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named Dmitri, who stayed to defend his city after Prince Michael had fled to Hungary, and the Church of the Virgin did indeed collapse under the weight of the terrified citizens (though the initial battle was almost certainly more protracted than I have described it). The Cathedral of St Sophia survived the terrible attack, and – now an example of Ukrainian baroque architecture – exists to this day. (I am less sure about the catacombs beneath!) A later Mongol campaign did involve the catapulting of plague-ridden bodies over city walls, and the great pestilence that followed is, of course, a matter of awful historical fact.

The rest, it goes without saying, is fiction. A bibliography would be out of place here, but it is true to say that Robert Marshall’s Storm from the East was my first port of call for all things relating to the Mongols. Any historical or other errors are, of course, my own – bearing in mind the slippery excuse that the world of Doctor Who is not quite our own.

Respect due: Ian Abrahams, Bernie Atkinson (delayed thanks for help with Shut It! ), Colin Brake, Paul ‘Brax’ Castle, Diane Culverhouse, George Gallaccio, Jill James, Fred Lawless, Gavin MacLean, John McLaughlin, Chris Orton, Linda Poole, Eric Pringle, Lesley Rhodes, Bar Roden, Keith Topping, Peter Ware, Julia Weston, John Williams and all the unusual suspects (namely Pete and Lynn Atkins, Stephen Baker, Dave Bishop, Richard Boulter, Bernard and Hannah and all at the Critchley zoo, Mari Day, Colin Gibbs, Ben Lilford, Paul and Sarah Matthews, Catherine Minns Lowe, Ella Nichols, Nigel Rees, Paola Simoneschi, Maz Taylor, and Ray Tostevin). They either helped with this book, or with my life, or paid me money.

Blessed be.

This is the last song I shal ever sing...

Good night, and thank you.

MCWD

About the Author

Martin Day resides in the town of his birth in darkest Somerset, though for many years he lived in London, Leicestershire, Gibraltar and Dorset, but not at the same time. For a while he was Correspondence Editor of the Guinness Book of Records (‘No, we don’t have a record for sitting in a bath full of baked beans any more...’), pitching an idea for a TV reference book to the Guinness editors at every given opportunity (including, memorably, in the Gents urinals).

He has now written or co-written 13 books, but, frankly, not enough fiction. In order to remedy this shortfall, he has recently concentrated on scriptwriting, and is now a regular contributor to Channel Five’s soap Family Affairs. He has singularly failed to get a Who in-joke into any of his scripts.

He is married to Helen, and they have two children, Emily and Charlotte, named not after the Brontes, but songs by Syd Barrett and Julian Cope. Martin’s hobbies include fishkeeping, football, and fencing, and lots of other things beginning with ‘f’

that would make him sound so much more exciting, if only he could remember what they are.

Document Outline

Front cover

Read cover

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Contents

Prologus - Separatio

Codex I - Cecidit de coelo stella magna

I - Tempestas ex oriens

II - Labyrinthus

III - In truitina mentis dubia fluctuant contraria

IV - Eripe me de inimicus meis

V - Confutatis meledictis, flammis acribus addictis

VI - Rosa rubicundior, lilio candidor, omnibusformosior, semper in te glorior

VII - Mortus in anima

VIII - Lamenta

IX - Terra firma

X - Laqueus

XI - Libertas

XII - Sors immanis et inanis, rota tu volubilis, statusmalus

XIII - Dies irae, dies illa, solvet saeclum in favilla

XIV - Quid sum miser tunc dicturus, quem patronumrogaturus, cum vix justus sit securus?

XV - In flagrante delicto

XVI - Somnus ex sanitas

XVII - Insania

XVIII - Via lata gradior

XIX - Pestilentia

Codex II - Est hic finis fabulae?

XX - Deus absconditus

XXI - Oblationes et holocausta

XXII - Lux aeterna luceat eis

XXIII - Bellum gerens in caelo

XXIV - Auditui meo dabis gaudium et laetitiam

XXV - Libera me de sanguinibus

XXVI - In extremis

XXVII - Deus ex machina

XXVIII - Angelus

XXIX - Orbis

XXX - Memento Mori

Epilogus