The Sensorites (novelisation): Difference between revisions

The TARDIS materialises on board a dark and silent spaceship. As the Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara penetrate the craft's eerie gloom they come across what appear to be the bodies of two dead astronauts.

But the astronauts are far from dead, and are living in mortal fear of the Sensorites, a race of telepathic creatures from the Sense-Sphere.

When the lock of the TARDIS is stolen the Doctor is forced into an uneasy alliance with the aliens. And when he arrives on the Sensorites' planet he discovers that it is not only the humans who have cause to be afraid...

Chapter titles[[edit] | [edit source]]

Prologue

Strangers in Space
War of Nerves
The Dreams of Avarice
The Unwilling Warriors
The Quest for Freedom
Hidden Danger
A Race Against Death
Into the Darkness
Surrounded by Enemies
A Conspiracy of Lies
The Secret of the Caves
A Desperate Venture

Epilogue

Deviations from televised story[[edit] | [edit source]]

Much of the dialogue has been rearranged for the novelisation with many lines swapped between characters.
Maitland's assumption that the travellers come from a century other than the twenty-eighth stems from a commonplace tradition to place astronauts in suspended animation for the long journey between solar systems.
Susan is a great deal more reluctant to go down to the Sense-Sphere. She capitulates, tearfully, only when they threaten the lives of her fellow travellers.
A greater emphasis is placed on the inner thoughts of the First Elder as he attempts to mediate between his own people's viewpoints and that of the outsiders from the spaceship.
Carol is smothered unconscious during her kidnap, rather than remaining conscious for the journey to the Disintegrator Room.
Rather than have a model layout of the aqueduct, the Sensorites provide a holographic map for Susan to direct Barbara and John whilst she talks telepathically.
Whilst Ian urges Maitland to hasten cutting open to the door in order to get to Barbara and Susan, he utters the words "For God's sake, man!"
The humans are part of an extremist group called INNER, Interstellar Navigation, Exploration and Research.
Lacking the lead-in to The Reign of Terror, the story instead ends on Barbara's own musings about the fate of the Sensorites in the face of mankind's greed for material wealth. She worries that they'll suffer the same fate of the Mexican Aztecs and the Australian Aboriginals on Earth. She hopes that humanity has matured enough by the twenty-fifth century for such issues to be a thing of the past.

Story notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

The cover and information on the right are for the original Target edition. It featured the artwork of Nick Spender. (See below for information on editions with different covers).

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

Barbara compares the encounter between the humans and the Sensorites to the Aztecs' encounter with Cortez. (TV: The Aztecs)

Writing and publishing notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

Nigel Robinson was wary about commissioning himself to write this novelisation while still the editor of the range, but was reassured by comments on how long it took for him to suggest the idea.
This is the first of four novelisations Robinson would write. He is one of only three authors to write for Target with no previous connection to either the scriptwriting or production of the original series. The others were Alison Bingeman and John Peel.
The inside back cover features Fantastic Doctor Who Poster Offer (in colour).

Additional cover images[[edit] | [edit source]]

1987 Hardback edition

British publication history[[edit] | [edit source]]

Hardback (February 1987)^{[source needed]}

W.H.Allen & Co. Ltd. UK ISBN:0491034555, copies priced £7.50 (UK))

Paperback (16 July 1987)^{[source needed]}

Target / W.H. Allen & Co. Ltd. Single paperback edition, estimated print run: 32,500, priced £1.95 (UK).

Audiobook[[edit] | [edit source]]

This Target Book was released as an audiobook on 3 May 2012^{[source needed]} complete and unabridged by BBC Audio and read by William Russell.

The cover blurb and thumbnail illustrations were retained in the accompanying booklet with sleevenotes by David J. Howe. Music and sound effects by Simon Power.

The audiobook was reissued as part of the audio anthology The Second Alien Worlds Collection on 6 December 2018.^{[source needed]}

