Chicks Dig Time Lords by various authors
Reviewed by Lori Twichell, Radiantlit.com
Genre: non-fiction, essay collection, sci-fi, television
Publisher: Mad Norwegian Press
Publication Dates: March 15, 2010

I am a Whovian and I am proudly so. I grew up with the fuzzy static laden pictures of Tom Baker on my little ten inch black and white television in my bedroom but I really didn’t embrace the show until it’s regeneration in 2005. With Christopher Eccleston’s Doctor, I found myself enraptured with the idea of a machine that travels anywhere you’d like in time and a man who was a Lord of Time. Since then, I’ve been addicted. Completely. Wholly. And madly. David Tennant? *sigh* Matt Smith? Well, the jury’s still out on him for me, but hey, he’s still in a Tardis, so I can’t stop myself from watching. When I saw a book on amazon.com titled Chicks Dig Time Lords, I squeed out loud and promptly requested a review copy. I couldn’t help myself.

The book is a collection of essays, interviews and information from women who have been involved with either the production of Doctor Who itself or with the fandom. I started this book and loved it. The stories from Carol Barrowman about what life was like growing up with her brother John (and their terror of Daleks) were fantastic. I read her essay aloud to my entire family who are all Whovians. It was soundly enjoyed by all.

I loved hearing from all the different authors (all women of course!) on their perspectives of Doctor Who. Those who worked on the show shared inside stories that added wonderfully to my love of the show. Those who are fans wrote from a perspective similar to my own, sharing with me a lot of the things about Doctor Who fandom that I have not embraced personally. I’m not a costumer, but now I know why some people do. I’ve not attended a Doctor Who convention, but I do know how much fandom can embrace and love a person. (Sometime ask me about Farscape and all that its fandom has done for me personally!)

When you have a collection of essays, there are bound to be a few that don’t quite hit the mark. Chicks Dig Time Lords has one or two that really had me uninterested and rolling my eyes (but I’m too polite to say which ones, so don’t even try) but on the overall, hearing from those directly involved with production of the show, the wonderful stories of the actors and how they’ve given back to fandom, and the overall experience of sharing my love of this show with a group of women was fantastic. (Did anyone hear Nine when they read the word fantastic? I think Eccleston has forever owned that word for me.) As a proud Whovian geek, I heartily recommend this book to others who have watched and loved the show. I am definitely a Chick who loves Time Lords and I’m quite proud of the fact that after reading this book, I know that I fit in with a phenomenal group of highly intelligent, educated and professional women who also love their Time Lords.

PG – There are a few things that might ruffle feathers as women discuss the sexuality (and a-sexuality) of the Doctor, but really, there’s no description and nothing overt. Just the subject matter might bother some.

Review copy provided by Mad Norwegian Press.