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justiceofkalr's review
4.0
This book is basically set up in a scrapbook style with each Doctor's story narrated by a different companion in some way (letters, blog posts, interviews, etcetera) and lots of pictures and miscellaneous information thrown in around it. Which works well mostly, though sometimes the voice feels off or the narrator is just obnoxious (who chose to have Mickey narrate 9's journey?). But it does a pretty decent job of covering what the Doctor did, so this would be a great book for someone who hasn't seen the original series and wants a feel for some of what happened. I also like that at the end of each section are quotes from those involved with the show about each Doctor's era so you get a look behind the scenes as well as at the story.
isabellarobinson7's review
3.5
Grrrrrrr I am so tired of having this review backlog that I am just going to churn out some half-assed ones now.
Rating: 3.5 stars
This book is like a fiction and non fiction book in one. Personally, I liked the non-fiction parts better than the fiction parts. I LOVED the little comments from people actively involved in the show. How all the Doctor actors spoke about their interpretation of the character and how some had obviously a whole lot more to say than others. Like they barely squeezed enough out of Jon Pertwee to fill in the "Pertwee on Pertwee" section (they had this section for each actor of the Doctor to comment on their own performance and their own character) and it seemed for Tom Baker's respective section they had to pick and choose what quotes they included because he seemed to be overflowing with things to say!
Also, and it has to be said, someone needs to teach these higher ups people that it is the Doctor not Doctor Who. I know, I know, everyone and their mum says it, but some of these executives claim to be all knowledgeable and yet they can’t even get the character right. Yes I know roll you eyes now.
Rating: 3.5 stars
This book is like a fiction and non fiction book in one. Personally, I liked the non-fiction parts better than the fiction parts. I LOVED the little comments from people actively involved in the show. How all the Doctor actors spoke about their interpretation of the character and how some had obviously a whole lot more to say than others. Like they barely squeezed enough out of Jon Pertwee to fill in the "Pertwee on Pertwee" section (they had this section for each actor of the Doctor to comment on their own performance and their own character) and it seemed for Tom Baker's respective section they had to pick and choose what quotes they included because he seemed to be overflowing with things to say!
Also, and it has to be said, someone needs to teach these higher ups people that it is the Doctor not Doctor Who. I know, I know, everyone and their mum says it, but some of these executives claim to be all knowledgeable and yet they can’t even get the character right. Yes I know roll you eyes now.
mpedone's review
4.0
A good read, unique in that it presents the story of the Doctors both from the perspective of characters in the show (in the form of River Song's research into The Doctor), as well as from the cast & crew. The cast & crew parts read like the script from a documentary, and, in fact, if you've seen the "Doctors Revisited" series BBC ran over the course of 2013, much of the same information is covered. However, the book goes into more depth than the docu-series did, using quotes from actors/crew who have passed on, as well as touching on aspects that were skipped on TV. Notably, all companions are discussed, many talking about the show in their own words. The River Song sections are neat, featuring a central thread running through the section, and supplemental materials in the margins, chronologically progressing through that particular Doctor's run. It's neat to see postcards and memos and such, though the use of terms/people from modern who in classic who paraphernalia sometimes feels forced (particularly a certain current character popping up in photographs).
The best thing about the book, though, is the essays from people related to the show, discussing episodes they enjoyed, or that struck a chord with them. For the most part (I think), these are not the writers of that particular episode, or an actor in the episode. For example, John Barrowman and his sister collaborate on an essay about the first appearance of The Sontarans, when they were kids. Writers from current Who discuss Classic Who episodes, and so forth.
Overall, a lot of fun to read, and highly recommended for Whovians who aren't familiar with the entire run, or even those who watched a lot of Classic Who, but don't know much of the behind-the-scenes stuff.
The best thing about the book, though, is the essays from people related to the show, discussing episodes they enjoyed, or that struck a chord with them. For the most part (I think), these are not the writers of that particular episode, or an actor in the episode. For example, John Barrowman and his sister collaborate on an essay about the first appearance of The Sontarans, when they were kids. Writers from current Who discuss Classic Who episodes, and so forth.
