Invasion of the Bane was a novelisation based on the 2007 television story Invasion of the Bane, the inaugural episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures. It was published simultaneously with the novelisations of Revenge of the Slitheen, Eye of the Gorgon, and Warriors of Kudlak, and was thus tied with those three books as the first novelisation of a Doctor Who-related television production since the 1996 release of The Novel of the Film.
With this book, Doctor Who script editor Terrance Dicks returned to the world of episode adaptations; it is his first television novelisation since his adaptation of The Space Pirates was published in 1990.
Publisher's summary
Life on Earth can be an adventure, too. You just need to know where to look.
Maria's fascinated by her new neighbour, Sarah Jane Smith — she's a journalist, but she also helps aliens! After a visit to the Bubble Shock factory, Sarah Jane and Maria's lives change forever when they meet the Archetype. But why is everything he does so strange? And what does he have to do with Bane, the mysterious organic ingredient in Bubble Shock?
Characters
Worldbuilding
- Maria Jackson thinks that there is something spooky about Sarah Jane Smith's house, noting that it has a touch of Dracula's castle to its design.
- When Davey tells Kelsey Hooper that the Bane Mother is his mother, Kelsey suggests that he should go to Jeremy Kyle.
- Sarah Jane Smith has a photo of a "fierce-looking Army officer with a clipped moustache", who Maria thinks might be Sarah Jane's father. There is also a photo of a "handsome square-jawed young man in a duffle coat", who Maria thinks is Sarah Jane's boyfriend.
- Kelsey has a friend called Sakkim.
- Sarah Jane thinks that the people who are controlled by Bubble Shock! look like zombies.
- Ivan is "some sort of city banker".
Notes
- Includes an eight-page section of photographs from the episode.
- Author Terrance Dicks worked as script editor for Doctor Who in the 1970s and wrote or co-wrote scripts for the series beginning in 1969. He is perhaps best known for writing the lion's share of Target novelisations published between 1974 and the early 1990s. He has contributed to most lines of original Doctor Who fiction published since 1991. His last novelisation before this one was Shakedown in 1995, which was based upon a non-BBC spin-off production.
Deviations from the televised story
- Due to a typo, Alan Jackson wishes for "Angela Jolie" to appear at his front door, instead of Angelina Jolie as he does in the televised version.
- Sarah Jane communicates with K9 via a monitor kept in the safe, as opposed to the televised version which implies that the safe contains some sort of dimensional portal.
- Mr Smith does not play a fanfare when he's activated, as he does in his television appearances.
Continuity
to be added