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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A bit of a re-hash, but a very nice all in one book, December 29, 2009
This review is from: Doctor Who: The Ultimate Monster Guide (Doctor Who (BBC Hardcover)) (Hardcover)
The Ultimate Monster Guide is a beautifully layed out, full color sturdy hardback collection of many (not all!) of the monsters that have appeared in the series (new and classic) since 1963 up to this year's "The Planet of the Dead". At 350+ pages for under $20 here on Amazon, it is an exceptional value for fans of Doctor Who. It's more than a zimple A-Z encyclopedia. In addition to the "in series" descriptions of the monsters, there is a great deal of behind the scenes material such as very rare pre-production art, makeup and costume design, and (where appropriate) details of how some monsters have evolved over the past 40 plus years.
Note: If you have Justin Richard's other, smaller tradepaper books (Starships And Spacestations, Creatures And Demons, Aliens And Enemies, etc.) then there is not a great deal of new or different material here. About 70% of it has already appeared in those books. In addition, the book is understandably focused mostly on the new series (2005+, Doctors 9 and 10). But a number of listings from the previous books have been expanded and new ones added. I wouldn't go so far as to say that only a completist should get it, just be warned that if you have previous books in the range, you have seen some of this before (hence the 4 out of 5 stars).
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Ultimate" is a bit of an overstatement..., January 5, 2010
This review is from: Doctor Who: The Ultimate Monster Guide (Doctor Who (BBC Hardcover)) (Hardcover)
I believe using the word "Ultimate" in the title is a bit of an overstatement.
I had expected the book to contain information for all of the monsters that have appeared in both the classic as well as the new series. I didn't expect the entries to be detailed, just highlights, since the book would have to be a bit larger to cover the detail articles.
The book covers the monsters from the new series, Doctors 9 & 10, with some information from the classic doctors when there is something to tie together.
For example, there is an extensive history of Daleks and Cybermen, spanning from the beginning to the current date. The entry on Autons tied the living plastic from Pertwee's era together so you get to read about both.
Now, with that said, I will admit that the book contains a wonderful amount of information regarding the monsters from Doctors 9 & 10. In that respect, I am more than pleased with the book. In addition to the information about a given monster, you'll occasionally find a "making of" section, such as with the Adipose. I always find this type of information interesting.
The bottom line... if you are looking for monster information, mainly from the current series, buy the book, you won't be disappointed. If you're looking for information on the classic monsters, ones without ties to the current series, then this book isn't for you.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Useful but heavily biased toward Russell T Davies' Doctors, June 28, 2011
This review is from: Doctor Who: The Ultimate Monster Guide (Doctor Who (BBC Hardcover)) (Hardcover)
This is an RTD-centric book, featuring all the monsters from the 9th and 10th Doctors in excruciating detail, and most of the classic monsters in lesser detail.
The format is nice, with clear references to all the episodes in which each monster appeared -- and absolutely wonderful coverage of the Daleks, Cybermen, Autons, Sontarans, and Ice Warriors. Just about every RTD-era monster got a 4-page spread, which worked out great for the cooler ones, like the Clockwork Robots -- but do we really need 4 pages on "Fear Her"?
PROs: Beautiful layout; great job linking the monsters to the episodes and Doctors; great pictures and interesting informational tidbits
CONs: far too much emphasis on the 9th & 10th Doctors; no index
BOTTOM LINE: I recommend this book -- it's got great information and wonderful art. However, since it's so heavily biased toward Russell T Davies' productions, it looks very dated already. I hope BBC puts out an updated version that is more even-handed in its approach, recognizing that there are 48 years of Doctor Who fans out there.
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