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WRITTEN BY JUSTIN RICHARDS
RECOMMENDED PURCHASE OFFICIAL BBC PAPERBACK (ISBN 1- 84607-423-3) RELEASED IN MAY 2008.
BLURB The Doctor has his TARDIS to get him from place to place and time to time, but the rest of the Universe relies on more conventional transport. From the British Space Prog- ramme of the late twentieth century to Earth's Empire in the far future, from the terrifying Dalek Fleet to deadly CyberShips, this book documents the many starships and spacestations that the Doctor and his companions have encountered on their travels. |
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MAY 2008
Following on from the three volumes of tie-in books focussing on monsters in Doctor Who, Starships and Spacestations takes a different approach by looking at the various spacecraft used by both humanity and the various alien races in both the classic and new series. In practice, many of the articles focus more on the plot of the episodes than any new information on the vessels themselves; the subject matter is more a way to highlight a wide selection of stories. Although some episodes have already been covered in depth in previous guides, a number of lesser-known serials get a look-in here, with very different stories brought together through a passing similarity in their featured spacecraft.
The book is excellently designed by Lee Binding; even more lavish than its predecessors. There’s a real pleasure in seeing subtly colourised images from 1960s’ serials alongside promo shots from the very latest episodes. Of particular note are several specially rendered full-page vistas, portraying such images as the descent of the Toclafane, or new CG images of classic series moments, including the surprisingly impressive Kroton Dynatrope. By far the best is the image of a Dalek warfleet descending on a Cyberman planet – absolutely gorgeous. The cover is also pretty stunning, seemingly designed as a little sneak peak at the fourth series’ finale.
The book is well-structured, bookended with notes on TARDIS technology, then set out in logical chapters. Earth Space Programmes leads into the Earth Empires, followed by a section entitled “Escaping the End”, dealing with the show’s numerous depiction of the abandonment of Earth, taken right up to the final exodus in Utopia. The chronological approach is effective, although it does break down occasionally. The book then looks at alien spacecraft – Alien Encounters deals with landings on Earth, while Alien Fleets focuses more on spacebound stories. After a look at ships as varied as the Eternals’ sailing ships and the Pirate Planet, there’s a rundown of the various ships used over the years by the three ‘big’ alien races – Cybermen, Daleks and Sontarans. There are also some nice little nods to other productions, such as the Dalek strips in TV Century 21, and the British Rocket Group, mentioned in The Christmas Invasion but originating in the old Quatermass serials.
With box-outs dealing with the production side of these craft, from early designs to CG rendering, not forgetting a look at early modelwork, the fictional side of the subject matter is complemented by the factual. There’s a sad lack of ‘extra’ background info, as some of the other guides have had, but otherwise this is pretty comprehensive. Unsurprisingly focusing on the tenth Doctor, no Doctor’s era is left out. Aimed mainly at he older child (or young-at-heart), it manages to be informative yet undaunting, and is above all a visual feast.
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Copyright © Daniel Tessier 2009
Daniel Tessier has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 to be identified as the author of this work. |
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