maintaining order through the galaxy. Once, a traveler through space and time, righting wrongs with his friends.

Now – an operative for powers far beyond humanity's comprehension. A soldier in cosmic games, trying to obey the commands of his Superiors, but facing, time and again, heartbreak and sacrifice. Far from everything and everyone he once cared about, and drifting through an infinity of wars, conspiracies and betrayals...

These are his stories – tales of unlikely allies, of doomed love affairs and of wild interventions in Earth's history. From battlefields to cozy meetings with adventuress Iris Wildthyme: a chronicle of a man split down the middle.

CWEJ: DOWN THE MIDDLE is an officially-licensed anthology continuing the adventures of the character created for the Virgin New Adventures book line, featuring contributions from Doctor Who writers Andy Lane (Original Sin, All-Consuming Fire, A Thousand Tiny Wings) and Simon Bucher-Jones (The Death of Art, The Taking of Planet 5), alongside a vast panel of new and diverse talents.

Stories[]

# Title Author Featuring
1 A Bright White Crack Hunter O'Connell Larles, Kwol, Lady Aesc, Cwejen, Superiors, "Vicky"
2 Fountain of Youth Jeffrey Koval Larles, Kwol, Bilip
3 Flickering Flame Andy Lane Iris Wildthyme
4 Hearts of Gold
(removed from re-prints)
Sam Maleski
5 Infinity Matthew Sychantha Larles, Kwol, Donacho
6 Judy Collins vs Christopher Cwej Rachel Redhead Judy Collins, Larles, Kwol
7 In the Loop James Wylder Larles, Kwol, George Cwej, Giashnel, Kirstine
8 Ring Theory Charles Whitt Larles, Kwol, Kady, the Gestalt
9 Crushing Reality James Hornby Larles, Kwol, Superiors, Ferutu, Galactic Heritage, Vorshagg
10 The Weasels and the Warpfield Simon Bucher-Jones Quoth
11 When I Remember __________ Larles, Kwol, H. P. Lovecraft
12 The Mushroom at the End of the Universe Greg Maughan Larles, Kwol, Cwejen, Roz
13 Collective Unconscious Michael Robertson Hytherians
14 Soft Target Vince Stadon
15 The Eternal Evan Forman
16 The Ursine Brood Gerard Power Larles, Kwol, Cwejen
17 The Trauma Deception James Wylder Giashnel, Hytherians, Suala
18 The PsyCon Prediction James Wylder, story by Hunter O'Connell Larles, Kwol, Donacho, Suala
19 The Aftermath Hunter O'Connell Larles, Kwol, Iris, Judy, Superiors, "Vicky", George Cwej, Bilip, Kady, the Gestalt, Cwejen
20 The V Cwejes Tyche McPhee Letts Kwol, Superiors, P.R.O.B.E., Cyberons, Hytherians, Veltrochni
21 Rebel Rebel Charles Whitt, Dillon O'Hara Larles, Kwol, Koschei, Superiors, Cwejen, Cyberons, "Vicky", Giashnel, Tina, Frey, the Friend, Ephem
22 Vignettes of an Uprising Years of Pompeii Hunter O'Connell Cwejen
A Friendly Vignette Gerard Power The Friend
The Armored Creature of 004X Charles Whitt The Healer, Cwejen
Before Chris Cwej's Trial Larles
P.R.O.B.E. Data Log #55: Mr. X P.R.O.B.E.
Possessive Love Hunter O'Connell The Friend
The Five Christinas James Wylder Cousin Eliza, Kirstine, Tina
Epilogue Hunter O’Connell Superiors

Arcs[]

On 27 September 2023, the anthology was cut down in what was known as "Arcs", which was essentially seperate books containing a certain number of the stories from the anthology to enable purchase for fans who found the entire anthology to be too expensive. These re-releases would exclude Hearts of Gold by Sam Maleski.

# Title Release
Arc 1 Living Memory 27 September 2023
Arc 2 Dying to Forget

Notes[]

Cwej down the middle second edition back cover

The back cover of the second edition, showing Kwol (left) and Larles (right).

  • When the anthology was first announced, a slightly different cover with a non-final logo was released.
  • At 686 pages, the paperback edition of the anthology is the longest work of DWU prose covered by this Wiki.
  • The PsyCon Prediction was originally named Cwej and the Thief.[1]
  • The cover art by Bri Crozier depicts in the front row (from left to right) Larles, Chris Cwej, and Kwol; in the second row Judy Collins, Iris Wildthyme, and Yanna; and in the upper corners a Hytherian and a Geldex.
  • The back cover art by Johannes Chazot depicts Larles, Kwol, and Cwej.
  • Aside from the illustrations printed in the anthology, an additional, online-exclusive illustration for the story The Ursine Brood was created by artist Kern McCarthy and released through the series's official Facebook page.[2]
  • The score and sound effects were created by Ronan Goron.
  • Katy Manning, who played Iris at Big Finish Productions and whose likeness appears on the cover, endorsed the anthology on her Twitter account.[3]
  • In May 2022, Arcbeatle Press announced that the story Hearts of Gold would not be included in reprints of Down the Middle beyond the first printing, as Arcbeatle were ceasing association with BBV Productions (who held the copyright to the Cyberons, who were fairly central to the plot of Hearts of Gold), on top of having cut ties with writer Sam Maleski, precluding the extensive rewrites that would have been necessary.[4]

Gallery[]

External links[]

Footnotes[]

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