Doctor Whom: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Parodication (GollanczF.) [Paperback]

A.R.R.R. Roberts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2007 | Series: GollanczF.

Dr. Who better watch out—Doctor WHOM is here! He’s the grammatically correct TimeLord (or should that be Time Lord? Or Timelord?) who has come to save Earth from the terror’s of sloppy syntax and bad grammar. With his intrepid assistant by his side, Whom’s on a mission to correct greengrocers sign’s, the errors of popular fiction, and government memos (memoes?). If he fails, the results are dire: inaccurate and lazy communication will rip apart the very fabric of the space time continuum. And one thing’s for sure: he’s not ready to eat, shoot, and leave before the job is done.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Adam Roberts is 40 and Professor of 19th century literature at London University. His first novel, Salt, was shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award. He has also published a number of academic works on both 19th century poetry and SF.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Gollancz (September 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0575079681
• ISBN-13: 978-0575079687
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,300,251 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny read, February 11, 2008

By 

Addy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Doctor Whom: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Parodication (GollanczF.) (Paperback)

I got this while traveling in europe and it is a funny take on Dr. Who and what he would do in this book. Dr. Whom is a Time Gentleman from the planet Garlic Free. He travels around in his Tardy with two companions, Prose Tailor, and Linnaeus Trout correcting grammatical errors in the universe and stopping bad guys like the Cydermen, Stavros and his Garleks, and his arch enemy The Master Debater. This story is narrated by Prose Tailor and the chapters are out of order but the reason for that will be at the end of the story. This is a good recommendation for any Dr. Who fan or anybody who likes silly reading. (My book cover is a bit different though. The Garlek is shaped like a little trash can and there is a Cyderman on the back cover. Very cute)

3.0 out of 5 stars Mildly Amusing, April 17, 2010

By 

Nancy A. Fox (West Covina, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Doctor Whom: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Parodication (GollanczF.) (Paperback)

O.K., this sounded like a fantastic idea, creating a parody of Doctor Who AND Eats, Shoots and Leaves in one volume. I'm a Doctor Who fan or long standing, and I loved Lynn Truss' delightful book on punctuation, so what could be better. I was greatly disappointed.

My main problem with the book is that the narrator and protagonist, Prose Taylor, is a bore. He's rather clueless, his prose style (and yes, I do understand that's supposed to part of the humor) is tortuous, and mostly he's a twit. The passage where Prose Taylor is being interviewed by Doctor Whom and Linnaeous Trout for the position of assistant is a prime example: two pages of tortured writing cover Prose Taylor's unease at where to put his hands.

Now there are some fun things, when Doctor Whom and his assistants go to the planet of Skary, the home of Stavros, celebrity chef and creator of the android Garleks there are puns aplenty. The description of certain aspects of the Tardy, Doctor Whom's vehicle, are fun; and the encounters between Doctor Whom and his arch-nemesis the Master Debator are fun as well.

I'm not sure that anyone unfamiliar with Doctor Who would get much out of this, but I'm also not sure that a Doctor Who fan would find it all that funny either. As far as fans of Eats, Shoots and Leaves are concerned, I think they might just be annoyed.

While I can't really recommend this novel, you may find parts enjoyable. So if curious go ahead and pick up a copy, but I wouldn't go out of my way to find one.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I am the real (so to speak) Dr. Whom, September 26, 2011

By 

Dr. Whom (Newton,, MA, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Doctor Whom: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Parodication (GollanczF.) (Paperback)

I decided a few months ago to assume the mantle and associated burdens and responsibilities of Dr. Whom (aka Dr_Whom and a few other variants as websites accept them) as my sobriquet, nom de plume, non de guerre, etc.

I justify this action because I am
1) a real MD, and
2) at least slightly more objective than Dr. Who*.

There have been several episodes in which Dr. Who-ziwhatsis encounters various impostors or time-traveled, alternate versions of himself, so I am content to assume that the Doctor Whom herein portrayed is such an alternate version of moi. I certainly hope that if he (as accused) quite a twit, that I may be less so.

You will find my objectivity at various reviews, etc., but most of all at profitandentropy.com.

* For those whose education does not extend to prescribed English usage, I point out that "Who" is in the subjective case, while "Whom" is in the objective.