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Third Dimension is a comprehensive episode guide to Series
Three of the new Doctor Who, following the ongoing
adventures of the Doctor as he travels through space and time
accompanied by his new companion Martha Jones and rejoined
by his old friend Captain Jack Harkness. The full build-up
and background are revealed, from the aftermath of Series
Two and the departure of Rose Tyler right up to date, detailing
all the major news stories, press releases, casting announcements
and critical response...
The
third unauthorised and unofficial overview of the latest season
of Doctor Who from Telos Publishing sets a slight change
of pace as a new writer takes the helm to guide us through
the journey of Series Three.
J.
Shaun Lyons, the author of the previous two essential volumes
Back
To The Vortex and
Second Flight has
admitted that his enthusiasm has waned, and now seems to have
withdrawn from fandom completely, so it is left to Telos co-founder
Stephen James Walker to step into his shoes and take this
series forward.
The
first thing you notice about Third Dimension is that
it is noticeably slimmer than the previous volumes, nearly
100 pages so. I was initially worried that a more lightweight
approach had been adopted by Walker, but rest assured, this
book is as intensely exhaustive as its predecessors, and some
of the slight pruning of material actually proves to be quite
beneficial.
The
format remains much the same as before, with the book split
up into very clearly defined chapters. The first part plays
catch-up, as Walker gives us the story so far from the cancellation
of the original series to its glorious rebirth in 2005 and
continued success in 2006. I wasn’t sure if this was
entirely necessary in a book which is very obviously marketed
at the dedicated fan, but Walker still manages to deliver
an engaging read and sets the tone perfectly for the rest
of the guide.
We
are then taken on a day by day journey into another year of
Doctor Who, from July 2006 when fans were looking ahead
to the forthcoming Christmas special, right up until July
2007 when the final episode of Series Three was transmitted.
The excitement and anticipation is expertly captured here,
as we re-live every new press report, every speculative rumour
and every official announcement exactly as it happened. It’s
a terrific ride, and hugely engrossing.
Following
a section of biographies on cast members and the production
crew, we come to the backbone of the book, an extensive critical
analysis on each of the fourteen episodes of Doctor Who
that were transmitted during this period. Here’s where
Third Dimension differs slightly from the previous
volumes, which featured lengthy essays from a large panel
of writers and critics.
Walker
instead dishes up a few snippets of reaction from fans and
the press, and then delivers the main analysis himself. This
could possibly be considered a controversial move, as it eliminates
much of the differing opinion to pave the way for a sole authoritative
voice from Walker, but in all honesty I think it works well,
thanks largely to Walker’s erudite writing.
It’s
a big disappointment that the insightful pieces from Kim Newman
(one of the highlights of last year’s Second Flight)
have not been followed on here, but I still think the trimming
down of excessive analysis has made a tighter book.
The
final chapter is a series of appendices covering the more
peripheral aspects of the last year in Who, with extensive
and detailed coverage on the Doctor Who Confidential
documentaries, the slightly improved but still pretty awful
second series of the children’s magazine show Totally
Doctor Who, the quite jolly and likeable animated adventure
The Infinite Quest, as well as the countless novels
and comic strips that have cropped up over the last twelve
months.
Overall
then, maybe this is not something you’re likely to read
from cover to cover, but if you savoured the first two volumes
in this series, then Third Dimension is equally indispensable.
Danny
Salter
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£12.99
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£30.00
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£12.99
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£30.00
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