Doctor Who: A Brief History of Time Lords

by Steve Tribe

THE book the Time Lords (including the Doctor) read when studying at the Academy, the full-color in-world history that pieces together the true story of Gallifrey from the many and contradictory accounts that survived the Last Great Time War.

Doctor Who: A Brief History of Time Lords tells the story of all of this ancient, legendary civilization, of notable historical figures, of Gallifrey itself, of the Time War and much more. The planet Gallifrey. The Shining World of the Seven Systems. Often to be found in the constellation of Kasterborous. Birthplace of one of the oldest civilizations in the universe: The Time Lords.

From their technologies and strategies to the renegades like the Master and the Doctor himself, this is the definitive guide to the oldest and most powerful civilization in the universe. They invented black holes, transmits, stellar manipulators, and they atrophied. A bunch of elderly academics in funny hats, the Time Lords watched the whole history of creation. This was the civilization that inflicted some of its most renowned and deadly renegades and criminals on the universe: the Master, the Rani, the Monk, the War Chief, yet it was also the benevolent power that rid the cosmos of the Great Vampires, the Racnoss and the Fendahl.

Featuring full-color, never-before-seen illustrations and a beautiful interior design, this is a highly collectible in-world companion no Whovian can be without.

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Time Travel, Ebooks, Tv

160 pages, Hardcover

First published May 18, 2017

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy when spin-off books are written as though they exist in the universe of the thing they're spin-offs of (ie: the Hogwarts Library textbooks). Steve Tribe writes A Brief History of Time Lords from the point of view of the young boy that the Twelfth Doctor meets at the end of Heaven Sent. This boy grew up and went on to write an "unofficial" history of his planet and people that contained unofficial and forbidden knowledge. It's a fun concept that's executed fairly well. The big question with books like this is if they contain enough new material to make it worthwhile, or if they're just a collection of older material crammed together into one thing so it can be sold for more money. A Brief History of Time Lords kind of fits into both categories. But, at least, it's enjoyable.

For the most part, A History of Time Lords takes information about Gallifrey and the Time Lords from all aired episodes of Doctor Who (through the end of series 9 of the rebooted show) and organizes it into a cohesive history of the race and planet. That, alone, is nice since trying to go through 53+ years of Doctor Who to figure out the history of the Time Lords is a daunting task. It's nice to have all that information organized in one handy volume. But what makes this book cool is that it also includes a bit of info from the Big Finish audios, various other novels/spin-off material, as well as the occasional new bit of information (that may just be speculation on Tribe's part, but still).

The biggest bit of "new" information is that Susan may not be the Doctor's granddaughter?? I knew that some spin-off material from (primarily) the 1990s had hinted at this being the case, but Tribe offers information that isn't found in any of that material either. In this, he says,

"When the Doctor first left Gallifrey, he took with him a child, a daughter of the President. He called her Susan; she called him Grandfather. Some say that she devised the acronym TARDIS for our time-travel capsules. Records of her true identity and history seem to have been deliberately obscured, and we are left with competing mythologies. She may have been a direct descendant of Rassilon or of some other founding father of Gallifrey. Her original name may have been Larn, or it may have been Arkytior.
- Steve Tribe. Doctor Who: A Brief History of Time Lords (Kindle Locations 1363-1367). Ebury Publishing. Kindle Edition.

This contradicts pretty much every piece of information on Susan we have. Her being a descendant of one of the founders is from a novel, as are her other names, but no spin-off material that I found has ever discussed the possibility of her being the daughter of whoever the President of Gallifrey was at the time the Doctor left. If this is actually official information (which I don't see why it wouldn't be; as far as I know, the BBC/Doctor Who team sign off on every Doctor Who book that's published), that raises two lines of theory: is Susan the Doctor's granddaughter? If she isn't, who is she? If she is, then does that mean the Doctor has a child who was the president of Gallifrey at the time the Doctor left the planet?

