Customer Reviews

Doctor Who: The Episode Guide (Pocket Essentials)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It might have been my fault...perhaps the description of the book was not full, or I didn't read it carefully enough. In any case, the sum total of this book is a listing of every episode's stars, music, author, etc. That's about it. Minimal or no story description or highlights. If you really need to know who directed an epidose in the twelfth season, then this is for you. If you don't care that much, then find a more interesting book.

Mark Campbell brings us his fourth edition of his Doctor Who, Pocket Essentials guide. While looking better than his previous editions, due mainly to the hardcover with a bright, photo-adorned jacket, the substance is kind of disappointing. Don't judge a book by its cover. His first edition had more depth. In that first edition, he had a short paragraph on literary works or films that influenced each story. This paragraph has been removed, a pity because that was one of the aspects that separated his guide from others. Also removed was the paragraph on alternate titles for each story, not as big a loss, but a loss still. I'm assuming these sections were removed so Campbell could increase the type in this edition. Trust me; this was unnecessarily done.

Mr. Campbell falls into the trap of rating certain stories based on today's standards rather than the standards of the era in which it was made. For instance, under Web Planet he writes, "In 1965 this may have been a laudable attempt to create an alien world, but nowadays a huge suspension of disbelief is required". Well, duh! It was written in 1965. The technology for special effects in 1965 was not as advanced as it is today. You should realize that, Mr. Campbell.

Another baffler that plagues this book is that for Ghost Light, in his first edition, he rated it accurately when he gave it a 0/5 rating, a rating I totally agree with. Yet, in this current edition, in which his total ranking points have been upped from five to ten, Mr. Campbell gives Ghost Light 4/10. That left me scratching my head. Either Mark Campbell's opinion of the story improved over the seven years between editions, or he simply flunked the fractions section of math in school.

Lastly, Campbell shares the hypocrisy possessed by detractors of the Colin Baker era. Under Vengeance On Varos verdict section, he says, "The notorious acid bath scene, in which the Doctor makes a flippant comment after watching two men die hideous deaths, is deeply problematic". Perhaps. However, he mentions nothing about how in McCoy era's Remembrance Of The Daleks the Doctor manipulates Davros into destroying Skaro, with blatant disregard for any peaceful Thals still living on the planet. Isn't this "problematic", Mr. Campbell? Hypocritical? Very much so! At least the Colin Baker's Doctor never destroyed an entire world. The McCoy era gets away with acts for which the Colin Baker era is crucified by authors such as Mark Campbell.

However, all is not negative with this fourth edition. The look of this book is superb, at least on the outside. Also the inside cover is graced with a wonderful black & white photo of the Daleks marching on London, with Big Ben in the background. Campbell manages this extra size without rendering the book too bulky, thus keeping its status as a pocket reference guide. Also, there is a section on the episodes of the new series, up to and including The Runaway Bride, a two-page section on various Doctor Who reference books, and a two-page section on web sites geared toward Doctor Who. The section on the different Doctor Who spin-offs is expanded to include Attack of The Graske, Torchwood, and The Sarah Jane Adventures from the new series.

All in all, despite the negatives, the fourth edition is a laudable effort, to use Mark Campbell's word. A bit of advice for your next edition, please lose your "verdict" section in favor of more factual info, such as the aforementioned sections that were removed. It's quite irksome seeing one of your favorite stories trashed with a 2/10 or 3/10 rating. The reason we purchase these guides is to relive the magic of Doctor Who, not to see our favorite stories ripped to shreds.

Well, being from the USA, Doctor Who was never broadcast over here until the rereuns hit us. Being over 30, I can remember seeing some of the shows on various PBS stations. I have now become a lover of Doctor Who, and any merchandise I can acquire ... fantastic. This book, The pocket Essential, is the blow by blow of the whole series! (I own the original, autographed copy with a forward by the 4th Doctor, Tom Baker.) It has loads of info about each episode, the classic series,and the new series, too, plus the authors critique on each. If you get the chance to get this book, do it. It IS Essential for any true Doctor Who fan.

I was greatly dissappointed in the book. While it has some interesting points of view, it is so slanted the book should be a trapizoid and not rectangular. I disagreed on several of the ratings. All in all, I much prefer The Discontinuity Guide by Paul Cornell, Martin Day and Keith Topping. While at times they disagree on their reviews, they are fair in their outlook.

