Science of Doctor Who [Import] [Hardcover]

Paul Parsons (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: ICON BOOKS (FABE) (March 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1840467371
• ISBN-13: 978-1840467376
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,949,992 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Scientific Explanations with Fun Whovian Moments, April 15, 2010

By 

TammyJo Eckhart "TammyJo Eckhart" (Bloomington, Indiana United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Science of Doctor Who (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

To fully appreciate this book, I think you need to be like my husband and I who read it outloud to each other. I've been a Whovian since I was a child, I'm talking since I was four years old way back in the early 1970s. My husband has a degree in physics and taught it for a few years. So a great book about science and Doctor Who had to meet a high standard around our house.

This book meets that standard. First, it is clear that Paul Parsons knows his Whovian universe. Not just the classics, not the new series, but it all. He pulls in examples from across the decades to demonstrate how the show has developed or maintained ideas about history, the future, humanity and alien life. Secondly, while my husband noted a handful of problematic explanations of science and I could nitpick about a few historical and social comments, by and large we found the discussion and diagrams useful.

The premise of the book is really to gauge how the world of Doctor Who fits into our current understanding of how things work through all branches of social and physical sciences. The book is divided into four Part which cover the Doctor and time travel, aliens including humans, technology, and journeys into the truly unknown and fundamental questions of the universe. There are a total of 35 relatively short chapters making it easy to read.

He covers all 11 doctors, including the brief glimpse of Matt Smith at the end of 10th doctor's tenure. Indeed the book has been repeatedly updated and expanded over a few years and I hope it continues to be revised every few years to cover changes in science and in the show.

Over all a very enjoyable and educational book.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who knew?, March 25, 2010

By 

Dr. Stuart Gitlow (Providence, RI United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Science of Doctor Who (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

The science of Dr who is a clever little book. It attempts to rationalize the scientific and magical events, species, and technologies by applying current physical and biological laws. It has a healthy element of humor and whimsy. The author has clearly done his homework and refers to the work of experts in their fields. He appears to have forged personal relationships with the experts he has consulted. The author has an encyclopedic knowledge of the Dr. Who series from the very beginning to the present day. I found it an enjoyable and entertaining read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Know what you're getting., April 8, 2010

By 

Dick Johnson (Oklahoma USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Science of Doctor Who (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

I was hoping for a trip through the history of the Dr. Who series with the science explained as we went. However, this is not what this book is about.

This is also not a book for beginners to the Dr. Who series. It is primarily a science book (though written in a 'popular science' manner). The tie with Dr. Who gives Parsons a whole range of jumping off points to get into his science.

I'm not an expert on Dr. Who or science, but I have an interest in both. But, I have not judged the book any less because my expectations were not the goal of the author. Taken for what has been written, it is very informative. It really helps if you are very knowledgeable about Dr. Who and want to learn science.

The science seems sound and most of it is explained so I could, if not 'understand' it, I could at least get the general feel for it.