The world of Doctor Who publishing is chock full of reference books. In order to stand out, you need to be offering something unique to make an impact.
With his personal brand of accessible and enthusiastic fandom, Cameron K. McEwan – better known as the creator of the Blogtor Who website (and occasional CultBox contributor) – has written a book designed to appeal to both his core audience and the more casual fan alike.
‘The Big Book of Lists’ is no heavy reference tome. Instead, it aims to entertain and inform though its one hundred lists of Who related facts and figures.
Collected into sections, some deal with the fiction of the show, its character and companions, locations and monsters. Others highlight production details, actor’s biographies and the programme’s impact into popular culture.
Some topics are quite obvious, such as non-human companions and stories featuring Gallifrey, others are less so as they consider alternate Doctors, unseen characters, in-jokes and unhappy endings.
One of our favourites is a roster of sixteen underappreciated stories, with deserved praise for ‘Frontios’, ‘The Ark’ and ‘Invasion of the Dinosaurs’. Another is a rundown of seven favourite pieces of Murray Gold music from the new series, with the list compiled by the composer himself.
A healthy number look at cast crossovers with other cult franchises, such as Harry Potter, Star Wars and Game of Thrones, and the author does not shy away from his personal opinions on McFly and the Twilight Saga.
There is some amusement to be had when the format creaks a little – 50 Years of Firsts is comprised of some noteworthy events such as ‘1975: First use of “regeneration” to describe the process’ but also some less remarkable like ‘2013: First use of a Nintendo Wii’.
Throughout, the book is illustrated by famed Doctor Who illustrator Andrew Skilleter, a veteran of many Target novel covers and calendars. It is great to see the artist tackle some new series content and there are some great compositions, such as Agatha Christie and the Tenth Doctor captured in a front cover of Detective Mystery Magazine.
Easy to dip in to, and with a relaxed presentation style, the facts and figures in these lists are highly digestible. The book offers a diverting read and is also doubtless an ideal gift for someone who is relatively new to the programme and keen to explore the show’s back catalogue.
Published on 7 May 2015 by Race Point Publishing.
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