This book is a practical guide which itemises detail, time, place etc, with precise storylines and opinion set out in an easy to read format for anyone wanting information. Surprise and interest for me was the number of well known actors "Dr Who" used.

Very nice! A bit more up-to-date than L'Officier and not as heavy as the TV Companion!

"Pocket Essentials: Doctor Who" would not usually be my first choice of reading material, being more of a "Dr Who" widow than a fan, but I was pleasantly surprised by the book. The introduction was refreshingly honest and laced with uncharacteristic cynicism for a "Dr Who" (sad) fan. Not to mention humour - something that is all too lacking in many "Dr Who" conversations! This is the sort of approach that fandom needs if it is to grow to include more than the saddest of sad fans.

The story by story breakdowns are a little anorakish - who but their mothers really cares which actors played the minor characters? - but some of the locations info is interesting, and reading the book actually made me want to watch some stories again. I definitely wouldn't give The Sea Devils 4/5 though!

"Pocket Essentials: Doctor Who" is basically a watered down version of the Howe/Stammers/Walker collection of handbooks, complete with reviews, quotes and observations. This would certainly serve the casual fan, although die-hard fans would find it difficult to get anything new from it. At least it is up to date with reviews of the two Dalek films, the Big Finish Audios, the stage plays and various other television spin-offs. What is noticeable is that author, Mark Campbell, doesn't hold back in his reviews, being very blunt about what he does and doesn't like.

Brothers and sisters, probably 90% of us could have written this book, being as it is another story-by-story, capsule-description-and-review style trawl through the televised series. Think a very heavily condensed version of "The Discontinuity Guide" and that's the format. The author (Mark Campbell) sat down and watched (or listened to) every episode and committed his opinion to paper. That's the book. Full stop. As I say, most of us could do the same.

This is a slim volume (less than 100 pages) and is thankfully correspondingly cheap, but it does mean it doesn't cover everything. The films, recent TV parodies, stage shows, and radio series get a review, the Big Finish stories get a mention, and, er, that's about it. Oh, and a few books and websites get plugged.

So why even bother buying it? Well, Campbell's is a new voice and he's not afraid to be controversial or blunt. No sacred cow is safe, and he even goes so far as to suggest that the show is dead and gone forever. Many of his opinions come straight out of left field, and they'll provoke infuriation and sighs of 'Thank God I'm not the only one who thinks that!' in equal measure. Just a handful of his observations:

"Destiny of the Daleks" is better than "Genesis of the Daleks

"Pyramids of Mars" is 'grossly overrated', and in parts 'rubbish' and 'nonsensical'

"Paradise Towers" is 'wonderful' and by far the best story of its season

"Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150AD" is much, much better than the TV version

The best story of Troughton's first year is "The Macra Terror" And so on, and so on, and so on - though Campbell agrees with fan orthodoxy a lot of the time too. (I personally agree with at least one of the above opinions, by the way, and think at least one other is utter nonsense - but naturally I'm not saying which is which.)

I get the impression this book wasn't edited terribly rigorously. There's the obligatory 'spot-the-source-material' slot for each story, and things get especially weird here - we learn that 'The Great Escape' influenced "Planet of the Daleks", 'The Wicker Man' inspired "The Stones of Blood", and that apparently the key influence on "Four to Doomsday" was bearded Aussie vet-botherer Rolf Harris. You also have to question his ability to review things like "Curse of the Daleks" with such authority given that he can only have read the script. So is it worth buying? Well, maybe. If you use the Guide you must have an interest in hearing other people's opinions of "Doctor Who", and that's basically all this is. At the very least it'll make you think, if only for the length of time it takes you to retrieve it after you hurl it away in outraged fury. And you will.

This convenient slim volume fulfills its promise - a basic overview that covers the essential elements of each show. While the author's reviews (or "verdicts") can seem a bit didactic, they always entertain. More importantly, Campbell delivers a fitting addition to this series of paperbacks: succinct, thorough, and easy to carry along on shopping trips. Could anyone have written this? Probably not. It's too short for sloppy writing. This type of brevity takes hard work!