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Doctor Who Target Books (Numerical Order) #96
Doctor Who: The Mind of Evil
Eminent scientist Emil Keller has developed a revolutionary new process for the treatment of hardened criminals. His invention, the Keller Machine, is being heralded as a major scientific breakthrough.
But Professor Keller is in truth the Master and the Keller Machine is much more than a mere machine. Soon the Doctor is involved in a bitter struggle with his deadliest enemy, an alien mind parasite, and a diabolical scheme to plunge the world into a Third World War...
But Professor Keller is in truth the Master and the Keller Machine is much more than a mere machine. Soon the Doctor is involved in a bitter struggle with his deadliest enemy, an alien mind parasite, and a diabolical scheme to plunge the world into a Third World War...
144 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1985
4 people are currently reading
247 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 35 reviews
June 2, 2019
Most of Dicks latter novelisations of the first Three Doctor’s are normally best described as workman like efforts, so it was a pleasant surprise that this Third Doctor story was such a joyous read.
I always tend to overlook this Six part serial as their are stronger Master stories during this season, but Dicks apparent enjoyment for this adventure was infectious.
It’s a fairly faithful retelling but it’s The Doctor and Jo’s characteristics that leap from the page.
It’s compelling and fast paced plus I always like stories that reference past adventures.
I feel that the Target range help the longer stories with the condensed page count.
3.5/5.
I always tend to overlook this Six part serial as their are stronger Master stories during this season, but Dicks apparent enjoyment for this adventure was infectious.
It’s a fairly faithful retelling but it’s The Doctor and Jo’s characteristics that leap from the page.
It’s compelling and fast paced plus I always like stories that reference past adventures.
I feel that the Target range help the longer stories with the condensed page count.
3.5/5.
August 30, 2021
This is a novelization of the second adventure of the eighth season of Doctor Who, which was broadcast in January through March of 1971. Terrance Dicks wrote the adaptation, which very closely followed the teleplay that was written by Don Houghton. The third version of The Doctor stars, joined by one of his most popular companions, Jo Grant, who worked for UNIT. Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Captain Mike Yates, and Sergeant Benton are also on hand, and the story's big bad is The Doctor nefarious nemesis The Master. The Master has formed a private army by taking over the minds of the prisoners at Stangmoor Prison, and his goal is to use them to capture a deadly nerve-gas missile, The Thunderbolt, so he can detonate it at a peace conference. ('Cause, y'know, he's --evil--!) The Doctor foils his plan, but The Master escapes with a valuable part of The Doctor's TARDIS and the story ends with a mocking phone call. It's a good adaptation of one of the classic, if standard, episodes of the time, and Dicks does a good job of presenting the characters.
May 15, 2022
A very enjoytable read, as usual with books by Terrance Dicks. Although the tv story is recreated very well, this is probably not Dick's best - fitting 6 25 minute episodes into 144 pages didn't leave him any room for embellishments. He understood exactly how to adapt the tv serials into books and deliver good novels at the same time , and this is no exception.
March 22, 2022
The 3rd Doctor and Jo. What can I say. Brilliant as ever. Of course this is the book adapttation of the television episode. So yes I recall the episode. However when you haven't seen it in over 20 years, it's nice to read it and see it in your mind's eye all over again.
March 14, 2019
Many Whovians consider "The Daemons" to be the Pertwee-ist story of the Third Doctor's era.
I tend to disagree and point instead to "The Mind of Evil" as the story that brings together most of the elements required for a "essential" Pertwee-era adventure. Featuring UNIT, the Master, and multiple threats to Earth, "The Mind of Evil" has long been one of my favorite stories from this era -- and even the entire run of classic Doctor Who.
Which is why it's a darn shame that Terrance Dicks' adaptation of the story doesn't even begin to do it justice. If there were ever a story crying out for the rounding out of things that Dicks was able to do with "The Auton Invasion" or "Day of the Daleks," it's "The Mind of Evil." Instead, we get Uncle Terrance late in his run of adapting the original version for the printed page.
"Mind of Evil" is a virtual scene-by-scene adaptation of the original script with little or no embellishment. The story starts off with multiple threads including a new rehabilitation device being looked into by the Doctor and Jo, a peace conference in London, and UNIT being in charge of getting rid of a nerve gas missile. The first half of the story finds these three threads slowly converging thanks to the connecting tissue of the Master, who has come up with a scheme to destroy the Earth and leave the Doctor in ruins and humiliated behind him.
As with many of the Roger Delgado Master stories, the Master's plan hinges on creating an alliance with some type of alien power and not thinking through the plot. By the concluding episode, this alliance or plot has gone south and the Master soon finds himself turning to the Doctor and UNIT to help bail him out of a jam of his own creation (I bet he doesn't read service agreements on web sites either!). On screen, this cliche is easily overlooked simply because Roger Delgado as the Master is simply magnetic in the role (that plus, he's got his own theme song). On the printed page, it becomes a bit more glaring -- especially here when the Master brings an evil, mind sucking alien parasite to Earth but doesn't bother to consider what could happen if it becomes too powerful or strong for him to control.
I will give the story a bit of credit where the Master is concerned. The plot he's hatched here is far more elaborate and required a bit more gumption to put into place than many of the half-baked plots the Anthony Ainley Master will use during the '80's. The Master has to have months to establish his identity as Emil Keller, set up and use the Keller device and put his plan to steal the nerve gas missile into motion. This is far more complex than just saying, "You know what would be fun? No more Magna Carta!"
The adaptation of this one doesn't quite capture the original well. The horror of the Doctor facing his greatest fears at the mercy of the Keller device should elicit a greater sense of danger and unease than it does. And when the machine becomes mobile in the second half of the story, it feels like this should ratchet up the drama just a bit. However, it comes across as feeling more like a plot point that Dicks had to hit and tick off. (Again, it could be possible that the incidental music and visuals really help polish over some of the loopholes and script deficiencies).
It all makes for a disappointing adaptation of a story that I see as one of the essential stories of its era.
Richard Franklin's reading of the novel as an audiobook works well enough. I don't hold it against Franklin that he's given a book that doesn't quite live up to expectations. But while his work on "The Claws of Axos" was an unexpected pleasure, this one doesn't have quite the same energy level (and this is despite Mike Yates having a fairly significant role in the final three episodes)
If there is one classic series serial that might benefit from a fresh adaptation (as several Target novels have been in the audiobook line), it would be this one.
I tend to disagree and point instead to "The Mind of Evil" as the story that brings together most of the elements required for a "essential" Pertwee-era adventure. Featuring UNIT, the Master, and multiple threats to Earth, "The Mind of Evil" has long been one of my favorite stories from this era -- and even the entire run of classic Doctor Who.
Which is why it's a darn shame that Terrance Dicks' adaptation of the story doesn't even begin to do it justice. If there were ever a story crying out for the rounding out of things that Dicks was able to do with "The Auton Invasion" or "Day of the Daleks," it's "The Mind of Evil." Instead, we get Uncle Terrance late in his run of adapting the original version for the printed page.
"Mind of Evil" is a virtual scene-by-scene adaptation of the original script with little or no embellishment. The story starts off with multiple threads including a new rehabilitation device being looked into by the Doctor and Jo, a peace conference in London, and UNIT being in charge of getting rid of a nerve gas missile. The first half of the story finds these three threads slowly converging thanks to the connecting tissue of the Master, who has come up with a scheme to destroy the Earth and leave the Doctor in ruins and humiliated behind him.
As with many of the Roger Delgado Master stories, the Master's plan hinges on creating an alliance with some type of alien power and not thinking through the plot. By the concluding episode, this alliance or plot has gone south and the Master soon finds himself turning to the Doctor and UNIT to help bail him out of a jam of his own creation (I bet he doesn't read service agreements on web sites either!). On screen, this cliche is easily overlooked simply because Roger Delgado as the Master is simply magnetic in the role (that plus, he's got his own theme song). On the printed page, it becomes a bit more glaring -- especially here when the Master brings an evil, mind sucking alien parasite to Earth but doesn't bother to consider what could happen if it becomes too powerful or strong for him to control.
I will give the story a bit of credit where the Master is concerned. The plot he's hatched here is far more elaborate and required a bit more gumption to put into place than many of the half-baked plots the Anthony Ainley Master will use during the '80's. The Master has to have months to establish his identity as Emil Keller, set up and use the Keller device and put his plan to steal the nerve gas missile into motion. This is far more complex than just saying, "You know what would be fun? No more Magna Carta!"
The adaptation of this one doesn't quite capture the original well. The horror of the Doctor facing his greatest fears at the mercy of the Keller device should elicit a greater sense of danger and unease than it does. And when the machine becomes mobile in the second half of the story, it feels like this should ratchet up the drama just a bit. However, it comes across as feeling more like a plot point that Dicks had to hit and tick off. (Again, it could be possible that the incidental music and visuals really help polish over some of the loopholes and script deficiencies).
It all makes for a disappointing adaptation of a story that I see as one of the essential stories of its era.
Richard Franklin's reading of the novel as an audiobook works well enough. I don't hold it against Franklin that he's given a book that doesn't quite live up to expectations. But while his work on "The Claws of Axos" was an unexpected pleasure, this one doesn't have quite the same energy level (and this is despite Mike Yates having a fairly significant role in the final three episodes)
If there is one classic series serial that might benefit from a fresh adaptation (as several Target novels have been in the audiobook line), it would be this one.
May 16, 2011
Late in his Target novelization career, with his attention turning to the more forgotten Pertwee-era stories, Terrance Dicks strikes gold. "The Mind of Evil" is a prime example of Dicks' skill at being concise without sacrificing detail or depth. Don Houghton would be pleased with this excellent adaptation of his scripts.
March 14, 2023
There’s always some sadness when you come to a novelization of a story that you adore and find that it is a rare case where the book doesn’t quite do it the justice it deserves. The Mind of Evil has always been a story that has been overlooked, one of the very few Jon Pertwee television stories not to be novelized in the 1970s along with The Ambassadors of Death, Inferno, and The Time Monster, all provide by Terrance Dicks which should be the perfect choice, and for Inferno was, as he was script editor for the era. The Mind of Evil, however, on television is a six episode serial that wastes absolutely none of its time in getting going and there is very little in terms of plot points which can be jettisoned, meaning that the novelization process would be a difficult one. Dicks is at his best when he’s able to take a four-part story and expand on the characters while keeping the integrity of the script. This is especially present in early novelizations like Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion or even Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen, but for The Mind of Evil there is no real way to facilitate this expansion beyond a little bit for the character of Barnham.
Dicks also is genuinely struggling with the pace of The Mind of Evil. The sense is that Dicks really wants to get to the scenes where the Doctor and the Master are on screen together since that’s where he really can flex his character writing muscles, but for The Mind of Evil there aren’t as many scenes. The Master, while not off-screen, is more reserved than in Terror of the Autons so Dicks doesn’t really get the chance to allow that dynamic to shine. Whenever the Doctor and the Master meet the book just picks up and there is this great energy, heck it’s even there in the depiction of the Master’s introduction. Since much of the story is dealing with the global peace conference, Terrance Dicks kind of shows his limited cultural knowledge in simplifying a lot of the political context and cutting out the Cantonese dialogue completely, though luckily he does not attempt to fake it, instead just stating the characters are not speaking English. The climax with the Thunderbolt being stolen and recovered does pick things up especially, beginning with the prison escape which while missing the direction of Timothy Combe and HAVOC, has genuinely great bits in it with those added character moments for the Brigadier, the Doctor, Jo, and even Sergeant Benton getting one.
Overall, The Mind of Evil is sadly a mid-tier Target novelization simply because it gets the job done without showing the passion and ideas that the best adaptations would do. Terrance Dicks’ adaptation is easy enough to read despite dragging in the middle, but it feels lacking without the production behind it. 6/10.
Dicks also is genuinely struggling with the pace of The Mind of Evil. The sense is that Dicks really wants to get to the scenes where the Doctor and the Master are on screen together since that’s where he really can flex his character writing muscles, but for The Mind of Evil there aren’t as many scenes. The Master, while not off-screen, is more reserved than in Terror of the Autons so Dicks doesn’t really get the chance to allow that dynamic to shine. Whenever the Doctor and the Master meet the book just picks up and there is this great energy, heck it’s even there in the depiction of the Master’s introduction. Since much of the story is dealing with the global peace conference, Terrance Dicks kind of shows his limited cultural knowledge in simplifying a lot of the political context and cutting out the Cantonese dialogue completely, though luckily he does not attempt to fake it, instead just stating the characters are not speaking English. The climax with the Thunderbolt being stolen and recovered does pick things up especially, beginning with the prison escape which while missing the direction of Timothy Combe and HAVOC, has genuinely great bits in it with those added character moments for the Brigadier, the Doctor, Jo, and even Sergeant Benton getting one.
Overall, The Mind of Evil is sadly a mid-tier Target novelization simply because it gets the job done without showing the passion and ideas that the best adaptations would do. Terrance Dicks’ adaptation is easy enough to read despite dragging in the middle, but it feels lacking without the production behind it. 6/10.
February 25, 2022
Among the earliest Third Doctor serials, The Mind of Evil was one of the final ones novelized as part of the Target range in the mid-1980s. As such, this prose version is a snapshot of a moment in the range's history when Terrance Dicks, no longer writing much of the range's output singlehandedly, started bringing in more of the touches that marked his earlier books. There's some brief fleshing out of supporting characters, explaining one or two odd moments from the TV version (like that episode two cliffhanger), and some of the action sequences come across very well on the page. It's also exceedingly well-paced and, given that Dicks got his start as a TV writer doing thriller series like The Avengers, it's perhaps not surprising that an SF thriller like The Mind of Evil would bring out more than your typical Who script. Yet, it's still got a bit too much copy and paste style pedestrian prose while the climactic prison assault feels rushed and underserved by Dicks' prose.
Still, if you're a fan of this era or this serial, in particular, this is a neat way to experience it once more. Not to mention some wonderful cover art with a superb likeness of Roger Delgado's Master looming out from it. They say you can't judge a book by its cover, but there's an exception to every rule...
Still, if you're a fan of this era or this serial, in particular, this is a neat way to experience it once more. Not to mention some wonderful cover art with a superb likeness of Roger Delgado's Master looming out from it. They say you can't judge a book by its cover, but there's an exception to every rule...
February 26, 2025
Based on a script by Don Houghton this is number 96 in the Target catalogue. The cover is by Andrew Skilleter. The cover is good, as far as it goes, but it’s only half the story. There’s no sign of the Keller Machine which makes the title imply the Master is the Mind of Evil. While not wholly inaccurate, it’s the Machine which gets referred to as the mind o evil. But the Master and Thunderbolt set against the red background is nicely evocative.
I feel some of the 6 part Doctor Who stories are dragged out. This is not one of them. This story has multiple twists and turns warranting the length. And having all that condensed into the standard Target length means the story fairly rips along.
I do have a problem with the title of chapter 11 if you look at the table of contents. It’s doing my head in. Did they do that to deliberately mess with peoples OCD?
All in all it’s an excellent adaptation. Of course my opinion is slightly biased as we’re no in the era of ‘My Doctor’, the one I saw as a kid. Late Pertwee and early Baker, that is the sweet spot for me. And Roger is the only Master.
I feel some of the 6 part Doctor Who stories are dragged out. This is not one of them. This story has multiple twists and turns warranting the length. And having all that condensed into the standard Target length means the story fairly rips along.
I do have a problem with the title of chapter 11 if you look at the table of contents. It’s doing my head in. Did they do that to deliberately mess with peoples OCD?
All in all it’s an excellent adaptation. Of course my opinion is slightly biased as we’re no in the era of ‘My Doctor’, the one I saw as a kid. Late Pertwee and early Baker, that is the sweet spot for me. And Roger is the only Master.
June 12, 2025
There's a lot going on in The Mind of Evil, but whether on TV or in book form (by the ever-dependable Terrence Dicks), they can't hide the fact that the Doctor and/or Jo keep getting captured as soon as they've escaped. Maybe it's even worse in the novelisation because it moves much more quickly than the original 6-parter. But it's still a fun bit of business where everyone gets to be an action star - the Doctor, Jo, the Brigadier, Benton (not very well, but still) AND Mike Yates. With such an "internal" villain - a mind parasite that kills through your own greatest fears - Dicks is able to go into characters' heads to explain WHY such and such a fear was shown on the telly, giving those scenes a more unlimited budget that really makes them shine. This is probably one of the Master's best plots - at least it doesn't hinge on him allying with aliens that betray him. It's kind of that anyway, but it didn't start out that way, so I'll give him bonus points for it.
March 11, 2021
Another good story here, following on well from the previous story with the UNIT crew really meshing well, with us seeing the different characteristics and thus fun interactions between the Brigadier, Yates, Benton, Jo and the Doctor.
The Master returns here, and this is where we also start seeing something that can be quite often the case with the Master - where his plans can go awry and he needs to try and extricate himself from his own difficulties, so not just being a straight up adversary to be defeated. Thanks to this, is the first time we see the Doctor and the Master forced by circumstances to have to work together at times as well.
The prison setting is a bit of a bleak one at times, but helps add to the atmosphere of the story, and the 'machine' in use here is also quite an interesting idea, something we see features of in future stories as well.
All round a good read.
The Master returns here, and this is where we also start seeing something that can be quite often the case with the Master - where his plans can go awry and he needs to try and extricate himself from his own difficulties, so not just being a straight up adversary to be defeated. Thanks to this, is the first time we see the Doctor and the Master forced by circumstances to have to work together at times as well.
The prison setting is a bit of a bleak one at times, but helps add to the atmosphere of the story, and the 'machine' in use here is also quite an interesting idea, something we see features of in future stories as well.
All round a good read.
November 6, 2022
2.5/5
I'm not particularly big on this serial, to be honest - and like the story it's adapting, the novelisation started out reasonably interesting before dropping off. But while I feel like on TV the problem is switching to a plot strand that doesn't compel me, here it's the usual Terrance Dicks issue where he sprinkles a few interesting things into the novelisation but not enough to make it stand on its own. I really liked the opening paragraph! By the end, any hope it had inspired was gone.
Also there's at least one description of a prisoner which sounds like he was channelling Victorian ideas of criminality and physiognomy and I really disliked that.
I'm not particularly big on this serial, to be honest - and like the story it's adapting, the novelisation started out reasonably interesting before dropping off. But while I feel like on TV the problem is switching to a plot strand that doesn't compel me, here it's the usual Terrance Dicks issue where he sprinkles a few interesting things into the novelisation but not enough to make it stand on its own. I really liked the opening paragraph! By the end, any hope it had inspired was gone.
Also there's at least one description of a prisoner which sounds like he was channelling Victorian ideas of criminality and physiognomy and I really disliked that.
April 28, 2023
Doctor Who : The Mind of Evil (1985) by Terrance Dicks is the novelisation of the second serial of the eighth season of Doctor Who and the 56th serial.
The Doctor, Jo and the Unit team investigate a strange machine that removes evil thoughts from prisoners. The Doctor suspects something is up and lo and behold there is. The Master is off being an evil mastermind as usual. There is some mind control, a strange alien parasite that feeds of bad vibes and a nuclear and biological missile.
It’s all quite fun. The Master is a good villain and the Doctor and he spar off well.
The Doctor, Jo and the Unit team investigate a strange machine that removes evil thoughts from prisoners. The Doctor suspects something is up and lo and behold there is. The Master is off being an evil mastermind as usual. There is some mind control, a strange alien parasite that feeds of bad vibes and a nuclear and biological missile.
It’s all quite fun. The Master is a good villain and the Doctor and he spar off well.
January 11, 2023
I only vaguely remember this episode, as the 3rd Doctor and Jo were not my father's favorite duo so we didn't watch their run as much when I was a kid. Overall, this was a good standard Doctor Who story. Although I did feel bad for some of the people who were hurt and killed due to being experimented on by overeager scientists.
March 17, 2024
A brilliant retelling of what was originally an overlong story. There’s a lot of characters and plots, some of which get dumped by the wayside, but the whole is such a wonderful exercise that you don’t mind until you think about it afterwards. There’s very little padding in this version and it’s all wonderfully written.
July 17, 2019
The BBC Audio is from the television soundtrack which leaves a fair amount of detail out. It is okay if you are a Doctor Who fan and know who the characters are but in no way should it be considered a standalone book.
August 26, 2024
I felt it was a faithful adaptation of the TV story. I loved that there is a good amount of Mike Yates in the book and that it shows his humorous side. I like the expanded scenes for the supporting and minor characters. I'm not sure why Major Cosworth's name was changed to Cosgrove in the book.
April 25, 2019
pdf
A more than serviceable novelisation of a story that can seem overlong and complicated on screen.
A more than serviceable novelisation of a story that can seem overlong and complicated on screen.
February 15, 2024
Oude doctor who avonturen blijven ideaal als audioboek terwijl je handen bezig zijn. Niet meer en niet minder dan dat.
June 7, 2024
A classic Doctor Who story with a great battle of wits between The Doctor and The Master
July 16, 2025
Typical TD / Third Dr story when he was exiled to Earth and involving the Master. Bare bones of the 6 TV episodes but enjoyable regardless. I'll watch those episodes now I've read the book.
January 30, 2016
"Doctor Who and the Mind of Evil" is, in my opinion, one of the greatest classic episodes of Doctor Who, including characters such as the Master, the Doctor's old frienemy from his home planet, and the mainstay of 70s Doctor Who, Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. This story featured the Third Doctor and his companion and "assistant" Jo Grant, an operative for UNIT, the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, a United Nations group dealing with both terrestrial and extraterrestrial threats to mankind.
The story begins with the Brigaider holed up in his office, busy at UNIT taking care of accommodations for the world's "first ever peace conference." He sends the Doctor to Stangmoor Prison to keep him busy and out of his way, but the Doctor soon finds that there's trouble afoot there. The book revolves around virtually the script, word for word, of the show, with descriptions added in, and occasionally, the thoughts of certain characters (As the narration comes from a third person omniscient viewpoint.) These thoughts are an interesting addition, as we don't get to hear them on the 6 episodes this story spanned on the show.
Overall, the story is interesting, and it's short enough to be finished in a day or so. I highly suggest that you watch the 6 episodes of the Mind of Evil as a supplement to this book, lest you get confused concerning the many one-off characters and your lack of mental images of them. It's also better to have seen the show and to be able to hear the character's voices mentally as they speak.
The story begins with the Brigaider holed up in his office, busy at UNIT taking care of accommodations for the world's "first ever peace conference." He sends the Doctor to Stangmoor Prison to keep him busy and out of his way, but the Doctor soon finds that there's trouble afoot there. The book revolves around virtually the script, word for word, of the show, with descriptions added in, and occasionally, the thoughts of certain characters (As the narration comes from a third person omniscient viewpoint.) These thoughts are an interesting addition, as we don't get to hear them on the 6 episodes this story spanned on the show.
Overall, the story is interesting, and it's short enough to be finished in a day or so. I highly suggest that you watch the 6 episodes of the Mind of Evil as a supplement to this book, lest you get confused concerning the many one-off characters and your lack of mental images of them. It's also better to have seen the show and to be able to hear the character's voices mentally as they speak.
February 9, 2019
A couple of things going into this review. It was odd reading this book, because I don't have Terror of the Autons, so I miss the introduction of Jo Grant and the Master. This makes this book feel a bit disjointed due to that. The other after two Missing Adventures, I'm back into the Target style of books.
This is a decent book. We are back with the Target style of reading so it is fast and crisp. It carries over what was on TV to the printed form. The plot is decent, though it feels disjointed as the Master's plot seems to switch during the middle of it. Not clear why he gets involved in the Peace Conference if he is just going to steel the missile all along.
You get the standard feel for the characters. Terrance Dicks is able to expand a few things into the story to flesh out the characters. Overall decent to read, but just a standard story.
One comment, does the Mater seem to have needy relation with the Doctor? He wants to beat the Doctor, but seems to always need his help to complete his plan or save him. Never noticed it before, but is clear in this story.
This is a decent book. We are back with the Target style of reading so it is fast and crisp. It carries over what was on TV to the printed form. The plot is decent, though it feels disjointed as the Master's plot seems to switch during the middle of it. Not clear why he gets involved in the Peace Conference if he is just going to steel the missile all along.
You get the standard feel for the characters. Terrance Dicks is able to expand a few things into the story to flesh out the characters. Overall decent to read, but just a standard story.
One comment, does the Mater seem to have needy relation with the Doctor? He wants to beat the Doctor, but seems to always need his help to complete his plan or save him. Never noticed it before, but is clear in this story.
October 8, 2015
This is one of those books I've had sitting on my shelf for decades. I may have tried to read it as a kid or a teen, but possibly I didn't understand it. I grew up starting to watch Doctor Who with the fourth Doctor, and this one is an adventure with the third Doctor and his companion, Jo. It is very much told in the style of the classic series in which there are two locations: a prison and a peace conference. The Doctor must work out the connection between the two and how to stop the Master's fiendish plot. If you enjoy Doctor Who, especially of the classic series, I recommend this as a light read.
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April 8, 2009http://nhw.livejournal.com/1033342.html?#cutid2[return][return]As often happens with stories from this period, we lose the action sequences which made the original story watchable and the confusion of the plot is therefore mercilessly exposed to the reader. Three different strands of action (Master/Keller machine; nerve gas nuclear missile; peace conference) all combine here rather confusingly.
October 25, 2012
I read this novel several month after watching the serial. It helped a lot in those aspects I didn't fully understand while watching.
Also, I really, really like the chemistry between the Doctor and the Master.
There's not a particular huge amount of action in this one, nor is it really scary.
Sometimes I felt there could be more details, for example regarding feelings. But it is basically the serial being written down, so hardly any more information.
It was easy to read and I quite enjoyed it.
Also, I really, really like the chemistry between the Doctor and the Master.
There's not a particular huge amount of action in this one, nor is it really scary.
Sometimes I felt there could be more details, for example regarding feelings. But it is basically the serial being written down, so hardly any more information.
It was easy to read and I quite enjoyed it.
February 2, 2012
A couple of prison riots, an evil alien intelligence, The Master's master plan, a nuclear nerve gas missile,* and some cold, dusty toast ... all in a typical day's work for The Doctor.
* In the name of Doctorness, I'm able to accept that without going into a long discourse on exactly why and how that's silly, but it did sound scarier than just a plain old nuclear missile, didn't it?
* In the name of Doctorness, I'm able to accept that without going into a long discourse on exactly why and how that's silly, but it did sound scarier than just a plain old nuclear missile, didn't it?
January 14, 2016
A faithful rendition of the TV episodes with a few added details for completeness. This story gives a vivid example of the force of will wielded by the Master. It's much more dangerous than simple hypnotism and proves he's a worthy match for the Doctor.
April 12, 2008
How to deal with an ever increasing prison population? Why, suck the "evil" right out of their brains, of course! And of course, the Master is behind the whole scheme somehow...
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