They say that “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”, but there are some doctors everybody wants to spend time with, and Doctor Strange is one of those people.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe character recently appeared in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and saved the world with people of all ages thronging cinemas just to catch a glimpse of the beloved doctor.

He was also part of saving-the-multiverse in last year’s hit Spider-Man: No Way Home, a movie liked by all. It is he who brings together all three Spider-Men from different multiverses, and sends them all back when the job is finished.

So, who is this ‘marvelous’ doctor who saves the world regularly? Read all there is to know about the character in Doctor Strange – The Beginning, a book which tells you how a successful neurosurgeon, Doctor Stephen Strange, ended up as a superhero in the MCU.

Written by C. Robert Cargill and Scott Derrickson, who shared the credits for the movie Doctor Strange (2016), this book takes the readers back in time and explains each detail about the sorcerer and answers all the queries. Reading the 135-page book feels like watching the first Doctor Strange movie in which he acquired powers that would make him the wise one, in the presence of other Avengers.

The book begins when Dr Strange is recuperating from his injury and is fighting the other of his kind. The next chapter takes us to Dr Stephen Strange, who is enjoying his life and a brilliant career as a neurosurgeon. His hands are his best assets and he can perform wonders with them. A tragic car accident causes him to lose the use of his hands and he goes into depression because, without his hands, he is no miracle worker.

He set aside his ego and travels all over the world for a solution and his life changes when he comes out of a hopeless situation and becomes even more powerful.

How does he do that, what has the Kamar Taj in Nepal to do with it, and how his resurgence is pivotal to the safety of those around him, read this book to know more. You will not be disappointed as you will encounter secrets of a hidden world of mysticism and alternate dimensions, just like Doctor Strange. Strange, isn’t it?

The narration of this book is very easy-to-understand and covers the absence of images and illustrations. For those who didn’t understand many things in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, or are yet to watch the film, this book will act as a guide. It is information galore for the young and the old, while the style adopted by the writers gives a clear message — this is one doctor who is not to be afraid of.

Published in Dawn, Young World, June 4th, 2022