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Doctor Who Target Books (Numerical Order) #147
Doctor Who: The Space Pirates
The charges detonate in a series of silent explosions, and space beacon Alpha One disintegrates into lumps of metal. The space pirates have discovered a new source of precious argonite…
General Hermack of the Space Corps diverts his V-ship to investigate - and arrives in the Pliny system in time to witness the destruction of another beacon. Determined to trap the pirates, he leaves a squad of guards on beacon Alpha Four - and shortly afterwards, in the beacon’s computer bay, the incongruous shape of a blue police box materialises.
Suspected by the Space Corps of being pirates, and then pursued as spies by the pirates themselves, the Doctor, Zoe and Jamie risk asphyxiation in the vacuum of space, execution and explosion in their attempts to unmask the mastermind behind the thefts of argonite.
General Hermack of the Space Corps diverts his V-ship to investigate - and arrives in the Pliny system in time to witness the destruction of another beacon. Determined to trap the pirates, he leaves a squad of guards on beacon Alpha Four - and shortly afterwards, in the beacon’s computer bay, the incongruous shape of a blue police box materialises.
Suspected by the Space Corps of being pirates, and then pursued as spies by the pirates themselves, the Doctor, Zoe and Jamie risk asphyxiation in the vacuum of space, execution and explosion in their attempts to unmask the mastermind behind the thefts of argonite.
144 pages, Paperback
First published July 15, 1990
195 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 - 30 of 33 reviews
November 12, 2018
With this poorly received penultimate Second Doctor mostly missing from the archive, I decided to read the novelisation for my marathon.
I’d hoped that Dicks would improve this much maligned story, but being near the end of the Target range this just feels like they are mopping up the last few serials and this just feels very workmen like and dull.
It’s a shame as condensing a six parter into the short page count could have really helped move the story along.
I’d hoped that Dicks would improve this much maligned story, but being near the end of the Target range this just feels like they are mopping up the last few serials and this just feels very workmen like and dull.
It’s a shame as condensing a six parter into the short page count could have really helped move the story along.
February 9, 2019
How to rate The Space Pirates, that is a hard question. The Space Pirates is one of the lost Doctor Who stories, that only one episode exists. Based upon that there is not a high rating of the story. I remember when the book first came out, the reviewer even said the design of the book was terrible. (I do give him points on that, since yellow text with a gray spine does not work.) So with a sense of negativity going into the story how do I feel about it? Not bad.
The book is not that bad, but it is not good. There are some concepts that make it interesting. It is not often in Science-Fiction you see a concept of space pirates. Here they come across with a purpose but not being stereotyped. You also see the efforts of the Interstellar Space Corps to capture them. The other unique spot is having a strong female in charge of a large corporation. Remember the script was written back in 1969.
However, even with those interesting concepts you get the old stereotype 'prospector' thrown in and halfway through the female leader becomes weak. Also, one of the plot points (minor spoiler) has her father locked in his old office. Which is located near her office.
As for the Doctor and his companions, they seem to be an afterthought to the story. It could have been written without them. The story ends up being better than some of the others in this season. Though Terrance Dicks again tries to lift it above what might have been seen on TV. As someone once wrote about Earthshock, not bad if treated as a first draft.
The book is not that bad, but it is not good. There are some concepts that make it interesting. It is not often in Science-Fiction you see a concept of space pirates. Here they come across with a purpose but not being stereotyped. You also see the efforts of the Interstellar Space Corps to capture them. The other unique spot is having a strong female in charge of a large corporation. Remember the script was written back in 1969.
However, even with those interesting concepts you get the old stereotype 'prospector' thrown in and halfway through the female leader becomes weak. Also, one of the plot points (minor spoiler) has her father locked in his old office. Which is located near her office.
As for the Doctor and his companions, they seem to be an afterthought to the story. It could have been written without them. The story ends up being better than some of the others in this season. Though Terrance Dicks again tries to lift it above what might have been seen on TV. As someone once wrote about Earthshock, not bad if treated as a first draft.
November 13, 2023
It was great! My favourite book and my favourite Dr a who story, if your not a fan of the reconstruction then I highly recommend to read this one
January 13, 2024
The increased page count of the late-80s suits this overly-padded story. It’s an ok read, featuring the lovely pastiches that Robert Holmes would later become famous for, but it’s also a weak story.
October 4, 2024
'So we're worse off than ever,' said Zoe sternly. 'Now we're just floating hopelessly in space.'
The Doctor looked contrite. 'I'm afraid we are. What a stupid blundering idiot I am!'
No one disagreed.
Hugely entertaining B-movie shlock.
The Doctor looked contrite. 'I'm afraid we are. What a stupid blundering idiot I am!'
No one disagreed.
Hugely entertaining B-movie shlock.
September 1, 2018
Ok book, not something I’d normally read but needed it for a challenge. It was ok... :)
March 28, 2023
Doctor Who – The Space Pirates, by Terrance Dicks. Target, 1990. Number 147 in the Doctor Who Library. 132 pages, paperback. Original script by Robert Holmes, BBC 1969. ISBN: 0-426-20346-1.
This adventure features the 2nd Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe.
The TARDIS materializes in what appears to be a control room. But what does it control? When the Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe set off to investigate, they are chased by armed men who force them into another room. The men seem to leave but the TARDIS trio are locked in the room. A violent explosion knocks them unconscious. When they wake, they discover that the room they are in is floating in space. A look through a window reveals that the structure they had materialized in is in pieces, floating in formation, as if being directed. And the TARDIS is in a different section!
Rather than wait to find out to where they are going, the Doctor attempts to change the polarity of the metal in order to draw their room toward another. His attempt goes wrong and they are pushed farther away. Just as they think they are doomed, with their air running out, the door opens. Argonite miner Milo Clancy, who is being pursued by General Hermack of the Space Corps on suspicion of piracy, has docked with their section and they are rescued. Clancy informs the TARDIS crew that they were on a space beacon that was broken into sections to be melted down for the argonite, a precious metal, by pirates.
Clancy takes them in secrecy to Ta, home of Issigri Mining Corporation, where he has a sour history with Madeleine Issigri, head of the corporation and daughter of his former mining partner, Dom Issigri. A space pirate named Caven, who is behind the stolen beacon and he has interests in the Issigri family and the corporation, is also on Ta awaiting the arrival of the Space Corps with evil intentions for all.
What is Caven’s interest in the Issigri Mining Corporation?
What is Clancy’s history with Madeleine and Dom Issigri?
Will the Doctor be able to save Ta and a Space Corps V-ship from destruction by Caven?
Will the time travelers ever get back to the TARDIS?
I found The Space Pirates to be an enjoyable read. Engaging characters, good tension where needed, and well-paced, it’s a good adventure story. There’s a variety of character types: the determined general, the evil space pirate, the salty old miner, and the corrupted corporation owner, among others. No one is perfect, they all have flaws, which makes them good characters and adds layers to the story.
I enjoyed this story and can easily recommend it.
This adventure features the 2nd Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe.
The TARDIS materializes in what appears to be a control room. But what does it control? When the Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe set off to investigate, they are chased by armed men who force them into another room. The men seem to leave but the TARDIS trio are locked in the room. A violent explosion knocks them unconscious. When they wake, they discover that the room they are in is floating in space. A look through a window reveals that the structure they had materialized in is in pieces, floating in formation, as if being directed. And the TARDIS is in a different section!
Rather than wait to find out to where they are going, the Doctor attempts to change the polarity of the metal in order to draw their room toward another. His attempt goes wrong and they are pushed farther away. Just as they think they are doomed, with their air running out, the door opens. Argonite miner Milo Clancy, who is being pursued by General Hermack of the Space Corps on suspicion of piracy, has docked with their section and they are rescued. Clancy informs the TARDIS crew that they were on a space beacon that was broken into sections to be melted down for the argonite, a precious metal, by pirates.
Clancy takes them in secrecy to Ta, home of Issigri Mining Corporation, where he has a sour history with Madeleine Issigri, head of the corporation and daughter of his former mining partner, Dom Issigri. A space pirate named Caven, who is behind the stolen beacon and he has interests in the Issigri family and the corporation, is also on Ta awaiting the arrival of the Space Corps with evil intentions for all.
What is Caven’s interest in the Issigri Mining Corporation?
What is Clancy’s history with Madeleine and Dom Issigri?
Will the Doctor be able to save Ta and a Space Corps V-ship from destruction by Caven?
Will the time travelers ever get back to the TARDIS?
I found The Space Pirates to be an enjoyable read. Engaging characters, good tension where needed, and well-paced, it’s a good adventure story. There’s a variety of character types: the determined general, the evil space pirate, the salty old miner, and the corrupted corporation owner, among others. No one is perfect, they all have flaws, which makes them good characters and adds layers to the story.
I enjoyed this story and can easily recommend it.
January 3, 2026
"Men had expended thousands of hours and millions of galactic credits to put Beacon Alpha One into position. Now other men were coming to destroy it. "
Revered as possibly the worst Doctor Who television story in the show's original 26-year run, the Space Pirates is also among those episodes that are famously difficult to watch. I thought I'd read the Target novelisation to get a better idea of what the story actually was, and to see if Terrance Dicks' writing would turn it into a classic.
It didn't, but I can see the intention with this story. The main problem is that it's framed like a historical story. The Doctor and his companions have basically no bearing on the plot. In historical stories, this works, because the setting is known to the viewers and most of the enjoyment comes with watching the Doctor interact with figures such as Richard the Lionheart. The in-universe explanation for the main characters' lack of agency is that "time can't be rewritten". This doesn't work in the Space Pirates as no-one cares about the side characters. And so as a result, this reads like a poor attempt at early sci-fi world-building. I've not watched Star Trek, but I imagine this is what I imagine bad Star Trek to be like. There's nothing original here and although Dicks tries to make something out of the script, there's precious little to work with. It reads well-enough, but is so fast that every single line is plot. It won't leave too bad an aftertaste, but you'll forget you read it within days.
The Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe are all characterised perfectly, but I wouldn't expect anything less. It's amazing how clearly you can visualise the original actors saying the lines that Dicks gives to them. The side characters, as previously mentioned, are just stock characters that you've seen in every classic Doctor Who story. I didn't care one bit for any of the 'twists' throughout the story, and although I found Milo Clancy more entertaining than the other characters, I can imagine he'd be so so annoying on television.
This book was absolutely nothing special but it has at least made me interested in rewatching the TV story.
Revered as possibly the worst Doctor Who television story in the show's original 26-year run, the Space Pirates is also among those episodes that are famously difficult to watch. I thought I'd read the Target novelisation to get a better idea of what the story actually was, and to see if Terrance Dicks' writing would turn it into a classic.
It didn't, but I can see the intention with this story. The main problem is that it's framed like a historical story. The Doctor and his companions have basically no bearing on the plot. In historical stories, this works, because the setting is known to the viewers and most of the enjoyment comes with watching the Doctor interact with figures such as Richard the Lionheart. The in-universe explanation for the main characters' lack of agency is that "time can't be rewritten". This doesn't work in the Space Pirates as no-one cares about the side characters. And so as a result, this reads like a poor attempt at early sci-fi world-building. I've not watched Star Trek, but I imagine this is what I imagine bad Star Trek to be like. There's nothing original here and although Dicks tries to make something out of the script, there's precious little to work with. It reads well-enough, but is so fast that every single line is plot. It won't leave too bad an aftertaste, but you'll forget you read it within days.
The Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe are all characterised perfectly, but I wouldn't expect anything less. It's amazing how clearly you can visualise the original actors saying the lines that Dicks gives to them. The side characters, as previously mentioned, are just stock characters that you've seen in every classic Doctor Who story. I didn't care one bit for any of the 'twists' throughout the story, and although I found Milo Clancy more entertaining than the other characters, I can imagine he'd be so so annoying on television.
This book was absolutely nothing special but it has at least made me interested in rewatching the TV story.
March 3, 2021
Not entirely sure how to rate this, but probably around a 3 for me as a Doctor Who story, closer to a 4 as a story - I do actually quite enjoy this story, but can understand why others don't - it doesn't really feel like much of a Doctor Who story.
Very much a western in space, but I find it a pretty good view of what a potential future could be like, with criminals and law enforcement still in play, and nice echoes of westerns in here - someone reminiscent of Firefly for me (though Firefly far superior).
Has a good cast of one off characters here, with plenty of action and intrigue for them.
However, for a Doctor Who story, the Doctor and his companions don't get a lot to do, the Doctor coming across a bit more like Obi Wan or something - a wise old man able to help out when needed, but otherwise disappearing into the background, and Zoe and Jamie get even less to do, especially Zoe unfortunately.
Could have been a good non Doctor Who story I think :)
Very much a western in space, but I find it a pretty good view of what a potential future could be like, with criminals and law enforcement still in play, and nice echoes of westerns in here - someone reminiscent of Firefly for me (though Firefly far superior).
Has a good cast of one off characters here, with plenty of action and intrigue for them.
However, for a Doctor Who story, the Doctor and his companions don't get a lot to do, the Doctor coming across a bit more like Obi Wan or something - a wise old man able to help out when needed, but otherwise disappearing into the background, and Zoe and Jamie get even less to do, especially Zoe unfortunately.
Could have been a good non Doctor Who story I think :)
January 6, 2025
Based on a script by Robert Holmes this is number 147 in the Target catalogue. It’s also the 6th story in the 6th season and had 6 episodes. Is this why it’s mostly missing?? 😊 The cover art is by Tony Clark.
This story is a straight up swash-buckling adventure as you’d expect with the title. I’ve watched the reconstruction of few times and it sort of drags, whereas the book version rips along at a breakneck speed. And the story is better for being compressed and accelerated.
Terrance’s writing is clear and concise. Towards the end as things move and there’s lots a swapping between the different characters the description of the settings drops of and it becomes almost pure dialogue. This didn’t matter as locations had been described earlier and it would have slowed the pace.
This isn’t the best Doctor Who story as the plot is fairly pedestrian, but it’s good solid entertainment well told.
This story is a straight up swash-buckling adventure as you’d expect with the title. I’ve watched the reconstruction of few times and it sort of drags, whereas the book version rips along at a breakneck speed. And the story is better for being compressed and accelerated.
Terrance’s writing is clear and concise. Towards the end as things move and there’s lots a swapping between the different characters the description of the settings drops of and it becomes almost pure dialogue. This didn’t matter as locations had been described earlier and it would have slowed the pace.
This isn’t the best Doctor Who story as the plot is fairly pedestrian, but it’s good solid entertainment well told.
May 21, 2025
Though I've long held the suspicion that The Space Pirates was actually a pretty cool story, and everyone would know it if the bulk of the episodes hadn't been lost, every time I consume it in some form - and the rapid-fire adaptation by Terrance Dicks is no different - I realize why it can't be true. I think I'm always taken by the world-building and politics (and the novel at least does away with the characterization of Milo as a twangy mine prospector from the Old West), but the truth is, the Doctor and his companions are largely incidental to the plot. They come in at various points to solve problems for the cast, but they're largely passengers, out of the action while we watch the actual characters of the piece do things. It feels like one of those early historicals where the TARDIS crew are just observers, in and out of prison cells to create some jeopardy, as fixed events unfold. Except in the future. Dicks does well with the material, but it's flawed.
June 19, 2021
It's an adaptation of a TV script from 60's Doctor Who, Terrance Ricks does his best to improve the pace of this adventure. The plot does work better, lots of action and suspense. The Doctor and Jamie each have moments to shine, narrow escapes and villains for Jamie to fight, last second rescues with The Doctor using his sonic screwdriver to defuse bombs. It's not perfect but it's paced well enough that readers won't get bored with the story.
February 24, 2022
This was an interesting space adventure featuring the 2nd Doctor, Jaime, and Zoe. Since this is one of the missing episodes of the early series I have never seen it. For the most part I liked it and kind of wish that they would do a cartoon version of this one like they have with the other missing episodes just so I could watch it.
April 14, 2023
Doctor Who : The Space Pirates (1990) by Terrance Dicks is the novelisation of the sixth serial of the sixth season of Doctor Who.
The Second Doctor, Zoe and Jamie land in a space beacon that is soon destroyed. They get involved with crusty old space miners and space pirates.
It’s all pretty silly though.
The Space Pirates is one for completionists.
The Second Doctor, Zoe and Jamie land in a space beacon that is soon destroyed. They get involved with crusty old space miners and space pirates.
It’s all pretty silly though.
The Space Pirates is one for completionists.
May 28, 2022
It's already a middling story, but I think that the lack of effort in novelising was particularly obvious here. There were several points that could really have done with the sort of fleshing-out you can do in prose and just...nothing happened there.
February 27, 2018
Dicks does his best to adapt a so-so, at best, story, but only so much could be done.
October 5, 2019
A fairly enjoyable romp. Terrance Dicks is the good hands writer for the Target novelizations and he did a solid job here.
November 15, 2023
A good story.
November 27, 2023
This is a good audio edition. Single narrator but with sound effects. Story hold together better than some DW stories. Overall enjoyable 4.5 hour shorter story.
December 3, 2023
Short but enjoyable novel. Good linear story avoiding the usual back and forth of the characters of some of the books.
March 15, 2025
3.5⭐️ this was a quick and fun audio book. Some loveable space pirates are always a bit of fun. And it was definitely a cheering for the pirates kind of story.
January 18, 2017
I like reading these old novelisations of old Doctor Who stories again, some of them are truly better than their pulp origins, some of them however are very much Doctor Who by numbers and Terrance Dicks is at his most average for this book.
Good stuff for a young reader though.
Good stuff for a young reader though.
March 19, 2023
pdf; 135 pages
Not too bad as a novelisation, managing to speed up the occasionally pedestrian pacing of the filmed version - and meaning we don't get the Milo as prospector-in-spacesuit accent (!) or the General's variable regional one...
Not too bad as a novelisation, managing to speed up the occasionally pedestrian pacing of the filmed version - and meaning we don't get the Milo as prospector-in-spacesuit accent (!) or the General's variable regional one...
December 19, 2016
I read the novel, "Doctor Who: The Space Pirates" by Terrance Dicks. I gave this book 3 stars because it didn't blow me away, but it wasn't awful either. It was an easy read and didn't have to think to hard about it. The plot takes place in space where the main character, Milo Clancey, must help save the Doctor, Zoe, and Jamie from the space pirates led by Caven and Dervish who have captured the group. The group is then trying to reach safety by getting to their ship called the TARDIS. There were some parts in the book when some characters turned bad or did acts of murder and this really shocked me at times. The setting was easy to picture because Dicks did a good job of painting a picture of what space and some of the planets/ ships were like. The author's writing stye helped shape the book, because sometimes in the same chapter it would switch to different characters at different places. This helped the reader know what was going on at the same time at different places. If you are into pirates and space this is a book for you.
August 14, 2013
I don't hand out a lot of 5 star ratings, but this tight novelization was the most compelling science fiction story I've read this year. It's not well-written, far from it. But the pacing, the characterizations, and the themes made me stop and think about my own work, and how easily it could be improved.
Despite its very 60's roots, this story could be written for today's market, and succeed. I deeply regret that only one episode of this serial remains, but we'll always have this book to make the Doctor live again.
Despite its very 60's roots, this story could be written for today's market, and succeed. I deeply regret that only one episode of this serial remains, but we'll always have this book to make the Doctor live again.
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April 8, 2009http://nhw.livejournal.com/1031032.html#cutid5[return][return]The good thing about the novelisation is that we are spared the excruciatingly awful accents of the original version (Milo Clancy is almost certainly Irish here). The bad thing is that we see even more clearly just how implausible the plot actually is. None the less, I felt Dicks was trying a little harder here, and he has made a pretty awful story slightly less awful.
December 14, 2009
Second Doctor, Jamie, Zoe. Novelisation of a season 6 story of which only one part out of six has been recovered. Good writing, bad plot. Terrance Dicks has made it readable, but this has to be the worst classic Doctor Who episode--stupid and monotonous. If it included some senseless teen angst it would fit perfectly into Virgin's New Adventures line.
January 9, 2010
Nice attempt to show a more 'real' view of space travel and a bit of space opera without alien monsters results in a pretty dry and meandering story.
Nice attempt to try something different, but not a great story.
Nice attempt to try something different, but not a great story.
November 30, 2011
Rollicking space pirate adventurer featuring our favorite Time Lord in a tale replete with double-crosses and nick of time rescues. One of the missing episodes, the novelization does a great job of capturing the flavor of the series.
January 25, 2011
Terrance Dicks tries VERY hard to salvage something here...but the source material is simply too uninspiring for embellishment.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews