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TARDIS Guide

Review of Mock by efficacy

6 June 2025

In some ways this follows whet has become the standard Class formula. It concentrates on one of the main characters (Quill) with some minor support from Charlie, and introduces a new, mysterious, character who will be gone by the end of the episode. That description, however, would more closely describe the previous story Sweet Nothings. This one is different in style from those previous stories, though, and because of that I enjoyed it a lot more. Quill is not as naive as the teenagers and doesn't take things at face value, so it is clear that something is wrong when Quill begins to hear voices while invigilating an otherwise uninteresting mock exam. There's also a teacher character who we get to learn a bit more about and who does not vanish at the end of the episode!

There are a lot of clever things about this story which have not been around much in previous Class audios. We get to learn more backstory of the Quill people, their rivalry with the Rhodians, and the reason why Quill became the "terrorist" that she did. There are clear parallels with persecution stories from our own world. This story is not just a dry history lesson, though. As the mystery intensifies we get scenes reminiscent of both Midnight and The Land of Fiction as Quill has to make some tough choices about what she wants from her life.

Along with the drama we also get sparks of comedy. Quill's sarcastic delivery is always fun, but this time she has a hapless teacher to deal with as well as the students she despises. By the end of the story, the mock exam used as a set-up for the story is revealed as being as pointless as the claimed it would be at the start of the story.

What Class needs is to keep pushing the boundaries each time, with more standout stories such as Life Experience, In Remembrance, and this one.


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