Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Two men, one with a past and one determined to give them a future.

Mick Flanagan has kept himself hidden since his only lover died three years ago. He works at night, keeps to his routine, has impressive facial hair and avoids contact with other people as much as possible. Enter Ceri Llewellyn, with his constantly changing rainbow-colored hair, who, for reasons Mick doesn’t understand, seems determined to talk to him. Gradually, Mick reveals his traumatic past as he begins to trust Ceri enough to shake himself out of his entrenched routines.

 

Ceri Llewellyn has no idea why Mick intrigues him, but he determines to bring this shy man out of his protective shell, especially when he discovers they share a mutual love of all things Doctor Who. Ceri faces his own turning point, a moment when he must decide on his future. The more time he spends with Mick, the more he realises he wants Mick to be a part of this new life. Can Ceri show Mick he’s his perfect companion, give him the new beginning he needs and, above all else, help him find his true self?

 

 

First edition published under the title Rainbow Connection by MLR Press, May 2015.

Book Review

In the interest of full disclosure – I’ve only watched through the sixth Doctor, where life and lack of cable and no internet took me away from the rebooting of the series. My first two science fiction conventions were, in fact, Doctor Who conventions. This was a quick and engaging read that has a significant emphasis on Doctor Who, mental health, and homophobia. The book blurb summarizes the plot nearly spot on so I won’t rehash. 

 

As I noted above, I’m about six Doctors behind in the Who-verse, but I had no problem following the conversations as companions and conventions were discussed. I loved the convention setting, which rather jump-started Mick and Ceri’s relationship – something in common to bring the two together, something to gently bump Mick out of his routine and mental fog.  

 

Mick does come with a host of mental issues, and I’m still on the fence about how I feel about the portrayal. On one hand, we need to discuss mental health and how it affects us as a society and books are one place to do that. On the other hand, Mick’s situation seemed to be resolved rather quickly in the story arc, even with the mention of finding a therapist. So I have conflicting opinions here while trying to avoid spoilers.

 

Dovetailing with the mental health concerns is Mick’s history and background with his mother – who, during Mick’s formative years, due to her own issues, raised Mick as if he were a girl. Her control was obsessive and absolute, and when Mick left to live with his boyfriend, all ties were broken. She absolutely could not accept that Mick was a boy and her homophobia was absolute.    

 

I do think the author handled the multiple complexities of all the mental health issues fairly well, and the history and backstory were spooled out in a logical manner that helped explain Mick’s story. Ceri was a lighter, brighter counterpoint to Mick and helped bring him out of his protective shell. My only issue with the story was the ease and speed at which the mental health issues appeared to be resolved. 

 

Overall, an enjoyable story with lots of Doctor Who references about two men trying to find their next steps individually and together with the support of old and new friends.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Pride Publishing for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novella, 204 pages/50165 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	23-June-2020
Price	$4.99 ebook, $10.99 paperback
Buy Link	https://www.pride-publishing.com/book/his-perfect-companion