Written by author Michael J. Lyons, it comprises a very readable overview of every salient aspect in the war, albeit briefly, in all the political, diplomatic, economic, military and human dimensions in which the war was played out. Not only does it quite adequately detail the significant events precipitating the conflict, but also describes very well the manifest consequences of the defeat of both Germany and Japan. Lyons gives us a reader-friendly account of both European and Pacific campaigns, and provides a lot of interesting and useful connections between the two fronts.

Long in use, the book is generally regarded as being quite literate and yet eminently readable, hence its wide use in college classrooms. The text not only provides the kind of comprehensive overview students need to make sense of such an overwhelming historical phenomenon as WWII, but also serves to illuminate the mechanics behind the origins, course, and consequent long-term effects of that war, providing a well reasoned and balanced overview that while uncontroversial, also pulls few punches regarding causes and effects. I would recommend its purchase for anyone wanting a nice hardbound overview that is easy to read and also relatively kind to one's limited resources. Enjoy

Now, all that's left is the musical.

The Doctor has had a difficult time of it, in recent books. He's blown up his home planet, lost one of his hearts, spent a hundred years in exile in England, made a new mortal enemy, and, very unsuccessfully, run a brothel. In the middle of all this, the TARDIS materializes in a world populated entirely by cartoon characters from the Warner Brothers and Hanna-Barbera universes. Or, rather, since the BBC doesn't spend a lot of copyright clearance money on these "Who" books, nifty imitations thereof. Author Steve Lyons hits all the obvious targets, and a few not-so-obvious ones, in his exploration of what would happen when British sci-fi icons interact with famous American cartoon characters.

Thing is, why does Lyons take this setup so seriously? Within 50 pages of the TARDIS's arrival, Fitz has fallen in love with Penelope Pitstop, and Porky Pig's tried to kill himself. Later, Tom goes on trial for the brutal murder of Jerry, there's a massive riot (complete with deadly anvils) and Scooby-Doo... well, nothing bad happens to Scooby-Doo. But "Crooked World" is still a whole lot more somber than you'd expect for a book with Road-Runner on the cover.

"Crooked World" is a short read (240-odd pages with really large print) and even a ponderous reader like me finished it in just two days. All the old cartoon conventions are pointed at and exploited, and everyone goes away happy, be it time-traveller or Deputy Dawg (or was that Huckleberry Hound?). Steve Lyons' "Who" books tend to be either widely satirical or overly somber. "Crooked World" blurs the lines together and, in the midst of a pretty serious run of "Who" books (that will get even more serious before the entire 2002 production run is out), provides some of the louder laughs of the year.

For many of us, the cartoons recreated and joked about in this book are pieces of fiction that we've been watching for as long as we can remember (even longer than Doctor Who in some cases!) and the familiarity with this material gives Lyons quite an advantage here. With only a few carefully constructed sentences, he can tap into literally hours worth of memories of Acme Co. anvils, mice cleverly outwitting cats and other staples of the Loony Toons and Merry Melodies universes. All the work has been done in the past, and Lyons can easily invoke the material that has already been created.

But what makes THE CROOKED WORLD so special is not merely that he's putting the Doctor Who characters into a cartoon universe (as GRIMM REALITY merely placed the regulars in the world of fairy tales), it's that he is able to bring the cartoon world closer to the real one, subverting the conventions of that genre. He holds it up to the light, not just to point out that the physics in Bug Bunny sketches is faulty, but to demonstrate the real fundamental differences. The cartoon people (made up of assorted pigs, dogs, cats, and others) are embarking upon a very clearly defined journey from two-dimensional silliness to something greater. Like observing children as they turn into adults, we can anticipate many of the trials and tribulations they will encounter, but we keep watching to see how they'll deal with these real world concepts. A lot of the success of this book comes down to the subtle cleverness of Lyons' writing skills. Indeed, there are death scenes that are as affecting as any ever seen in Doctor Who, and the characters are among the most interesting ever seen in the series. Maybe it's more emotionally powerful because we've known characters like this all of our lives, but whatever the reason, it is very involving.

I have no idea what someone would make of this if they weren't at least a little familiar with the cartoons being lovingly mocked here. Fortunately, Lyons manages to subvert a lot of the conventions of this genre, so I'd imagine that even someone who's had a cave for an address for the past fifty years would find something enjoyable here. Certainly I found much here that was unbelievably entertaining and unexpectedly touching. Rarely has death and pain been touched on so expertly in the Doctor Who books and the fact that the people dying and suffering are evolving cartoon characters just goes to demonstrate how powerful the writing is. Definitely an EDA not to be missed. (And the Scooby Doo jokes are hilarious.)

DOCTOR WHO: THE NEW ADVENTURES - HEAD GAMES
by Steve Lyons
Doctor Who Books/Virgin Books, ISBN 0-426-20454-9, US $5.99

This is one to boggle the mind, actually -- the Doctor, a bizarre duplicate, a false companion, two earlier companions, three current companions, UNIT and more plot complications than anyone sane should be trying to handle.

In this one, the Doctor, Bernice, Roz and Chris are up against an immense crystal formed of fictional energy, the result of an earlier conflict. Dealing with the problem isn't easy, though -- nothing in the Doctor's universe is straightforward -- especially as a dying planet is depending on the crystal for its existence. Meanwhile, an English teenager, Jason, has a way to tap into the fictional energy, using this to create a duplicate Doctor and take over the TARDIS for his idea of great adventures in time and space, an escapade that draws in former companions Mel and Ace, the former being dismayed at the real Doctor's machinations and the latter being determined to solve several mysteries. The real Doctor is up to his neck in his own problems in the meantime -- the consequences of his actions and all the things he's had to do have been weighing on him; his own sixth incarnation is haunting him, threatening to break loose and lead him down the dark path that will cause him to become the malevolent Valeyard.

Lyons keeps the balls in the air for the most part, despite moments of confusion and some clunky coincidences. This is a book that thumbs its nose at the fanatic image of the fanboy (or anoraks as they're called in England) whle making good use of the concept; the Doctor, meanwhile, is developed further in some painful and interesting ways -- series fans will be interested in the explanation as to why a knock on the head caused the sixth doctor to regenerate into the seventh...

--Reviewed by Steven McDonal