All of that is from one small paragraph in the middle of a chapter towards the end of the book, but it's the thing that stuck out the most to me. It got me really excited about all the possibilities. I don't want it to overshadow the quality of the book, though, even if I've spent most of this review talking about it. The book does a really good job at presenting information about the Time Lords. It's crafted like a "tell-all" book written by the Gallifreyan boy (after he's grown up) who the Doctor met at the end of Heaven Sent. The book presents a (mostly) chronological view of the Time Lords' history. I wish more time had been spent on the Time War; some new information on that would've been nice. But, again, it did seem to reference some Big Finish audios that have always been implied as being part of the Time War, so that was nice.

Most all of the information comes directly from the TV series, but, like I said, that's okay given how hard to follow all 53 years (1963-2015, the airdate of the last episodes referenced in the book) of Doctor Who can be. The information is presented in an easy to read, engaging way. It really feels like a book that you would find hidden away in some forbidden area of a library on Gallifrey. Steve Tribe did a good job compiling all this information and presenting it in a fun to read way. It's a beautifully designed book with lots of pictures that accompany the events and people described within. It's nothing monumental, but it's a nice little book and a fun thing to own.

I give Steve Tribe's A Brief History of Time Lords four out of five wands. I wish it was longer and had more new information that sort of bridged the various elements of Gallifrey's history together. It would've been nice to know more about the Time War and more about what happened between The Time of the Doctor and Heaven Sent on Gallifrey. But these things are mostly me nitpicking. It's a good read and a really nice thing to have. It's just that more new information would've made it even better.

[Yaroslav Chernovol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Доктор Хто: Коротка історія повелителів часу

Доволі цікава книжка від Стіва Трайба по історії ґаліфрейців. Їх піднесення й падіння. Охоплює історію умовно від зародження до ери 13 доктора. Основні ключові події, ключові персонажі та все таке.

Загалом мені сподобалася подача. Трохи історії, трохи артів, знімків, уривків сценарію в тих чи інших подіях. Я навіть ще більше захотів побачити класичного доктора. Звісно було б цікаво побачити в більшому об'ємі та більш детально. Але маємо що маємо.

Цікаво коли вже хтось з українських видавців візьметься за цей Всесвіт.

[Mimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is so timelord-y. It's incredibly detailed in parts, in other parts vague on purpose. But, if you're a bit of a Whovian, definately worth a read.

[Emilija · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was simultaneously vague and detailed, pretty much like the Doctor can be at times. But honestly, I've wanted to read a book like this for ages, so I was very happy when I found out it existed, and I really liked that it was written from the perspective of a person from the show.

However, there were some things that we're annoying, most notably the section about Susan. In fact, the entire section was annoying, I can't just pick out one part. Also, this book classifies Romana as a child who ran from the Untempered Schism, and I always pictured her as a child who was inspired. Unless this was mentioned in the show and I didn't catch it. So yeah, I can understand why they've classified her as a runner because of her wanting to help N Space and departing the doctor.

[Richard Tubb · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a fan of the long-running British Sci-Fi series Doctor Who (as I am) then this book will be of interest to you.

The author presents this book as a legitimate history book (rather than referring to the TV series as a fictional work) looking at the Time Lord race, coming from the planet Gallifrey, home of the Doctor.

Long-time fans will enjoy the nods to the inconsistencies in the way the Time Lords are presented on TV, plus the head-scratchers presented in providing a linear history of a race that can, by definition, rewrite their own history at any given moment.

The book (sadly) only refers to the Television series, and not the wealth of extended universe stories provided in books, audio and comic books. Still, such a book may become completely unreadable given the contrasting ideas of the Time Lords provided across all genres.

Bottom-line, if you're a fan of Who, you'll enjoy this book. Seek it out!

[Briana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initial Thoughts: Not quite as enlightening as I hoped it would be. It also sometimes struggles to deal with how the show contradicts itself or can't seem to give straight answers about certain characters or events. It relies heavily on readers' knowledge of the show.

