Mini Review: Who's 50

Title: Who's 50: The 50 Doctor Who Stories to Watch Before You Die - An Unofficial Companion
Author: Graeme Burk, Robert Smith?
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: October 1st 2013
Source: Netgalley & ECW Press

★★★★

Four stars.

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As any timelord will tell you, it is great to have a companion. Who's 50: The 50 Doctor Who Stories to Watch Before You Die - An Unofficial Companion is a great companion guide to the fifty years running British science fiction show, Doctor Who.

For old Whovians, this acts as a great refresher and a place to obtain additional knowledge. Things like behind the scenes information and fun little trivia facts are sprinkled throughout, offering things to teach you about the series we all adore so much. The book looks at the 50 episodes that every Whovian, new or old, should watch in order to familiarize themselves with the series. All regenerations are represented, from both new Who and the classic Who years.

These are not written in countdown, best-to-worse fashion, and because this book is unofficial, it is (thank goodness!) missing the "this show is perfect" floofy attitude that the network understandably would have spun on it. If something was bad or weird, the authors aren't afraid to let you know.

In addition to being good for the seasoned Who fan, this is also a great jumping off point for those who are looking into beginning the show. A relatively new fan myself (I started watching Ten's episodes while 11 was the current Doctor), I know that it is incredibly intimidating to pull up fifty years' worth of episodes. Do you need to watch them all in order? Where should you start? What is the DEAL? Who's 50 offers great episodes that shed light onto the universe of the timelords, summing up important events and lapsing. Of course most Whovians will tell you to watch them all, and I agree, but this DEFINITELY is a great place to start.

Thank you to Netgalley and ECW Press for my chance to read this.