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Doctor Who Target Books (Numerical Order) #114
Doctor Who: The Ark
It is ten million years in the future and the Earth is about to plunge into the Sun. A gigantic Space Ark has been launched to take the last of humanity to a new life on the planet Refusis II. Accompanying the humans on their journey are the Monoids, strange reptilian creatures from an alien world.
When the TARDIS materialises on board, the First Doctor and his friends are greeted with suspicion which soon turns to open hostility when Dodo inadvertently infects the Ark’s crew with a long-forgotten virus.
It is an accident which will have a terrible effect on mankind, an effect which will last for seven hundred years…
When the TARDIS materialises on board, the First Doctor and his friends are greeted with suspicion which soon turns to open hostility when Dodo inadvertently infects the Ark’s crew with a long-forgotten virus.
It is an accident which will have a terrible effect on mankind, an effect which will last for seven hundred years…
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
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214 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
December 7, 2018
I’ve got a big soft spot for this 4 part adventure, an interesting take on how The Doctor can effect the places he has visits.
The Monoids in the story are so odd looking, that it really adds a 1960’s charm to these episodes.
The novelisation written in during the late 1980’s sticks faithfully to the story, whilst allowing to writer to expand on the various animals that inhabit the Ark ship.
I personally preferred the television episodes, there just seemed a very workman like retelling and seemed to miss something.
I’m more likely to rewatch the DVD of this story.
The Monoids in the story are so odd looking, that it really adds a 1960’s charm to these episodes.
The novelisation written in during the late 1980’s sticks faithfully to the story, whilst allowing to writer to expand on the various animals that inhabit the Ark ship.
I personally preferred the television episodes, there just seemed a very workman like retelling and seemed to miss something.
I’m more likely to rewatch the DVD of this story.
November 3, 2021
This is a novelization of the fifth adventure of the third season of Doctor Who, which was broadcast in March of 1966. Paul Erickson wrote the adaptation of the teleplay he had written two decades before, which had been credited as a collaboration at the time with his wife, Lesley Scott. The Doctor is still in his original guise, and is accompanied by space pilot Steven Taylor and contemporary teen aged orphan Dorothea "Dodo" Chaplet. It's a strangely structured two-part story, with the TARDIS team visiting a vast spaceship millions of years in the future and then returning seven hundred years later and finding their interference has had unexpected consequences. Dodo has infected the ship with her cold, from which neither of the dominant races have immunity. The Monoids aren't particularly convincing in their enslaving the humans, and Dodo doesn't seem to be overly bright. It's a standard adventure of the Hartnell years, not a bad story but a little overly preachy at times with a conclusion that's just a bit too pat.
February 17, 2020
This is a fairly dull retelling of a Hartnell story which wasn't the most exciting in the first place.
July 26, 2024
Based on Paul’s own script it’s number 114 in the Target catalogue. The first cover was done by David McAllister and the 2nd by Alister Pearson, both of whom have done multiple Target covers.
This book is quite significantly different to the broadcast story. The story is the same, but there’s a lot more of it. But only half of the extra bits enhance it in my opinion.
In the first section on board the Ark there is a lot more time spent developing and distributing the cure for the infection. The Doctor rambles all over the ship. This is both good and bad. Good in that it gives the Ark a much vaster and more credible size than a BBC studio, but at the same time in each location the Doctor is doing exactly the same thing making it feel like repetitive padding to get the page count up.
The characterisation of Zentos was very erratic in the book, in comparison to the broadcast version. In the broadcast version he is staunchly against the Doctor for the whole thing, but here he comes a supporter of the Doctor for a short period before flipping back to homicidal antipathy. It’s just not believable.
The other good addition in this section is the subtle hints towards a Monoid revolution that the Doctor notices, but are overlooked by the humans.
The Refusian section also had quite a bit added for Dodo and more rationale for the Monoids turning on each other.
On balance I think the additions are an enhacment overall, despite some minior inconsistencies and repetition.
