Review: 'Life on Mars: From Manchester to New York' Edited by Stephen Lacey and Ruth McElroy

Life on Mars: From Manchester to New York Edited by Stephen Lacey and Ruth McElroy, 2012, University of Wales Press, $ 29.70 softbound, 210 pages. Category/Genre: film/TV. Cover: good. Where we got it: publisher. Where you can get it: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million.  

This book is a study of the science fiction/police drama Life on Mars, including discussion on the follow-up Ashes to Ashes, as well as the US and Spanish remakes of Life on Mars. It is a look at how the series invokes the past and how it shows where British TV drama is headed, plus it looks at how the series was structured. There are insights from the programme's makers as well as academic experts. 

The contributors also focus on characters, and it may be here that some of the most interesting points are made. Comparisons to earlier shows rely somewhat on the readers' familiarity with those shows, but not entirely. The show is, as the contributors say, a hybrid of science fiction and police drama, and therefore appeals to a wider audience. 

With a rather intellectual eye to the series, this book is for the avid fan who just can't get enough. 

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