Faction Paradox: The Book of the War (Faction Paradox series) Paperback – January 1, 2010

An incredible book by several scales of measurement; More ideas per page than a stack of classic sci fi novels, an encyclopedia with a narrative??, the legally literally and literately forbidden knowledge of the most interesting villains the Doctor ever encountered. Or did he? and Are they villains? If you're reading this review, you are likely the sort of person who would really get off on this book.

I love lawrence miles writings but, this book is like a comic strip encyclopedia and i dont like comic strips and if i wanted to read an encyclopedia i would go to the library to pick one up. I thought this book would be a novel about the war in heaven not an encyclopedia of random events with cartoon pictures thats for children or people with mediocre intelligence. i wanted a doctor who novel about the war in heaven which by the way is much more interesting and engrossing than the so called last great time war of the current doctor who series which russel t davies god bless him revised but seriously screwed up. Lawrence miles could have done better than this and the only reason iam giving this book three stars is becuase i like the concepts discussed in the book even though i dont like the way it was done. The other faction pardox works were novels that had depth and stories without the aid of cartoon pictures i wish this book had been a straight foward novel.

Almost everything you ever wanted to know about the Time War that destroyed Gallifrey, edited and co-written by the man who conceived of the idea. An essential peice in the puzzel of connecting Classic Doctor Who to 2005 Doctor Who.

Social commentary and insight disguised as a science fiction dictionary of a timeline that may exist. Ignore the fact that this timeline is an offshoot of the Doctor Who world and you will see insight that delves into ones own perspectives on time, war, and life in general. Embrace the fact that this is a timeline offshoot of Doctor Who, and you will find yourself manically attempting to figure out the many, many ways this links the novels to the current television series (I estimate this war has yet to end, but the destruction of Gallifrey caused by this war has already occurred). Fun read for fans of Who and general science fiction readers alike.

Less of a novel, and more of an in-universe Encylopedia, documenting a War in time and space against a faceless, unknowable Enemy-- and cataloging all of the absolutely bombastic cast of characters, species, locations, *Factions*, and concepts that will leave you wanting more-- a perfect lead in to the other Faction Paradox novels to give you a "basic" understanding of the universe; or, you can just take it as a neat little standalone book to enjoy on its own as it makes a winding path from the creation of the universe, the history of the Time Lords *cough cough* The Great Houses, the creation of human-form TARDIS's *cough cough* Time Ships, and more!assuming you can find it for sale *literally anywhere* that is.Scour the used book stores in your area!

Much like Milorad Pavic's _Dictionary of the Khazars_, this is a Dictionary-Novel incredible in it's complexity and execution. The novel is about groups of time-traveling cultures engaged in a War to rewrite history to their own ends. Although this may sound silly, the intelligent prose of the authors and the rich structure of the plot make this book a great reading, not only to sci-fi fans, but for all good-literature lovers.It is also a deep reflextion on our own culture, values and conceptions. I would recommend this book to anyone who's looking to try for something different.

The Book of the War is a sourcebook. Like a sourcebook it features entries for characters and situations to do with the War in Heaven. For those who came in late, the War in Heaven was an idea Lawrence Miles first created for the Doctor Who book line. It formed the backdrop to his novel Alien Bodies and was quickly seized upon by other Who writers, along with Miles' Faction Paradox, who featured elements in their books. Set in the relative future of the Doctor, it chronicled a war between the Time Lords and their mysterious enemy (note: not the Time War with the Daleks) which altered reality with each action. But for some reason the editors of the line decided to resolve the story, rather than leaving it as something to be picked up on from time to time. The result was a mess that did not convey Miles' original ideas. So he took it back, along with the Faction Paradox and did it his way, in this book and the Faction Paradox books that followed.But the lack of a narrative makes it hard for me to see how people who did not know the above background are really going to appreciate this book. There are plenty of interesting science fiction ideas in it, with several that are used further in the series, but is that enough of a hook? I couldn't decide if I liked the book. I liked the creativity of it all, but I can't say I took anything away from it.