Overall, a lot of fun to read, and highly recommended for Whovians who aren't familiar with the entire run, or even those who watched a lot of Classic Who, but don't know much of the behind-the-scenes stuff.
atlantic_reader_wannabe's review
5.0
This book was truly excellent! Filled to bursting with quotes, tidbits and bonus facts and features about the Doctors from William Hartnell to Matt Smith, this book is one of the best you can buy from the 50th anniversary year of Doctor Who! A worthwhile addition to the shelf of any Whovian!
thoroughlymodernreviewer's review
4.0
The premise of this book is that River Song has done a lot of research and put together a detailed file about the Doctor for the Silence, and the book very much reads like that. Its a collection of found material (with some behind the scenes information from the cast and crew) all about the Doctor from his first incarnation, all the way through “The Name of the Doctor”.
Rabid fans of the series will probably find nothing new here, aside from an easy way to view the information, but fans of the revived series will be offered an easy way to learn about and understand the Doctors from the classic series.
Rabid fans of the series will probably find nothing new here, aside from an easy way to view the information, but fans of the revived series will be offered an easy way to learn about and understand the Doctors from the classic series.
nwhyte's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
One of the glossy volumes produced by the BBC in the run-up to the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who - and isn't it weird that we'll get to the 60th anniversary next year? This is really very nice indeed. For each Doctor, we get an account of the TV stories written from the perspective of one or more of the characters - Susan, Ian Chesterton, the Brigadier, occasionally the Doctor himself - combined with a collage of other mocked-up material, of which one of my favourites is a Salamander election poster. Each chapter then includes a box on the lead actor, and an assembly of quotes about the making of the show from those who were involved. There are also a few short commentaries on individual stories by guest commentators, most of whom have strong connections with the show, the exception being Sir Tim Berners-Lee on The War Machines. As my regular reader knows, I rate James Goss very highly as one of the best Who writers, and this really doesn't disappoint. It's the sort of thing that could, perhaps, be easily updated to include the next ten years and two Doctors for 2023; and would it be too much to hope that such an update could also include Torchwood, the Sarah Jane Adventures and Class?
creepysnowman's review against another edition
4.0
This is a bit of light reading, and very much a coffee-table tome - but I couldn't put it down.
Having come into Doctor Who fandom during Christopher Eccleston's tenure, and that during a Netflix binge, I had no idea about the "classic" Who past, or just how far back some of the plot lines I was seeing extended. Honestly - I thought the Nestene and Autons were created for the new series!
The book is great, full of scrap-book details that are styled to look as if they've been curated from each of the Doctor's eras, ticket stubs, diary entries, alien hospital reports, etc. In some places this material was a little too long for its own good, but nothing was really lost by skimming.
Where the collection really shines is the Doctor-by-Doctor behind the scenes interviews snippets with everyone involved during those particular seasons, which also in their contents move through the various story arcs of that particular era - as well as a dedicated sidebar for each actor to talk about their time in the TARDIS- "Hartnell on Hartnell, Troughton on Troughton".
This was produced, I believe, as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of a few years ago, so the book finishes up just before Matt Smith's run ends, though it includes teasers for the Day of the Doctor special.
Absolutely recommended for any DW fan - especially Nu-Whovians like me.
Having come into Doctor Who fandom during Christopher Eccleston's tenure, and that during a Netflix binge, I had no idea about the "classic" Who past, or just how far back some of the plot lines I was seeing extended. Honestly - I thought the Nestene and Autons were created for the new series!
The book is great, full of scrap-book details that are styled to look as if they've been curated from each of the Doctor's eras, ticket stubs, diary entries, alien hospital reports, etc. In some places this material was a little too long for its own good, but nothing was really lost by skimming.
Where the collection really shines is the Doctor-by-Doctor behind the scenes interviews snippets with everyone involved during those particular seasons, which also in their contents move through the various story arcs of that particular era - as well as a dedicated sidebar for each actor to talk about their time in the TARDIS- "Hartnell on Hartnell, Troughton on Troughton".
This was produced, I believe, as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of a few years ago, so the book finishes up just before Matt Smith's run ends, though it includes teasers for the Day of the Doctor special.
Absolutely recommended for any DW fan - especially Nu-Whovians like me.
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