The good Doctor now holds the Guiness Book of World Records as the character who appears in the most books. There must be something to this guy! At its root, Doctor Who is about a wizard who travels from adventure to adventure battling evil in a magic cabinet.
Well, it's a lot more complicated than that. And it pretends its science fiction instead of fantasy, so instead of a magic cabinet we have a time machine, and instead of a mysterious wizard, we have a mysterious alien. But the basic concept is the same. And what adventures he has!
There is just too much material out there to cover in HTML. So, you're going to have to browse Amazon for yourself. Click here for their latest listing of what's available.
Videos:
Doctor Who - The Aztecs by John Lucarotti ($12.95 US / 1st Doctor 100m bw /(c) 1963)
Many Doctor Who stories were straight historicals where the travellers landed in a period in history and just interacted with events. This is a fine example of one such story.
Doctor Who - The Ark in Space by Robert Holmes ($12.95 US / 4th Doctor 90m colour /(c) 1974)
One of the purest science-fiction entries into the canon, this is a fine example of the program doing a lot with a little.
Doctor Who - The Seeds of Doom by Robert Banks Stewart ($12.95 US / 4th Doctor 144m colour /(c) 1975)
A parody of The Thing and James Bond, quite simply the best Doctor Who story ever made!
Doctor Who - The Face of Evil by Chris Boucher ($12.95 US / 4th Doctor 144m colour /(c) 1976)
An excellent story to introduce yourself to the series, or to bring you back again.
Doctor Who - Kinda by Christopher Bailey ($12.95 US / 5th Doctor 100m colour /(c) 1982)
An exceptionally deep and philosophical story. It's well acted and it makes you think.
Doctor Who - The Caves of Androzani by Robert Holmes ($12.95 US / 5th Doctor 100m colour /(c) 1984)
Nothing but slam-bam action for ninety minutes. Oh, and the Doctor dies. An excellent story to see how regeneration works.
Doctor Who - Revelation of the Daleks by Eric Saward ($12.95 US / 6th Doctor 89m colour /(c) 1985)
The monsters known as the Daleks made Doctor Who the success that it was. Here is an excellent later tale.
Doctor Who - The Curse of Fenric by Ian Briggs ($19.95 US / 7th Doctor 104m colour /(c) 19897)7
A complex and action packed monster thrash, proof that Doctor Who was capable of putting out good episodes right up to the very end.
Click Here for Amazon's complete list of the Doctor Who video it has in stock
Fantastic Fiction - Aiken to Juster
The Dido Twite/Wolves of Willoughby Chase Sequence by Joan Aiken
Follows the adventures of a group of plucky young characters, from Simon, to Dido Twite, and her half-sister Is. Set in the early 19th century, Joan Aiken blythely places the characters in an alternate universe where the Stuarts hold the English throne and the dastardly Hanoverians are the pretenders. Just because she can. The books are great fun for all ages.
The Stolen Lake is possibly the best book in the sequence, as Joan Aiken goes completely wild with her universe, suggesting that Camelot and the Romans crossed the Atlantic Ocean around 500AD and set up a new kingdom in the New World, suggesting that Joan, the author, is as plucky as Dido Twite, the protagonist.
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
$11.16 US / 212 pp soft /(c) 1994 - A fantastic fairy tale for children of all ages, about love, death and regret.
The Face in the Frost by John Bellairs
$11.96 / 200+ pages soft/(c) 1986 - Although the story loses track of the plot, producing a climax that is a little less than climactic, for all its buildup, the book still has a lot to recommend it. The characters are exceptional and the writing style pulls you along. It's very creepy, but also very funny as well.
The House With a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs, illustrated by Edward Gorey
$3.99 US / 179+ pp soft /(c) 1993 - A spooky tale perfect for children ages 9 to 12 is illustrated by the ever famous Edward Gorey (of, among other things, the PBS Mystery opening credits fame), making it a fun read for all ages.
The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan CooperQuite simply, one of the best fantasy series around. Follow Merriman, young Will and the other Old Ones as they gather artifacts of power to battle the rising of the Dark. As books for all ages, it doesn't get any better than this: excitement and truly frightening scenes without gore, mystery without convolusion, and even the King Arthur legend woven in. The boxed set is no longer available, but you can still order each book individually. Strangely enough, starting with the second book offers readers as good an introduction to the series as the first.
The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery
$16.00 US / 91 pp hard /(c) 1943 - A landmark in modern literature; a children's book guaranteed to make you cry. (Paperback edition also available for $9.00)
The Earthquake Man by William L. Heath
Out of Print / 96 pages hard/(c) 1980 - Don't let the size of this book fool you; it's a simply written, but effectly told children's story that adults can read and appreciate. Although currently out of print, Amazon will canvas its used bookstore contacts for you and notify you once a copy is found.
