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1st out of 19 books
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6 voters
Chicks Dig Time Lords: A Celebration of Doctor Who by the Women Who Love It
by
Lynne M. Thomas (Goodreads Author) ,
Tara O'Shea (Goodreads Author) , Catherynne M. Valente (Goodreads Author), Sophie Aldred, Elizabeth Bear (Goodreads Author), Mary Robinette Kowal (Goodreads Author), Carole E. Barrowman (Goodreads Author), Seanan McGuire (Goodreads Author)
,
more…
In Chicks Digs Time Lords, a host of award-winning female novelists, academics and actresses come together to celebrate the phenomenon that is Doctor Who, discuss their inventive involvement with the show's fandom and examine why they adore the series. These essays will delight male and female readers alike by delving into the extraordinary aspects of being a female Doctor...more
Paperback, 186 pages
Published
March 15th 2010
by Mad Norwegian Press
(first published 2010)
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This is a fun look at fandom from a female persepctive. Like several of the essayists in this collection, I was a late convert to the bliss that is Doctor Who. (MANY thanks to my friend Kim who INSISTED that I watch it and then Torchwood) My two favorite essays are by Elizabeth Bear and Carole Barrowman. (big sister of John Barrowman- aka- Captain Jack Yumminess, er, Harkness)The various aspects of fandom (watching, writing, costuming, etc) are well represented in this slim volume and I would re...more
Chicks Dig Time Lords is a collection of essays by female Doctor Who fans and stakeholders put out by Mad Norwegian that offers a female perspective on Doctor Who and fandom in general. Most have tangible connections to the show, from running conventions to writing Who novels to acting on the show or in the audios. There's even an essay from John "Captain Jack" Barrowman's sister! The authors come from a variety of countries and backgrounds (Old School, New School, married into it, costume maker...more
Doctor Who fans, particularly those interested in gender and fandom, should really enjoy this. I'm a new fan, having only seen the rebooted series (and the terrible mid-1990s TV movie) and so some of the references are lost on me, but there are some fascinating examinations of gender and race in the series, considerations of the fandom itself, interviews with people who have been involved with the series, and some very lovely reflections on what Doctor Who offers. The essays that open and close...more
It's a lovely collection of 27 essays by fans of Doctor Who, ranging from the gleeful to the mildly profound (as far as one can be in less than ten pages), ranging over various aspects of the fannish experience - watching the show, watching the show with your family (including one on what it feel like if your brother grows up to be Captain Jack Harkness, and two which caught at my heartstrings in which Who fans find themselves parenting children with special needs), conventions, fanzines, costum...more
My husband brought this home from a science fiction convention, ostensibly for me, though I noticed as I read that a number of the contributors had signed it specifically to him. *cough* Overall, it's a pleasant enough read, mostly personal reminiscences of fandom or the pleasure of the visual text. Particularly outstanding, however, are a couple of essays focusing on specific female characters: Lloyd Rose's essay on why Rose Tyler works so much better with the Ninth Doctor than with the Tenth (...more
I loved this book. Now going in I was pretty sure I was going to love this book. I bought it at a Dr. Who convention, so the subject matter was right up my alley, it was a collection of essays -- one of my favorite genres to read, and it was to explore the experience of being female -- another favorite topic.
In someways I was at a disadvantage going into the essays. At the launch panel they joked about many essays starting with the person discovering a strange man in a scarf on PBS. I came to t...more
In someways I was at a disadvantage going into the essays. At the launch panel they joked about many essays starting with the person discovering a strange man in a scarf on PBS. I came to t...more
Chicks Dig Time Lords: A Celebration of Doctor Who by the Women Who Love It is...well, it's kind of right there in the title. It has an awesome cover, which is part of the reason I wanted to read it. Well, that and I know Tara, and Seanan McGuire and Mary Robinette Kowal also had essays in the book, which contains two dozen essays, three interviews, and a very cute comic (from the creators of Torchwood Babiez, which I have never read). As one Amazon review astutely notes, the essays generally fa...more
Some of the essays in this book include really interesting analysis of Doctor Who from the perspective of women, and there were also some great personal reflections about the series. True, the meatiest of the content was more about the new series, but the older Doctors and companions were still well represented in the more personal essays.
