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Doctor Who Target Books (Numerical Order) #44
Doctor Who and the Mutants
What was happening to the people of Solos? Why are they gradually turning into Monsters? Hands that become claws, flesh that turns scale-like...
127 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
3 people are currently reading
282 people want to read
About the author
Terrance Dicks
326 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 - 28 of 28 reviews
July 17, 2019
The Earth bound Third Doctor’s third season starts to suffer from the limited amount of stories that can be told.
Just like Doctor Who and the Doomsday Weapon both The Doctor and Jo are sent on a mission by the Time Lords to another colony, this time Solos.
I actually think that this is the third best story in Season 8 that slightly suffers from being overly long.
Dicks novelisation is able to condense this serial into a much more enjoyable story.
The anti-racism message is an important one.
The Doctor has some great moments in this adventure and even though his not impressed that his the Time Lords messenger boy, everyone is delighted that his visiting another planet.
The sooner his exile ends the better...
Just like Doctor Who and the Doomsday Weapon both The Doctor and Jo are sent on a mission by the Time Lords to another colony, this time Solos.
I actually think that this is the third best story in Season 8 that slightly suffers from being overly long.
Dicks novelisation is able to condense this serial into a much more enjoyable story.
The anti-racism message is an important one.
The Doctor has some great moments in this adventure and even though his not impressed that his the Time Lords messenger boy, everyone is delighted that his visiting another planet.
The sooner his exile ends the better...
May 5, 2022
This is a novelization of the fourth serial from the ninth season of Doctor Who and was first broadcast in April and May of 1972. The original script was written by Bob Baker and Dave Martin, who wrote many popular episodes of the show, and this adaptation was written by Terrence Dicks, who was the script editor at the time and who went to write a great many of the Doctor Who books. The story features the third incarnation of The Doctor, who is accompanied by U.N.I.T. liaison Jo Grant. The story was a six-part serial, with a bit too much of gratuitous dashing back and forth, but Dicks condensed it nicely into the preferred Target length. The story shows more of a social conscious than many contemporary with it, commenting on the evil or racism and colonial mismanagement. The Doctor, though, is cast in the role of a delivery boy for the Time Lords (U.N.I.T. isn't involved) and seems remarkably accepting of it, and Jo isn't as intelligent and vibrant as usual, not accomplishing much more than getting into trouble and requiring rescue. It's a story with some very good points, but not one of the best Pertwee adventures.
June 7, 2020
A classic Third Doctor adventure that is the fourth serial of the ninth season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who (the classic series of course) in which the Doctor and Jo Grant land somewhere in the future near a colony of the Terran Empire on the verge of self domination. The Terran empire is withdrawing from this colony after stripping it from its natural sources but the persons in charge are not interested to having their power taken away and want to alter the atmosphere on this planet Solos to make it totally inhabital for humans. And at the same time Solos population seems to be suffering from a disease that alters their genetic make-up into a mutation. These creatures are being hunted by the humans.
When the Doctor & Jo arrive they enter on a moment that is essentially a coup being staged and certain people want to blame the people of Solos and of course the Doctor. It is in essence a story in which the original inhabitants are being oppressed by its colonists and feels like a de-colonization story like the ones in Africa where racism and power seems to be the themes of this stpry in which the Doctor seems as usual to take the side of the oppressed. The Doctor was initially send on this mission by the Timelords and has to figure out what is going on so he can help those who needs it most.
An unknown story to me but still recognizable and seriously enjoyable scifi story that works with recognizable subjects. Certainly for Who fans a must read novelization By Terrance Dicks, the most famous writer of the Doctor Who novelizations.
When the Doctor & Jo arrive they enter on a moment that is essentially a coup being staged and certain people want to blame the people of Solos and of course the Doctor. It is in essence a story in which the original inhabitants are being oppressed by its colonists and feels like a de-colonization story like the ones in Africa where racism and power seems to be the themes of this stpry in which the Doctor seems as usual to take the side of the oppressed. The Doctor was initially send on this mission by the Timelords and has to figure out what is going on so he can help those who needs it most.
An unknown story to me but still recognizable and seriously enjoyable scifi story that works with recognizable subjects. Certainly for Who fans a must read novelization By Terrance Dicks, the most famous writer of the Doctor Who novelizations.
March 29, 2010
I think this was the 1st Doctor Who book I read, and it was sufficient to get me hooked.