[I. Anamaria · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not a good read. It didn't have as much to do with the show and was mostly made up stories. I don't recommend this to anyone. I expected answers about the time lords and didn't really get them.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just another lovely example of recent Whoniverse reference works mixing 50+ years of content, bucket-loads of imagination, and a nice degree of biting with worthy of the Doctor himself.

[Leah K · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little book if you're a Doctor Who fan. Nice cover. But if you're fan, there's a good chance you know at least a good chunk of the info provided. But if you find yourself just now jumping into the Whoverse, you might get a glimpse at Time Lord history, or what we've gleaned over the last 5 decades anyway. Written as if from the point of view of a Gallifreyan. Almost came out feeling like a textbook at times. But a fun recap of the Time Lords.

[Aric · Rating 2 out of 5]

I doubt someone who is not a die-hard fan of "Doctor Who" would find this book enjoyable but I do believe that was considered in its conception.
There are plenty of photographs and illustrations that I bet make the hardcover edition attractive.

[Eran Rabl · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a fun read, even though it's a re-telling of known Doctor Who stories.

[Dichotomy Girl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This gave a brief helpful background to some of the events / characters of classic Who.

[Kris Hennon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read. I learned some interesting facts like Timelords invented chess...which kinda makes sense. There was a very long section on "The ones that went mad"...again interesting but not so suprising. Great pictures and lots of data which I love.

[Chrissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the things about ‘Doctor Who’ that gives the franchise it’s fun and charm is that the lore has been written over time. There is no continuity - it’s been invented by whoever happens to be in charge at any given time (also, some facts seem to stick better than others). This means that some information about characters and backstory is going to contradict. So the question becomes what parts of canon do fans subscribe to?

And this book’s answer? “Whatever you like.”

Written as an in-universe history of the Doctor’s time-traveling people, “A Brief History of Time Lords” attempts to make ALL the continuity work... by referencing the unreliability of the Time Lords to keep good records as well as the instability of timelines in the story. If you can change time, who’s to say all of these rumored events happened... or none of them?

Best way to do a book like this, in my opinion. But beyond that, this was just a fun read. Evokes the dry humor that comes with poking fun at stuffy Time Lord society, as well as referencing favorite ‘Doctor Who’ episodes. A must-read for any Who fan.

[Cale · Rating 2 out of 5]

General rule - when a book cover says something to the effect of 'x doesn't want you to read this book,' it's usually in your best interest to listen to them.
Case in point; this book. It's ostensibly a history of the Time lords, told from within Doctor Who Canon. It opens with a preface that ends 'Gallifrey Lies.' In other words, everything here is to be taken with a grain of salt. It then launches into a boring geography of Gallifrey that amounts to the locations of certain items in one city. Later chapters are basically retellings of any Doctor Who stories that featured the Time Lords, remarking on (but rarely resolving) any conflicts or contradictions made (like Shada happening twice, apparently). There's a chapter of 'prominent' Gallifreyians that includes a person whose description is literally 'Technician on duty in the TT Capsure repair shop when the Doctor first stole a TARDIS and fled Gallifrey.' And there are others of equal unimportance. Basically, it's a list of all Gallifrey characters ever on the show, and no one else.
Look, trying to document this stuff is difficult. Trying to do it from within the canon itself is nigh on impossible. The book makes an effort, but never succeeds in making the information it provides seem relevant or interesting. You're better of just watching the episodes. At least most of the artwork is nice, especially screen grabs from the series. Some of the interpretive artwork is not good, though - in particular an image with screen grabs of the heads of the Tenth Doctor, Rassilon, and the Master, whose bodies are drawn (and the hands are monstrously poorly rendered). It had no business being published in an official book.

I'm not sure there's anyone who this book would appeal to - Doctor Who fans who care enough about Gallifrey and the Time Lords would already know this, and there's nothing in here for lesser fans to really care about.

[KhepiAri · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my best mate had geeked so much about Doctor Who, that I caved in and now I'm a Whovian. A universe introduced to me by Neil Gaiman and Joanne Harris who penned their own short stories about this Doctor and his TARDIS.

I started my indoctrination from the era of 9th Doctor, there are lot of things I didn't know or couldn't relate as there is an overwhelming number of episodes from past: and the consequences of actions taken then still impacted current storyline. But I wanted to learn more without viewing the previous seasons.

This book is a linear gateway into a very non-linear universe. It chronicles important events and happenings from the time of the 1st doctor to end of 12th's second season. And explains the formation of time lord society.

The nameless author within the book is a Doctor fanboi, who gives us the official history and narrates the actual version of the history to show us how the Doctor is crucial to Gallifrey. But a mad vagabond like him cannot be restrained by summons or prisons.

In a level 5 planet that's so technologically advanced and filled with wonders that bends laws of physics and time, the rulers of Gallifrey sure suffer from hubris that can rival fate of any Greek Tragic Hero. They proved knowledge if left uncultivated turns into trinkets.

Interestingly I love the paradox of unintended consequence that runs throughout this universe, the Daleks were created because the time lords tried to nip their existence in the bud!

A fun book to read that failed to balance between too much detail and too vague, sadly the illustration and arrangements of the photographs inside is terribly done.

[Jessika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable

I recently finished this on my holiday trip over Thanksgiving break, and it turned out to be a fantastic read. There may be a bit of bias as I am a Doctor Who fan, but the book is filled with so much rich lore that I was excited to dive into each section. The deeper I got into the history of the Time Lords, the more I felt swept up in their culture, their impact on different parts of the universe, and their fate.

Captivated by the fascinating stories and different, beings it felt like I was on my own personal exploration. One section that stood out to me were the different Time Lords as I learned about each one which gave me a deeper understanding. Their hierarchy, roles, society, and rules were explained in great detail. To my disappointment but not surprise, the Doctor didn't have that much information about him, so the mystery surrounding him is maintained.

The structure of the book is well laid out and organized in easy-bite sized sections. Steven Tribe is excellent at recounting events from the Doctor Who universe by using illustrations and visual designs to enhance the reading experience.

With that being said, I wish there was more to read and that it didn't end abruptly. I felt so engrossed in the book that when it ended, I craved for more. As disappointed as it was for the book to end, I still believe it to be a perfect experience for other Whovian readers.

[Stasia Bruhn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Introduction to the beginning of Dr. Who

It was pretty good and gave me some history of what went on before..Since I am a pretty new fan (started watching the 13th incarnation -a woman) who I adore by the way. I didn't know anything except he/she was the last of the time lords/ and something happened to all the others..I liked the pics But I'm not sure the pics corresponded to the descriptions..Some pics were of women but described as a male and vice versa which was very confusing to a newbie like me..This is one of the reasons I gave it a 4..plus sentences were repeated over and over again which was quite annoying. As a fast introduction into the Dr. Who mythos it does sort of fit the bill. As the above states it could have been a bit clearer on the characters/labeling would have been nice on some pics..I am glad I read it though and probably will read it again cause it was alot of info to wrap my head around lol.So unless U watched this series from the beginning or have lots of moola to watch all the episodes this is a beginner point.

[Jim Shaner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find this book enjoyably quirky and informative.

The book utilizes paintings and photos to help describe the capitol of Gallifrey, briefly its history, and a select cast of characters and their relation to various "Doctor Who" storylines. I think it would be a nice companion for a fan, and a quite entertaining read. By no means would I describe it as an authoritative, exhaustive compendium.

I have been an extremely casual fan of the "Doctor Who" BBC series – my experience consists of watching several episodes as shown on American television. This book fills in a lot of background for me, patching up my framework of understanding the world(s) of the Doctor and his ensemble. Yet the author's narrative gave me a similar feeling of puzzlement about the big picture, and I am beginning to think it is normal not to understand fully everything about the TV show, as though it were a mysterious universe in itself – something that can be talked about while not fully grasped. I believe that is part of what gives Doctor Who its enduring appeal. Reading this book has helped me become more comfortable with that uncertainty, so I can enjoy watching the show even more.

