Art, History, Fiction, and Maybe Something to Hang on the Wall by Theresa Gauthier

Reviewing Doctor Who: The Secret Lives of Monsters by Justin Richards

    

    Back through the mists of time—ten years ago—when the world was celebrating the 50^th Anniversary of Doctor Who, there was a boom in the publication of Doctor Who books.  Many titles took a look back on the 50 years the Doctor had existed. The surge in Doctor Who books didn’t end when the celebration was over. For the beginning of Peter Capaldi’s years, we did see a lot of books that still delved into the Doctor’s history. 

One of the best of the bunch was Doctor Who: The Secret Lives of Monsters by Justin Richards. An impressive hardcover oversized book with gorgeous photos taken both from the episodes and from behind the scenes, the book takes 17 Doctor Who antagonists and gives their history in glorious, nerdy detail. The pages are meant to give the appearance of having been put together over years of study—highlighter, scotch tape, paperclips are all images used to give the book a homemade feel. The pictures, however, are glossy and beautiful. Photos of The Doctors, the companions, the monsters/villains—and of course of the behind the scenes professionals who worked on the show. There are even lists of Significant Screen Encounters, which give a Doctor-by-Doctor list of more memorable appearances of each of these Whovian villains.

The book opens with the Cyberman, and we’re treated to a visual feast of photos from their first appearance to their (then) most current. Information on Cybermats, an impressive photo of a Cyberman bursting into flames, reproduction of storyboards, behind the scenes photos of an episode being shot, and even a photo of an actor in full Cyberman armor sans helmet. 

It’s probably the behind the scenes photos that are the most impressive as we see Daleks, Ice Warriors, Silurians, Sontarans, Weeping Angels, Zygotes—all in various states of being drawn, created, and actors outfitted to bring them to life. That said, I do love the pages that give detailed histories of each appearance of each alien.

With accompanying text seemingly handwritten and torn from various notebooks, or perhaps torn from a textbook or official UNIT report, the verisimilitude makes me giddy. A deep dive into the Whovian world makes the book fun and entertaining. 

This isn’t solely New Who or completely Classic Who. It’s a comforting mix of both. If you haven’t read it yet, it’s worth hunting down a copy. Do your homework, and you’ll know just how to respond if you ever find yourself fact to face with a Krillitane or Judoon, or Sea Devil.

No book on Doctor Who “monsters” would be complete without the Daleks. There are forty pages dedicated to these little mutants and their impact on the Doctor, the earth, and the universe. 

The text claims that the Daleks outer casing has “altered as their technology advances” but until you see the pictures side by side, you realize just how much has changed over the years. Photos from the early black and white episodes have some of the scarier versions of Daleks. The newer ones seem sleeker somehow. 

The Silence chapter features photos of familiar moments in history—a royal wedding, The Beatles on stage—with one of the Silence there. Of course they were always there and we just don’t remember them! It’s this sort of inclusion that makes the book so much fun read. Somehow straddling the fictional history of the show and the monsters and also daring to show us the “making of…” moments at the same time. 

The book includes exclusive artwork. Fifteen beautiful photos tucked into an envelope and attached to the rear inside cover give whimsical interpretations of some of the villains including a recruitment poster for the Shadow Proclamation, Aliens in Downing Street, Irongron’s Troll, and an Evolution of the Cybermen.

This is a true treasure trove of Whovian art.