February 9, 2019
I was never interested in this book to begin with. As a kid I would see it on the shelf and bypass it. It was my mother who bought me a copy when I was sick. After re-reading this all these years later, my view has changed.
It is a Target book so the expectations were not high. When I started reading this, I was surprised how fast I read it and it kept my interest.
The main story is the Doctor and Jo are sent by the Time Lords to deliver a package. They don't know who it is for (a bit of an oversight on the Time Lords. Might have made things easier), only that it is for someone at the space station they land on. At the same time a conference is going on that will have the Earth Empire leave the planet Solos. While this is going on, something is causing the Solonians to mutate into monsters.
By taking the concept of colonial powers and aparthied, then moving them to last days of the Earth Empire was smart move. This combination of science fiction and what happened in real life give a compelling background feel to the story.
You see people who want their world back, and someone who does not want things to change. The Marshal does not want to give up takes steps to secure his control. At the same time we see his decent into craziness as he can't see what is going on. For the Solonians, you see even though they want their world back, they still fight among themselves.
This background makes up for the flaws of this story. Granted this plot does a better than Colony in Space, which tried a similar approach. Because of these flaws, that is why I can't give the story a full 5 stars.
The first flaw to the story is due to the scope. If you have another planet controlling another one, you think there would be more characters. Even though occasional other people were mentioned, it still felt like a very empty space station and planet.
The next flaw is the characterizations of the Doctor and Jo. They are not fleshed out as the other characters are. I understand we should be familiar with them, thus not needing all the background that is given to other character. However, Jo just seems to be waste of time getting captured, just running into danger. Then again I have never felt Jo was a strong companion anyways.
The other characters in the book do receive more back story and characterization. The whole mutant plot is not perfect, raises questions, yet in the book it does work. From what I remember of the televised version seeing them on screen would hinder this sub plot.
Overall it is a good book. Once you see past the flaws and take the story of what is trying to be presented it does work. Within the scope of the Target books, one of the better ones.
It is a Target book so the expectations were not high. When I started reading this, I was surprised how fast I read it and it kept my interest.
The main story is the Doctor and Jo are sent by the Time Lords to deliver a package. They don't know who it is for (a bit of an oversight on the Time Lords. Might have made things easier), only that it is for someone at the space station they land on. At the same time a conference is going on that will have the Earth Empire leave the planet Solos. While this is going on, something is causing the Solonians to mutate into monsters.
By taking the concept of colonial powers and aparthied, then moving them to last days of the Earth Empire was smart move. This combination of science fiction and what happened in real life give a compelling background feel to the story.
You see people who want their world back, and someone who does not want things to change. The Marshal does not want to give up takes steps to secure his control. At the same time we see his decent into craziness as he can't see what is going on. For the Solonians, you see even though they want their world back, they still fight among themselves.
This background makes up for the flaws of this story. Granted this plot does a better than Colony in Space, which tried a similar approach. Because of these flaws, that is why I can't give the story a full 5 stars.
The first flaw to the story is due to the scope. If you have another planet controlling another one, you think there would be more characters. Even though occasional other people were mentioned, it still felt like a very empty space station and planet.
The next flaw is the characterizations of the Doctor and Jo. They are not fleshed out as the other characters are. I understand we should be familiar with them, thus not needing all the background that is given to other character. However, Jo just seems to be waste of time getting captured, just running into danger. Then again I have never felt Jo was a strong companion anyways.
The other characters in the book do receive more back story and characterization. The whole mutant plot is not perfect, raises questions, yet in the book it does work. From what I remember of the televised version seeing them on screen would hinder this sub plot.
Overall it is a good book. Once you see past the flaws and take the story of what is trying to be presented it does work. Within the scope of the Target books, one of the better ones.
Read
April 8, 2009http://nhw.livejournal.com/1037395.html#cutid4[return][return]I retain an affection for this book, even though the TV original is quite possibly the worst Pertwee story. Somehow the anti-colonial politics comes through both more clearly and more subtly; and we are spared the dodgy special effects and atrocious acting. One where the page is way better than the screen.[return][return]
April 12, 2008
This was a surprisingly emotional book for me to read. The downtrodden natives of a distant planet in the distant future and slowly, inexorably transforming into monstrous lobster-ish creatures. Are the mutations caused by the violent terraforming, or something else entirely? Racial purity, evolution, and what truly is natural are all played with.
May 5, 2025
The Mutants is largely regarded as the weakest of Jon Pertwee’s serials and while I am certainly not it’s biggest fan, after reading Doctor Who and the Mutants I am genuinely wondering if it is this novelization that has weakened the original serial’s reputation. This is largely because Doctor Who and the Mutants is quite a weak book, despite its evocative cover and Terrance Dicks attempting to add some depth to Solos as a planet (it’s more lush than the quarries and caves seen on television). Dicks as an author is known for having a breezy pace to his prose and that should be present in a novelization written and published in 1977, yet Doctor Who and the Mutants is one that just drags. Now this could be because Dicks is adapting a six episode script, but at this point he had done other six episode scripts including ones from eras he had no contribution to and The Mutants was right in the middle of his time as script editor. Bob Baker and Dave Martin’s television script is largely an allegory against apartheid South Africa, something that translates to the novel but what is largely lacking is Christopher Barry’s direction. Despite much of the serial being set in quarries and on futuristic sets, it is a serial with visual appeal, a similar decrease in quality happening when Barry Letts adapted his own script into Doctor Who and the Daemons. There’s a lot in The Mutants that feels psychedelic, especially in the back half with the resolution after the twist that the mutations are just part of the natural life cycle of Solos as a planet.
Visually Terrance Dicks doesn’t actually render the sequences with any particular vision or passion, it just becomes a thing that happens. There are issues transferring over from the original serial, the Doctor and Jo’s involvement comes from the Time Lords using them to deliver a package to an individual on the planet Solos. This is someone they don’t know and the package will only open for them, having long sequences of the Doctor just handing people the package throughout the first episode and then there are random experiments the Doctor is roped into to open the package that honestly goes nowhere. It works even less in the novel without the performance of Jon Pertwee to at least make it charming which for whatever reason Dicks just cannot recapture. He recaptures it well in his other novelizations, even in many of those that came before like Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion and Doctor Who and the Terror of the Autons.
Overall, Doctor Who and the Mutants while not adapting one of the best serials from the Jon Pertwee era, struggles to even make what worked on television work in prose. At least much of the social commentary remains intact. 4/10.
Visually Terrance Dicks doesn’t actually render the sequences with any particular vision or passion, it just becomes a thing that happens. There are issues transferring over from the original serial, the Doctor and Jo’s involvement comes from the Time Lords using them to deliver a package to an individual on the planet Solos. This is someone they don’t know and the package will only open for them, having long sequences of the Doctor just handing people the package throughout the first episode and then there are random experiments the Doctor is roped into to open the package that honestly goes nowhere. It works even less in the novel without the performance of Jon Pertwee to at least make it charming which for whatever reason Dicks just cannot recapture. He recaptures it well in his other novelizations, even in many of those that came before like Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion and Doctor Who and the Terror of the Autons.
Overall, Doctor Who and the Mutants while not adapting one of the best serials from the Jon Pertwee era, struggles to even make what worked on television work in prose. At least much of the social commentary remains intact. 4/10.
April 18, 2025
Based on a script by Bob Baker and Dave Martin this is number 44 in the Target catalogue. There has only been one cover for this story, though it did get a number of print runs. The artwork is by Jeff Cummins. It’s probably time this story had a new visual interpretation.
I’ll be honest, this was never a favourite when I was kid, but as I’ve got older the story has kind of grown on. The whole ecology/metamorphosis/lifecycle thing is more engaging for me in my twilight years.
The book accelerates the story to a cracking pace by cramming 6 episodes into 126 pages, which is at the shorter end for a Target. There is little embellishment of the interal thoughts and motivations of the characters.
I’d actually like to see an expanded version of this published. I think Professor Sondergaard and the Solonian lifecycle/history/society could be thoughtfully expanded, while tying into his Nibs megalomania. And it could have some professional jealousy between Sondergaard and Jaeger. Was it Jaeger that tipped of the Marshall to Sondergaard’s report to Earth sending him into hiding? There’s enough story complexity and characters for a full blown 300 page expansion, without fundamentally changing the broadcast version.
At least, that’s what I think. 😊
I’ll be honest, this was never a favourite when I was kid, but as I’ve got older the story has kind of grown on. The whole ecology/metamorphosis/lifecycle thing is more engaging for me in my twilight years.
The book accelerates the story to a cracking pace by cramming 6 episodes into 126 pages, which is at the shorter end for a Target. There is little embellishment of the interal thoughts and motivations of the characters.
I’d actually like to see an expanded version of this published. I think Professor Sondergaard and the Solonian lifecycle/history/society could be thoughtfully expanded, while tying into his Nibs megalomania. And it could have some professional jealousy between Sondergaard and Jaeger. Was it Jaeger that tipped of the Marshall to Sondergaard’s report to Earth sending him into hiding? There’s enough story complexity and characters for a full blown 300 page expansion, without fundamentally changing the broadcast version.
At least, that’s what I think. 😊
February 6, 2024
If anyone ever tells you how annoyed they are that Doctor Who has gotten so political, hand them a copy of this and tell them not to talk to you again until they've read it. 1970s Doctor Who was some of the most aggressively political, activist, polemic fiction ever targeted at teens, and I am totally here for it. More, please. "Inferno?" Thanks. Oo, "The Green Death," that'll spin some wigs. "The Time Warrior?" Bring it, sister.
The particular sledgehammer this book swings has a tag on it reading "Anti-colonialism," or "just because your hometown is crowded, polluted, and drained of resources, that's no reason to make it someone else's problem." I have a feeling that this one takes place in the same future as "Colony in Space" and "Kinda," where people on Earth live like battery chickens and ships keep heading out looking for Lebensraum and cocking it up.
It's nice to have time to read again, even if it is just short-form Boys' Adventure serial fiction. Highly recommended for anyone who lacks the time or inclination to tackle "A Song of Ice and Fire" and other such doorstops.
The particular sledgehammer this book swings has a tag on it reading "Anti-colonialism," or "just because your hometown is crowded, polluted, and drained of resources, that's no reason to make it someone else's problem." I have a feeling that this one takes place in the same future as "Colony in Space" and "Kinda," where people on Earth live like battery chickens and ships keep heading out looking for Lebensraum and cocking it up.
It's nice to have time to read again, even if it is just short-form Boys' Adventure serial fiction. Highly recommended for anyone who lacks the time or inclination to tackle "A Song of Ice and Fire" and other such doorstops.
August 15, 2025
To me, the televised version of Doctor Who and the Mutants is a bad episode of Star Trek (in other words, an episode of Space 1999), and it therefore can only be improved by turning the kitschy 6-parter into a crisp Terry Dicks novella. In my mind's eye - I was pretty easily able to forget the actual episodes - the space station looks huge and actually populated, the jungle doesn't look like an overgrown hill, and what happens in the cave actually understandable. There's some interesting back story for the villains, though it doesn't help the Marshall - surely one of Doctor Who's most cartoonishly evil villains - all that much. And yet, Dicks also omits some of my favorite moments from the serial, like the bit with the sonic screwdriver being passed around and at some of Jo's badassery. I blame this on bits of business worked out by the actors and not in the script. At least, that's what it feels like. As a Target adaptation, the Mutants is still pretty okay. On television, it's one of the Third Doctor's worst.
March 21, 2021
I found this a good story, definitely dark and with some strong messages in it, with one of the characters perhaps a bit over the top to support this.
Seems to be continuing a string of stories now which are Earth, Space, Earth, Space etc as we get a bit more of a mix compared to only 1 story of Seasons 7 & 8 not being on Earth. Does feel like a bit long without UNIT though.
The Doctor in good form as always here, Jo reasonably proactive as normal, but does seem to get in a bit of strife a bit more than normal, tending towards the Damsel in Distress trope a bit more than normal, but perhaps done to allow some of the one off characters more chances to shine.
And certainly is a good mixture of one off characters here, outside of the one aforementioned, pretty well rounded and believable, and the Mutants themselves are quite a good idea here, with a nice twist to their story as it all unfolds.
Seems to be continuing a string of stories now which are Earth, Space, Earth, Space etc as we get a bit more of a mix compared to only 1 story of Seasons 7 & 8 not being on Earth. Does feel like a bit long without UNIT though.
The Doctor in good form as always here, Jo reasonably proactive as normal, but does seem to get in a bit of strife a bit more than normal, tending towards the Damsel in Distress trope a bit more than normal, but perhaps done to allow some of the one off characters more chances to shine.
And certainly is a good mixture of one off characters here, outside of the one aforementioned, pretty well rounded and believable, and the Mutants themselves are quite a good idea here, with a nice twist to their story as it all unfolds.
May 21, 2023
Doctor Who and the Mutants (1977) by Terrance Dicks is the novelisation of the fourth serial of the ninth season of Doctor Who and the sixty third serial overall.
The Timelords send the Doctor a message in a box that can only be opened by the correct recipient. The Doctor and Jo then land on a space station over Solos. There, representative from earth arrives to announce that Earth will no longer support the colony. The Marshal is the current ruler of the colony and is very unhappy about the idea. The inhabitants of Solos are suffering from a mysterious disease that turns them into insect like creatures. The story deals with themes of de-colonialisation.
Doctor Who and the Mutants is a pretty reasonable Doctor Who story.
The Timelords send the Doctor a message in a box that can only be opened by the correct recipient. The Doctor and Jo then land on a space station over Solos. There, representative from earth arrives to announce that Earth will no longer support the colony. The Marshal is the current ruler of the colony and is very unhappy about the idea. The inhabitants of Solos are suffering from a mysterious disease that turns them into insect like creatures. The story deals with themes of de-colonialisation.
Doctor Who and the Mutants is a pretty reasonable Doctor Who story.
March 10, 2020
I have been on a Doctor Who kick lately . I have been enjoying the novelizations of the TV Series , and this book is no exception !! It has a evil to the core villain , a puzzling mystery , and plenty for the Doctor to do !! This is a Third Doctor adventure !! I recommend not only this particular book , but this series as a whole !! ALL of the Doctor Who books than I have read thus far have been at LEAST Three Star books !!
March 15, 2025
It's not Dicks' worst and it's not his best; I really think this story could have done with a bit of structural reworking when moving it to print but he's really not that radical of an adaptor. He softens the character of the Administrator (he's simply willing to cave to the Solonians' demands, rather than claiming that the Earth government civilised them and that the two races have always got along well) which means the story loses some of its anti-colonial bite.
August 24, 2025
While terrace dicks might not always dive too much into the characters heads or expand on the main story, he does always find a way to make a story more understandable and enjoyable to read. The tv story being 6 parts can feel dragged out and maybe a little confusing at times, but the book keeps a good tight grip on the main story of evolution and how pollution can mess up an entire species. Its a great story that would be called very woke nowadays.
May 28, 2024
The Doctor and Jo arrive on a planet where two races have existed in an uneasy peace for generations, until the more recent arrivals decide they want to upset the balance of power... Terrance Dicks takes a fairly mundane story and manages to make into something that is a little more exciting than the teleplay it’s based on.
June 16, 2022
A run of the mill novelisation of a below average story. Mr Dicks could not do much to improve this.
March 8, 2024
An absorbing and thrilling Doctor Who adventure. Quite a dark story that had me enthralled from start to end. Recommended to Doctor Who fans.
August 12, 2024
A fast paced novelisation that makes me want to watch the original story.
May 1, 2012
Decided to read this as a quick blast through after 1Q84 Book 2 and before 1Q84 Book 3 (which I don't have yet) and that's basically what this is. Bit of a space romp whose only redeeming factor is really the Dr. It's ok, but not one of the best Who novels I've read. Probably won't be pulling this back off the shelf any time soon.
October 29, 2011
A solid Terrance Dicks effort, that takes an overly-rambling, occasionally ludicrous TV story and transforms it into a tighter, slightly LESS ludicrous novelization. The novel's cover, however, is easily one of the best pieces of "Doctor Who" are EVER painted.
April 4, 2024
A recent find at a used-book shop, Doctor Who -The Mutants was a fun jump into nostalgia. I've seen the story only once so I wasn't too familiar with this one, but Terrance Dicks' novelisations of TV episodes are always serviceable.
December 6, 2009
A bit heavy handed with the message, but there's a cool alien and lots of action.
July 14, 2010
A sci-fi Heart of Darkness. Fantastic for taking to the beach or reading on the train.
March 22, 2012
Heavy-handed, but entertaining tale of the worst of colonization. The Doctor did take remarkably well to being used as an errand boy, but I suppose any excuse for a drive will do ...
Read
August 23, 2008isbn,original
January 5, 2013
Okay, but the characters were a bit too unrealistic (eg, the Marshal).
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews