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Doctor Who Target Books (Numerical Order) #53
Doctor Who and the Robots of Death
On a desert planet the giant sandminer crawls through the howling sandstorms, harvesting the valuable minerals in the sand.
Inside, the humans relax in luxury, while most of the work is done by the robots who serve them.
Then the Fourth Doctor and Leela arrive – and the mysterious deaths begin. First suspects, then hunted victims, Leela and the Doctor must find the hidden killer – or join the other victims of the Robots of Death.
Inside, the humans relax in luxury, while most of the work is done by the robots who serve them.
Then the Fourth Doctor and Leela arrive – and the mysterious deaths begin. First suspects, then hunted victims, Leela and the Doctor must find the hidden killer – or join the other victims of the Robots of Death.
108 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 1979
2 people are currently reading
299 people want to read
About the author
Terrance Dicks
326 books219 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 - 30 of 40 reviews
July 8, 2021
Easily one of my favourites serials in the whole of Classic Who.
It's Agatha Christie but with Robots - what's not to like!
The novelisation is more of a reflection on how quickly Dicks was needed to turn these out.
I was actually quite surprised to see on Wikipedia that this had the lowest page count of all the Target novels as there's been other audiobooks in the range with a much shorter runtime.
You're a classic example of the inverse ratio between the size of the mouth and the size of the brain.
Despite the limitations of a workmanlike prose, Dicks hits all the right notes with the vast amount of memorable scenes in this story - particularly Leela and the yo-yo.
I'd always bemoaned the fact that many titles are currently out of print.
Of course they served a purpose before Video/DVD/Blu-Ray releases, but these audio versions are really winning me other.
They're perfect to have on in the background whilst doing jobs around the house - or even taking the dog for a walk!
It's Agatha Christie but with Robots - what's not to like!
The novelisation is more of a reflection on how quickly Dicks was needed to turn these out.
I was actually quite surprised to see on Wikipedia that this had the lowest page count of all the Target novels as there's been other audiobooks in the range with a much shorter runtime.
You're a classic example of the inverse ratio between the size of the mouth and the size of the brain.
Despite the limitations of a workmanlike prose, Dicks hits all the right notes with the vast amount of memorable scenes in this story - particularly Leela and the yo-yo.
I'd always bemoaned the fact that many titles are currently out of print.
Of course they served a purpose before Video/DVD/Blu-Ray releases, but these audio versions are really winning me other.
They're perfect to have on in the background whilst doing jobs around the house - or even taking the dog for a walk!
September 2, 2021
This is a novelization of the fifth serial of the fourteenth season of Doctor Who, and was broadcast in January and February of 1977. The fourth regeneration of The Doctor is featured, along with his most kickass companion, Leela of The Sevateem. The teleplay was written by Chris Boucher, and the episode was one of the best and most popular of the classic run of the series. Unfortunately, Terrance Dicks' adaptation is his shortest and one of his poorest. He doesn't add any description or background to the story, and it feels a bit muddled in spots. (Such as the scene where Cass appears to attend a meeting in the chapter after the character has died.) It's an excellent mystery story in the best Agatha Christie tradition, with a fascinating setting on a sand-crawler mining machine that's crewed by robots. There are nods and homages to many literary science fiction authors, including Isaac Asimov, Poul Anderson, Frank Herbert, and Karel Capek. The book does tell the story pretty well and is easily finished in a single sitting, but in this case I definitely recommend watching the tv episode instead.
July 23, 2018
In an interview for a DVD extra, author Terrance Dicks notes that one aspect of his career he's most proud of is his ability to meet deadline. As a person who understands the importance of writing on deadline, it's easy to admire that about Dicks.
However, it's also easy to lament that having to meet that deadline for a lot of Target Doctor Who novels in the mid-70's means the adaptations are a bare-bones retelling of the script with little or no room for expanding the story. The image of Dicks handcuffed to his typewriter and having to churn out a new adaptation of a fourth Doctor script often springs to mind when I think of this era in Doctor Who publishing.
