This is the second volume in Graeme Burk & Robert Smith?'s guide to modern Doctor Who. (Which apparently we're calling "modern Who" rather than"New Who" now on the grounds that it's been around for 17 years and no longer qualifies as new, although I don't think that can possibly be right, because I'm definitely not 17 years older than I was when it came out.)

This one covers everything from the Christmas special "The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe" that preceded (or, depending on you you look at it, started) series 7 through the New Year's special "Resolution" that followed series 11. Meaning it includes the end of the Matt Smith's run, all of Peter Capaldi, and the first season of Jodie Whittaker. It also features an appendix at the end which discusses the two shorts, "The Night of the Doctor" and "The Doctor's Meditation."

It follows exactly the same format as volume 1. There are no plot summaries, but there is a description of the episode in just a few words. We then get a list of possible influences on the story and references made in it to other works, connections to other episodes and bits of continuity, what it reveals or develops about the season's ongoing story arc (if any) and about the main characters, notes on the "monster of the week," a list of the times and places where the episode is set, and moments during the episode that make you (or the authors) want to stand up and cheer, make you want to roll your eyes, or make you go "Wait, but that doesn't actually make sense." There's also a section for "interesting trivia" which includes anything about the episode or its production that doesn't really fit anywhere else, but which seemed worth mentioning.

All of this is then followed up by the authors offering their own comments and opinions on the story (occasionally in somewhat creative formats), which is by far the most entertaining part of the whole thing, even when said opinions are Very, Very Wrong. Or perhaps especially then. Sometimes they'll good-naturedly trash-talk each other's takes, which can get fairly amusing. They also sometimes give the sense that they're maybe playing up their more controversial thoughts a bit for the entertainment value. (I mean, look, really, anybody who claims "Kill the Moon" has a more satisfying approach to a moral conundrum than "The Magician's Apprentice"/"The Witch's Familiar" has got to be taking the piss. Right? Right?)

In any case, it's all good, geeky fun for Doctor Who fans who enjoy yelling at books about how wrong they are when they disagree with you and sharing a warm glow of friendly fellow-feeling with them when they agree. Which, let's face it, are two things Doctor Who fans really do tend to enjoy. ( )