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Doctor Who Target Books (Numerical Order) #8
Doctor Who and the Carnival of Monsters
The Doctor and Jo land on a cargo ship crossing the Indian Ocean in the year 1926. Or so they think. Far away on a planet called Inter Minor, a traveling showman is setting up his live peepshow, watched by an eager audience of space officials. On board ship, a giant hand suddenly appears, grasps the TARDIS, and withdraws. Without warning, a prehistoric monster rises from the sea to attack. What is happening? Where are they? Only the Doctor realizes, with horror, that they might be trapped.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
5 people are currently reading
372 people want to read
About the author
Terrance Dicks
327 books220 followersTerrance Dicks was an English author, screenwriter, script editor, and producer best known for his extensive contributions to Doctor Who. Serving as the show's script editor from 1968 to 1974, he helped shape many core elements of the series, including the concept of regeneration, the development of the Time Lords, and the naming of the Doctor’s home planet, Gallifrey. His tenure coincided with major thematic expansions, and he worked closely with producer Barry Letts to bring a socially aware tone to the show. Dicks later wrote several Doctor Who serials, including Robot, Horror of Fang Rock, and The Five Doctors, the 20th-anniversary special.
In parallel with his television work, Dicks became one of the most prolific writers of Doctor Who novelisations for Target Books, authoring over 60 titles and serving as the de facto editor of the range. These adaptations introduced a generation of young readers to the franchise. Beyond Doctor Who, he also wrote original novels, including children’s horror and adventure series such as The Baker Street Irregulars, Star Quest, and The Adventures of Goliath.
Dicks also worked on other television programmes including The Avengers, Moonbase 3, and various BBC literary adaptations. His later work included audio dramas and novels tied to Doctor Who. Widely respected for his clarity, imagination, and dedication to storytelling, he remained a central figure in Doctor Who fandom until his death in 2019, leaving behind a vast legacy in television and children's literature.
In parallel with his television work, Dicks became one of the most prolific writers of Doctor Who novelisations for Target Books, authoring over 60 titles and serving as the de facto editor of the range. These adaptations introduced a generation of young readers to the franchise. Beyond Doctor Who, he also wrote original novels, including children’s horror and adventure series such as The Baker Street Irregulars, Star Quest, and The Adventures of Goliath.
Dicks also worked on other television programmes including The Avengers, Moonbase 3, and various BBC literary adaptations. His later work included audio dramas and novels tied to Doctor Who. Widely respected for his clarity, imagination, and dedication to storytelling, he remained a central figure in Doctor Who fandom until his death in 2019, leaving behind a vast legacy in television and children's literature.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
January 6, 2021
Dicks perfectly captures everything that is fun about this Third Doctor serial, from the initial mystery of The Time Lord and Jo arriving on the SS Bernice and why all the passengers are repeating themselves to the events concurrently on Inter Minor.
It's a really faithful telling of Robert Holmes script, vividly written by a stalwart of this era.
The Third Doctor's first trip in the TARDIS since his exile is a memorial one, comfortably crammed with ideas.
I've always liked this four part serial so I was bound to enjoy this novelisation.
It's a really faithful telling of Robert Holmes script, vividly written by a stalwart of this era.
The Third Doctor's first trip in the TARDIS since his exile is a memorial one, comfortably crammed with ideas.
I've always liked this four part serial so I was bound to enjoy this novelisation.
April 26, 2022
This is a novelization of the second adventure from the tenth season of Doctor Who, which was first aired in January and February of 1973 and featured The Doctor in his third incarnation along with his feisty and stalwart companion Josephine Grant. The original teleplay was written by long-time Doctor Who writer Robert Holmes and the adaptation is from Terrance Dicks, who was the series script editor at the time and who wrote more of the Target series than anyone else. It's a straight-forward retelling of the episode, which is one of my favorites and one of the best. The Doctor and Jo are on their way to vacation on Metebelis Three (something of a running gag at the time; The Doctor finally gets there in Jo's final story, The Green Death, though she doesn't go with him), but are instead captured by a mini-scope operated by outlawed showmen who trap beings in simulations of their native environments for exhibition. It's a familiar concept, recently re-popularized by Marvel's The Collector, but it's nicely and cleverly presented; it's a fun and well-written story in which Jo demonstrates her brain power more than she usually got to.
June 20, 2009
This is the best Doctor Who story I've read so far.
May 12, 2022
I have never checked but must have read all of Terrance Dicks, Doctor Who novelizations.
This was my first Doctor Who novel read way back some 35 years back when I was just eleven.
Like many young people I had been fascinated by the dinosaurs and when I saw the Plesiosaur on the book cover, I just had to have it.
Didn't matter that I had no idea about the much loved then bbc character whose episodes on OTT are still a rage and I am a keen follower.
Nevertheless this started my journey..
The year is 1926 if I recollect correctly and our heroic duo land on a ship plagued by the said dinosaur. Further iterations later they realize that they are a part of an entertainment program in a story that has several plot lines with this miniature show being one of them, and where they are struck.
A travelling showman is setting up his miniature peepshow and herein during the discussions with the bureaucracy we get some societal manna in the form of allegories between the entertainment industry in the form of the miniscope and the slaving of various organisms for the fun reminiscent of the eras when we had slavery.
All in all a great adventure and for me it put me onto the path of the multitude of Doctor's across space and time.
This was my first Doctor Who novel read way back some 35 years back when I was just eleven.
Like many young people I had been fascinated by the dinosaurs and when I saw the Plesiosaur on the book cover, I just had to have it.
Didn't matter that I had no idea about the much loved then bbc character whose episodes on OTT are still a rage and I am a keen follower.
Nevertheless this started my journey..
The year is 1926 if I recollect correctly and our heroic duo land on a ship plagued by the said dinosaur. Further iterations later they realize that they are a part of an entertainment program in a story that has several plot lines with this miniature show being one of them, and where they are struck.
A travelling showman is setting up his miniature peepshow and herein during the discussions with the bureaucracy we get some societal manna in the form of allegories between the entertainment industry in the form of the miniscope and the slaving of various organisms for the fun reminiscent of the eras when we had slavery.
All in all a great adventure and for me it put me onto the path of the multitude of Doctor's across space and time.
April 10, 2017
Not sure what it was about this story that never really grabbed me. It was okay but not really one I'm going to actively hunt out again in a hurry
December 5, 2012
I bought this book for a pound, but ended up having Katy Manning sign it this weekend anyway. She was very cute and recognised it instantly saying, "Ah that's the one where Jo learns to think with the other side of her brain". It was quite a fun little story, one I've not yet watched and so it was interesting to picture the aliens and their device with not much to go on. There were some brilliant Jo moments in this one. One where they were trapped and she suggested to the Doctor he use his sonic screwdriver to get out of there, and he explained it wouldn't work so she pulled out a set of lock picks and opened the door with them. Remarking, "I've learnt Doctor that when we're together sooner or later we're going to get locked up". The plot was a little simplistic and unbelievable but the characters of the villans were quite great. It was a fun adventure, one I'm looking forward to watching.
August 21, 2022
To me Carnival of Monsters has always been one of those Doctor Who stories that some seem to underestimate. It’s sandwiched between The Three Doctors and the massive two story epic Frontier in Space and Planet of the Daleks so it kind of gets lost in the crowd of the tenth anniversary celebrations, but it’s a story that I have always had a soft spot for. Now, a review of that story is still forthcoming though something I intend to eventually write along with the rest of Season 10. Doctor Who and the Carnival of Monsters, likewise, is a Target novelization which has kind of been lost in the novelizations published around it: immediately before are titans like Doctor Who and the Space War, Doctor Who and the Planet of the Daleks, and Doctor Who and the Pyramids of Mars while after it is Doctor Who and the Seeds of Doom and the first Hartnell novelization since Doctor Who and the Crusaders, Doctor Who and the Dalek Invasion of Earth. So it is interesting to see that while Terrance Dicks was already scribing several novelizations (of the five listed he penned three), Doctor Who and the Carnival of Monsters feels somewhat special. The novelization doesn’t so much as add things to the events, sure there are some minor alterations, the sonic screwdriver being absent and some of the descriptions of the Drashigs, but this is one that while clearly written based on the scripts but like Barry Letts’ decision to cut the final shot on repeat, there is a genuinely interesting few changes from Dicks to make Doctor Who and the Carnival of Monsters work.
The plot is the same, however, Dicks has rearranged some of the scenes which changes much of the pacing of the story and makes it work as a book and not as a television serial. Instead of opening on Inter Minor, we open with the Doctor and Jo arriving, helping create an actual sense of mystery that the S.S. Bernice might not actually be a ship in the alien ocean. This also allows Dicks to explore the dictatorship on Inter Minor, not by adding new characters or a plot of revolution of the Functionaries but by exploring our three officials and exploring how they react to the chaos the miniscope brings. This slows some of the things down and makes some of the novel feel a bit of a drag, especially as there are sequences that are just functional in communicating the events of the story, perhaps because Dicks was already writing quite a few scripts and didn’t have as much time to explore what he could do in each one, especially with Doctor Who and the Dalek Invasion of Earth bringing the First Doctor to a brand new generation of children, it means that this book suffers slightly.
Overall Doctor Who and the Carnival of Monsters is still great, it’s a story that has always been underrated and the novelization continues to understand what makes Robert Holmes’ script work. There are some improvements especially in Dicks converting to prose in the Inter Minor segments, but the Doctor and Jo’s plot is one that honestly works better on television as while you can hear the characters they aren’t given as much of an inner life as the rest of the characters. 8/10.
The plot is the same, however, Dicks has rearranged some of the scenes which changes much of the pacing of the story and makes it work as a book and not as a television serial. Instead of opening on Inter Minor, we open with the Doctor and Jo arriving, helping create an actual sense of mystery that the S.S. Bernice might not actually be a ship in the alien ocean. This also allows Dicks to explore the dictatorship on Inter Minor, not by adding new characters or a plot of revolution of the Functionaries but by exploring our three officials and exploring how they react to the chaos the miniscope brings. This slows some of the things down and makes some of the novel feel a bit of a drag, especially as there are sequences that are just functional in communicating the events of the story, perhaps because Dicks was already writing quite a few scripts and didn’t have as much time to explore what he could do in each one, especially with Doctor Who and the Dalek Invasion of Earth bringing the First Doctor to a brand new generation of children, it means that this book suffers slightly.
Overall Doctor Who and the Carnival of Monsters is still great, it’s a story that has always been underrated and the novelization continues to understand what makes Robert Holmes’ script work. There are some improvements especially in Dicks converting to prose in the Inter Minor segments, but the Doctor and Jo’s plot is one that honestly works better on television as while you can hear the characters they aren’t given as much of an inner life as the rest of the characters. 8/10.
May 7, 2025
Based on a Robert Holmes script this number 8 in the Target catalogue. The first cover is by Chris Achilleos and the second by Alister Pearson. Of the two covers I love Alister’s the most due to the vibrancy of the colours.
This is another excellent adaptation by Terrance. He keeps the story moving along at a cracking pace with only minor alterations, such as the Doctor using a flare gun to ignite the marsh gas instead of his sonic as happens in the broadcast version.
The description of the interior of the mini-scope is a bit on the sparse side. But translating those wonderful sets to text was a bit of an ask. The Doctor and Jo wandering around inside the scope is one of my favourite bits in the broadcast version. But Terrance does a serviceable job describing the interior, I just wanted more.
He does spend a lot more time fleshing out the Minorian society than is covered in the broadcast version. It’s a nice piece of extra world building. I’d like to read a story set beck during the space plague which led to their isolationist attitude. I’m sure it’s something the Doctor would have been involved in.
This is entering my favourite period of Classic Who so I’m possibly assessing these books through the rose tinted glasses of nostalgia. As a kid I found the bits on the Bernice repetitive, but the mature me can see the nuances in those scenes now. And the way Terrance has written them isn’t simple cut and paste, each re-set is handled differently even though the basic actions are the same.
This is another excellent adaptation by Terrance. He keeps the story moving along at a cracking pace with only minor alterations, such as the Doctor using a flare gun to ignite the marsh gas instead of his sonic as happens in the broadcast version.
The description of the interior of the mini-scope is a bit on the sparse side. But translating those wonderful sets to text was a bit of an ask. The Doctor and Jo wandering around inside the scope is one of my favourite bits in the broadcast version. But Terrance does a serviceable job describing the interior, I just wanted more.
He does spend a lot more time fleshing out the Minorian society than is covered in the broadcast version. It’s a nice piece of extra world building. I’d like to read a story set beck during the space plague which led to their isolationist attitude. I’m sure it’s something the Doctor would have been involved in.
This is entering my favourite period of Classic Who so I’m possibly assessing these books through the rose tinted glasses of nostalgia. As a kid I found the bits on the Bernice repetitive, but the mature me can see the nuances in those scenes now. And the way Terrance has written them isn’t simple cut and paste, each re-set is handled differently even though the basic actions are the same.
August 26, 2019
Now this, this is perfect waiting room material. I've been having to bide the time while donating platelets. Bringing a book along is a classic way to spend an hour or two, but I can't bring one that's too interesting, because I also have to pay attention to the machinery that is alternately sucking and returning my blood. I also don't want to bring one that's too challenging, because the aforementioned machinery would also distract me from giving attention to what I'm reading. This book, however, is neither. Doctor Who and the Carnival of Monsters is a novelisation of a 1973 serial of the BBC series. The characters are two dimensional and the story is short and light, as one might expect from a TV episode. I found it entertaining enough, as I could easily visualize--remember, actually-- the actors and their performances. It was also interesting to read through the story and recognize story devices that were required by a low budget show that had to be filmed in the confines of the studio. All in all it suited my needs perfectly. Maybe I should start amassing a collection of the rest of the series.
August 18, 2025
Terence Dicks does Robert Holmes proud in his novelisation of Doctor Who and the Carnival of Monsters, even, I think, injecting little bits and pieces that either enhance the plot or make the story's television satire a little more obvious, if not exactly in your face (after all, you're reading a book, so it fails to be meta). I do miss the humans being called Tellurians, but that's just my nerdy Whovian brain short-circuiting there. However, I do feel that, in someone else's hands, this one could have been truly exceptional. There's plenty of room for new POVs and extensions (imagine Donald Cotton doing it) or some wild meta-textual take (imagine Paul Magrs instead, not that he would have been available at this time). Our Uncle Terry does it well, but it's always a pretty strict screen/script-to-page adaptation.
March 23, 2021
Somewhere between a 3 and a 4, and a nice read this one - the Doctor finally has his freedom again, and immediately can't control his destination like of old. They get into an interesting situation here, which takes a little bit to unfold and so a bit of mystery for readers before the whole situation becomes clear.
The Doctor and Jo in good form as usual here, getting in and out of trouble, though Jo not as active as in other stories, the one off characters, possibly due to the number of them, aren't quite as well fleshed out as they are in other stories, but still add to it all.
A little bit of a moralistic tale, similar to the Mutants and Colony in Space really, but I don't find it heavy handed, so overall a good read.
The Doctor and Jo in good form as usual here, getting in and out of trouble, though Jo not as active as in other stories, the one off characters, possibly due to the number of them, aren't quite as well fleshed out as they are in other stories, but still add to it all.
A little bit of a moralistic tale, similar to the Mutants and Colony in Space really, but I don't find it heavy handed, so overall a good read.
May 29, 2023
Doctor Who and the Carnival of Monsters (1977) by Terrance Dicks is the novelisation of the second serial of the tenth season of Doctor Who and the 66th serial overall.
The Doctor and Jo take the TARDIS for what is meant to be a short journey to a pleasant planet but wind up on a strange ship where the passengers and crew live the same day over and over. Surprisingly a sea monster also appears. A giant hand then appears and picks up the TARDIS.
Doctor Who and the Carnival of Monsters is quite a good serial with a layered story and scheming by various groups instead of the Universe being threatened. It all works well and it’s a good read.
The Doctor and Jo take the TARDIS for what is meant to be a short journey to a pleasant planet but wind up on a strange ship where the passengers and crew live the same day over and over. Surprisingly a sea monster also appears. A giant hand then appears and picks up the TARDIS.
Doctor Who and the Carnival of Monsters is quite a good serial with a layered story and scheming by various groups instead of the Universe being threatened. It all works well and it’s a good read.
May 26, 2020
This was a fun 3rd Doctor story, and a lot of it was made more enjoyable by the fact that this version of the Doctor was so good at being overconfident. The fact that the Time Lords had finally let him use the TARDIS again helped that, of course, but watching him interact someone else's high tech was fun. I don't remember watching this one, so I didn't feel that the abridgement was too tight, but like all Target editions, it was very short. Still, the interactions with the various aliens were a treat because, for once, they weren't just "monsters of the week."
May 8, 2019
So many of the best Doctor Who novelizations were written by Dicks. This one is based around an inventive and intriguing device - the titular carnival. It is a McGuffin and a setting and a threat, all in one. This is a masterclass in economic and exciting storytelling. Please read.
April 9, 2021
As some who loves Doctor Who, but never watched Classic Who, I am so happy I’m able to read the novelization of episodes. This story was very entertaining and helped me grasp the personality of the Third doctor. Can’t wait to read more!
June 15, 2024
This was one of the first Targets I remember reading so my rating is based on nostalgia as much as quality. There’s a lot to like here: characters and plot are set out clearly and quickly, and there’s a lot of action to move the story along. Loads of fun.
May 5, 2020
Another excellent entry in the Target series of adventures with the 3rd Doctor and Jo Grant,caught up in an alien menagerie,written by Who legend Terrance Dicks.
June 20, 2020
It was an enjoyable read but seemed to be a bit rushed towards the end. Have to be honest it still didn't really detract from the enjoyment of the book. I don't recall seeing this on tv.
January 30, 2021
I don't remember ever seeing this episode. After reading about it I wish I could because it sounds fairly interesting. Joe and the Doctor were great and the storyline was well done.
February 24, 2022
A fun one, but not a great thoughtful one. Trapped reality and silly alien bureaucrats. Still, it had a nice sense of fun.
January 28, 2024
Really good read got through it very quickly, again another book better ghat the TV version.
September 17, 2014
Basically this story is about two aliens trying to get through customs on a planet, and the Doctor is the cargo. That does sound bizarre, yet it is not that crazy.
Probably most writers could not pull this story off. Because the script was done by Robert Holmes, it does not fall apart. There is a three part plot that goes on. You have the 'customs' scenes, the Doctor and Jo trying to escape the mini-scope, and the third plot involving an attempted uprising. The story flows okay, the transitions do not feel forced.
Terrance Dicks takes the script and writes it out just like it aired. Nothing extra to it, so you get the same characterizations and quick pace as in other Target books. He gets the job done with this book.
Overall it just an average Doctor Who story, that is unique. It won't miss much if you don't read. The only thing of note is that the recent Doctor Who episode Robots of Sherwood does make a reference to the mini-scope in this episode.
Probably most writers could not pull this story off. Because the script was done by Robert Holmes, it does not fall apart. There is a three part plot that goes on. You have the 'customs' scenes, the Doctor and Jo trying to escape the mini-scope, and the third plot involving an attempted uprising. The story flows okay, the transitions do not feel forced.
Terrance Dicks takes the script and writes it out just like it aired. Nothing extra to it, so you get the same characterizations and quick pace as in other Target books. He gets the job done with this book.
Overall it just an average Doctor Who story, that is unique. It won't miss much if you don't read. The only thing of note is that the recent Doctor Who episode Robots of Sherwood does make a reference to the mini-scope in this episode.
June 27, 2022
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/carnival-of-monsters-by-ian-potter-and-robert-holmes-and-terrance-dicks/
A good Robert Holmes script, turned into an average Terrance Dicks novel. I remember seeing this one in 1981 during the "Five Faces of Doctor Who" repeat season; wonder how well it would stand up to re-watching now?
In Dicks’ defence, I would say that he adds some extra bits of background colour to make Inter Minor more fully realised than it was on screen.
A good Robert Holmes script, turned into an average Terrance Dicks novel. I remember seeing this one in 1981 during the "Five Faces of Doctor Who" repeat season; wonder how well it would stand up to re-watching now?
In Dicks’ defence, I would say that he adds some extra bits of background colour to make Inter Minor more fully realised than it was on screen.
July 21, 2013
One of my formative "Doctor Who" influences -- the first Jon Pertwee story I ever saw on television (introducing me to the concept of past Doctors, after having been introduced to Tom Baker's Doctor), and one of the first "Doctor Who" Target novelizations I ever read, courtesy of a hardcover edition from my local library bookmobile. The story is one of Robert Holmes' finest...and Terrance Dicks does efficient & wonderful justice to it. About as perfect a book from the era as one could hope to read.
June 14, 2016
pdf - with the Achilleos cover
Not the most inspired story, even if the original is by Robert Holmes. Dicks novelisation adds some useful descriptive bits but cuts down on the Inter Minor detail, oddly - though as the Officials are by far the least interesting part of the narrative that's no real loss. Interesting that the TARDIS translation circuits seem unable to cope with polari/parlare/palare...
Not the most inspired story, even if the original is by Robert Holmes. Dicks novelisation adds some useful descriptive bits but cuts down on the Inter Minor detail, oddly - though as the Officials are by far the least interesting part of the narrative that's no real loss. Interesting that the TARDIS translation circuits seem unable to cope with polari/parlare/palare...
May 31, 2008
A fun, goofy story, as the third Doctor and Jo land on a cruise ship in the early 1900's... or are they...?
Nasty monsters, some clever cameos from Who history and an alien race that isn't so much evil as terribly snobby and beauricratic and a fun alien traveling salesman and his shapely assistant.
Not a classic epic, just a fun little story.
Nasty monsters, some clever cameos from Who history and an alien race that isn't so much evil as terribly snobby and beauricratic and a fun alien traveling salesman and his shapely assistant.
Not a classic epic, just a fun little story.
May 10, 2016
42 WORD REVIEW:
Precious few Target novelisations reach heights anywhere near those of the original broadcasts; certainly none by Terrance ‘run-of-the-mill’ Dicks. Carnival of Monsters is elevated somewhat in audiobook form by voice artist Katy Manning, whose range encompasses even a husky Jon Pertwee imitation.
Precious few Target novelisations reach heights anywhere near those of the original broadcasts; certainly none by Terrance ‘run-of-the-mill’ Dicks. Carnival of Monsters is elevated somewhat in audiobook form by voice artist Katy Manning, whose range encompasses even a husky Jon Pertwee imitation.
May 4, 2025
I'm sure there's a novelisation of this script which is a bit sharper on the satire, but Dicks delivers a decent adaptation which certainly doesn't detract from what is one of my personal Robert Holmes stories.
April 10, 2012
Not a bad story, but not the best, either.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews