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Title: Doctor Who Encyclopedia (Doctor Who (BBC Hardcover))
ISBN: 1846072913
Author:
Gary Russell
Publicate Date: 2007-10-18
Publish: 2007-10-18
List Price: $24.99
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Hardcover
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $15.59
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $15.27
Amazon Merchant Price: $16.49
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Strangely Obsessive
As another reviewer has noted, this encyclopedia focuses virtually exclusively on the adventures of the "new" Doctors from the series reboot, covering Eccleston's single season and Tennant's first two. It's very handsomely illustrated with numerous color photos and packed with short and pithy entries and character biographies. It is NOT an episode guide, so be certain you know that you're getting a quick reference manual and not detailed synopses and reviews.
There's a lot of material here, but a surprising amount of it smacks of filler. For instance, every song that was ever heard for more than three pico-seconds in any episode is included here--along with separate entries for the band or singer. And in some cases, for the composer. So, we get to read a bit about Jeff Lynne--because he wrote an ELO song that was featured in one episode. That's...just a little oddly obsessive to me. Where do you draw the line? Why not comment on the brand of spark plugs used by a taxi the Doctor rode in?
Another minor annoyance is that the author seems to pay overwhelming attention to two animated episodes ("Attack of the Graske" and "The Infinite Quest") that are probably not canonical and that are not very likely to be known to American viewers. I mean--sometimes it seems that every third or fourth entry pertains to one of these. It's a bit frustrating.
The wealth of photos makes this a pretty good value, but overall this encyclopedia just seems a bit lightweight and has a lot of questionable entries. Try to get someone to buy it for you as a gift.
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2: Superb guide for the new Who
This book is a great companion to the first three seasons of the Doctor's return. Almost anything you can think of from Eccelston's debut in Season 1's Rose to the end of Season 3's Last of the Time Lords is in here. As well as some things in between like the Tardisodes and Attack of the Graske.
The introduction does make apolgies for not including references to the Christmas 2007 Titanic episode and Donna's return in the Season 4 opener Partners in Crime, but they have to draw the line somewhere I guess!
All the photos are full color and there's at least one on every page making this book a real delight even if you just flip through a few pages to find something visually interesting.
It's also packed with the kind of trivia only the devoted would know by heart.
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3: Great for fans.
I found that this book is a must-read for both die-hard fans of Doctor Who, and people who are new to the series. I am a die-hard fan, and there were things in here that I didn't even know. The pictures are excellent, also.
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4: Dr. Who Info that is great
If you follow Dr. Who the last 3 seasons and like to know more about the characters then this is the book for you. My kids love looking at this and having me remind them of the different characters and such.
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5: A fun and engrossing reference book for "New Who"
I suppose one could use Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia to actually look things up, but really, I think it's more fun to start with the letter A and peruse its entries in order. This ensures that you don't miss any of the goodies within, while providing almost as chaotic a tour of the worlds of Doctor Who as one might get in the TARDIS itself.
Take the letter D, for example. Here you learn why Madame de Pompadour was once called Madame d'Etoiles, what newspaper the Absorbaloff was reading when Ursula noticed his alien hands, the name of the beach where Rose said goodbye to the Doctor, the human name of the Slitheen in charge of the North Sea Boating Club, the provenance of the Doctor's claim that Martha was from Freedonia, the name of the Cabinet minister who called Saxon "insane" - and, of course, quite a bit about the words "Doctor" and "Daleks." The above list doesn't cover even half of the D entries found in the book, ranging in length from a sentence to an entire page each.
Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia covers the first three seasons of the 2005-present revival of the series, plus the occasional mention of real-world creators of songs, films, etc. that appear in the show. I imagine the book could prove invaluable for the novice Doctor Who fan in learning more about the show's characters and continuity. Even a serious Doctor Who addict such as myself will find nuggets of forgotten or unsuspected detail, such as corporate information gleaned from a reception guest's telephone, or character names that were never actually heard on screen, or simply went by too fast.
To keep the book to a manageable length (and possibly for licensing reasons), virtually nothing from the 1963-1989 adventures is mentioned unless it has been referenced in the new series, in which case a few older details are sometimes included. A few entries are misleadingly incomplete as a result. Aside from some awkward or repetitive wording, this is my only quibble with the book. I'm glad I bought it, and will almost certainly buy it again if there is a second edition after more adventures are aired, providing a basis for the not-yet entries author Gary Russell teases in his introduction.
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