By, Heather Maloney
“Doctor Who” is a vast sea of stories spanning almost fifty years. Not only is there the BBC television show, there are also novels, comics, radio dramas and spin off shows. Trying to experience all of “Doctor Who” is a daunting and seemingly impossible task. Lance Parkin, Lars Pearson and many contributors have joined forces for the 3rd edition of “AHistory: An Unauthorised History of the ‘Doctor Who’ Universe”.
Not your normal reference guide, “AHistory” is a timeline of the “Doctor Who” universe. Told as chronology, each topic is discussed from Prehistory to Gallifrey. Each item is sited with the source material at the bottom of the page making it easy for any fan to then visit the “Doctor Who” item which delves into the topic.
As an unauthorized book, it covers many BBC and non BBC cannon. Big Finish Audio Dramas and IDW comics are among the more than 1400 stories referenced within the volume. Many recent reference books have been frustrating in the fact that they only discuss “Doctor Who” from 2005 on, while this book covers all fifty years of stories.
As a must have reference document, “AHistory” can also be read as a story due to its timeline layout. While many “Doctor Who” stories jump around in time and space, the linear approach of this book brings a new clarity to events within the franchise.
Due to the high demand of previous versions of “AHistory”, this book is an amazing addition to any Whovian library. As a follow up to the sold out 2nd edition, this 3rd edition includes titles up through 2011 and incorporates many spin offs not included in the previous editions.
“AHistory: An Unauthorised History of the ‘Doctor Who’ Universe” is available from Mad Norwegian Press on November 13th and can be preordered from Amazon and many other online retailers.