Unfortunately, half this book is about the fandom, and those parts will largely be of interest to those that participate heavily in it. I was hoping that a hig...more
Unfortunately, half this book is about the fandom, and those parts will largely be of interest to those that participate heavily in it. I was hoping that a hig...more
This collection covers a broad range of perspectives, and represents both old-school fans and New Who fans well.
My favorites were the essays discussing why the authors loved a particular character ("Girl Genius: Nyssa of Traken" by Francesca Coppa, "Mathematical Excellence" by Seanan McGuire, and "Martha Jones: Fangirl Blues" by K. Tempest Bradford) or looking at how the show & fandom have evolved over the years (the essays by Shoshana Magnet & Robert Smith?, Kathryn Sullivan, and Jody...more
My favorites were the essays discussing why the authors loved a particular character ("Girl Genius: Nyssa of Traken" by Francesca Coppa, "Mathematical Excellence" by Seanan McGuire, and "Martha Jones: Fangirl Blues" by K. Tempest Bradford) or looking at how the show & fandom have evolved over the years (the essays by Shoshana Magnet & Robert Smith?, Kathryn Sullivan, and Jody...more
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Time to be honest: I only enjoyed 1/3 of this book.
I picked up this book hoping for an academic read on the Doctor Who fandom and the women involved. Unfortunately, only 1/3 of this book hit my mark. The other 2/3's of it was padding, which included women who loved Doctor Who, grew up with the show, or found the show later on. Each 'essay' involved the following formula: stating of favourite doctor, childhood memory, favourite companion, involvement in Chicago TARDIS, and the hesitation of Matt...more
I picked up this book hoping for an academic read on the Doctor Who fandom and the women involved. Unfortunately, only 1/3 of this book hit my mark. The other 2/3's of it was padding, which included women who loved Doctor Who, grew up with the show, or found the show later on. Each 'essay' involved the following formula: stating of favourite doctor, childhood memory, favourite companion, involvement in Chicago TARDIS, and the hesitation of Matt...more
I don’t know if you can spoiler a collection of essays, but just in case, warning: may contain spoilers!
I received this book as a birthday present from a good friend of mine and absolutely love it, being the whovian that I am. Like I said it’s a collection of essays by women that somehow are connected to the Doctor Who universe and they talk about how they were sucked into it and how Doctor Who played a part in their lives. The book was created between the 10th and 11th Doctor so we only get vie...more
I received this book as a birthday present from a good friend of mine and absolutely love it, being the whovian that I am. Like I said it’s a collection of essays by women that somehow are connected to the Doctor Who universe and they talk about how they were sucked into it and how Doctor Who played a part in their lives. The book was created between the 10th and 11th Doctor so we only get vie...more
This quirky little collection of fan essays is well worth a read if you are a fan of Doctor Who, whether you're an old-school fan who watched the original series and remembers the 16-year wait (which must have been AGONIZING), or if you're a newly minted Whovian who started with Matt Smith.
As a relative newbie myself (I watched a little bit during the Tennant era and got well and truly hooked when Eleven came on the scene), I loved reading about all of the fan stuff I missed. I also found that w...more
As a relative newbie myself (I watched a little bit during the Tennant era and got well and truly hooked when Eleven came on the scene), I loved reading about all of the fan stuff I missed. I also found that w...more
A fun collection that takes in nearly every possible female perspective on Doctor Who, from interviews with actresses to academic essays, from costuming to fanzine fandom, from the oldest of Old School to the newest of New School, and from unabashed squee to serious critique. I think any fan of Doctor Who regardless of their gender, will find something they identify with here, and probably also things that will surprise, intrigue, or even provoke them a bit.
I'd love to see some of the essays re...more
I'd love to see some of the essays re...more
There's a wide variety of essays in this collection. Some are about the contributor's life in Who fandom. Some feature critical analysis. There are pieces from women who have written Who novels. There are also interviews with India Fisher and Sophie Aldred.
I've wanted to get a copy since the book first came out. One of the contributors is a good friend of mine, Jennifer Adams Kelley. I got the book in trade from another contributor, Torchwood Babiez co-creator Tammy Garrison.
This book is a very...more
I've wanted to get a copy since the book first came out. One of the contributors is a good friend of mine, Jennifer Adams Kelley. I got the book in trade from another contributor, Torchwood Babiez co-creator Tammy Garrison.
This book is a very...more
Apr 08, 2010
Katie M.
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
doctor who fans, geeks, time lords, chicks
As a chick who digs Time Lords, I adore this collection of essays about being a female Doctor Who fan. Reading it was like the delightful feeling of sitting down with a bunch of clever friends and having a really great discussion of a shared interest. Some of the essays deal specifically with issues of being a woman in fandom, but the book will definitely also be of interest to male Doctor Who fans, since the shared experience of loving a quirky British show about time travel in a blue box trans...more
'Chicks Dig Time Lords' is a collection of essays by women who...dig Time Lords. As with any anthology it has stronger and weaker contributors, but for the most part the essays were of a high standard. The main focus seemed to be on personal experiences with Doctor Who rather than critical analysis (although this was still present throughout), which made for interesting reading about fandom, and especially the prominence of women in fandom. It really illustrated how important the show is to a lo...more
The only downside to this book: No follow-up with the addition of the Moffat-era characters. Seriously a great read though. It was refreshing to read essays with which I agreed with the authors, as opposed to listening to my friends blather about "hating" Martha and "adoring" Rose. If there ever were a second CWDTL, I hope it includes more fans who started with New Who. There were times when I felt a little excluded since I haven't seen much of the Classic series and I was born during the midst...more
Jun 27, 2010
Bethany
marked it as to-read
I love Doctor Who, I am a massive geek and this is just down my street.
I wasn't around for the original airings of Doctor Who but I have managed to watch many of them and they are still great today.
However, I also have a massive thing for David Tennant who I believe was a brilliant Doctor.
I have since kind of dropped out of watching the newer series as I don't like the assistant very much but the geekiness still remains!
I can't wait to read this- it probably won't be any time soon but I fully in...more
I wasn't around for the original airings of Doctor Who but I have managed to watch many of them and they are still great today.
However, I also have a massive thing for David Tennant who I believe was a brilliant Doctor.
I have since kind of dropped out of watching the newer series as I don't like the assistant very much but the geekiness still remains!
I can't wait to read this- it probably won't be any time soon but I fully in...more
An amazing Christmas present from J's parents. Overall this was a great collection of essays discussing Doctor Who. I was expecting lots of critical essays, but it was little lite on those. The volume did include a ton of "How I came to Who" essays. Those were interesting. But my favorites were the few gender critical essays. Those are my bread and butter. "Adventures in Ocean-Crossing, Margin-Skating and Feminist-Engagement with Doctor Who" by Helen Kang was hands-down my fave, mostly because K...more
I initially believed this book was about female Doctor Who fans celebrating their fandom solidarity by sharing their individual stories of love for the television series. But it quickly turned to disappointment as each woman's story was neither unique nor varied. I read through many stories in which the women professed their undying love for the original Doctor Who but most discussions about the current doctors and their shared love were overshadowed by their criticisms of how the modern female...more
It's safe to say that I am a big fan of the new Doctor Who, and I have been ever since it arrived in 2005, back when I was sixteen. I wasn't a big fan from the first episode. As a science-fiction fan in general, I had heard of Doctor Who but was not quite sure what it was all about. So I tuned into the CBC and watched "Rose" with interest. Gradually, I came to appreciate Doctor Who for what it is: one of the best TV shows ever.
Normally I don't like to jump on the "we have it so good these days"...more
Normally I don't like to jump on the "we have it so good these days"...more
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I did enjoy this book, being a chick who digs Time Lords myself. However, there are a number of issues with some of the essays - namely that their different readings of the series contradict each other.
It's also very geared towards new viewers of the series (ie 2005 series onwards), so despite protestations of women always having been fans, they don't seem to have looked very hard to find contributers from the "Wilderness Years".
It's worth it for the story behind Jackie Jenkins, however, my teen...more
It's also very geared towards new viewers of the series (ie 2005 series onwards), so despite protestations of women always having been fans, they don't seem to have looked very hard to find contributers from the "Wilderness Years".
