Doctor Who: Who-ology by Cavan Scott

Doctor Who: Who-ology Reviews

• 
  Anu

  It is the 54th Anniversary of Doctor Who today, and coincidentally, I've been binge-watching the episodes (for what must be the hundredth time). I can't help it, I'm slightly obsessed. I started watching Doctor Who quite by accident, in 2009. It was a random David Tennant episode (well, now I know it was The Family of Blood), and I just thought it was another weird show about weird people. I was, however, especially struck by the line "the fury of the Timelord." Anyway, I googled the show, started with the 9th Doctor, fell in love with them all, one by one, and today, I stand having completed all 800+ episodes. Thing is, Doctor Who is much more than a weird show about weird people. It is, at its heart, a show about compassion and humanity, and about what happens if you give a man two hearts, a sonic screwdriver and an obsolete time machine, instead of a superpower, a streak of violence, and a cape. Don't get me wrong, I love my superheroes, but everyday, Doctor Who restores my faith in how significant everyone is. I mean, the man(?) Timelord has more faith in us, both as a race and individually, than we do in ourselves. He embodies humanity and compassion, and we need more of that. And I don't know, on a bad day, it's good to watch something where someone so selflessly (mostly) does something good for a change. Also, the show has the best lines. Ever.
• 
  Renee

  If there's one thing in the entertainment world I love more than Doctor Who I've yet to find it. I would have never have guessed that a boring night of channel surfing nine years ago would have led to the love affair that I have with the Doctor Who series. Since discovering the series in 2005, I haven't missed watching an episode and have even went back in the archives to watch the Classic Doctor Who that originally aired in 1963.
  
  With 50 years of rich history it's easy to find something Who related even if you aren't near a TV. There are board games, video games, action figures, t-shirts -- and books! Yes! I mentioned the 'B' word! There are tons of books to keep a Whovian entertained for ages. With the 50th anniversary coming in November the BBC is re-releasing a set of 11 classic Doctor Who stories, one for each incarnation of the Doctor, with beautiful new covers. If that isn't enough, there are also several new books in the pipeline including a great book of Doctor Who trivia entitled, Who-ology. It's not due out until June 11, but I was lucky enough to snag a pre-release copy thanks to TLC Book Tours and BBC Books and I have to say it's a must-have for any Whovian worth their salt or anyone curious about the series.
  
  Who-ology is a mish-mash of facts and figures from 1962 when the series was a twinkle in the BBC's eye to the current series's 2012 Christmas Special: The Snowmen. Ever wanted to know just how many times the Dalek's, the Doctor's archenemies, have shouted EXTERMINATE (469 to be exact, pg. 205) or just exactly what a "Timey - Wimey Detector is? These questions and more are answered in Who-ology.
  
  At close to 400 pages this tome may seem daunting to non-readers but it's well organized and the table of contents make it easy to jump around to different chapters and to read small sections at a time. There are also some nifty charts and drawings for those who like visual aides. I sat down with this book almost as soon as I got it and couldn't put it down. Even I, a fan for years now, learned some new things. It is truly amazing just how many connections the show has had over the years and how many people have launched their careers on the series.
  
  Who-ology: Doctor Who, The Official Miscellany is most definitely a book I highly recommend. I plan on passing it along to my younger brother who is a teen Whovian. It's great for almost any reader young and old. Kudos to the writers and BBC books for putting together this wonderful book and allowing us TARDIS-less humans to journey through 50 years of Doctor Who history. I hope there's a book like this for the next 50 years!
  
  
  *I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.*
  
• 
  Sophie Crane

  This is a good book if you like statistics,who said or did what,why they said/did it and to what effect.All there is to know about the first fifty years of the series,episodes,Tardises,(Tardi?),sonic screwdrivers,companions and most importantly the various incarnations of the Doctor and lots of info you wouldn't even think of were it not for this book.As has been said in other reviews,this is not so much a book to read from cover to cover - more a book full of facts,figures and details - a book to read between books!
• 
  George Kingsley

  An inventive way of celebrating the science-fiction phenomenon. This is a solid and interesting Doctor Who trivia book which is let down by a few crippling flaws. My biggest complaint would have to be overall design, it would have been benefited from some creative structure and colour in places, there are too many pages of just dates in a spreadsheet like format, wasting space in an overly cramped book, it could have been so much more. This book seems to be for Doctor Who enthusiasts who have, at least a basic understanding of "Classic Who" 1963-1989 (which was not a problem for me)this book could have been a great introduction for younger viewers eager to learn about what was before the "new series". For "New Who" fans there isn't a considerable amount on series 5-7. I have also been informed that the book has not been entirely accurate about certain aspects of the Doctor Who lore (e.g. Barbara and Ian's occupation) which stops me from giving a higher rating. Still a must-have for fellow "Whovians"!
• 
  Andy

  If you're a fan of 'Doctor Who', whether it's the classic series or the new rebooted series, I would recommend picking up this book, it covers it all and then some! Reading more like a digest of everything Whovian from the last 50 years, this hardcover book has it all.
  
  From the very first episode, and all the way up until the 2012 Christmas special, the 384 pages are bursting with the facts and figures from the entire series. It's all presented very well in a hardback volume, with a cover illustrated by Lee Binding and accompanied by black and white interior illustrations by Ben Morris. 'Who-ology' details the timelines, actor biographies, character summaries, episode listings, fact compilations and quotations. There's a lot of detail for the casual fan to take in, yet not as much that a hard-core fan might expect, but it's still fun to flick through the pages and get lost in the mythology of the Doctor.
  
  For the price, you can pick this up for less than a tenner, this is a book that fans of Doctor Who will enjoy. A perfect celebration of the longest running science fiction TV series.
• 
  Fred Hughes

  A very comprehensive guide to all things Doctor Who. From companions, monsters, all the various players and all the linkages it's all here.
  
  If you are a Whovian you need this Bible of Who.
  
  Recommended
• 
  Rick

  Oh my giddy aunt! Where to begin?
  This tome is chockablocked with ... well, everything! Oh course, that's what trivia books are all about. And this is gem for any Whovians out there who are looking for ... well, who traveled with the Doctor longest. What was the first thing the Doctor said to Ian and Barbara or the last thing he said to Adric. The material is presented in several different ways, usually determined by the type of material and how best it would be presented. And every page is filled with fascinating stuff. And the bloody thing is addictive. It's nearly impossible to put down. Clearly this little devil will be living on my bedside shelf for quite some time.
  Allons-y and put on a Murray Gold soundtrack, cuddle up under your TARDIS throw with a nice hot cuppa and enjoy page after page of silly and yet oh so fantastic trivia. Geronimo!
• 
  Erikka

  If you want to know anything trivial about the world's greatest sci-fi show, this book has it. Did you know it would take you over 362 hours to watch every episode and mini-sode? Seriously--and that's only calculated up to "The Snowmen." There's been a whole season, 50th anniversary, and new Doctor since then! And did you know that the sonic screwdriver does enough things to fill, like, 3 whole pages? And the first TARDIS was only replaced because the first one basically collapsed on Lis Sladen's head? Poor Sarah Jane. I could go on, but that would ruin all the fun of you learning new factoids for yourself!
  
  This was a cool resource--definitely worth a read if you're a Whovian who loves trivia as much as I do.
• 
  Jesse

  This book, packed with facts, figures and stories from 50 years of the TV show Doctor Who, is a FUN book! I just can't stop reading it. There were some trivia that I never knew and it's a delight surprise! Of course, there were some things in the book I disagreed with but that's a part of the fun. I'd not be surprised if future non-fiction/reference Doctor Who books were spawned from this book (it certainly gives you an idea what you could write about as a non-fiction work)!
  
  I think I'll have to re-read it to add some notes of my own!
  
  It's a MUST for all Doctor Who fans to have!
• 
  Katie Brock

  As a Doctor Who fan, Who-ology was a great read.
  It is full of facts and figures up to the 2012 Christmas Special, although it could be updated, there is enough in there to improve my knowledge of the classic era, as well as adding to my knowledge of NuWho.
  
  I would recommend this book to hardcore fans, as it includes stories from all the Doctors, all forms of the TARDIS and the Sonic Screwdriver, the actors real names and stage names, as well as birth dates/death dates for those who are sadly no longer with us.
  
  I enjoyed this book.
  It's non-fiction but it's still fun and interesting :)
• 
  Daniel Kukwa

  Call it "the biggest book of everything" you could possibly list/compile about "Doctor Who" over the past 50 years. Facts, factoids, fiction, gossip...this is the ultimate primer. If you're still a geek in training, this is a fantastic bible to the entire series. If you're a geeky jedi master such as myself, this is a warm remembrance of things well known & facts refreshed...all enhanced by some fantastic black and white artwork. A book that is an endless joy to browse.
  
• 
  David

  A book for die-hard fans. Treats the old and new Who testaments as seamless whole. If I can borrow from objected oriented programming lingo, this is "aspect-oriented" trivia, comprised in large measure of lists of topics that cross-cut 50 years of episodes; the kinds of lists that owe their existence to fan boy crowd sourcing.
• 
  Ashley

  This was not what I was hoping it’d be. There are some fun facts and tidbits, and I particularly enjoyed the bios about the companions and villains, but it’s mostly a bunch of silly (or technical) stats and lists that I personally don’t care about. I wanted more depth. I think I’ll start looking for some better Doctor Who books.
• 
  Scott Southard

  Very disappointed. Much of it was very trivial (like what other actors starred in a Harry Potter movie). Very little on the history or inspiration of the show. Even when they decided to discuss the history of the actors on it, they were each given about three to four paragraphs.
• 
  Ari

  Great book! It gave me all the information I still didn't know about the Doctor Who world, plus it's ironic and you can stay hours reading it without getting bored.
  
  Only one flaw: Doctor Who has gone further since this book was relased, so some things are missing.
• 
  SimiReads

  The book is very interesting though there are some annoying errors such as one of the dates are backwards (January 2nd and January first of the same year) but seeing as how many interesting things there are its best to forget the errors. I would say about 95% interesting and 5% annoying.
• 
  Myrthe

  3,5*
  
  I wanted to love this book so bad, but I found myself to be skimming loads of the information. Most things just didn't really interest me, probably because I haven't seen anything of Classic Who. However, the things that I DID like, I really loved. 40 ways to defeat a Dalek? Amazing.
• 
  Brooklyn Tayla

  An utter fascinating read into everything Doctor Who related. It contains everything a fellow Whovian needs to know about anything and everything Who related. I picked up some facts I didn't know, and the book itself felt like a trip through time and space.
• 
  Ariel

  Perfect for every Whovian! The only thing is, it was written before the 50th Anniversary, just so y'all know.
• 
  Colleen

  Love to flip through and read all the things behind the scenes of the doctor who movie episodes.
• 
  Aimee

  not finished yet, but so far so good!
• 
  Nayeli

  This is an awesome book, even if its now a little outdated, it covers from the 1st Doctor to the 11th and not all of his tenure, but up until half of his last series. I bought it before the 50th anniversary special and have had it around since then, I read a couple of chapters and treated it more as a reference book - although the index isn't very clear (the subtitles are funny, though) and it doesn't have a topic or word index. I read it again, now from cover to cover, and I must say I enjoyed it a lot even though I did a lot of extra googling.
  
  I'm not well-versed in classic Doctor Who, and who knows if I'll ever get to see all the episodes, but this guide gave me an idea of which I'd like the best. It covers from the actors themselves, to the companions, enemies (even though the Zygons are a bit ignored if you ask me), technology (the TARDIS, the sonic screwdriver) and there's even some pop trivia in there... I didn't remember Toxic by Britney Spears was featured in an en episode (yep!). All in all I think it's a must-read for any Whovian, non-fans might be a bit confused though.
• 
  Daniella

  doooo weee oooooooo idk the riversong timeline was my favourite part and the timeline of the show from the 1960s to 2017 was so cute it made me tear up a lot was hoping there was some info on the nightmare child but i may have to refer to a different sources to find out more about it. great reference book though! in total i believe i have watched 115 hrs 42 mins and 12 secs of doctor who (just up until 12th doctors regeneration and not including the countless hours spent re watching). theres my nerd time for the day.
• 
  Ellie Way

  2.5
• 
  Shannon

  Check out my review over on my blog
  here!!
  
  
  -----
  Thank you so much to my wonderful and thoughtful parents for giving me this amazing Doctor Who book for Christmas, I also got lots of other Doctor Who related things for christmas which I will show in my upcoming Christmas Haul (Link Here).
  
  As some of you may know, I am a major Whovian, aka Doctor Who mega fan. I have loved Doctor Who since I discovered the show when it restarted with Christopher Ecclestone in 2005 and since then I've been hooked to the series.
  
  I loved this book so very much. This book is great for any whovian, whether they are a fan of the classic Doctor Who or the more modern Doctor Who / "New Who". I've only watched Doctor Who from the 2005 episodes until present but I really want to go back to the beginning with William Hartnell and watch all of the episodes.
  
  There are so many facts and stats in the book that it really makes it a fun and fast read. It is definitely a book you will read more than once and it is also a beautiful book perfect for display on your bookshelf because the cover is amazing. The information was presented in a really easy way to read with great flow with the next item of information. There are info-graphics, illustrations, bullet points and so many other little things that make the novel fun to read.
  
  I really liked that the book answered some of the most aggravating questions that Whovians ask themselves. These questions include: the many deaths of Rory Williams, how timelords regenerate, the time line of River Song and how many companions the Doctor has kissed!
  
  This book is definitely perfect as a gift for a friend or family member who is a huge fan of the show or you could even buy it for yourself!
  
  Also wasn't the Christmas special, The Time of The Doctor, heartbreaking? Who's excited to see Capaldi as the Doctor? Comment below !
  
• 
  Hóvirág

  Négy csillag, mert van benne sok olyasmi is, amit netről is el lehet olvasni némi utánajárással (pl. az egyes színészekről szóló beszámolók 1-2 bekezdésben), ugyanakkor viszont összességében érdekes, hasznos infókkal van tele, meg jó így egyben hozzáférni mindehhez. Az illusztrációk sajnos nem igazán nyerték meg a tetszésemet.
  Biztos fogom még lapozgatni időnként, már csak azért is, mert most a classic Who-hoz kapcsolódó részeket úgy ahogy vannak, kihagytam, nehogy elspoilerezzek magamnak valamit. Ezeket majd akkor olvasom el, mikor már megnéztem az összes fellelhető részt a 2005-ös restart előtti időkből. Ki tudja, mikor lesz ez… egyelőre kielégítő az állapotom, ami a DW-adagot illeti, illetve több regény olvasását tervezem, meg hát szeptemberben jön a 9. évad. Lehet, hogy majd akkor rákapok a classic-ra is, mert nem érem be a heti egy résszel, majd kiderül.
  
  Maga a kiadás amúgy szintén négy csillag, mert egyrészt igényes, keményborítós, jó minőségű papírra nyomva – meg is látszik az árán, ami azért kicsit borsos, én is csak kedvezménykuponnal és névnapom van címszóval mertem megvenni –, és úgy általában jó ránézni az egyes oldalakra, viszont nem lehet teljesen kinyitni, mert rohadtul szorosan van kötve, vagy nem is tudom, hogy fogalmazzak. A lényeg, hogy nem merem teljesen szétnyitni, mert félek, hogy akkor egy idő után kijönnének a lapok. Bár elég minőségi kötésnek tűnik, szóval lehet, hogy csak én aggódom túl a dolgot. :)
  
  Akartam amúgy szépen kifejtett bejegyzést írni a könyvről a blogomra, de lusta is vagyok, meg kedvem sincs hozzá. Talán később majd pótolom.
• 
  Jazza1971

  A fun book, but not without it's flaws.
  
  I spotted a few factual errors.
  
  Firstly the book states that Ian Chesterton was a history teacher which is such a basic error about the original DNA of the show that it makes you question every thing stated in the book.
  
  Secondly, the authors can't seem to decide who is classed as a companion and who isn't. Sara Kingdom is listed as a companion on page 102, but then as "an occasional companion" on page 166.
  
  Thirdly on the map on pages 224/5, Lanzarote is located in the Mediterranean just south of France, when it should be off the coast of West Africa.
  
  It was an entertaining read, but for a book of facts it could really have done with some fact checking.
  
  This review is based on the original release of the book.
• 
  Angelica Dominguez

  No es el mejor libro de doctor who que he leido pero cumple su función me mantuvo entretenida, y aprendi datos freaks acerca de mi show.
  Es un buen libro para saber acerca de doctor who, lo único malo es que habian partes que eran lateras por que eran muchos datos númericos y nada de palabras o relatos para hacerlo más fácil de leer.
• 
  Cricket Muse

  For beginners or experts, this book covers it all for Wholigans. Lots of trivia and background. Informative and entertaining. Some info could be expanded, such as how psychic paper actually works and why it doesn’t work on everyone, such as Shakespeare.