AHistory (An Unauthorised History of the Doctor Who Universe) by Lance Parkin

AHistory #2nd edition

by Lance Parkin, Unknown Author

The Third Edition of "AHistory" amends and vastly expands the work of the sold-out Second Edition, continuing to incorporate the whole of Doctor Who into a single timeline. All told, this book takes nearly 1400 full-length Doctor Who stories and dates them in a single chronology --- starting with the Universe's origins and working its way forward to the end of time. Specifically, this Third Edition covers all Doctor Who TV episodes through Series 6 starring Matt Smith; all New Series Adventures up through "The Silent Stars Go By" the Big Finish audio range up through "Army of Death" (#155); all Torchwood episodes, novels and comics up through Series 4 ("Miracle Day"); all The Sarah Jane Adventures episodes, audios and webcomics up through Series 5; the K9 TV show; all Telos novellas; the IDW and Doctor Who Magazine comics; and a cornucopia of other Doctor Who spin-off series (the Bernice Summerfield novels and audios; Dalek Empire; Iris Wildthyme; Faction Paradox and more).

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Reference, Tv

Paperback

First published March 1, 2006

About the author

Lance Parkin is an author who has written professional Doctor Who fiction since the 1990s. He is one of the few authors to write for both the 1963 and 2005 version of the programme — though much of his fiction has actually been based on the 1996 iteration. Indeed, he was notably the first author to write original prose for the Eighth Doctor in The Dying Days. He was also the author chosen to deliver the nominal 35th anniversary story, The Infinity Doctors, and the final volume in the Eighth Doctor Adventures range, The Gallifrey Chronicles. More recently, he has written for the Tenth Doctor in The Eyeless.

He is further notable for his work with Big Finish Productions, where he is arguably most known for writing the Sixth Doctor adventure, Davros.

Outside of Doctor Who, he has written things like Warlords of Utopia and (with Mark Jones) Dark Matter, a guide to the author Philip Pullman.

Reviews

[Terence · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love books like this since I have an insatiable curiousity about the "back story." This book really does trace the history of the universe as it follows our favorite Gallifreyan from the Big Bang to the final hours of the cosmos, and tries to encompass several variant timelines. That Parkin succeeds considering the 40+ years of material he had to wrestle with is a remarkable achievement (though it does beg the question - "Doesn't he have anything better to do with his time?" (As if I can talk considering I read and am reviewing the volume.)

I first met the good Doctor in his fourth incarnation - Tom Baker - when my PBS station in St. Louis began running the series; he became the iconic "Doctor" figure for me and all subsequent (and former) incarnations were measured against him. I never liked the 5th, 6th and 7th incarnations as much, and I only ever saw a handful of the 2nd and 3rd, and I lost track of the series after its cancellation in the '80s (as I recall). I caught the first season of the new Doctor Who on one of my PBS stations in Los Angeles (no - I don't have cable) and thoroughly enjoyed Eccleston's portrayal (I was seriously disappointed when he left after only one season).

(One of the best lines in the new series is Eccleston's Doctor's response to Rose's question about not having a "real" name: "Nine centuries in, I'm coping.")

I see efforts like this as a modern-age mythology: "Doctor Who," "Star Trek," various RPGs and videogames. They embody the hopes & fears of the masses, and mirrors their problems, in the same way Akhilleos and Herakles and all their kin have entertained and comforted people since the dawn of the species.

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a truly fantastic effort to locate every single Doctor Who story (shown/published/released up to January 2008) on the historical timeline, from before the Big Bang to the very End of Time. Although the cover claims it is the second edition, Parkin states that it is actually the fourth, and I hope it won't be the last; quite apart from the TV episodes of Who, Sarah Jane and Torchwood (and K9?) shown since then, perhaps he might also go back and think of including the various short story collections and annuals and the Big Finish spinoff audios and books (the Dalek comics from TV21 magazine are already in).

Having said that, there are already "almost 800" stories covered here in more than 800 pages, with around 4000 meticulous footnotes and various slightly longer essays. I now understand the UNIT dating controversy much better than I did before. I had not realised that the evidence for Bernice Summerfield's birthday is equally confusing. Parkin also goes to great lengths to demonstrate that several Second Doctor stories which I had mentally placed much later are probably set in the 21st century, and raises the interesting question of how the Cybermen in Earthshock could have obtained footage from Revenge of the Cybermen which is clearly set centuries later. There are other delightful details as well - I now know when the Doctor first met Winston Churchill (1899, in the Sixth Doctor novel Players) and have several more Shakespeare appearances to add to my list.

I picked up on just a couple of slips - an apostrophe has mysteriously infiltrated early mentions of the Scots Guards, and Susan reminisces about her home planet in The Sensorites, not Marco Polo. But in general I loved it. In particular, I think the book could be a useful gateway drug for fans of the TV series who are bewildered by the various series of Who books and audios, and are looking for guidance on where to start.

