Doctor Who and the Terror of the Autons

Doctor Who Target Books (Numerical Order) #63

by Terrance Dicks

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 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?

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Fiction, Media Tie In, Audiobook

128 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1975

About the author

Terrance 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.

Reviews

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

As much as I enjoy the grittiness of Pertwee’s first season, this story really is the start of the quintessential Third Doctor era.

The UNIT family feels fully formed with not only the introduction of Jo Grant as The Doctor’s new companion, we also get Mike Yates too!
And not forgetting The Doctor’s rival in The Master!

Dicks wonderful novelisation moves along at a brisk pace and really cements the relationship of all the new characters together, whilst keeping all the scares in Robert Holmes original script.

I liked that The Sontaran’s also get a reference, they would later be created by Holmes for another Third Doctor story.

It’s a great retelling and amongst the best that Dicks has written for the range.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a novelization of the first adventure of the eighth season of Doctor Who, which was broadcast in four segments in January of 1971. The adaptation is by Terrance Dicks, who was serving as script editor of the show at the time, and was based on an original teleplay written by Robert Holmes. The story features the third iteration of The Doctor and introduces a new companion, a junior civilian UNIT operative named Jo Grant. She unfortunately didn't have much to do in this first outing other than to be perky and pretty and to require rescue a time or two. The story also introduces another iconic character, The Master, who was The Doctor's rival and nemesis; he was another Time Lord and was designed to be The Doctor's Moriarty. Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart was on hand, as was Sergeant Benton, and another important member of UNIT was also introduced, Captain Mike Yates. The story is set in contemporary England, where The Master is trying to use a radio telescope to summon an invasion force of the Nestene and he and The Doctor play a cat-and-mouse game with the future of humanity at stake. The four-part stories always worked best in the Pertwee years, I believe, and Dicks made few changes in his fast-paced and concise translation of the script to a prose format. It's one of the best of its era.

[The Master · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here he is, the Master! His debut story shows him doing what he does best: plotting, conniving, menacing his victims, forging alliances to suit his nefarious purposes and discarding them as circumstances merit. Throw in the Third Doctor, the Nestene Consciousness, new assistant Jo and the UNIT lads and this is a cracking adventure. The Autons creeped me out in "Spearhead in Space" and "Rose", but I have not seen "Terror of the Autons." With the DVD release nowhere in sight, this read is the best alternative if you don't have the story on VHS.

[Rocky Sunico · Rating 4 out of 5]

This adaptation of the "Terror of the Autons" serial was a lot of fun, and that is both because of how this was written and naturally the strength of the original material. They really crafted the Third Doctor to be quite the action hero and this story gave him a proper foil in the form of the Master.

It's great how this story does follow many of the beats of Spearhead from Space but also shows that to some degree UNIT had learned from the experience. Unfortunately, so did the Master (somehow) and that made this new Nestene invasion still different from the first attempt. And they really had some ostentatious maneuvers, which nicely reflected the flair that the Master brought to the table.

The final resolution was a little campy, but that was still very much in line with the Classic stories and to some degree this incarnation of the Master.

[Ivana Richards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good adaptation by Terrance Dicks. As usual, it's his little embellishments that make reading his books so enjoyable - it's a shame we never got to see the 3rd Doc on a roundabout at the circus, for a start. We can only imagine what these books would have been like if the publishers had given the writers more time to do them.

[Ian Banks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A total delight. A brisk but detailed retelling of a classic story written with the benefit of Dicks’s nearly incomparable knowledge of the show as it stood then. I also loved how the Doctor mused that the cosmos would be duller without the Master, neatly mirroring the Master’s line in The Five Doctors.

[Paul Barnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

[Target] (1979). SB. Second Impression. 127 Pages. Purchased from Zardoz Books.

An entertaining adaptation of the well regarded, four part (January 1971) Jon Pertwee series.

One of Terrance Dicks’ superior efforts (67 Target novelisations).

Enhanced by (debuting) The Master’s nefarious antics in pursuit of domination and destruction.

[Jennie Rigg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review might be tinged with nostalgia for how I felt reading target books as a child, when Doctor Who was on once a week if at all, and they didn't repeat old series nearly so often as they do these days, but this really is loads of fun. Dicks is clearly enjoying himself adding description to a Holmes script, and the illustrations work beautifully with the style of writing.

Reading Target books is like wrapping myself in a familiar duvet: so comforting. Recommended for anyone who's a Who fan; anyone else would need to have an affection for pulp novels and the Britain of the 1970s I suspect.

[Jacob Licklider · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terror of the Autons is one of those television stories that people either love or hate. It’s the introduction of the companion most associated with Jon Pertwee’s tenure as the Doctor, Jo Grant, and the introduction of the Master. It is also another story by Robert Holmes and lays the groundwork for a lot of what the next four years of the show were going to be, however, the production of the serial showed producer and director Barry Letts’ penchant for using colour separation overlay in areas where it perhaps was unnecessary. This makes listening to the audiobook version of the story, Doctor Who and the Terror of the Autons, a very different and almost more engaging experience. Terrance Dicks provides the adaptation and while not taking the chance to expand upon much (though there is much made of the Time Lord being part of the tribunal responsible for exiling the Doctor to Earth in The War Games and there is a sense that the Time Lords were just using the Doctor as a scapegoat), but the lackluster special effects are updated through the prose. The cover prominently displays the Nestene seen at the climax of the story, not as shimmering light with vague limbs, but as a giant octopus alien being similar to the tentacled mass from Spearhead from Space, something that Dicks delivers on as it acts more like a kaiju in this version, nearly bringing the radio telescope to the ground. The doll which comes to life and kills Mr. Farrell is also given a much better sequence as Dicks’ prose builds upon horror tropes and the CSO kitchen is nowhere in sight. It helps build tension and a little background to the fear and care of Farrell and his wife help bring that together. The Master here is also interesting as he appears to have a more catty relationship with the Doctor which is what it would develop into throughout Pertwee’s run, but wasn’t actually present in the first few serials making an interesting change. Geoffrey Beevers’ narration also gives the Master here that silky voice which isn’t Delgado, but makes him just as much as a threat.

Overall, Doctor Who and the Terror of the Autons might actually be the superior version of an already brilliant story, taking away the poorer aspects of the production and being narrated by someone who puts evil into the Master. 10/10.

[Gareth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read, that introduces the quintessential part of the Third Doctor era really. The first season was good, and I liked Liz Shaw, but here we are introduced to Jo Grant, who stayed with the Doctor for 3 seasons, Captain Mike Yates has his first appearance here, and of course this is the first story featuring the Master, so this is a memorable story for many reasons.
Jo is quite a contrast to Liz immediately - not as intelligent, but very bubbly and outgoing, and while both are quite fearless, Jo is a lot more ready to disobey orders / requests and dive into danger as well. I can also see the point, that due to not being as clever as Liz, then like other companions we've had she forces the Doctor to explain things more, so helping the audience on this front a bit more.
The first incarnation of the Master that we see here is quite ruthless and evil, more so most of his future ones I think, which you can see readily here with how quickly the body count adds up with his actions.
The Nestenes return here, but due to the Master's involvement, they are less of a presence I feel than in their previous story, and I think it would have been good to have a character like Channing for the Master to bounce off.
The Doctor in good form here, though we see a bit more callousness here as well, in his grudging admiration of the Master, and seemingly at times to while have sympathy for, also to somewhat brush off the Master's victims.
Lots of good interactions here between the likes of the Brigadier, Yates, Benton, the Doctor and Jo, plus with the Master at times, adding up to a strong story.

[Jason Bleckly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on a script by Rober Holmes this is number 63 in the Target catalogue. The first cover is by Peter Brookes who also did the interior artwork. This is one of the last Targets to get interior art. The second cover is by Alun Hood.

Page 46 – Polynestene. This portmanteau is criminally bad. I love it.

I’m not sure what to make of this book. It has all the elements of TV version, but a lot of them are reworked in subtle ways. Sometimes it improves like the Auton arms continuing to thrash about and be dangerous (foreshadowing the first episode of NuWho). But other times it detracts, such as the scene at the radio observatory where the Doctor is told the Master is on Earth. I think the dialogue and action was much better in the TV version.

But probably my biggest gripe is how Jo is described. She is young and inexperienced but not to the degree shown in the book. The condescension and contempt of the other characters towards her is quite insulting, and unlike the broadcast version. Given how Terrance also portrayed Liz in the first Auton book I’m beginning to think he has a thing against female characters. I’m now curious to see how he deals with Sarah when I get to those books.

Also the emotional reactions between the Doctor and Brig seem excessive. And the Master’s anger as described is often over the top. The Master is always controlled even when assaulting people, he never exhibited blind anger which is how it’s portrayed here.

I love this story as it introduces the one true Master (this is my completely unbiased opinion), but I’m ambivalent about this novelisation.

[Michel Siskoid Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moreso than Season 7, Terror of the Autons relaunched Doctor Who into what we remember and love about the UNIT era. It introduces Jo Grant, Mike Yates, AND the Master. The uniforms are more military, the formula more on point (including the possibility of missions handed out by the Time Lords), and the serial rather quite violent and creepy. Somehow, Terrence Dicks' novelisation delivers even more of those two qualities. The plastic instruments of death have more life in them and aren't limited by budget or effects, making for an even more exciting story. At this point, the show REALLY grows crazy with CSO, but that's not in the book ;-). Plus, of course, strong additions to the lore, as the Time Lords explain themselves better, background characters get more backstory, and so on. This one was considered special enough to score half a dozen illustrations, including the giant Nestene that was never more than a ghostly glow on television.

[Pete · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doctor Who and the Terror of the Autons (1975) by Terrance Dicks is the novelisation of the first serial of the eighth season of Doctor Who. The Doctor is joined by Jo Grant, Mike Yates and the Brigadier.

An inactive Auton cell is stolen by The Master and is used to create more Autons and contact the Nestene consciousness in preparation for an invasion. This is the Master’s first appearance.

The Master is a great villain in Doctor Who and he would reappear. The Nestene and the Autons are not as strong and it would be over thirty years before they would be a major villain in Doctor Who again.

Doctor Who and the Terror of the Autons is quite fun with the Master being amusingly evil and battling with the Doctor.

[Simon Harper · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly straight novelisation - it zips along but compared with David Fisher's novelisation of The Leisure Hive - which i'd read immediately before - there were few of the narrative flourishes and little of the humour which made the latter so enjoyable. Despite this, it's a solid re-telling with lovely cover artwork and illustrations.

[Julian White]

pdf (different ISBN: 0426 115006); illustrated by Alan Willow

A better than usual novelisation - an early one, with the later discontinued illustrations. Introducing both the Master and Jo Grant it's perhaps a pity that the production team decided to return to a previously used monster. All said, though, a rewarding read.

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this novelization. I enjoyed the scenes where we got inside the heads of Jo, Mike, and Rex Farrel. I loved the new scenes that filled in holes from and expanded upon the TV story. As for the scenes that deviated too much from the TV story, I still enjoyed them but liked them a little bit less.

[Andrew Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Makes some improvements on the televised version. Gives the Master slightly better motivation. The killer chair was always more scary in this version. The third Doctor, as usual, is a bit of an idiot.

[John Barclay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another wonderful escape into the 1970s. Lots of running and bashing and ducking bolts of energy that should have killed the Doctor.

A nice idea for a plot and some good moments, but not one of the thoughtful or more interesting stories.

[Lola Marguerita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interestingly not one of my favorite doctors as far as the series goes - I always found him a bit too grating and misogynistic. But I actually enjoyed the book (even having seen the episode). The nestene are a different kind of villain and it was fun to see more of what went on behind the scenes.

[Terrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful reading of Terrance Dicks' book by Geoffrey Beevers. I really enjoyed this classic Third Doctor adventure from the 1970s, and recommend it to fans.

[Denis Southall · Rating 3 out of 5]

A classic amongst classics as far as I'm concerned. I think this is the first one I can actually remember watching on TV and one of the first novels I bought as a child.

[rabbitprincess · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Master, a renegade Time Lord and the Doctor's nemesis, is acting as a sort of Fifth Column element to allow a nefarious alien species called the Nestene to invade the Earth. Their favoured medium is plastic, through which they transmit energy and attack their enemies, particularly as the ruthless Autons. The Doctor repelled a previous Auton invasion, but can he do the same again?

This is a Third Doctor story that introduces one of his assistants, Jo Grant, who may not be the qualified scientist he asked for but who is determined to help the Doctor any way she can, even if it means putting her life in danger. It also features the always-entertaining personality clash between the Doctor and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. The story itself is quite breathlessly thrilling (especially when the Brig and the UNIT soldiers have to blow up the Autons real good!) and very easy to imagine. It was difficult to restrain myself from cheering and groaning aloud as the Doctor's fortunes rose and fell throughout the story, which I read in basically a single day's worth of bus travel. I was cracking through those pages so fast it made the Autons' energy beams seem like peashooters.

One thing I did kind of object to was the fact that Jo seemed to require a lot of consoling hugs from the Doctor, which probably works okay on screen but for some reason looks silly in print, as if the story were written by a girl imagining herself as Jo and nursing a small crush on the Doctor. And to be honest that is a fairly small quibble, considering I would probably go to pieces just as much as she did if I were in that situation. But the rest of the narration was very good, fleshed-out enough to make the book more than the shooting script with some narration stuffed in between the dialogue. I would definitely recommend this if you like Doctor Who and haven't tried out one of the earlier stories yet. And don't be surprised if you find yourself giving shop window dummies a suspicious eye for a while afterward.

[Nicholas Whyte]

http://nhw.livejournal.com/1033342.html?#cutid1[return][return]This is one of Dicks' better efforts - introducing three new regular characters (Jo Grant and the Master both get good introductions here, Mike Yates rather less so) and bringing back the Autons. The Doctor is an inveterate name-dropper, and basically more fun than the character as actually played by Pertwee. It is a very rare case of Dicks actually improving on a Robert Holmes script - certainly when I eventually saw the original TV version I was disappointed that the 'orrible squamous Nestene Consciousness does not actually materialise in sight of the viewer. And it is a taproot text for much else in the later Doctor/Master stories - the radio telescope in Logopolis, the phone call in Last of the Time Lords. A good one.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5
I don't personally think that Terror of the Autons is all that strong - or at least I find it less compelling than Spearhead from Space, which is a phenomenal season opener - and I think my original rating (3) reflects that. That being said, after two more painfully mediocre Dicks novelisations of stories I actually like more, I've come to appreciate it slightly more so I'm bumping up my rating a bit. I think fundamentally it comes down to the extent of the detail he adds. So often in his later work it's the bare minimum of action, and details we could have extrapolated from the script anyway. Here...it feels a bit more substantial, at least.

[Ant Koplowitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exciting adventure from the era of the third Doctor, once more fighting those nasty Nestenes in the shape of the creepy Autons. Took me right back to my childhood as I zipped through this easy, but compelling story.

Author Terrance Dicks recreates brilliantly the characterisations of the Doctor, Jo, et al and I love the human touches that help ground the story and allow for that all important suspension if disbelief...something that (with the exception of Mark Gattis), few of today's Who writers manage.

Enjoy yourself with some top notch escapist Doctor Who fare.

© Koplowitz 2013

[Kristina Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable story that introduces the Master. As expected the novel has a few differences to the televised story but nothing that grates and some which add to the tale. I particularly liked this final quote -
"You know, Doctor," said Jo suddenly, "I think you've got a sort of sneaking liking for him."
The Doctor looked indignant. "Like him? I can't stand the fellow. He's ruthless. Depraved. Totally evil. In fact, a thoroughly bad lot. Only..."
"Only what, Doctor?"
The Doctor looked a little sheepish. "Well, I do sometimes think the cosmos would be a duller place without him."

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since this story was introducing a new companion ( JO Grant) and a new villain ( The Master) the writers decided to hedge their bet, by having an old monster return. The Auton's are even creepier in this story and this version of the Master just serves as a reminder that all the versions that followed were pretty watered down and weak.
Good solid story that gives everybody something to do and establishes the Doctor/Master relationship.

[stormhawk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like first episodes, and this gives us several firsts ... first appearance by The Master, the best Doctor Who villain, and Jo Grant, who wasn't one of my favorite companions. The Autons are only mildly menacing in comparison to their appearance in Spearhead from Space. The story is chock full of action, and the story moves swiftly.

[Vince · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first novelization of a Dr. Who tv episode that I have read. If you are familiar with the television show, you get an idea of the original script lying just beneath the surface. For me, this made it easier to visualize the story. The writing is not on a par with an Asimov, Clarke, or Herbert novel for instance, but as a fleshed out film script they very well.

[Thasc · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good story, well narrated, there's more to it then the televised version. Some cracking sound effects, and when Geoffrey Beevers reads the part where the Master is hypnotising someone his voice is electronically altered, it's almost as if the listener is being hypnotised too.