Doctor Who in Time and Space: Essays on Themes, Characters, History and Fandom, 1963‐2012 Gillian I. Leitch, Editor. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2013.

Doctor Who in Time and Space: Essays on Themes, Characters, History and Fandom, 1963-2012 Gillian I. Leitch, Editor. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2013.In the introduction to this collection, Leitch states her desire for "a diverse reading of both the series and its influence," and, as a primer on Doctor Who, this book might be a good place to begin. Leitch tries to be all inclusive, and essays here certainly do cover history (in the form of an overview of fan activity over the run of the series), themes (time, national identity, genre conventions), and characters (predominantly the women). However, this inclusiveness contributes to an overall lack of cohesive ness. Given the sheer number of books published on Doctor Who, it seems incumbent on a new entry into this crowded field to set itself apart in some way, to present a new way of understanding the series. However, by trying to do everything, this collection winds up saying far too little.This diversity of aim also indicates a larger problem -the collection has no clear audience. By trying to touch all the bases and appeal to everyone, it runs the risk of alienating the several audiences who might be drawn to this work. Andrew O'Day's pieces, which open the collection, seem to state the obvious to those working within fan studies and to those who might be looking for something beyond an overview of fan activity across the run of the series. David Whitt's argument about the use of Gothic horror tropes in the three episodes featuring the weeping angels will raise the eyebrows of those working in horror studies. Whitt approaches the genre as someone with a selfconfessed dislike of horror who has only recently been inspired to find out more "about a genre that began centuries ago in literature and has evolved to include television... and film" (214). In other words he brings enthusiasm but no expertise to bear on his analysis of the weeping angels.Of the two themes which this reviewer would argue do emerge here, one is handled significantly more satisfactorily than the other. The "big ball of wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff" is ably treated by several contributors, most notably Kieran Tranter, Paul Booth, and Andrew Crome. Tranter's thoughtful discussion of timeless ness vs. timefulness across the series is firmly grounded in his understanding of previous literature (John Tulloch, Matt Hills, et al.). Booth's approach to time travel as a narrative device similarly explores the complex shifts in the treatment and purposes of time travel between classic Who and new Who. Taken together, these essays satisfyingly explore the paradoxes of time travel (as a force that both situates and unmoors). Andrew Crome's essay "Ready to Outsit Eternity" in turn looks at one very specific timeful event-the end of time itself-developing and extending several of the issues raised by Tranter and Booth, not least of these being the Doctor's dual role as someone who is outside and above time and someone who can, when his own will to power prevails, affect the course of events. …