The impostor syndrome that comes with being an editor for the Black Archive range is offset by the fact that I get to read these amazing books before the majority of the world. It's also a reminder that there's no one way to write a Black Archive, and every approach comes with its own flavor. Some are deep dives into history; others are careful looks at the production of a specific story and everything that went wrong (or right) at the time. Some analyze the surrounding literature and media that influenced the story, while others pick apart the story itself. A hard line for quality bounding a nebulous playing field for approach makes this one of my favorite series to read, edit, and write for.

As ever, it would be disingenuous of me to review, but I can preview. Dale Smith's treatment of Silence of the Library and Forest of the Dead marks the 72nd entry in this series, and it's a reminder of the wildly different approaches a Black Archive can take. Rather than a straightforward analysis or a production brief, Smith uses the two-parter to launch off into a variety of topics—branching out into the wider world and then back into the episode itself. Sections of the book cover everything from women in media to the nature of fear to how one might oversee a library the size of, well, the Library. There's also a discussion of the nature of writing long-game story arcs: how much is planned, how much is happenstance, and how much does it matter which is which?

Personally, I especially enjoyed the discussion of how Steven Moffat's grounding in comedy informs his drama—and, by extension, how comedic beats can be transformed into dramatic beats. This book also pulls from Smith's own life and experiences: a reminder that a good Black Archive is, at its heart, the event horizon of a Doctor Who story and its observer.

As I read each of these new entries, I also re-evaluate my own role as a Black Archive writer. What does it mean when I sit down to talk about an episode? What can I bring to a reading of a story, and where does that intersect with my interests and life experiences? That will be addressed for a second time soon.