by Philip Purser-Hallard

Obverse Books, out now

Obverse Books’ ongoing series of monographs focusing on a Doctor Who serial or story hits 2020’s Series 12 episode, The Haunting of Villa Dioadti.

Some stories were just meant to be written by a particular person. Having earned his DPhil with a thesis on themes of creation from Frankenstein to the end of the 20th Century, Black Archives series editor Philip Purser-Hallard must have been jumping up and down going ‘Me! Me! Me!’ when pitching the volume for Maxine Alderton’s celebrity historical about Mary Shelley’s famous night at the shores of Lake Geneva. It’s a subject that’s clearly close to his heart, and the wealth of detail shared on the subject matter is impressive.

He rightly points out that this in an unusually sophisticated story for Doctor Who, and references other media that has covered this ground – James Whale’s Bride of Frankenstein, Ken Russell’s Gothic, Roger Corman’s Frankenstein Unbound and even Big Finish’s Mary’s Story and a Battles in Time comic strip. But where this study really takes off is in its dive into Romanticism and Gothic and how these elements are woven into the story. Aided by useful family trees and a detailed timeline, you’ll come away with not just a better understanding of the Frankenstein references but of the creation of Frankenstein and its ‘culturally owned mythos’ (to quote the author).

Verdict: An excellent addition to the range that benefits immensely from some expert knowledge. 9/10

Nick Joy

Click here to order from Obverse Books