It's worth it for the story behind Jackie Jenkins, however, my teen...more
For the most part the majority of contributions were interesting/insightful. I enjoyed anything that actually deconstructed the show or the fan culture of Doctor Who. I also liked the occasional interview and also loved the comic by the creators of Torchwood Babiez. But there were just far too many "here's how I got into Doctor Who" stories. I just didn't care; especially if I had no idea who the person was! This book made me realize that there really should be a more academically focused compil...more
Jag har kommit fram till att jag vill ge alla böcker tre stjärnor. Varje gång jag läser ut en bok känner jag mig stolt och glad, en erfarenhet rikare. En bok känns sällan eller aldrig som slöseri med tid för mig och därför är de flesta böcker på definition "bra". Samtidigt är jag så kräsen och petig att jag tycker få böcker är riktigt bra. Fyra stjärnor är sällsynt, att jag ger fem händer bara ytterst sällan. Resultatet är att varenda bok jag recenserar får tre stjärnor. Det är förstås tråkigt,...more
I found Doctor Who through an unexpected source (or maybe not so unexpected, considering this collection) - my mom. We were flipping channels one afternoon and suddenly she tells me to stop - it's the Doctor! She couldn't mean that weird British sci-fi show with the wonky sets? Well, she did and we ended up watching David Tennant and Freema Agyeman in "Gridlock". I was hooked.
Catching the occassional episode (which airs, for me, on Space, at 5 p.m., and since I work until 5...), was not enough t...more
Catching the occassional episode (which airs, for me, on Space, at 5 p.m., and since I work until 5...), was not enough t...more
I got sick, realised that I had this to read thanks to the Hugo voters' pack, and read it in a day. Well, there were a couple of entries that I skipped over a bit because they weren't that engaging for me and my experiences, but I swear I read almost all of it.
I love Doctor Who, but I do not LOVE it. I am a fan, but I am not a FAN. I don't think I ever realised the difference between the two before meeting people like Tansy and other serious, mad FANS (in much the same way that I didn't really k...more
I love Doctor Who, but I do not LOVE it. I am a fan, but I am not a FAN. I don't think I ever realised the difference between the two before meeting people like Tansy and other serious, mad FANS (in much the same way that I didn't really k...more
I had an awesome experience on the subway as I read this book when a woman noticed the cover and said “I have a friend in there!” Turns out, her friend was author Cat Valente, and this girl (Veronica? Victoria? It was a “V” name, and we sadly didn’t exchange info or anything) was a huge Doctor Who fan. We ended up talking about fandom all the way to the end of the line, which was where we both were going, and it was really nice! It was nice to be able to talk to a complete stranger about somethi...more
I really love this collection of essays. It's a diverse and often moving examination of women in Doctor Who fandom. Some of the essays are stronger than others. The memoir-style ones, where people just talk about how they got into the show, are less interesting.
The best essays are the ones that take that first-person fandom experience and analyze it, break it down, critique the culture, and place it in a greater context. Kate Orman's contribution, for example. What this collection really needed...more
The best essays are the ones that take that first-person fandom experience and analyze it, break it down, critique the culture, and place it in a greater context. Kate Orman's contribution, for example. What this collection really needed...more
I almost feel bad rating this book as poorly as I have as much of my disappointment is the result, I suspect, of my own incorrect assumptions about the content. I picked it up expecting a light or pseudo-academic take on Doctor Who. While there are one or two articles that attempt a theory-less critical theory approach (e.g. the Magnet & Smith or Kang essays, each of which the authors should consider expanding and republishing as academic articles) most of the volume is given over to fandom...more
1 like · like · see review
Twenty-seven essays and interviews by female fans of “Doctor Who” who may also be the actresses who played his Companions, who do costumes for fan conventions, who write “Doctor Who” novels, who are academics writing about sexism and gender, who are science fiction and fantasy writers, are moms. John Barrowman (he plays “Torchwood”’s Captain Jack, which started out on “Doctor Who”)’s sister Carole, who is an academic, both are Who-vians, and she helped him write his autobiography, writes one of...more
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I'm the Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections at Northern Illinois University. I manage popular culture special collections that include the papers of over 50 SF authors, and significant collections of dime novels, comics, and popular historical children’s literature. I also teach a Special Collections course as an adjunct at San Jose State University.
I'm also a Hugo Award-winning editor a...more
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