This week's book review is Chicks Dig Time Lords. It's a collection of essays by women who are fans of Doctor Who. I picked up my copy at ConQuest 42.
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 interesting read. It does tell of Who fandom from a female perspective. It also reveals the diversity of how fans have come to the series. There are those who came during the original run in Britain; those Americans who came when the series arrived here in the 1980s; and those who joined up when the series restarted several years ago. It's important to note that fandom isn't just a "guy thing" (or a "boy thing"), but that it crosses lines of gender and generation.
Another aspect of the book I liked is the "warts and all" approach of some of the essays. There are criticisms of the series and of how fandom sometimes operates. This is in contrast to what I read about Star Trek fandom in the late 1970s-early 1980s, which portrayed fandom as one big happy family. It's good to let fans know that not everyone gets along, if for no other reason than to show how fans shouldn't behave.
If you are any sort of Who fan you need to pick up this book. I give it 4 out of 5 stars at Goodreads.
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