The Book of the War
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''The Book of the War'' is a hypertext multi-author novel presented in the form of an encyclopedia of the first 50 years of the War in the Faction Paradox universe based on the '' Doctor Who'' universe. The book was edited by
Lawrence Miles Lawrence Miles (born 15 March 1972 in Middlesex) is a science fiction author known for his work on original ''Doctor Who'' novels (for both the Virgin New Adventures and BBC Books series) and the subsequent spin-off Faction Paradox. He is also ...
, and written by Miles,
Simon Bucher-Jones Simon Bucher-Jones (born Simon Jones, 6 September 1964) is an author, poet, and amateur actor. He is best known for his Doctor Who novels for Virgin and BBC and as a contributor to the Faction Paradox spin-off series. Between 1988 and Dec 2018, h ...
, Daniel O'Mahony, Ian McIntire, Mags L. Halliday, Helen Fayle, Philip Purser-Hallard, Kelly Hale, Jonathan Dennis, and Mark Clapham.ISFDB Entry for The Book of the War
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Content

Although various plot threads can be found in the book, its real value lies in the wealth of ideas on display. It's primarily a guide to many of the important factions involved in the War in Heaven. These include Faction Paradox itself, the Great Houses, the Celestis, the Remote, and Posthumanity. A number of hints about the mysterious Enemy against whom the Great Houses at fighting are scattered through the text, but nothing conclusive. The book details many individuals, events, technologies, and concepts related to the War. The book makes references to the '' Doctor Who'' novels ''Alien Bodies'', '' Interference'', '' The Taking of Planet 5'', and '' The Shadows of Avalon'', and it features the characters Compassion and
Chris Cwej Christopher Rodonanté Cwej, usually just known as Chris Cwej, is a fictional character from the Virgin New Adventures range of spin-offs based on the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. His surname is properly pronounced "Shv ...
who first appeared in ''Doctor Who'' novels. A number of other parallels with ''Doctor Who'' characters and concepts can be found, but these links are not explicit. No familiarity with ''Doctor Who'' is required to appreciate ''The Book of the War''. Characters and settings from ''The Book of the War'' appear in later ''Faction Paradox'' novels including '' Of the City of the Saved...'', ''
Warring States The Warring States period () was an era in ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded with the Qin wars of conquest ...
'' and '' Newtons Sleep'', and the short story anthology '' A Romance in Twelve Parts''.


See also

The otherwise unrelated novel '' Dictionary of the Khazars'' is a rare example of similar use of a non-linear encyclopedic structure for a work of fiction.


References

Faction Paradox 2002 British novels Book of War Encyclopedias of fictional worlds Fiction with unreliable narrators Novels by Lawrence Miles Novels by Simon Bucher-Jones Novels by Daniel O'Mahony Novels by Mags L Halliday Novels by Philip Purser-Hallard Novels by Kelly Hale Novels by Mark Clapham Nonlinear narrative novels {{2000s-sf-novel-stub