January Books 16) Chicks Unravel Time, edited by Deborah Stanish and L.M. Myles

We look at the Doctor, awkward and impossible in a given place and time, old-fashioned, beset by lace cuffs and red-lined capes and jingoism, and we reverse him. We reverse his polarity until he works the way he's supposed to, over and over and over, and makes us better so that we, in turn, can make him better - bravely, courageously, with conviction. (Amal El-Mohtar on Season 8, ending the book.)

A sister book to Chicks Dig Time Lords, this is a set of essays by women on each season/series of Doctor Who, old and new. One or two are sheer squee, but most are serious examinations of the show, usually (but not always) positive, often looking at gender issues, and one or two commentaries on race (also one chapter on "The Doctor's Balls" and another on "David Tennant's Bum".). From my own LJ friends list I spotted doyle_sb4, altariel, jemck, cassiphone, rarelylynne, lizbee, and shinyjenni among the contributors, and there may well be others whose names I did not recognise. I particularly enjoyed the chapters which were constructively critical - thinking of Caroline Symcox and Aliette de Bodard in particular - but almost all of them are good and thought-provoking. (But I discover that I have a finite tolerance for sheer squee.)

Recommended for thoughtful Who fans.