Which is what makes it a shame that Dicks wasn't given the time to embellish and enhance stories like "The Robots of Death" like he did with "The Auton Invasion" or "Day of the Daleks."
One of the best regarded stories of the Phillip Hinchcliffe/Robert Holmes era (the story was one of the first fourth Doctor stories to hit both the VHS and DVD lines), "Robots of Death" is a Doctor Who version of a locked-room mystery. Arriving aboard an isolated sand miner in the middle of the desert, the Doctor and Leela discover that the human crew is being picked off one by one by (in case you missed the title) robots. The duo are prime suspects in the murders until it becomes apparent a robot revolution led by the megalomaniac Taren Capel is underway.
With a richly realized cast of characters, all of whom have plenty of motives to eliminate each other and a fascinatingly hinted at society, "The Robots of Death" on-screen is a richly realized corner of the Doctor Who universe. The implications of robot revolution with Capel able to override the robots' first rule that no harm can come to humans and what that means if the robots get loose on the larger world of this story is fascinating and part of what drives the final two episodes of the story.
But, it's sadly not as well developed here. Yes, we get hints and Dicks brings in the references from Chris Boucher's original script. But they're brought up and quickly dropped again. It's easy to imagine the Dicks who wrote "Day of the Daleks" spending a short chapter examining things in Kalador City so the reader really understands why the crew has to stay isolated until the robot revolution is quelled. The book left me wondering, "What if" and how it could have been so much richer.
It also reminded me of why this one may not have been part of my Target collection back in the day.
As an audio production, there is little, if anything, to fault here. Louise Jameson continues to be an asset to the audio range with her reading of the story. The sound effects and music enhance the listening experience and help elevate this adaptation. I tend to listen to these books while running, so having a straight-forward adapting of screen to page wasn't necessarily the worst thing for this audiobook.
However, it's also easy to lament that having to meet that deadline for a lot of Target Doctor Who novels in the mid-70's means the adaptations are a bare-bones retelling of the script with little or no room for expanding the story. The image of Dicks handcuffed to his typewriter and having to churn out a new adaptation of a fourth Doctor script often springs to mind when I think of this era in Doctor Who publishing.
Which is what makes it a shame that Dicks wasn't given the time to embellish and enhance stories like "The Robots of Death" like he did with "The Auton Invasion" or "Day of the Daleks."
One of the best regarded stories of the Phillip Hinchcliffe/Robert Holmes era (the story was one of the first fourth Doctor stories to hit both the VHS and DVD lines), "Robots of Death" is a Doctor Who version of a locked-room mystery. Arriving aboard an isolated sand miner in the middle of the desert, the Doctor and Leela discover that the human crew is being picked off one by one by (in case you missed the title) robots. The duo are prime suspects in the murders until it becomes apparent a robot revolution led by the megalomaniac Taren Capel is underway.
With a richly realized cast of characters, all of whom have plenty of motives to eliminate each other and a fascinatingly hinted at society, "The Robots of Death" on-screen is a richly realized corner of the Doctor Who universe. The implications of robot revolution with Capel able to override the robots' first rule that no harm can come to humans and what that means if the robots get loose on the larger world of this story is fascinating and part of what drives the final two episodes of the story.
But, it's sadly not as well developed here. Yes, we get hints and Dicks brings in the references from Chris Boucher's original script. But they're brought up and quickly dropped again. It's easy to imagine the Dicks who wrote "Day of the Daleks" spending a short chapter examining things in Kalador City so the reader really understands why the crew has to stay isolated until the robot revolution is quelled. The book left me wondering, "What if" and how it could have been so much richer.
It also reminded me of why this one may not have been part of my Target collection back in the day.
As an audio production, there is little, if anything, to fault here. Louise Jameson continues to be an asset to the audio range with her reading of the story. The sound effects and music enhance the listening experience and help elevate this adaptation. I tend to listen to these books while running, so having a straight-forward adapting of screen to page wasn't necessarily the worst thing for this audiobook.