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
$5.99 US / 250 pp soft /(c) 1993 - A funny and educational fantasy book for all ages, as our hero, Milo, visits the Land of Wisdom to rescue Rhyme and Reason.
Fantastic Fiction - L'Engle to Nimmo
The Time Quartet/O'Keefe Family Series by Madeleine L'Engle
A series of eight books launched by the classic A Wrinkle in Time, these books follow the lives of Meg Murry, Calvin O'Keefe, and their eldest daughter, Polyhymnia O'Keefe. They range from fantastical adventures of time travel and mitochondria in A Wrinkle in Time and A Wind in the Door to straighter action oriented adventures in Arm of the Starfish to a very adult and non-fantastical tale of coming of age and learning to forgive human weakness (A House Like a Lotus). As you can see, Madeleine does not like to stay in one place at one timeNot only do we see Meg Murry time travelling and fighting evil, but we also see her coping with a brood of seven children and sometimes regretting her decision to delay her docterate. It makes her characters' experiences unique in the fiction world, and it also makes them more human.
Swiftly Tilting Planet (paperback) (hardcover) - $6.50 US / $13.60 US / 238 soft.
Arm of the Starfish (paperback) (hardcover) - $4.99 US / $12.40 US / 241 soft.
Dragons in the Waters (paperback) (hardcover) - $5.50 US / $13.30 US / 257 soft.
A House Like a Lotus (paperback) (hardcover) - $4.99 US / $12.85 US / 228 soft.
An Acceptable Time (paperback) (hardcover) - $5.99 US / $12.60 US / 228 soft.
The Narnia Sequence by C.S. Lewis
A masterpiece of children's literature, and for good reason. The series follows the world of Narnia, from its creation through to its death, and the impact children from Earth have on this world. Religious allegory clothed in fairytale, this series has its heart in its right place, and has a lot to recommend it, both for children and adults. It's funny, heartwarming, affirming and suspenseful. Click here to purchase the boxed set for $29.15, Click here to purchase the hardcover compilation for $50.00 or buy the books individually:
Anne of Green Gables (Eight Volume Boxed Set) by Lucy Maud Montgomery
$25.94 US / 8 volumes soft/(c) 1991 - Lucy Maud Montgomery's tale of an imaginative 11 year old redhead who charms and turns Avonlea, Prince Edward Island on its ear, is fast becoming a classic of Canadian literature. There's plenty of good reasons why, but you'll just have to read them. This boxed set gives you a comprehensive collection of the series, or you can just order the first (and arguably the best) book by clicking here (It's $4.95 US).
The Snow Spider Trilogy by Jenny Nimmo: A most intriguing set of novels taking their cue from the legends of Wales, following a nine-year-old burgeoning wizard as he grows into adolescence in a small modern-day Welsh village. The books get more mature as they go on, dealing frankly with war and demons achieving inner peace, but it never loses sight of its innocence, and as such all three books are a joy to read.
The Ghormengast Trilogy by Mervyn Peake
$25.95 US / 1000+ pp soft /(c) 1946-59 - Nothing less than an epic in the annals of Fantasy literature; a modern-day classic. These books are alternately lyrical, rambling and ultimately insane, and I mean that all in a good way. Chock full of haunting images and not to be missed.
The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
$4.40 US / 150+ soft /(c) 1983 - An enchanting little fantasy about a talking cricket from the country, a city mouse, his feline friend, and an immigrant family running a little newsstand in Times Square, New York City.
The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan
$10.40 US / 368+ pp soft /(c) 1998 - The author who brought us The Joy Luck Club crafts an irresistable story about a normal Eurasian woman and her Chinese half-sister who can see the world of the dead. Told in the first person, it's extremely engaging, easy to read, and hard to put down.
The practical princess, and other liberating fairy tales by Jay Williams
Out of Print / 100+ pages hard/(c) 1978 - Tired of the beautiful princesses waiting for their prince to rescue them? This book is for you! Magical fairy tales told with a modern twist. It's fun, and quite funny. Great for children of all ages.
An Older Kind of Magic by Patricia Wright
Out of Print / 80+ pages soft/(c) 1972 - Read to James by his mother two decades ago, James forgot about this book before stumbling on it earlier this month and reading it to Erin. Erin now suspects that this book may have been highly influential in James' writing style and his interest in planning. It's an excellent young adult novel on magic in Australia, both real and imagined.
They Walked Like Men by Clifford Simak Out of Print / 200+ pages soft/(c) 1962 - This book is a paradox -- there is a charm about its 'dated' '50s sci-fi pulp fiction feel, and yet the premise involved is one of the more original ones in science fiction: aliens arrive to take over the Earth... with money. Talk about your hostile takeovers. Clifford Simak has a highly readible writing style and characters that stand out from the crowd. I strongly recommend you pick up this one, if you can find it.
