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chocolatequeen's review
4.0
It's hard for me to rate this book. It wasn't quite what I expected--or perhaps I should say it wasn't entirely what I expected. A collection of essays, half or two-thirds of the book was what I thought I'd be reading: woman writing about what they loved about Doctor Who and why they loved it. Those entries I really loved. Seanen McGuire's was probably my favorite; her story about why she believed for the longest time that Doctor Who was real struck a chord with me.
But I didn't care for the essays that analyzed the show from an uber-feminist point of view. Sometimes I just like to enjoy entertainment for what it is, rather than exploring the deeper meaning behind it.
Still, it's a collection of essays and as such, should display a variety of content. My real complaint was the structure. Most of the analytical pieces were at the beginning of the book, with it getting progressively more fannish as it went on. If I hadn't been determined to read every single page, I would have given up fairly early on and would have missed the aforementioned piece by McGuired.
So, 5 starts to the essays I liked, 3 to the ones I didn't care for, and 3.5 to the editing of the book as a whole.
But I didn't care for the essays that analyzed the show from an uber-feminist point of view. Sometimes I just like to enjoy entertainment for what it is, rather than exploring the deeper meaning behind it.
Still, it's a collection of essays and as such, should display a variety of content. My real complaint was the structure. Most of the analytical pieces were at the beginning of the book, with it getting progressively more fannish as it went on. If I hadn't been determined to read every single page, I would have given up fairly early on and would have missed the aforementioned piece by McGuired.
So, 5 starts to the essays I liked, 3 to the ones I didn't care for, and 3.5 to the editing of the book as a whole.
averypleasantpineapple's review
3.0
What makes this collection interesting is its variety. The autors come from very different backgrounds: there are old series fans, new series fans, cosplayers, fanfic writers (including smut), convention organizers and many more. Unfortunatley, most of the essays left me cold, regardless of whether they recalled personal experiences or analysed the show. There are a few that I really enjoyed, but for the most part I either couldn't connect with the author or was disagreeing passionately with every other word. I also found the book too US-centric.
stolencapybara's review
5.0
Thoroughly enjoyable, though it made me want more and more analytical articles. Nice to see such a positive take on female fandom.
tehani's review
5.0
This was absolutely a right time, right place read for me. I rarely read non-fiction, but having just come off the back of inhaling New Who seasons 1-6, it was the perfect time. With only one or two exceptions, I loved every single essay. It was entertaining and informative, with the added bonus of making you understand (in case you didn't know) that you ARE NOT ALONE in your time lord love :) Highly recommended! Would love to see a sequel with more non-US entries (and some that look at Matt Smith's Doctor, which didn't start til after this was published) :)
geekgirl33's review
3.0
Some of the essays I loved and felt like yeah I totally are with you and others I was like yelling at and telling them they were wrong and missing the point and there is at least one I don't think belonged because there was only a passing mention of Doctor Who.
jennykeery's review
4.0
'Chicks Dig Time Lords' is a collection of essays by women who...dig Time Lords. As with any anthology it has stronger and weaker contributors, but for the most part the essays were of a high standard. The main focus seemed to be on personal experiences with Doctor Who rather than critical analysis (although this was still present throughout), which made for interesting reading about fandom, and especially the prominence of women in fandom. It really illustrated how important the show is to a lot of people, and made me think 'so it's not just me' at least a dozen times!
My favourite essay was 'Girl Genius: Nyssa of Traken' by Francesca Coppa, as Nyssa is my favourite companion and does not get nearly enough love as far as I am concerned!
My favourite essay was 'Girl Genius: Nyssa of Traken' by Francesca Coppa, as Nyssa is my favourite companion and does not get nearly enough love as far as I am concerned!
libkatem's review
5.0
I loved this. This book was 27 explorations, not only of the show Doctor Who, but of the entire fandom.
Love it. So much.
Seriously.
Love it. So much.
Seriously.
quietjenn's review
3.0
At best, this reminded me why I love Doctor Who, made me want to watch old episodes and hang out at a convention. At worst, it made me roll my eyes hard and reminded me why I decided not to pursue academia. Also, strangely Chicago-centric. And the piece by Cat Valente made me even more certain that I need to hunt more of her books down.