David J. Howe

Probably the best single volume guide to the classical Doctor Who episodes. However, as the book was published in 1998 they are missing a fair amount of information that has been revealed in interviews given since then. Furthermore, they have a "Things You Might Not Have Known" section for each story which occasionally state facts that have since been proven to be "Popular Myths" (another section for some stories). One such 'fact' is that Peter R. Newman, writer of "The Sensorites," show more committed suicide, which has since been proven to be wrong. Still, this book is likely the best value for the money. show less

This book was exactly what it says in the title-- a comprehensive history of the publishing of Target Books' line of Doctor Who novelizations. It's the sort of strange thing that I thrive on, and I enjoyed it thoroughly, even though I've read very few of the covered books! It's extremely comprehensive, going from the range's earliest days to its death, and it interviews all of the key figures, from Terrance Dicks on down. If there's any complaint I have, it's that though the layout looks show more gorgeous, it's functionally poor-- the covers of books are often several pages away from where they're mentioned in the text, and similar problems plague the "about the author/artist" sidebars. show less

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1284671.html

Telos have really come up with the goods this time. This is an exhaustive history of the twenty-one years of publication of the Target novelisations of the classic Doctor Who television stories, buttressed by interviews with the writers and illustrators (most of whom get featured in sidebars as well as appearing in the main text, many of the interviews having been conducted by Tim Neal), and also with the various editors responsible for the line in a show more bewildering dance of corporate ownership and managerial responsibilities across several changes of parent company. It is beautifully illustrated with the art from the various books. Appendices list all the Who-related Target books (including Junior Doctor Who, Companions, compilations, quizbooks, cookbooks, Discovers, etc) and also the ones that weren't published (including David Whitaker's original outline for Doctor Who and the Enemy of the World, written in the end by Ian Marter after Whitaker's death). Also, rather than trying to critique each novel anew, we get a report of fannish reviews at the time of publication (I was surprised to read of the negative reaction to Donald Cotton's superb Doctor Who and the Romans). Terrance Dicks supplies a typically Terrantial foreword. Well worth adding to your Whovian reference collection. show less

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