Doctor Who and the Curse of Peladon

Doctor Who Target Books (Numerical Order) #13

by Brian Hayles

Again, the terrifying cry rang out. The Doctor quickened his pace along the gloomy tunnels of the castle. Suddenly, from the darkness lumbered the mighty Aggedor, Royal Beast and Protector of the Kingdom of Peladon!

The Doctor fumbled in his pocket. Would the device work? As he trained the spinning mirror on the eyes of Aggedor, the terrible claws came closer and closer...

What is the secret behind the killings on the Planet of Peladon? Is Aggedor seeking revenge because the King of Peladon wants his kingdom to become a member of the Galactic Federation? Will the Doctor escape the claws of Aggedor and discover the truth?

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

142 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 1, 1975

About the author

Brian Hayles (7 March 1931 - 30 October 1978) was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. His body of work as a writer for television and film, most notably for the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who, lasted from 1963 to 1989.

Hayles wrote six stories for Doctor Who and is best known for his creation of the Celestial Toymaker in the 1966 story of the same name, the Ice Warriors, introduced in the 1967 story of the same name, and the feudal planet Peladon, the setting for The Curse of Peladon and its sequel The Monster of Peladon. His other stories were The Smugglers and The Seeds of Death.

In addition to script writing for the radio series The Archers, Hayles penned a novel based on the soap called Spring at Brookfield (Tandem, 1975) set in the period between the two world wars. His other books included novelisations of his Doctor Who serials The Curse of Peladon (Target, 1974) and The Ice Warriors (Target, 1976), an adaptation of his scripts for the BBC drama The Moon Stallion (Mirror Books, 1978), and two horror plays for children, The Curse of the Labyrinth (Dobson, 1976) and Hour of the Werewolf (Dobson, 1976). An original novel entitled Goldhawk (NEL, 1979) was published posthumously.

Apart from Doctor Who, Hayles wrote for such television series as The Regiment, Barlow at Large, Doomwatch, Out of the Unknown, United!, Legend of Death, Public Eye, Z-Cars, BBC Playhouse, The Wednesday Thriller and Suspense. He also wrote the screenplays for the feature films Nothing But the Night (1972) and Warlords of Atlantis (1978). The novelisation of the latter by Paul Victor (Futura, 1978) included a preface by Hayles entitled 'The Thinking Behind Atlantis' in which he explained the origins of the film's central concepts.

Hayles's final screenplay was for Arabian Adventure (1979), which he completed shortly before his death on 30 October 1978. The novelisation of the film by Keith Miles (Mirror Books, 1979) was dedicated to his memory.

Reviews

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though I find this to be one of the weaker stories during the Pertwee era, I can appreciate what it’s trying to achieve.

This novelisation of the 4 episode serial from 1972 is a great political allegory whilst Britain itself was debating on joining the European Union as the delegates on Peladon are also asked to decide if the planet should join the Galactic Federation.
With old superstitions clashing with a young visionary King, it makes for an interesting take on the then current issues.
See Doctor Who has always been political...

It’s also nice to see a predominately Earth bound Third Doctor to visit another planet, which includes a great mix of new creatures and a nice twist on the Ice Warriors.

Being one of the earlier Target books it also includes some great illustrations throughout.
A fairly faithful retelling of a reasonably satisfying adventure.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a novelization of second serial from the ninth season of Doctor Who, which was broadcast in January and February of 1972. Brian Hayles wrote this adaptation which closely follows the teleplay, which he also wrote. The story stars The Doctor in his third incarnation, accompanied and ably assisted by junior civilian UNIT operative Jo Grant, whom he amusingly introduces as Princess Josephine of TARDIS to the Peladon royal court. The book is one of the earliest Target novelizations, and has several fine full page illustrations by Alan Willow. The plot is a social/political allegory of one of the biggest questions that Britain faced at the time of production, whether or not to join the European Economic Community. The story is quite fast-paced, with a good blend of humor, action, old enemies, and mystery framing the political intrigue. I thought the transformation of the Ice Warriors was especially well written. It's one of my favorites in the series.

[Ivana Richards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good adaptation by Brian Hayles, with some additional material explaining some of the background to characters ( Pekladon's mother being from Earth, etc). However, cutting most of the romance between him and Jo makes the proposal at the end seem a bit out of the blue. I did get a little tired of people's titles being mentioned quite so often - I lost count of the number of times Hepesh was followed with 'the High Priest'etc. I know they were for a younger audience but still.

[Brayden Raymond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent novelization and makes me want to go back and watch the corresponding episodes again. I have not quite delved into many third doctor stories and I am pleased to report this one was full of worthwhile content.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have one complaint about this otherwise excellent novelization: it all but ignores the romantic tension between King Peladon & Jo Grant that helps to make "The Curse of Peladon" so special on TV. It's an author choice I just don't agree with; it robs the story of an extra level, and I can only imagine that Brian Hayles didn't want to have to explain to the contingent of younger readers what might have been sparking between the Doctor's companion & the King in the story. It's the only black mark on an otherwise memorable work from the first generation of Target "Doctor Who" novelizations from the mid 1970s, but it's a significant one...at least, for me.

[Jacob Licklider · Rating 5 out of 5]

The early and late Target novelizations have an interesting trend in common, mainly the fact that television writers and production teams were the ones primarily adapting their serials. While Terrance Dicks would become the one most prominently adapting books, Malcolm Hulke, Gerry Davis, Barry Letts, and important for today’s review, Brian Hayles, took the time to adapt at least some of their stories. Hulke paved the way with Doctor Who and the Cave-Monsters and Doctor Who and the Doomsday Weapon, and Barry Letts followed with Doctor Who and the Daemons in the second year with Brian Hayles’ Doctor Who and the Curse of Peladon. Upon its release, of the eleven novelizations Doctor Who and the Curse of Peladon was the most recent serial to be adapted, only being two years old, tied with The Sea Devils. Brian Hayles would have also recently revisited Peladon in The Monster of Peladon which would not be adapted for another five years by Terrance Dicks.

Doctor Who and the Curse of Peladon is an interesting novelization, simply because Brian Hayles was given a chance to fully take his scripts outside of the studio bound television production of The Curse of Peladon along with the costumed budgetary descriptions. Hayles fills the novel with vivid imagery giving the reader a chance to understand the culture of Peladon and a lot of the fear. The plot is a beat for beat recreation of the television story with the alterations made to be adding a depth of character which was missing from the television story. For instance, King Peladon on television has this romance with Jo Grant throughout, but you never get an explanation as to why, but here Hayles expands adding this element that she reminds him of his mother and the fact that Jo is a human being is what brings the attraction. There are also descriptors in the prose that do an excellent job of translating the performances of David Troughton and Katy Manning. The imagery doesn’t end there, with Alpha Centauri and Arcturus having more lively descriptors than what their costumes. Centauri as a character changes color like a mood ring throughout the novel which is used to help build up tension and fear while Arcturus comes across much slimier than on television. If there was one alien that doesn’t work as well in this example of prose, it would be the Ice Warriors, who while the plotline with the Doctor judging them is there, that red herring feels accented which worked better in a visual medium than the novel form, especially since neither of the previous Ice Warrior stories had been adapted at this point.

Overall, Doctor Who and the Curse of Peladon doesn’t change the quality of the television story, offering an alternative take with some different, more vivid imagery making it work with some almost lyrical prose from Hayles in the first of two novelizations he would provide to the Target books range. 9/10.

[Jason Bleckly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a first rate novelisation, but it does have one major disappointment for me. The hypnotism of Aggedor is dealt with in less than a page (pg 93). I love that scene and wanted the whole Venusian lullaby

Klokleda partha mennin kletch.
Haroon, haroon, haroon.
Klokleda sheena tirra nach.
Haroon, haroon, haroon.
Haroon, haroon, haroon.
Haroon, haroon, haroon.

And not just the Doctor saying - You seem to be very partial to Venusian lullabies, don't you,

Having said that though, the illustration of Aggedor on page 92 is brilliant. It looks much more fearsome than the one in the show.

I also really liked a couple of extra scenes which were added. The one where Jo confronts Grun, and the one where Peldon slaps down Hepesh and it pushes him over the edge into revolt.

The other really good thing which is hard to get across on TV is the internal motives of the characters. Because the novel swaps POV of a lot of the characters the novelisation seems to have greater complexity, even though it’s essentially the same events.

The other thing that was completely different was the pit fight between the Doctor and Grun. It’s not better or worse than the TV, just very different. The book even makes reference to the style of pit fight seen in the broadcast version. Page 105 – Jo looked down into the pit. She had half expected an arena rather like a Roman amphitheatre; flat, sandy, with steep walls and a cage-like entrance. The Pit was very different.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

[Mikes Dw Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was never a massive fan of this story if im being honest. Partially because I didn't quite understand what the story was actually about as a kid. There's some cool bits in there for the kids still, like the aliens etc but it just wasn't enough for me. However here I really got into its story. The world and character's was brilliantly written and I feel they work so much better here than on the TV story. In the TV story you have to cleverly write what's going on in the characters heads. Here you can really explore it. Such as with king peladon. You really grow to understand his struggles and I liked the added details of his mother being from earth.

I also found the main story theme reflecting Britain back when it was debating on joining the EU, just like the delegates on Peladon are also asked to decide if the planet should join the Galactic Federation. With old superstitions trying to protect the city. Hepesh who was against it is much more rounded here, while maybe some more background to his life would of really sold this reluctant feeling to join the GF more, it still works well enough that you understand him. I do agree that cutting Jo's and the King's romantic scenes make it for an awkward read, it happens at the start but never goes anywhere. I feel like this really could added to his character and worked well to the themes etc, so it's a shame its missing.

But overall I much preferred this to the orginal and it made me really appreciate what a great story it is.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

While there were minor flaws in the story, they seem to have been in the original script, so they were not added by Brian Hayles in the fleshing out of the story.
What made this story interesting for me is that it was an attempt to show a future in which humans and the Ice Warriors of Mars more-or-less co-existed peacefully. The aliens were not all good or all evil, and Peladon is clearly an old Earth colony of some odd sort, since they are apparently cross-fertile with Earth humans.
Since he had written an earlier story of the Ice Warriors, this helped to flesh them out, and the new species he created for this story were interesting as well. The culture of Peladon was actually the weakest part of the story, since we see so little of it. The king, his advisors and the guards were about it.
Questions came up in my mind, such as why the king lives in a wildly isolated setting, in a culture where rapid communications ought to be difficult. That sort of cuts down on the ruling and control parts of your job as king.
It is a pity that Brian Hayles died so young, because he might have contributed other interesting stories beyond the few that he did write. Now I will have to track down the others that he wrote, as well as the obscure Doug McClure SF movie that he wrote shortly before his death.

[Gareth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somewhere between a 3 and a 4 for me - plenty of great ideas in this, and the atmosphere is also really well portrayed here - a storm swept castle as such, gloomy and somewhat barren. However, at times the story just felt like it fell a bit flat, and I can't really pinpoint why.
It is good to see the Ice Warriors here in quite a different role, nicely showing that species come in all types, and go through various phases both 'good' and 'evil, and few are always one way or the other.
Alpha Centauri is a great character as well, it was nice to see them in the New Series as well recently.
Peladon itself seemed an interesting world, and the King was a nicely conflicted character with strengths and weaknesses, and the circumstances allowed for Jo and the Doctor to come in and get into the thick of things quite easily, and lead to some interesting interactions, especially with various on both sides.
One detracting point, was even with the more fleshing out that inner dialogue and the like that the book has that the antagonists in here did come across somewhat one dimensional, with a 'typical evil high priest' sort of character, where some of his thoughts / inner dialogue didn't quite marry his actual actions.
Still, a pretty good read nonetheless, thus pushing beyond 3 stars for me.

[morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just listened to the abridged reading of Curse of Peladon by Jon Pertwee from 1995. I haven't read the novelization yet - so I'm not sure which parts were cut exactly - off hand, I do think the Doctor's suspicions of the Ice Warriors were axed a bit. Overall, it's pretty fun to listen to Jon Pertwee act out Arcturus, Alpha Centauri, and the Ice Warrior/Ice Lord. It has the occasional Who vibe sound effect in the background to give it a sense of mood here and there.

Political allegory wise, I disagree with the interpretation going around this is about the UK entering the European Union (or EEC / European Economic Community as I think it was called in the 1970's). Peladon is a pretty primitive planet; highly religious, misogynistic, superstitious, and in need of technological development. They still have things like trial-by-combat, and no women allowed in the throne room. I'd say it's more of an allusion to a less developed country entering into the British Commonwealth, or membership in the United Nations.

If anything, I suppose Peladon could be a stand-in for an eastern European country entering EU, but that doesn't fit to me, since this was early 70's, and eastern block would have been behind iron curtain.

[Pete · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doctor Who an the Curse of Peladon (1975) by Brian Hayles is the second serial of the ninth season of Doctor Who and the sixty first serial overall. The Doctor and Jo land on the planet Peladon.

Peladon is ruled by a young king who is about to try and get Peladon into the Galactic Federation. He has two senior advisors, one of whom is for entering the Federation and one who is against. A party of diplomats from the Federation arrives. There is also a mysterious monster who is in the caves and around the palace.

Apparently the story can be seen as vaguely allegorical for Britain entering the European Economic Community. The TV serial had David Troughton play the King. David was Patrick Troughton’s son.

The story has a some depth to it and it’s one of the Doctor Who stories where there no all powerful monsters which is good. Although the Ice Warriors to make an appearance.

Doctor Who and the Curse of Peladon is quite a decent Doctor Who story. It’s worth a read.

[Michel Siskoid Albert · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was cool of Brian Hayles to redeem his own Ice Warriors in The Curse of Peladon, but the novelisation does the story few favors. I do like Jo's appeal to the warrior who the Doctor must fight, and King Peladon's address to Aggedor's spirit, and obviously, the action is more fierce and detailed. But, and it's a big capitalized BUT, expanding the story here means Hayles blows a lot of its surprises well before the TV version did so, even the solution to the whodunit! (Admittedly, the serial wasn't too good at hiding it either.) What is UP with that? I also fault the author for too often contradicting himself, stating one thing in a paragraph, then something that doesn't line up with that a couple paragraphs lower. The accompanying illustrations also don't seem to want to follow the descriptions, or even the look of the show. Definitely one that needed a stronger editing hand, and therefore, a disappointment.

[fred jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

In an excellent adaptation of his script, Brian Hayles adds depth and some background to one of the best of the early Jon Pertwee era. A story full of intrigue, betrayal, suspicion and with a great monster. King Peladon want his planet to join the Federation but some of his advisors are unhappy. Enter the Doctor and Jo who arrive half way up a mountain and stumble into the situation. Impersonating members of a delegation they are drawn in. The aliens are great, inventive, the story is strong and the writing descriptive. One of the better adaptation s and well worth reading. David Troughton who played Peladon in the show does a fine job with the narration.

[Ian Banks · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much fun. The Doctor and Jo impersonate diplomats and become involved in a struggle to aid a king make a decision about whether or not his planet should join a galactic federation. Airing around the time the UK became a member of the EEC, this is a great example of how he show could mirror issues of the day, and it’s novelised wonderfully by Brian Hayles who adds so much depth to the story and characters.

[Julian White · Rating 4 out of 5]

pdf of 1980 reprint, 1974 sbn and 159 pages (but no illustrations)

I see that I wasn't too impressed with the novelisation of the sequel - this is better though there are some slight differences from the televised version (noted at the end - which mentions the illustraions, sadly missing from this pdf).

[Richard Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought this in 1976 and finally read it this month. I liked the different characters who were involved and definitely had a soft spot for Alpha Centauri. Quite a fun book, marred only by the damage that either my brother or I had done to it sometime in the past 48 years

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book adaptation as much as I enjoyed the programme.

[Shea Gabriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jo was actually pretty great in this one! Overall a really good story.

[Damon Habbin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay book a bit bigger than most the target books as usual it comes to an abrupt soloution.


A slight twist with the Ice Warriors being the good guys.

[Abs007 · Rating 3 out of 5]

And a half

[Tony Ciak · Rating 5 out of 5]

fun

[Scott Kerr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow build but pays off nicely

[Frederick Lopez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doctor Who and the Curse of Peladon is a novel written by Brian Hayles, based on a script that he wrote. The novel was published in 1974, two years after the script was copyrighted.

The Doctor cons his way onto a committee reviewing whether a Renaissance-level planet should be allowed to join a Galactic Federation. The decision process is fatally complicated by a priest who threatens the delegates with the sacred royal beast. Will the Doctor and his companion be able to fast-talk their way out of this one?

The most important thing to know about a Doctor Who book is if it is set during a part of the Doctor’s life that you are familiar with. Curse of Peladon is set during the Doctor’s third regeneration, when he was played by John Pertwee. In this book he’s traveling with a contemporyish woman named Jo.

The prose in this book is heavy with the adjectives, and the action is somewhat over-described. The key example is page is 108, a wall of text describing a combat between the Doctor and the King’s champion. The elaborate verbiage the novel an immersive feel, but it is difficult to escape the suspicion that Hayles is padding out a pretty thin script. As it is, the novel comes out to 142 pages.

The pictures in this book are pretty nifty. They are done in a black-and-white line style. Each one takes up an entire page.

The villainous priest expressed concern that his planet would be exploited as a result of joining the federation, and I really wish that this sort of colonial and economic anxiety was more prominent in the novel. Given that this book was written in the seventies, when many of Britain’s former colonies in Africa were gaining independence, it’s not difficult to see a post-colonial subtext. The reference to a ‘developing planet’ only confirms this suspicion.

Overall, I’d describe this book as okay. I’ve read better books dealing with the complex topic that is Doctor Who. I’d recommend Stephen Baxter’s Wheel of Ice, and or Jim Mortimore’s Campaign before reading this.

[Christian Petrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be up front, Peladon is another setting I have not been to interested in. I know it is another classic planet in Doctor Who, but I have just never clicked with it. So in starting the Curse of Peladon, I was not looking forward to it.

The major issue is the continuity error at the start. I thought this was due to the novelization, but it was in the TV show. The Doctor managed to work the TARDIS. He is in his exile by the Time Lords, how is this possible? Of course I did read in the TARDIS Wiki page that it is later hinted that the Time Lords were behind it.

Okay, that is the major issue out of the way. So how was this book? Not bad. The best way to describe this story is medieval politics set in a science fiction setting.

It is interesting to see this being plotted out. For once we don't have aliens taking over a world by force, but negations between one planet to join a federation. You see why it is important, but also why others are opposed to it.

Also, seeing the return of the Ice Warriors, not as bad guys is an interesting twist as well. This story has some parts that do make it interesting.

The downside is it is all superficial. There is not more exploration into this. Granted it is due to being limited in time on what they could on TV.

From my memory, I think that is why I remember the book Legacy being good, the depth of intrigue. My opinion on Peladon is revised where I don't hate it, but it is interesting to see the groundwork laid for the future stories to take place there. A decent book overall.

On a side note during the reading of this I listened to the Big Finish Audio, The Bride of Peladon which sees the 5th Doctor returning to Peladon. Interesting to see some later effects of this story while reading at the same time.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has to be one of my all time favourite Doctor Who episodes. There are interesting aliens, lots of plot twists, the bad guys who aren't the bad guys, diplomacy and the idea of freedom over religious superstion. There is also Patrick Troughton's son in tights. Jo being totally amazing, climbing mountains in high heels, attacking monsters with torches, brokering intergalactic peace, rescuing herself and not screaming or needing the doctor to save her once. The book must be based on an early script instead of the shooting script as it has some extra scenes and dialogues that aren't in the show. The good of these include Jo going to the King's champion and pleading her case for him to let the Doctor win their battle, and the Doctor discussing weapons with the Ice Warriors. The bad included Arcturus firing his laser when you first meet him, which makes him seem more like a bad guy and reveals too early his offensive capabilities. The description of Alpha Centauri is lovely, instead of an awkward penis type thing in a cloak s/he's a lovely shimmering octopus creature changing colour with moods although they don't have the line about him/her being gender neutral. Hayles also does a better job of getting inside the characters and their thoughts than Terrance Dicks usually does. All told a very nice adaptation of the story.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5
I gave this 5 stars the first time I read it, which I uh...do not remember doing. This is one of those novelisations where I'm acutely aware of how little I'm the original target audience for it: I can watch The Curse of Peladon any time I want to, which was not the case when this was written. As a replacement for the original in an era where streaming and videos/DVDs/Blu-Rays weren't available, it does its job well (it's definitely not one of those phoned in 'I feel like I'm basically just reading the script' offerings the range has). As a book that exists alongside the original serial...it has some nice flourishes (including an excellently atmospheric opening, and some little Peladon lore details I enjoyed), but it doesn't ever feel like it goes very much beyond what the source material can offer you.

[Nicholas Whyte]

http://nhw.livejournal.com/1037395.html#cutid2[return][return]Hayles adapted his own TV script again; and it is generally a good version of a good story, with the excellent point that Alpha Centauri is much less silly on the page than on the screen. I felt that Hepesh, the high priest, was a little more three-dimensional in the original but basically it is a good effort.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the Peladon stories from Doctor Who. The idea of an alien world at a medevil level of technology being asked to join a galactic federation and having a bunch of alien ambassadors visit is cool enough, but then you add in the Doctor and it's just that much better.

A fun sci-fi romp. Wish they'd done more with Peladon.

[Joni · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say? I've never actually seen the actual episode, but this made me laugh like novelisations rarely do.