Down the Middle (anthology)

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 : 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 	Title 	Author 	Featuring
1 	A Bright White Crack 	A Bright White Crack 	Hunter O'Connell 	Larles, Kwol, Lady Aesc, Cwejen, Superiors, "Vicky"
2 	Fountain of Youth 	Fountain of Youth 	Jeffrey Koval 	Larles, Kwol, Bilip
3 	Flickering Flame 	Flickering Flame 	Andy Lane 	
4 	Hearts of Gold 	Hearts of Gold 	Sam Maleski 	
5 	Infinity 	Infinity 	Matthew Sychantha 	Larles, Kwol, Donacho
6 	Judy Collins vs Christopher Cwej 	Judy Collins vs Christopher Cwej 	Rachel Redhead 	Judy Collins, Larles, Kwol
7 	In the Loop 	In the Loop 	James Wylder 	Larles, Kwol, George Cwej, Giashnel, Kirstine
8 	Ring Theory 	Ring Theory 	Charles Whitt 	Larles, Kwol, Kady, the Gestalt
9 	Crushing Reality 	Crushing Reality 	James Hornby 	Larles, Kwol, Superiors, Ferutu, Galactic Heritage, Vorshagg
10	The Weasels and the Warpfield 	The Weasels and the Warpfield 	Simon Bucher-Jones 	Quoth
11	When I Remember __________ 	When I Remember __________ 	Simon Bucher-Jones 	Larles, Kwol, H. P. Lovecraft
12	The Mushroom at the End of the Universe	The Mushroom at the End of the Universe	Greg Maughan 	Larles, Kwol, Cwejen, Roz
13	Collective Unconscious 	Collective Unconscious 	Michael Robertson 	Hytherians
14	Soft Target 	Soft Target 	Vince Stadon 	
15	The Eternal 	The Eternal 	Evan Forman 	
16	The Ursine Brood 	The Ursine Brood 	Gerard Power 	Larles, Kwol, Cwejen
17	The Trauma Deception 	The Trauma Deception 	James Wylder 	Giashnel, Hytherians, Suala
18	The PsyCon Prediction 	The PsyCon Prediction 	James Wylder, story by Hunter O'Connell	Larles, Kwol, Donacho, Suala
19	The Aftermath 	The Aftermath 	Hunter O'Connell 	Larles, Kwol, Iris, Judy, Superiors, "Vicky", George Cwej, Bilip, Kady, the Gestalt, Cwejen
20	The V Cwejes 	The V Cwejes 	Tyche McPhee Letts 	Kwol, Superiors, P.R.O.B.E., Cyberons, Hytherians, Veltrochni
21	Rebel Rebel 	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
22	Vignettes of an Uprising 	A Friendly Vignette 	Gerard Power 	The Friend
22	Vignettes of an Uprising 	The Armored Creature of 004X 	Charles Whitt 	The Healer, Cwejen
22	Vignettes of an Uprising 	Before Chris Cwej's Trial 	Charles Whitt 	Larles
22	Vignettes of an Uprising 	P.R.O.B.E. Data Log #55: Mr. X 	Charles Whitt 	P.R.O.B.E.
22	Vignettes of an Uprising 	Possessive Love 	Hunter O'Connell 	The Friend
22	Vignettes of an Uprising 	The Five Christinas 	James Wylder 	Cousin Eliza, Kirstine, Tina
22	Vignettes of an Uprising 	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 	Title 	Release
Arc 1	Living Memory 	Living Memory 	27 September 2023
Arc 2	Dying to Forget	Dying to Forget	27 September 2023
== Notes ==
* 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.https://www.facebook.com/107319634107724/posts/170111517828535/?flite=scwspnss
* 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.https://www.facebook.com/chris.cwej.series/photos/a.119461952893492/138215724351448
* 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.https://twitter.com/ManningOfficial/status/1215672626871443456
* 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.Arcbeatle Press on Facebook
** The Paperback edition reprint was released on 21 March 2023.https://www.timelash.com/tardis/display.php?4285
== Gallery ==
Cwej- A Bright White Crack.jpg|A Bright White Crack by Mia Ashford-John
Hearts of Gold (short story).jpg|Hearts of Gold by Brian Gorman
In the Loop (short story).jpg|In the Loop by Emmeryn Telemain Reed
Collective Unconscious.jpg|Collective Unconscious by Callum Brown and Stuart Brown
The Eternal (short story).jpg|The Eternal by Dawn Rushim
The PsyCon Prediction (short story).jpg|The Psycon Prediction by D. Dobedier
Rebel Rebel (short story).jpg|Rebel Rebel by Newt Griffin
Down the Middle backcover cropped.jpg|First edition back cover by Johannes Chazot
Cwej down the middle second edition textless.jpg|Second edition, textless front cover art.
== External links ==
== Footnotes ==
Category:Cwej anthologies
Category:2020 anthologies
Category:Iris Wildthyme anthologies