April 12, 2008
Doctor Who titles are always refreshingly transparent: it's called the Robots of Death because the robots KILL PEOPLE. The villain has decided that robots have been used as slave labor for too long, so reprograms them to start killing their former masters. Of course no one believes that robots could ever harm humans--until the Doctor and Leela come along.
And then the Doctor saves the day by giving the villain a helium high. I am not kidding.
And then the Doctor saves the day by giving the villain a helium high. I am not kidding.
July 28, 2023
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-robots-of-death-by-fiona-moore-and-chris-boucher-and-terrance-dicks-and-corpse-marker-by-chris-broucher/
Doctor Who and the Robots of Death loses in the transition to the written page; the TV version just looks so memorable, and I think hints better at the background setting of Kaldor City.
Doctor Who and the Robots of Death loses in the transition to the written page; the TV version just looks so memorable, and I think hints better at the background setting of Kaldor City.
March 11, 2024
Not my favorite doctor who story I’ve read, but still enjoyable! I think it lacked some of that classic charm and I wish the plot felt more suspenseful and exciting. But a good quick read.
January 14, 2025
When robots are meant to help but are programmed to kill... But, who is programming them? Well, Doctor Who is trying to find out as he and Leela have come upon a desert planet...
November 10, 2023
Should be a 2.5 really, but I can't round a Terrance Dicks novel down. This is an accurate but very perfunctory retelling of a classic Tom Baker story. At only 108 pages this is one of ( if not the) shortest Target books - it's almost as if Dicks was at the end of a contract, or just fed up as there are no embellishments at all. A bit disappointing ashe could have easily added backgrounds to all the human characters. A quick read due to the length, but not my favourite novelisation by Dicks, I'm sorry to say.
June 28, 2014
What can I say, I'm a fan of Terrance Dicks. Fast paced reading, great book. I just watched the Serial, and this book helped me understand the overall plot.
April 26, 2021
Quite an interesting tale this one. Is a bit of a whodunnit in an enclosed area that the Doctor and Leela walk into, with quite a bit of mystery nicely maintained for the reader as well as the characters for quite some time as to who the villain of the piece is.
At the same time, gives a good view of what a robot supported society can be like, with how humans react to robots, both with relying on them for any mundane / physical activity, leading to a degree of laziness, plus the fear of dealing with beings that look a lot like humans, but not quite.
Leela in good form here in her first adventure after entering the TARDIS, quite happy to threaten violence, and while wary, not afraid of the dangers they encounter.
The Doctor also in good form here, stepping up and taking charge readily, and can see the gears moving in his head as such as he works out who the villain is.
Overall a pretty good read.
At the same time, gives a good view of what a robot supported society can be like, with how humans react to robots, both with relying on them for any mundane / physical activity, leading to a degree of laziness, plus the fear of dealing with beings that look a lot like humans, but not quite.
Leela in good form here in her first adventure after entering the TARDIS, quite happy to threaten violence, and while wary, not afraid of the dangers they encounter.
The Doctor also in good form here, stepping up and taking charge readily, and can see the gears moving in his head as such as he works out who the villain is.
Overall a pretty good read.
October 22, 2025
I knew I was always going to be disappointed in this book, and I was. The problem is that, for me, this is a visual story. It’s the set and costumes, with their Art Deco styling, that makes this story. It was always going to be an uphill battle to capture the visual bling in words. Terrance gives it a go with a couple of descriptions to the cloths and face paint, but it just doesn’t have the impact of the TV broadcast.
This is possibly the shortest novelisation at 108 pages, but that dosen’t make it the worst. The story is basically a murder mystery of people trapped in a location slowly being picked off until the killer is revealed. It’s a good rendition of the story type. Eac character has sufficient background to be a suspect. Except Toos. She’s a bit of an outlier with no motivation to be on the sand miner, or to kill everyone.
Terrance’s writing is up to his usual level. This is a quick fun read, but I’ll always prefer the TV version for the sets.
This is possibly the shortest novelisation at 108 pages, but that dosen’t make it the worst. The story is basically a murder mystery of people trapped in a location slowly being picked off until the killer is revealed. It’s a good rendition of the story type. Eac character has sufficient background to be a suspect. Except Toos. She’s a bit of an outlier with no motivation to be on the sand miner, or to kill everyone.
Terrance’s writing is up to his usual level. This is a quick fun read, but I’ll always prefer the TV version for the sets.
November 18, 2025
The orginal tv story is one of my favourite stories in the shows history. It's a near perfect murder mystery with great robots and great side characters. So I was very excited to read it. While I was originally disappointed seeing how short the book is (108 pages), I was at least satisfied with it once I finished it.
It still has all the great marks and moments of the orginal and the book has a quick pace to it. However the characters and plot still get a little extra detail to help flesh the world out. While it would of been really interesting to really explore the certain characters or two, the book as it is works fine. I also found that some stuff was slightly cut or explained much better so the orginal was alittle more clearer. Such as who moved the tardis, the background to why Zilda hates the commander etc. Overall its a fun quick read of a great story but would love an expanded version someday.
It still has all the great marks and moments of the orginal and the book has a quick pace to it. However the characters and plot still get a little extra detail to help flesh the world out. While it would of been really interesting to really explore the certain characters or two, the book as it is works fine. I also found that some stuff was slightly cut or explained much better so the orginal was alittle more clearer. Such as who moved the tardis, the background to why Zilda hates the commander etc. Overall its a fun quick read of a great story but would love an expanded version someday.
March 18, 2024
Was given this as a Xmas present by my son.
Have to say the plot is terrific.
The Doctor, a time traveller from the planet Gallifrey and his knife weilding travelling companion Leela, land aboard a sandcrawler crewed by humans and robots mining valuable mineral deposits on a human colony in the far future and distant realms of the galaxy. Just as they arrive a death of a crew member occurs and they instantly placed under suspicion. It soon becomes clear that not everyone is as they seem and a deadly game of cat and mouse unravels. Can robots be trusted?
Maybe could be a tad more descriptive ( when written probably assumed readers were familiar with the characters) and lacking in thought description.
On the plus side no bumph, fast actioned plot conveying claustrophobia and a race against time.
A quick and satisfying read.
Have to say the plot is terrific.
The Doctor, a time traveller from the planet Gallifrey and his knife weilding travelling companion Leela, land aboard a sandcrawler crewed by humans and robots mining valuable mineral deposits on a human colony in the far future and distant realms of the galaxy. Just as they arrive a death of a crew member occurs and they instantly placed under suspicion. It soon becomes clear that not everyone is as they seem and a deadly game of cat and mouse unravels. Can robots be trusted?
Maybe could be a tad more descriptive ( when written probably assumed readers were familiar with the characters) and lacking in thought description.
On the plus side no bumph, fast actioned plot conveying claustrophobia and a race against time.
A quick and satisfying read.
December 31, 2019
Terrance Dicks was the master of Target’s Doctor Who novel range, and once again he proves it with this adaptation of Chris Boucher’s beloved serial from Season 14 with Tom Baker as the Doctor and Louise Jameson as Leela. Although Leela had her fans at the time, it’s often in hindsight that people have come to appreciate how brilliant Jameson was (and what a fine actress she’s become) - which is prominently on display here as she sinks her teeth into narrating this classic tale while adding new layers to her portrayal of Leela. Whether you want a stroll down memory lane, a pleasant distraction or to discover some nice tight writing, you’ll find what you’re looking for here.
July 16, 2023
Doctor Who and the Robots of Death (1979) by Terrance Dicks is the novelisation of the fifth serial of season fourteen of Doctor Who.
The Doctor and Leela land on a large sandminer where a small human crew live in luxury while many robots work around the ship keeping it going. There is a mysterious murder, then another and first suspicion is cast on the Doctor and Leela before the titular robots are revealed as the culprits. But there is more and it plays out as a murder mystery as well.
It’s quite a good serial. The sci-fi trope of sand mining is mixed up with robots that have strayed.
The Doctor and Leela land on a large sandminer where a small human crew live in luxury while many robots work around the ship keeping it going. There is a mysterious murder, then another and first suspicion is cast on the Doctor and Leela before the titular robots are revealed as the culprits. But there is more and it plays out as a murder mystery as well.
It’s quite a good serial. The sci-fi trope of sand mining is mixed up with robots that have strayed.
November 4, 2021
An iconic TV story from 1977, this much-maligned novelisation is supposedly one of the worst of the entire range, although I rather enjoyed it. It's not perfect, and it's very clearly a book written to get a pound out of the pockets of schoolchildren. There's a laughably bad moment where a murder victim has another scene a few pages later. But it is better than its reputation suggests, although nowhere near one of the classics of the range.
October 19, 2024
A weak adaptation of Chris Boucher’s best script for Doctor Who. Dicks overeggs the foreshadowing and tension in the early parts but a couple of continuity errors highlight the conditions under which he wrote it. Some lovely background details but it’s an imitation of rather than a companion to a great story. Also, I know everyone says it’s an Agatha Christie-style mystery but it really put me more in mind of Asimov’s SF mysteries with Poul and D84 standing in for Bailey and Olivaw.
September 16, 2017
The book is a solid, if slim, adaptation of one of "Doctor Who's" most famous tales. However, every time I look at the evocative cover, it takes me back decades to the little boy I was, borrowing it from the public library, in its hardcover edition, for the very first time. Lots of nostalgia value around this particular book.
September 4, 2024
A sprint through this streamlined version of the script. Considering the sheer number of spin-offs (Kaldor City audios, the novel Corpse Marker, Big Finish audio series The Robots... ) this novelisation barely scrapes the surface - the baroque design of the robots, the human costumes and make-up lack 'sparkle' when described somewhat perfunctorily as here.
March 28, 2020
I remember the first time I watched this as a child hiding behind the cushion really scared of the robots. It amazed me that leader of the robots was a human at the time. However now working in IT I can watch/read with detachment as I no longer find robots scary.
June 1, 2025
3.5 stars
Pretty straight forward adaptation of the TV show. Harder to track the characters in this because you don't have faces to match. A couple of strong personalities stood out but there are a lot of people at least initially.
Enjoyable story though.
Pretty straight forward adaptation of the TV show. Harder to track the characters in this because you don't have faces to match. A couple of strong personalities stood out but there are a lot of people at least initially.
Enjoyable story though.
November 16, 2025
It's a sharp script from Chris Boucher, but the novelising work often feels very perfunctory, with a lot of time clarifying information that the TV version was content to let the audience infer about its world.
March 3, 2019
A true to the Doctor story. Not traveling with my favorite companion,
Lol but made it through. A short story but it holds your interest.
Lol but made it through. A short story but it holds your interest.
June 13, 2020
Super quick read. Lots of fun, and it maintains the mystery of who is responsible for the robots of death better than the TV show did (or could have done).
August 12, 2020
Compelling read better than the tv show version.
August 15, 2020
Great, quick read that reflects the plot of the serial well. Very easy to pick up and read in a sitting.
December 6, 2020
A quick, fun read. Almost Christie-esque too.
I could picture Tom Baker, Louise Jameson and the remainder of the cast of the TV adaptation throughout.
I could picture Tom Baker, Louise Jameson and the remainder of the cast of the TV adaptation throughout.
February 8, 2023
One of my favourite serials, but the novelisation didn't get anywhere near matching up to my enjoyment of the TV story.
October 6, 2023
Classic Doctor Who, pretty much as I remember it from the TV programme. What’s not to like?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews