Review: Time & Space Visualiser by Paul Smith

Oversized paperback, 118 pages
Published 2013
Acquired May 2013
Read December 2013

Time & Space Visualiser: The story and history of Doctor Who as data visualisations
by Paul Smith

Paul Smith's third book is his first serious one, a series of "data visualisations" about the making of Doctor Who. Some are too complicated to glean information from (such as a chart of common story endings used in the modern series), but some are really quite informative, such as most commonly visited planets, most commonly visited locations on Earth, or (my favorite) how many weeks prior to transmission each 1960s episode was filmed. I'd known they use to cut it close, but this visualisation really highlighted how much so! It's an interesting way to reconceptualize information you know, or learn something new.

Review: Not-Radio Times Dr Who Special by Paul Smith

Oversized paperback, 35 pages
Published 2013
Acquired March 2013
Read December 2013

Not-Radio Times Dr Who Special
by Paul Smith

Paul Smith's second pastiche recreates the 1973 Radio Times 10th anniversary special for the 50th anniversary-- only it's written as if there never was any Doctor Who prior to 2005, so it's celebrating the "8th anniversary" instead. It mixes genuine tributes to the companions with muddled "facts" and episode synopses. I'm not familiar with the original in this case, but I enjoyed it regardless, particularly some of the brilliant artwork accompanying the companion tributes (especially the one for Rose). Some of the jokes wear thin, but the "make your own Dalek" feature skewering "Asylum of the Daleks" is worth the price of entry alone.

Review: Doctor Who: The Wonderful Book 1965 by Paul Smith

Oversized paperback, 53 pages
Published 2011
Acquired January 2012
Read December 2013

Doctor Who: The Wonderful Book 1965
by Paul Smith

This fan-made book pastiches the Brilliant Books of Doctor Who, positing that such a thing existed for the first series back in 1964. It's good fun, with a guide to every story and the same mix of nonfiction and in-universe content. Only much of the "nonfiction" is made up-- such as every interview! These are good fun, such as William Russell talking about how he gets on with the ladies, or William Hartnell declaring his favorite story was The Keys of Marinus because he got two weeks off in the middle to go to Spain. There's also a worked-out geography for Marinus, which is actually kind of awesome, and the listed facts for each actor include their "first episode off"! I enjoyed "Tlotoxl's Portents!" a lot, which mixes real clues about the second season with fake ones, in a perfect aping of the same feature in the Brilliant Books or the Annuals/Storybooks. It's a brilliant recreation of a brilliant book for a brilliant era.