Doctor Who and the Terror of the Autons (novelisation)
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Novelisation
- This novelisation is based on the original television serial TV: Terror of the Autons, written by Robert Holmes and shown from 2 January 1971.
- The cover and information on the right are for the original Target edition. It featured the artwork of Peter Brookes. (See below for information on editions with different covers).
- The first edition cover art marked the first time no image of the Doctor appeared on the cover at all since the first edition of Doctor Who and the Crusaders nearly a decade earlier. (Apart from the one in the bottom right hand corner!)
- This novel was not released in a hardcover edition until 1981.
Publisher's summary
1979 edition
The evil Master leered at the Doctor, and triumphantly pointed out of the cabin window. The many-tentacled Nestene monster – spearhead of the second Auton invasion of the Earth – crouched beside the radio tower!
Part crab, part spider, part octopus, its single huge eye blazed with alien intelligence and deadly hatred…
Can the Doctor outwit his rival Time lord, the Master, and save the Earth from the Nestene horror?
Illustrations
- This title contain nternal illustrations by Alan Willow.
Deviations from televised story
- A scene cut from the script is retained in the book. It sees the Master use the term “polynestene” to describe the material that the killer chair is made of.
- The scene with the Master donning a disguise mask to escape UNIT is dropped from the novelisation.
- At the climax of the story the Brigadier threatens to shoot the Master if he does not co-operate with The Doctor.
- The novelisation skips the Doctor's final remark about meeting the Master again, leaving him to tinker with the Master’s dematerialisation circuit.
- The Nestenes and Autons are led by a Council
- It uniquelly names the Nestenes planet as Polymos for the first time in Doctor Who history.
Writing and publishing notes
- The Doctor's identification of George Philips' weapon as a "Sontaran fragmentation grenade" predates the Sontarans' first on-screen appearance (in The Time Warrior). Terrance Dicks was still series Script Editor at the time and was likely to have known about the Sontarans' arrival in the future.
- The Master and Jo Grant are introduced, as is the case in the original story. However an earlier Target books release, PROSE: Doctor Who and the Doomsday Weapon, also introduced the characters "for the first time".
Additional cover images
1979 edition; Cover by Alun Hood
British publication history
To be added
First Publication:
- Hardback
- W.H. Allen & Co. Ltd. UK
- Paperback
- Target
Re-issues:
- 60p (UK)
- 1979 Target Books with a new cover by Alun Hood priced 60p (UK)
Editions published outside Britain
To be added
See also
- The Target Book by David J Howe (Telos Publishing 2007)