[Jason Arbuckle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 315 - Steve Tribe - Doctor Who - The History of the Time Lords

A biography ? A true history ? An alternative way of looking at Gallifrey as if it is real. For a true aficionado of the brilliant TV series that started way back in 1963 it is wonderfully put together.

From the early imagined origins of the Time Lords…Omega…Rassilon and others… but treating it as real. By taking the stories from the TV series and folding it in to an almost historical tale we see how Gallifrey developed right up to the mythical Time War.

A lot of fun…a lot of silliness but so well written. My final thoughts ? The nerds inherit the bookshelves.

[Tamara aka SoMysteriousLee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Been a Whovian since I could walk (think first Doctor so yea, LONG time) so found this to be a fun little book with some great pictures from the show-although several are mildly blurred, like if the lighting guy from the original Star Trek was involved, and used his famous 'when focusing on the women use that soft effect', but that may be from the age of the shots used. Also has some nice pictures of characters and scenery. Nice little notes on characters etc. Not a real in-depth book, it's just a fun addition to your collection of Doctor Who items.

[Artur Coelho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Um mergulho na mitologia da deliciosa esquisitice que é Doctor Who. Neste Time Lords, somos levados à história dos senhores de Gallifrey, passando pelas personagens que marcaram a série, os dramas de uma civilização que viveu a mais dilacerante guerra de todos os tempos (literalmente, lutada em todas as continuidades do passado ao futuro). Essencialmente, um revisitar de antigos e recentes episódios da série, destacando as aventuras do Doctor que envolvem a sua origem.

[Emma Dargue · Rating 4 out of 5]

really good look at gallifrey history. I found out a lot about what I didn't know previously such as the origins of rassilon and the other time lords. I really liked the way this book came about by mixing facts from the tv show and the authors imaginings as he takes on the perspective of a little boy the 13th doctor meets at the end of heaven sent. the illustrations in this book are stunning and beautiful in equal measure.

[Macey]

me when i'm sitting in the chair of rassilon in the reading room of rassilon reading the book of rassilon and at the desk of rassilon theres the, idk, paper weight of rassilon or something

anyways what is it with dw books just telling you what happens in vast parts of the show.... thats you've probably seen.... anyways this was evidently written just after the end of s9 cos they keep mentioning heaven sent / hell bent episodes ever but also least canon consistent yay <3

[Orión Rodríguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can't get over the fact that this book just goes and spoils the whole plot of Time Lords (and any Time Lord-Related plot) for the first 35 series or so lol.
Anyway, it's such an amazing book, depicting some things in a really detailed way, some others in a really vague way... Just like the Time Lords would. It's an amazing piece of history and every whovian should read it at least once.
Note: Don't read it before watching the classic series or you will get all spoiled like me.

[Michaela · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so excited to read this book but certain parts of it were so difficult to get through. I grew up with Doctor Who, so I was really excited to learn more about the time. Lords and just certain chapters, especially the ones describing multiple of the time Lord had me yawning. I did really enjoy reading about the time war and then reading about the time Lords in the beginning but that whole middle part I wasn’t really captivated.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brief overview of the history of the Time Lords from the T.V. show. What can i say about the book it does give a good overview of the race's history and talks about the many Time Lord's who had left their world during the run of the show.

I just wish it had gone into more detail and was thicker. I finished this book in less than 24 hours.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick, easy read - read it in one sitting - that was a bit confusing in places (but then, the history itself is confusing!) but filled in some of the gaps in my knowledge and clarified some places where I was confused (I didn't quite understand how Timothy Dalton could be Rassilon when Rassilon had been dead for centuries - and now I know!). A good addition to any Doctor Who fan's library.

[Shaun Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

While a bit of background fluff, this book was so much fun to read. A thoughtful, well constructed, well put together slice of Time Lord history (and all the inconsistencies that sentence entails.) For a fuller review, see www.travelingthevortex.com

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I definitely liked the second half of the book better than the first. I've only watched Doctor Who since 2005 so I'm not familiar with the older storylines and thus it felt more like a textbook than something I enjoyed. Still, fans of the show will probably enjoy this.