[Matthew Kresal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever wanted to know when the Cybermen were created? Or how about when the Daleks invaded Earth for the first time? Or perhaps how the universe began and how it will end? Well fans here's your chance with Ahistory (Second Edition). So is there a difference with the first edition? Oh yes and that difference is the reason enough to get this one.

This edition has been expanded to cover not just the books and Big Finish audios published after the first edition but the two series of the revived TV series featuring David Tennant plus Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Smith Adventures, and even the long running Doctor Who comic strip. Where has the first book contained 500 or so stories this one contains well over 800. It also presents interesting theories regarding continuity gaffs over the various stories.

One of the best things about the book is that it gives nice, neat little summaries of each story which is helpful when you're a fan seeking good stories. The summaries are usually filled with spoilers for the different stories so consider your-self officially warned.

While the spoilers aren't good for new fans, long-time fans should enjoy this. Full of theories and dates, this book should be helpful to any fan fiction writer looking for a good time to set a story at. Or if you're a die-hard Who fan seeking to know history according to the Doctor, it's just about as good as stepping into a real-life Tardis. Definitely recommended to Who fans.

[Noah Soudrette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a mammoth update to Lance Parkin's earlier work, The History of the Universe. Parkin takes every event from Doctor Who history and arranges it chronologically, with a dating note for each and every entry. Stunning

[Kristina Coop-a-Loop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahistory: An Unathorized History of the Doctor Who Universe is an amazing book. Its detail is exhausting. Anything you want to know about Doctor Who (and by extension Torchwood and the Sarah Jane Adventures and all the books and graphic novels, etc. about Doctor Who) is in this giant book. It's arranged in a logical manner but is nonetheless confusing just because by its nature time travel is a ball of timey-wimey stuff and cannot be pinned down to conventional linear thought. I've enjoyed dipping in and out of it but have to stop until I am caught up on Doctor Who (still in season 6) and Torchwood (near the end of season 2). I'm in danger of having my plots spoiled by continuing to read this book. This isn't a book to be read from beginning to end (although I suppose you could--it's interesting enough) so I created a special shelf for it (reference) that denotes its designation as a book to be consulted when I have particular questions regarding Doctor Who or forget the particulars of a specific plot. However, this book is not an encyclopedia or dictionary--it's more about the time stream of events and the characters' place in those events. Looking up a specific word/person/event does not always give you the answer you want. I think I will need to indulge my obsession by buying a Doctor Who encyclopedia and I know they exist....

[Sam O'Neill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Us Doctor Who fans are probably far more preoccupied with continuity than any other set of fans in the whole world, which I think is more than a bit ironic as Doctor Who itself clearly isn't. Most fans who try to do the impossible and put the Doctor's adventures into some sort of order tend to put things from the Doctor's point of view, which is hard enough, but Parkin and Pearson have really made it hard for themselves by trying to put the whole history of the Dr Who universe into one history - Ahistory. There is that much stuff crammed in there they do not even have space for a space in the title.

This second edition includes pretty much everything from TV, Big Finish Finish, the books, and even the comics right up until 2007. The first series of Torchwood is even covered along with the opening Sarah Jane Adventure and K-9 & Company.

It's a controversial book, as you'd expect, as the authors tackle divisive topics like UNIT dating, the destruction(s) of Gallifrey and even the Doctor's past, but it's engaging and fun throughout, and there's not been a book to top it yet. Hopefully there'll be a third edition at some point, but it will have to be BIG...

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll admit, I was wary of picking up Ahistory because I don't really think of myself as being a particularly continuity-obsessed type of fan. However, you don't need to be to enjoy Ahistory. Not only is the book a very readable history of the Doctor Who universe, but it also offers an interesting look at certain recurring themes in Doctor Who. For example, a great many of the Doctor Who stories about Earth's colonial expansion can be placed in a surprisingly consistent timeline, and it's interesting to see how ideas recur across stories spanning 45 years and multiple media.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fabulous reference book attempting to put the Doctor Who universe is chronological order. (which is quite a feat of itself!)

It's fun for an afternoon of browsing through interesting facts and looking up obscure references while waiting for the next episode to come out. ^___^

[Johnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

an interesting read, as I was reading it, I couldn't decide if it was a labor of love or work of somebody very obsessed. but my hats off to anyone that attempts to put a Doctor Who events as a coherent timeline

[Antoinette palmieri · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much to learn, and to look up, and to flip to!

[Christina Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unbelievably, incredibly, and other-synonyms-of-astonishment-ly thorough. Seriously, it amazes me that somebody managed to work all this out. Very handy for role-playing games.