Scan barcode
nwhyte's review against another edition
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2305450.html[return][return]This is another book of scholarly essays on New Who (and I think it's just great that I can type "another book of scholarly essays on New Who"), looking exclusively at the Matt Smith era - disappointingly cutting off at Christmas 2012, so missing the last few episodes, the 50th anniversary special and the regeneration. As I've come to expect from books like this, it's generally well-rooted in the discipline of media studies. The standout chapters for me were actually those at the end that looked beyond the TV series at the computer games (even though I have barely played them myself), online fandom's reactions to Matt Smith, and the way in which Death of the Doctor was marketed as both a Sarah Jane and Doctor Who episode. All generally good to excellent stuff, with one curious exception - the introduction is clunky and seems to have been written in a rush to capture the 50th anniversary market, not really doing justice to the quality of the essays.
shanbear16's review against another edition
3.0
A celebration, yes, but not really all that critical. The first couple of essays outline Matt Smith's portrayal and Steven Moffat's storytelling techniques. There is a bit of critique in regards to how Moffat mess with history and uses very stereotypical caricatures for important historical figures. I was mostly interested in the Amy's Boys essay as I really care about how Moffat writes women. The essay really missed a great opportunity. There is so so so much more to be said about gender and women in Moffat's Who! Basically the author concludes with something along the lines of "if you pay attention then there is a lot to criticize, but if you'd rather see Amy as a strong female character then you'll be satisfied". I've read more insightful takes on gender and traditional values in Doctor Who on Tumblr. I skimmed the last few essays and concluded that I probably didn't miss much. If you're passionate about exploring Moffat's Doctor Who through a media studies lens then the book will be fine, but I've read articles and blog posts that go further in depth on issues of gender, conservative values, and the differences between RTD and Moffat in other places on the internet.
More...