Audiobook cover
The Second Alien Worlds Collection

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

to be added

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{Infobox Novel|
+{{title dab away}}
-novel name= Doctor Who - The Sensorites|
+{{real world}}
-image= [[Image: Sensorites_novel.jpg|250px]] |
+{{Infobox Story SMW
-series=[[Doctor Who]] -<br/>[[Target Novelisation]] |
+|image            = Sensorites target118.jpg
-number= 118 |
+|number           = 118
-doctor=[[First Doctor]] |
+|novelisation of  = The Sensorites (TV story)
-companions= [[Susan Foreman]], [[Barbara Wright]], [[Ian Chesterton]] |
+|doctor           = First Doctor
-enemy= [[Sensorite]]s |
+|companions       = [[Susan Foreman|Susan]], [[Barbara Wright|Barbara]], [[Ian Chesterton|Ian]]
-year= [[Sense Sphere]] |
+|enemy            = [[Sensorite]]s
-writer= [[Nigel Robinson]] |
+|setting          = [[Sense Sphere]]
-publisher= [[Target Books]], [[W.H. Allen & Co]] |
+|writer           = Nigel Robinson
-release date= [[July]]  [[1987]] |
+|read by          = [[William Russell]]
-format= Paperback Book, 143 Pages |
+|cover            = [[Nick Spender]]
-isbn= ISBN 0-426-20295-3|
+|publisher        = Target Books
-previous story=[[The Aztecs (novelisation)| Doctor Who – The Aztecs ]] |
+|publisher2       = W.H. Allen
-next story=[[The Reign of Terror (novelisation) | Doctor Who – The Reign of Terror]] }}
+|release date     = 16 July 1987
+|format           = Hardcover and paperback editions; 14 Chapters, 143 Pages
+|isbn             = ISBN 0-426-20295-3
+|series           = [[Target novelisation]]s
+|prev             = The Space Museum (novelisation)
+|next             = The Reign of Terror (novelisation)
+|series2          = [[List of Doctor Who television stories|TV series order]]
+|prev2            = The Aztecs (novelisation)
+|next2            = The Reign of Terror (novelisation)
+}}
+'''''{{StoryTitle}}''''' was a novelisation based on the 1964 television serial ''[[The Sensorites (TV story)|The Sensorites]]''.
-==Novelisation==
+== Publisher's summary ==
-* This novelisation is based on the original television serial generally referred to as [[DW]]: ''[[The Sensorites]]'' which included individual episode titles and was shown from 20th June 1964 and written by [[Peter R. Newman]].
+[[The Doctor's TARDIS|The TARDIS]] materialises on board a dark and silent spaceship. As [[First Doctor|the Doctor]], [[Susan Foreman|Susan]], [[Ian Chesterton|Ian]] and [[Barbara Wright|Barbara]] penetrate the craft's eerie gloom they come across what appear to be the bodies of two dead astronauts.
-* The cover and information shown on the right is for the original Target novel and featured the artwork of [[Nick Spender]]. (See below for information on other UK and international editions which published with a different cover).
-==Publisher's Cover Blurb==
+But the astronauts are far from dead, and are living in mortal fear of the [[Sensorite]]s, a race of telepathic creatures from the [[Sense Sphere|Sense-Sphere]].
-The TARDIS materialises on board a dark and silent spaceship. As the Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara penetrate the craft’s eerie gloom they come across what appear to be the bodies of two dead astronauts.<br>
-But the astronauts are far from dead, and are living in mortal fear of the [[Sensorite]]s, a race of telepathic creatures from the [[Sense Sphere]].<br>
-When the lock of the TARDIS is stolen the Doctor is forced into an uneasy alliance with the aliens. And when he arrives on the Sensorites’ planet he discovers that it is not only the Humans who have cause to be afraid…
-==Illustrations==
+When the lock of the TARDIS is stolen the Doctor is forced into an uneasy alliance with the aliens. And when he arrives on the Sensorites' planet he discovers that it is not only the [[human]]s who have cause to be afraid...
-None
-== Deviations from the Televised Story ==
+== Chapter titles ==
-''To be added''
+* Prologue
+# Strangers in Space
+# War of Nerves
+# The Dreams of Avarice
+# The Unwilling Warriors
+# The Quest for Freedom
+# Hidden Danger
+# A Race Against Death
+# Into the Darkness
+# Surrounded by Enemies
+# A Conspiracy of Lies
+# The Secret of the Caves
+# A Desperate Venture
+* Epilogue
-==Author, Writing and Publishing Notes==
+== Deviations from televised story ==
-* [[Nigel Robinson]] was weary about commissioning himself to write the novelisation of this story while still the current editor of the range, but was reassured by comments remarking on how long it took for him to suggest the idea.
+* Much of the dialogue has been rearranged for the novelisation with many lines swapped between characters.
-* Inside back cover features Fantastic Doctor Who Poster Offer (in colour).
+* Maitland's assumption that the travellers come from a century other than the twenty-eighth stems from a commonplace tradition to place astronauts in suspended animation for the long journey between solar systems.
+* Susan is a great deal more reluctant to go down to the Sense-Sphere. She capitulates, tearfully, only when they threaten the lives of her fellow travellers.
+* A greater emphasis is placed on the inner thoughts of the First Elder as he attempts to mediate between his own people's viewpoints and that of the outsiders from the spaceship.
+* Carol is smothered unconscious during her kidnap, rather than remaining conscious for the journey to the Disintegrator Room.
+* Rather than have a model layout of the aqueduct, the Sensorites provide a holographic map for Susan to direct Barbara and John whilst she talks telepathically.
+* Whilst Ian urges Maitland to hasten cutting open to the door in order to get to Barbara and Susan, he utters the words "For God's sake, man!"
+* The humans are part of an extremist group called [[INNER]], Interstellar Navigation, Exploration and Research.
+* Lacking the lead-in to ''[[The Reign of Terror (TV story)|The Reign of Terror]]'', the story instead ends on Barbara's own musings about the fate of the Sensorites in the face of mankind's greed for material wealth. She worries that they'll suffer the same fate of the Mexican Aztecs and the Australian Aboriginals on Earth. She hopes that humanity has matured enough by the twenty-fifth century for such issues to be a thing of the past.
+== Story notes ==
+* The cover and information on the right are for the original Target edition. It featured the artwork of [[Nick Spender]]. (See below for information on editions with different covers).
-==Associated Images==
+== Continuity ==
-''To be added''
+* Barbara compares the encounter between the humans and the Sensorites to the [[Aztec]]s' encounter with Cortez. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Aztecs (TV story)|The Aztecs]]'')
-==Publishing History (UK)==
+== Writing and publishing notes ==
-''To be added''
+* [[Nigel Robinson]] was wary about commissioning himself to write this novelisation while still the editor of the range, but was reassured by comments on how long it took for him to suggest the idea.
+* This is the first of four novelisations Robinson would write. He is one of only three authors to write for Target with no previous connection to either the scriptwriting or production of the original series. The others were [[Alison Bingeman]] and [[John Peel]].
+* The inside back cover features Fantastic Doctor Who Poster Offer (in colour).
-'''First Publication:'''
+== Additional cover images ==
-* Hardback
+<gallery position=center captionalign=center hideaddbutton="true" >
-: W.H.Allen & Co. Ltd.  UK
+File:HardbackSensorites.jpg|1987 Hardback edition
-* Paperback
+</gallery>
-: Target
-'''Re-issues:'''
-:None
-==International Editions==
+== British publication history ==
-''To be added''
+: Hardback ([[February (releases)|February]] [[1987 (releases)|1987]]){{fact}}
+* W.H.Allen & Co. Ltd. UK ISBN:0491034555, copies priced £7.50 (UK))
+: Paperback ([[16 July (releases)|16 July]] 1987){{fact}}
+* Target / W.H. Allen & Co. Ltd. Single paperback edition, estimated print run: 32,500, priced £1.95 (UK).
-==External Sources==
+== Audiobook ==
-* '''[[The Target Book]]''' by [[David J Howe]] ([[Telos Publishing]] 2007)
+This Target Book was released as an audiobook on [[3 May (releases)|3 May]] [[2012 (releases)|2012]]{{fact}} complete and unabridged by [[BBC Audio]] and read by [[William Russell]].
-*  [http://www.personal.leeds.ac.uk/~ecl6nb/OnTarget/general/main.htm a comprehensive guide to the Target novelisations by Tim Neal]
-[[Category:Target Novelisations|Sensorites]]
+The cover blurb and thumbnail illustrations were retained in the accompanying booklet with sleevenotes by [[David J. Howe]]. Music and sound effects by [[Simon Power]].
-[[Category:1987 novels|Sensorites]]
+The audiobook was reissued as part of the audio anthology ''[[The Second Alien Worlds Collection]]'' on [[6 December (releases)|6 December]] [[2018 (releases)|2018]].{{fact}}
+<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true">
+The Sensorites Audio.jpg|Audiobook cover
+The Second Alien Worlds Collection.jpg|The Second Alien Worlds Collection
+</gallery>
+== External links ==
+''to be added''
+{{DWN}}
+{{TitleSort}}
+[[Category:Target novelisations]]
+[[Category:1987 novels]]
+[[Category:First Doctor novelisations]]
+[[Category:Sensorite stories]]
+[[Category:Stories set in the 28th century]]
+[[Category:Stories set in the Horsehead Nebula]]
+[[Category:The Second Alien Worlds Collection novels]]