Doctor Who: The Space Museum

Doctor Who Target Books (Numerical Order) #117

by Glyn Jones

The TARDIS materialises on what, at first sight appears to be a dry and lifeless planet, serving only as a graveyard for spaceships.

Then the TARDIS crew discovers a magnificent museum housing relics from every corner of the galaxy. These have been assembled by the Moroks, a race of cruel conquerors who have invaded the planet Xeros and enslaved its inhabitants.

Upon further exploration the First Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Vicki seem to stumble upon the impossible. For suddenly facing them in an exhibit case they find-themselves.

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Fiction, Audiobook, Ebooks

142 pages, Paperback

First published June 18, 1987

About the author

South African playwright, actor, and author. He wrote for and acted in BBC television's Dr Who and also penned a number of comedy thrillers.

Reviews

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve always quite enjoyed this serial, it’s a fun high concept adventure that shouldn’t be taken too seriously.

The initial set up of the TARDIS team arriving on Xeros and exploring the mysterious museum is the strongest part of the story, but there’s plenty of humour included which works really well with this story.
Jones is able to add more funny lines into this novelisation, whilst the famous scene of The Doctor hiding in a Dalek casing is also included.

The resolution is a little weak but there’s plenty of other Doctor Who stories where this has also been the case.
I’d be curious to see how this would work with a modern day interpretation, I reckon the current single episode format of the show would improve the story.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Space Museum was the seventh serial of the second season of Doctor Who, was broadcast in 1965, and Glyn Jones wrote this novelization of the teleplay that he had written nearly a quarter of a century earlier. The Doctor's companions were original crew members Ian Chesterton (with whom The Doctor seemed to argue more than usual) and Barbara Wright, and relative newcomer Vicki, an orphan from 25th century Earth, who had replaced The Doctor's "Granddaughter" Susan Foreman. (Poor Vicki was never given a last name.) The first version of The Doctor was the one in this story, though the painting on the cover of the novel doesn't look much like him. I've read that Jones (who was the only person to both write for and act in the early years of the show) was annoyed at the many changes that had been made to his original script, and took this opportunity to re-insert much of his original material, primarily of a humorous nature, back into the story in this novelization. The book has an interesting beginning, with the crew discovering themselves as exhibits in a future museum due to having been temporarily side-tracked on a faulty timeline, and they resolve to avoid this fate but get caught up in a rather pedestrian conflict between the ruling Moroks and the enslaved Xerons. Vicki does take charge in a particularly plucky fashion, and she's the star of the book. At one point, The Doctor is forced to hide and does so in an empty Dalek shell, which is quite amusing. The ending is something of a let-down, but they all live happily ever after.... or at least until next week.

[Ivana Richards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being really short, it never takes much longer than 5 hours ( if that) to read a Target Dr Who novel. Jones adds some nice extra touches to a fairly routine story, though the bickering between the Doctor and Ian gets a bit annoying. Not a bad adaptation at all.

[Iain Hamilton · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some nice touches here. But have to agree with the other reviews suggesting this is really weak. Usually when you get changes in the novelizations they're an improvement (or give extra depth). Here they just make a pigs breakfast into a dogs dinner (if you'll excuse the mixed metaphors).

[Jason Bleckly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on Glyn’s own script this is number 117 in the Target catalogue. Cover art is by David McAllister. I’m not sure about the cover. As piece of Whovian art it’s fine, but it doesn’t really convey a sense of the story. Yes, there’s a Dalek casing the Doctor hides inside in the story, but is that significant enough reason to include them on the cover? I would have thought a Morok or Xeron would have been more important to include.

The story itself is very interesting. It’s very close to broadcast version, but with lots of subtle differences. Most of them are enhancements.

There’s a quite brutal massacre of Xerons at the start which probably wouldn’t have got past censors at the time if it had been film. But it showed a future the Xerons needed to avoid as much as the Doctor and co. needed to avoid the glass display cases.

The Xerons were made more alien by sensory addition which can’t be conveyed through television. They are cold to touch, can see in the dark, and have no sense of smell. This alien-ness was highlighted by Vicki and Barbara in some additional scenes. I particularly liked Vicki’s journey through the wall crawl space. That gave a much better sense of sneaking around behind the scenes than the broadcast version.

However I didn’t like the addition of patches of out of sync time. I’m referring to the bit where Vicki is being carted off by guards and Ian saves her. Then the both vanish from the guard’s point of view as the step back into the out of sync time. That just didn’t make sense. The broadcast version which has them unable to interact with anything until they fully arrived is much cleaner and simpler and more credible.

It’s been 6 months since I last watched the DVD so I might be mis-remembering, but I don’t recall the Morok Pluton being a Xeron sympathiser who saves a couple of them. I do remember that guard being particularly ineffectual though. But it’s a nice extra detail having a 5th column in the Morok ranks.

All in all a very good read. Similar enough to the broadcast version not to create dissonance while reading, but with enough difference to make it feel new and engaging.

[Michel Siskoid Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been said that The Space Museum should be taken as a spoof at the script level, even if the production obviously didn't get the joke. Glyn Jones had the chance to set the record straight in his Target adaptation of the serial, and it DOES work better with more overt comedy. The Doctor is quite funny, and there's some humor at the expense of the Museum's fascistic governor. There's an acidic tone that doesn't quite work, however, and it often comes across as if Jones were taking revenge on script editor Dennis Spooner in the way he attacks the show's tropes and clichés. Ian is as impatient as he is anti-science, which is out-of-character, and Barbara is a blubbering mess, which is too. Both of them are always snarling at the Doctor or snapping at Vicki, as if possessed by Jones' mean streak. So this is a thing of parts. You get a bigger cast of rebels, which is a plus. The cheapness of the production isn't a problem, and this early (not to say prototypical) example of timey-wimey story-telling is better explained in the book, but more poorly resolved. Justice for Matt the Robot!

[Anna Secret Poet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fan wisdom (which I mostly discount) will have you believing that this is a 2 out of 10 story. I always had a penchant for the underdog Who stories like 'Timelash', 'The Underwater Menace' and others of that ilk! I recently started up my Target book collecting again and I'm glad I did as I'm getting to see some of the stories in different lights and this is one of them.

I know from watching a documentary about it that the original script contained a lot more humour. 20 years after the fact the writer Glyn Jones has seemingly grabbed the chance to reinject it with relish. Also I feel that he's poking fun at it too - some passages in particular felt to me that he was cringeing during the novelization process and couldn't help but let us know about it!

All in all you can't go too wrong with a Target book if you're a fan. They're usually a quick and easy read. I often finish them in a day or two, whilst commuting and during lunchbreaks 😊

[Dan Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was one of the First Doctor adventures that I couldn't wait to read, and the author didn't disappoint at all:
The funny thing about it all is that when I heard the title "The Space Museum," I couldn't imagine anything that could prove to make a Doctor Who story, and yet, this was the result! I loved this story, and it is undoubtedly one of my favorites.
To continue what I said above, while I had no idea what the story could contain, I didn't expect what it held: A concept that I've never seen in the history of reading, or watching Doctor Who.
I would most definitely suggest this if you want something new from the Doctor and his companions!

[Gareth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy the story, even if a good chunk of it is in the first part, which came across very much as some sort of horror / thriller story to begin with, with a lot of mystery going on. Once things coalesced more, it lost some of this feel to it, with just the overhanging thread of danger remaining.
The latter part is still well done though, and the main encountered characters are quite well fleshed out. The Doctor and Companions for the most part in good form, though I found Ian a bit more irritable than normal in this story, which I felt wasn't quite usual for him.
But all round a decent story, bolstered to 4 stars for the beginning part.

[Emilou · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Doctor Who book, I felt, was written better than the others I've read of the First Doctor. I liked how the author went into the heads of the characters, bringing out a little more of the story than just telling what is going on. And the story wasn't that bad. It felt more thought out than many episodes about the First Doctor. But at the same time, it feels as if the Doctor and his companions come across many planets where one species is oppressing/fighting another. It's getting a little tired.

Reading the books in chronological order by episodes, this book is one of the better ones.

[Pete · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doctor Who : The Space Museum (1987) by Glyn Jones is the novelisation of the seventh serial in the second season of Doctor Who. The Doctor and his companions, Ian, Barbara and Vicki, land on a planet where they out of synch with time. On the planet are many different spacecraft and items from across the universe.

The Space Museum starts strongly but gets tired about two thirds of the way through. The ending then just happens to wrap things up.

The Space Museum does the job for Doctor Who fans, but it’s not one of the Time Lords greats.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit generic, but quite fun 1st Doctor story. The Moroks and Xerons are as interchangeable as in the TV version and no explanation is given as to why the TARDIS crew see their own futures. But who cares, it's the 1st Doctor clutching his lapels and harrumphing his way though a Vicki-inspired alien revolution. Some nice little extra details are mentioned (eg: the Xerons' lack of sense of smell) and the sets certainly feel more convincing than on TV.

[Ian Banks · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s always good to get the author of the script to write the novel because they get a “second go” over the script and a chance to reinforce their ideas and patch up any discrepancies in their original script. Mr Jones makes a fairly ordinary story (although it was one of the first stories to actually do something significant with the time travel theme of the show) into something that improves his original serial but, while competent and clever, still feels limited by the first version.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Dr Who 60th anniversary tour continues. This time to the Space Museum. It is not a great story but it is not a horrible one either. It is a middle of the range compared with other Who stories. So it is exactly what I needed it to be another chance to be in the Who universe with characters I wanted to spend more time with. Next up: my final journey with Barbara and Ian, The Chase. (Well, at least until I get into post-1989 continuing adventures novels.)

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This took me way longer than it should've to read, and that might've influenced my feelings on it a bit. I really love The Space Museum, but although I did like this my main thought was that I'd just like to rewatch the televised version. A decent novelisation, but not one of the greats that might stand on its own.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed the timey-wimey nature of this one. The initial mystery of what was going on was entertaining, the middle part less so but not bad. I wish there had been less bickering and infighting among the Tardis team, especially between Ian and the Doctor. Other than an enjoyable story.

[Fern Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This is one of the better first Doctor era audiobooks I’ve come across. Quite funny to hear everyone including those from different planets with RP accents!

[Jason D · Rating 4 out of 5]

First doctor lost episode. Loved it!

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plodding!

[Zachary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good plot, but it's hard to follow when it swaps between scenes

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

good

[F.R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting that the Hartnell Doctor is referred to as a Time Lord multiple times through this. A part of the mythos introduced after his time. It’s made odder by the fact the bad guys’ two hearts are mentioned more than once, without reference to the fact The Doctor is similarly blessed.

[Julian White · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slightly odd story in some ways (mainly the technotwaddle about time tracks and such... ) but otherwise a straightforward tale of an oppressed planet rising againstytheir conquerors - with the TARDIS crew acting as a catalyst to ensure the success of the revolution. And of course, changing time so far as the early vision of the travellers as exhibits in the museum if not in the 'history' of the Morok Empire. Some unexplained oddities - the Moroks have two hearts and the Doctor has a 'normal' body temperature (though whether that is for Moroks or his had been recorded before being processed isn't clear); and why does Lobos start spouting Earth phrases? He seems to think it strange, too.

pdf version

[Ross Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the less fondly remembered serials of Doctor Who's original second series is given an excellent retelling by its original writer here. The Moroks and Xerons are fleshed out, making them all fully rounded characters that are believably alien yet sympathetic; similarly, the main cast are given countless humorous asides in the form of their internal responses to situations and dialogue. Throw in a couple of extended sequences that would have been impossible on the show's original budget and you have a great example of how to do a novelisation right. The definitive version of this story without a doubt.

[Nicholas Whyte]

http://nhw.livejournal.com/1024712.html#cutid1[return][return]written up by the original author of the TV script. Unfortunately it's not a success; writing decades after the first broadcast, Jones seems to have the same problem as the average viewer of the time in explaining what the story is actually about. His prose style doesn't exactly sing either. He does inject an extra note of characterisation by having Ian quarrel with the Doctor all the time, but that too gets rather tedious. You can skip this in good conscience.

[Andy Simmons · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another quite good Doctor Who book. The story isn't much to write home about (or write a review about!) but it's an enjoyable romp. For me, it was the humour that made the story worth reading. There was enough in the writing to stop the story getting too staid but nowhere near and much as in Doctor Who and The Romans. In fairness, Romans was farce material whereas the Space Museum isn't. I've only rated the story with 3 stars as it isn't excellent, but without the humour it certainly would have been a dull read.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you can swallow the slightly more irritable characterization of the 1st Doctor & Ian early on, then you will be rewarded with an excellent novelization of a very under-rated set of episodes from 1966. Glyn Jones is having a blast expanding his original scripts into something more literate & substantial, and both the Moroks and the Xerons are given far more room to breathe and develop as characters. There are a lot of nice touches scattered throughout this little gem of a book...and they are all worth discovering.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of my least favorite of the Targets, but that might be because of the source material. Why the repeated references to Earth things? Why the coming unstuck in time stuff in the beginning? Why does the Doctor disappear throughout most of this? Why do the main cast sit around doing nothing at the end? incredibly boring all the way through too.

[Denis Southall · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit disappointing really. A couple of good ideas, the museum and slightly distorted time streams could have been developed much more. Instead it was a fairly formulaic story where all companions get split up and get in to a scrape, eventually with the help of 'the oppressed' get back together and defeat the enemy. Very quick conclusion as well.

[stormhawk · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't look for great writing in a Doctor Who novelization, but I do think they should at least have simple things, like coherence and descriptiveness. The Space Museum is disconnected and sparse.