Doctor Who and the Day of the Daleks (novelisation)

Doctor Who and the Day of the Daleks

Key crew

Publisher:

Target Books, W.H. Allen, Pinnacle Books

Writer:

Terrance Dicks

Cover by:

Chris Achilleos

Release details

Release number:

18

Release date:

27 March 1974 (paperback)
August 1981 (hardcover)

Format:

Hardcover and paperback editions; 14 chapters, 140 Pages

ISBN:

ISBN 0-426-10380-7

Target novelisations
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Doctor Who and the Dæmons	Doctor Who and the Curse of Peladon

Doctor Who and the Day of the Daleks was a novelisation based on the 1972 television serial Day of the Daleks. In 1979, this book was chosen as the inaugural release of the first (and to date only) American-published series of Doctor Who novels by Pinnacle Books. Over the next few years, ten novelisations would be republished in the US, each with an introduction by Harlan Ellison.

Publisher's summary

1974 edition

Mysterious humans from 22nd-century Earth `time-jump’ back into the 20th century so as to assassinate a high-ranking diplomat on whom the peace of the world depends. DOCTOR WHO, Jo Grant and the Brigadier are soon called in to investigate. Jo is accidentally transported forward to the 22nd century; the Doctor follows, eventually to be captured by his oldest and deadliest enemy – the DALEKS! Having submitted the Doctor to the fearful Mind Analysis Machine, the DALEKS plan a `time-jump’ attack on Earth in the 20th century! ...

Chapter titles

Terror in the Twenty-Second Century
The Man Who Saw a Ghost
The Vanishing Guerilla
The Ghost Hunters
Condemned to Death!
Prisoner of the Daleks
Attack of the Ogrons
A Fugitive in the Future
Escape from the Ogrons
Interrogation by the Daleks
The Raid on Dalek Headquarters
Return to Danger
The Day of the Daleks
All Kinds of Futures

Deviations from televised story

All of Chapter One, set in the Dalek-controlled 22nd century, is original to the novel. Numerous previously unnamed rebels are named here.
Auderly House is named Austerly House, to avoid confusion with the real life Auderly House.
While Anat has long hair on the televised version, she is described and illustrated as having short hair here.
In chapter 2, Reginald Styles fights back against his attacker and UNIT glimpses the Ogrons earlier. ("Between The Lines", a feature in the 2012 reprint, notes that the Brigadier and Benton ignore this sighting and follow the script's focus on "ghost" instead.)
When the Ogrons attack the house for the first time, the UNIT soldiers gather around to create a barrier of defence and fight back.
The Doctor's wrists are said to be bleeding after he cuts the ropes tying his hands together in Styles' wine cellar.
A Black Dalek is included and it takes up most of the original Gold Dalek's tasks. The Gold Dalek appears half way through the novel, and the Black Dalek acts as its second-in-command. Terrence Dicks invents a Dalek High Council that rules Earth.
The Brigadier gives more information on the international crisis, explaining that China, Russia and the USA are all involved and it began in the "Near East" (contemporary term for Middle East).
The Doctor reminds the Daleks that he defeated them on Skaro in The Evil of the Daleks, which he believed to be "the final end". Strangely, however, the cut scene in which the Daleks explain that they defeated the Humanised Daleks in the Dalek Civil War is absent here as well.
Instead of a luxurious meal, the Controller and Jo eat "coarse bread, tough meat, and a mish-mash of strange vegetables" (chapter 9). This is considered a luxury in the Controller's time.
The final chapter of the novel, where the Doctor and Jo meet their past selves, isn't included in the TV version. The scene was written and recorded, but then taken out to keep Episode 4 from over-running.

Writing and publishing notes

To be added

Additional cover images

Hardcover edition; Cover by Andrew Skilleter
1987 edition; Cover by Andrew Skilleter
2012 edition; Cover by Chris Achilleos

British publication history

First publication:

Hardback

W.H. Allen & Co. Ltd. UK

Paperback

Target Block Logo / Orange lettering for title

Re-issues:

60p (UK) Diamond-based Logo / brown lettering for title

1982 Target Books with a new cover by Andrew Skilleter priced (UK)

1991 Virgin Publishing with a new cover by Alister Pearson priced (UK)

Editions published outside UK

Published in the Netherlands in 1974 by Unieboek B.V. Bussum as Doctor Who en de Dag van de Daleks.
Published in Brazil in 1975 by Global Editoria as Doutor Who e a Mudança da História.
Published in Turkey in 1975 by Remzi Kitabevi as Doktor Kim ve Dalek Baskini.
Published in the USA in 1978 by Aeonian Press in hardcover format.
Published in the USA in 1979 by Pinnacle Books.
Published in Japan in 1980 by Hayakawa Bunko.
Reprinted in the USA in 1981 by Pinnacle Books.
Published in Portugal in 1983 by Editorial Presença as Doutor Who e o Dai dos Daleks.
Reprinted in the USA in 1984 by Pinnacle Books.
Reprinted in the USA in 1989 by Pinnacle Books.
Published in Poland in 1994 by Empire Books as Doctor Who: Dzień Daleków.