This book is quite significantly different to the broadcast story. The story is the same, but there’s a lot more of it. But only half of the extra bits enhance it in my opinion.
In the first section on board the Ark there is a lot more time spent developing and distributing the cure for the infection. The Doctor rambles all over the ship. This is both good and bad. Good in that it gives the Ark a much vaster and more credible size than a BBC studio, but at the same time in each location the Doctor is doing exactly the same thing making it feel like repetitive padding to get the page count up.
The characterisation of Zentos was very erratic in the book, in comparison to the broadcast version. In the broadcast version he is staunchly against the Doctor for the whole thing, but here he comes a supporter of the Doctor for a short period before flipping back to homicidal antipathy. It’s just not believable.
The other good addition in this section is the subtle hints towards a Monoid revolution that the Doctor notices, but are overlooked by the humans.
The Refusian section also had quite a bit added for Dodo and more rationale for the Monoids turning on each other.
On balance I think the additions are an enhacment overall, despite some minior inconsistencies and repetition.
January 17, 2025
Beyond its gimmicks - visiting the same place in different times in a row, a companion carrying a virus - there's something rather unsatisfying about The Ark, as televised. Because it's really two two-episode stories, everything is wrapping up even as it's being set up. Paul Erickson (one of the writers)' adaptation fixes some of the problems by expanding on the story considerably. The first half is especially well-served by the Doctor visiting the generational ship as he goes about vaccinating the population. What it gains there in tension is somewhat lost in the back half as the Doctor and Dodo play tennis and board games (with alien Refusians with less alien names than the humans) while a nuke ticks down on the ship (and they know it!). Still, the final actions scenes are much more exciting on the page. Now, I'm never gonna love the hoary tropes of the "Buck Rogers" SF in the black and white era (the information on vaccines seems wrong for sure!), and the writer uses the word "ejaculate" too much (in the sense of interjecting), but there's a lot more meat on the bones of what I previously considered a bit of a fluff piece.
October 1, 2025
I've always liked the original tv story of "The ark" it's a great concept, structured brilliantly by having a 4 parter be spilt into too two parts, showing the arks future at two different parts in its life. Sadly the tv story suffers from low budgets and unfortunately becomes accidentally comical with the monaoids and there performances.
In the book that isn't an issue, they are toned down and you can make them sound as convicing as you like. It is unfortunate that the final act of the war between two sides of monaoids and the planet is very rushed. Its a shame as before this the book is expanded upon brilliantly. While the main story is the same, we get much more indepth looks and exploration on the whole of the ark and its people. We learn so much more about how they live and have evolved. It was really interesting and made the story really strong.
So while I like the orginal, this a fantastic book that really explores its concept well and makes the more wesker parts much more fun and not too comedic. I really enjoyed this one.
In the book that isn't an issue, they are toned down and you can make them sound as convicing as you like. It is unfortunate that the final act of the war between two sides of monaoids and the planet is very rushed. Its a shame as before this the book is expanded upon brilliantly. While the main story is the same, we get much more indepth looks and exploration on the whole of the ark and its people. We learn so much more about how they live and have evolved. It was really interesting and made the story really strong.
So while I like the orginal, this a fantastic book that really explores its concept well and makes the more wesker parts much more fun and not too comedic. I really enjoyed this one.
February 3, 2021
Not entirely sure how I feel about this book, isn't a bad read, but not really a memorable one either. Also not sure what to make of Dodo as a companion in this first appearance for her, especially as just dropped in as such thanks to the prior novel not introducing her. I can't really remember the TV episodes that well either to compare against.
Is more 2 strongly linked stories this one, the first a bit more interesting than the second, though both show well the impacts the Doctor's travels and interventions can have, and the potential dangers of people from different time periods interacting with each other.
Less bleak for Steven this one for the most part, though he seems to becoming a bit more headstrong following prior stories (though I think he was somewhat in the Time Meddler, just perhaps subsequent stories didn't allow him to be as much).
So not a bad read, but not a great read either really.
Is more 2 strongly linked stories this one, the first a bit more interesting than the second, though both show well the impacts the Doctor's travels and interventions can have, and the potential dangers of people from different time periods interacting with each other.
Less bleak for Steven this one for the most part, though he seems to becoming a bit more headstrong following prior stories (though I think he was somewhat in the Time Meddler, just perhaps subsequent stories didn't allow him to be as much).
So not a bad read, but not a great read either really.
February 1, 2023
Doctor Who : The Ark (1986) by Paul Erikson is the novelisation of the sixth serial of the third season of Doctor Who. Steven and Dodo are the Doctor’s companions.
The crew land on a spaceship carrying people and animals from earth who left before the sun would expand and burn the earth. They are also accompanied by The Moniods who are a one eyed reptilian race.
The plot is nothing to sneeze at.
The Doctor and crew appear twice on ship in two different times. The Doctor and his crew have an effect that they later see the impact of.
The Ark is alright, but it’s not a stand out serial.
The crew land on a spaceship carrying people and animals from earth who left before the sun would expand and burn the earth. They are also accompanied by The Moniods who are a one eyed reptilian race.
The plot is nothing to sneeze at.
The Doctor and crew appear twice on ship in two different times. The Doctor and his crew have an effect that they later see the impact of.
The Ark is alright, but it’s not a stand out serial.
November 23, 2017
On television, "The Ark" was a fascinating, high-concept SF story in a season of many experimental stories...but one that didn't end quite as well as it began. However, in prose form, original script writer Paul Erickson takes the chance to expand both character and scope, while keeping the narrative concise, in a manner worthy of Terrance Dicks at his best. A very under-appreciated "Doctor Who" novelization.
April 18, 2020
The first half is OK, but the second is quite terrible really. Since the monoids are numbered, there's nothing to sustain any attention between them. Dodo celebrates her ignorance like the worst kind of reality star on TV today and shows no interest in learning. Also, what is the moral of this story - was it better when they were slaves? Should we be careful who we emancipate? Some good ideas about illness, and the statue cliffhanger works very well (on screen), but that's about it.
August 12, 2021
2.5/5
I'm frequently less into novelisations than their respective televised versions. Here I think reading it highlighted to a greater extent problems with the original story, and while I liked the greater look at the areas of the Ark, a lot of the additions needless and just dragging down the plot. Not a fan of the increased number of complaints about Dodo not speaking 'proper' English either.
I'm frequently less into novelisations than their respective televised versions. Here I think reading it highlighted to a greater extent problems with the original story, and while I liked the greater look at the areas of the Ark, a lot of the additions needless and just dragging down the plot. Not a fan of the increased number of complaints about Dodo not speaking 'proper' English either.
March 24, 2022
I have watched a season of the first Doctor and I am glad I had before reading this. Having gotten to know how his mannerism are and how is companions act assisted in bringing color to this book. I very much enjoyed this story as it was like watch an episode! Would recommend for fans and I’m looking forward to collecting more!
December 10, 2023
60th Anniversary read through. Not the most engaging story, but I like the concept of traversing time to the same place in the same story so that you can see how actions ripple down through the centuries. Next up, the Celectial Toymaker, Target Book #111. Oddly enough, I happened to end this to start The Celestial Toymaker at the same time the sequel story debutes on Disney+, The Giggle.
June 10, 2023
This story tries to do something original with the time travel theme of the show and it works pretty well. The prose does the job but, save for a rather poignant callback at the end of the story, doesn’t really rise above competent.
May 29, 2017
Poor story with many errors and shortcuts. Felt like it was a chore to write it and it certainly was to read it
March 10, 2019
The TV version is superior to the book - it needs the visual impact for a key part.
May 27, 2016
It started slowly and I wasn't sure what was to come of it, then the 'twist' happened. Having a servant class comes to its conclusion is a great subtitle for this. Having seen a few years of the latest incarnation of the series, I see many characterizations resurrect.
The concept of an 'ark' appears a few times. I do like Ark In Space, with Doctor 4, yet, this is another time he accidentally causes culture shifting results. Then the silent servant character that has more depth than the ruling class is giving attention toward is one of those eternal lessons to teach children. These have certainly formed me more than I realized at the time.
The end slides right into Celestial Toymaker, a missing episode. It feels a treat to me when that happens in the series. Episodes have cliffhangers, then the story has one as well. Not like I needed a reason to want to see the next episode.
A real treat for me is having the linking narrator, Peter Purves offer a solid 15 minutes of talking about his experience, this episode, and a few more.
The concept of an 'ark' appears a few times. I do like Ark In Space, with Doctor 4, yet, this is another time he accidentally causes culture shifting results. Then the silent servant character that has more depth than the ruling class is giving attention toward is one of those eternal lessons to teach children. These have certainly formed me more than I realized at the time.
The end slides right into Celestial Toymaker, a missing episode. It feels a treat to me when that happens in the series. Episodes have cliffhangers, then the story has one as well. Not like I needed a reason to want to see the next episode.
A real treat for me is having the linking narrator, Peter Purves offer a solid 15 minutes of talking about his experience, this episode, and a few more.
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October 21, 2007http://nhw.livejournal.com/825455.html[return][return]Paul Erickson added some extra chrome into the book version of The Ark which was, I suppose, not realisable on screen, notably the numerous different habitats on the Guardian/Monoid spaceships, and a second invisible Refusian. Also the motivation for the Monoids' peculiar decision to send the Doctor and Dodo on an exploratory mission is (just about) rationalised. I had forgotten just how bloodthirsty the climax is, as the Monoids wipe each other out in a firefight (and here Erickson gives in to Ian Marter-style temptation to make the fighting even more vicious on the page). I felt, however, that the characterisation of the first Doctor was a bit shaky, with a bit too much use of "old chap" which is not really one of his catchphrases.
November 18, 2008
A very clever idea to help stretch the TV budget, 'The Ark' is actually two stories set at different times, but in the same setting.
The Tardis crew land on a massive space ark carrying colonists from earth. In the first half of the story the colonists are hit hard by germs brought on board by one of the Doctor's companions ( a pretty clever idea that I don't remember ever showing up again in the show) and in the second, they return hundreds of years later, as the colonists are about to land on their new home planet. They then have to deal with mutiny as well as the mysterious inhabitants of the new planet.
You really get a feel in the book that the Ark is a huge ship with a huge population, something that was probably hard for the TV show to pull off.
This was a fun read. A nice sc-fi adventure.
The Tardis crew land on a massive space ark carrying colonists from earth. In the first half of the story the colonists are hit hard by germs brought on board by one of the Doctor's companions ( a pretty clever idea that I don't remember ever showing up again in the show) and in the second, they return hundreds of years later, as the colonists are about to land on their new home planet. They then have to deal with mutiny as well as the mysterious inhabitants of the new planet.
You really get a feel in the book that the Ark is a huge ship with a huge population, something that was probably hard for the TV show to pull off.
This was a fun read. A nice sc-fi adventure.
April 15, 2011
Won't go down as one of my favorites by any means, starting with not a lot of attention being given to adding Dodo to the companions, although based on descriptions I've read, she wasn't all that carefully written in.
The Doctor manages two visits to the same generation-star ship, and sees the result of culture change across 700 years, complete with bug-eyed and invisible aliens.
The Doctor manages two visits to the same generation-star ship, and sees the result of culture change across 700 years, complete with bug-eyed and invisible aliens.
September 12, 2009
Brilliant! Loved the idea of the Tardis visiting the same place twice in the course of the same adventure but with a long time span between so that we can see the effects a visit by the Doctor has on a society. Only real problem with it is Dodo's dialogue.
April 26, 2013
Love the fact the Doctor gets to see the impact of his prior visit. Have to admit I haven't seen these episodes yet but on this basis Dodo really should be extinct.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews