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Doctor Who Target Books (Numerical Order) #175
Doctor Who: The Zygon Invasion (Target Collection)
A new novelisation of the TV adventure featuring the Twelfth Doctor and Clara.
"We will die in the fire instead of living in chains."
For years, 20 million shape-changing Zygons have lived among us in secret. They wear human form, hiding in plain sight. Now a fanatical Zygon splinter group seek to expose their own kind and provoke a conflict that will force both sides to the brink of Armageddon to ensure their own survival.
It took three Doctors to broker a fragile peace between Zygons and Humans. Now the 12th must face the fallout alone. With his allies compromised and his companion believed dead, can he stop the world from plunging into war?
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
"We will die in the fire instead of living in chains."
For years, 20 million shape-changing Zygons have lived among us in secret. They wear human form, hiding in plain sight. Now a fanatical Zygon splinter group seek to expose their own kind and provoke a conflict that will force both sides to the brink of Armageddon to ensure their own survival.
It took three Doctors to broker a fragile peace between Zygons and Humans. Now the 12th must face the fallout alone. With his allies compromised and his companion believed dead, can he stop the world from plunging into war?
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
180 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 13, 2023
7 people are currently reading
152 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
September 24, 2023
This one was long delayed, but the wait was worth it. Not only is it a typically excellent, fleshed-out novelization...it also provides a unique back-story to Bonnie, tying in Clara's relationship to the late Danny Pink in an unexpected way. Very well done all around.
March 28, 2025
Twee afleveringen waarin een hoop gebeurt samenvatten in één dun boekje is wat krap. Vooral omdat er extra informatie over Bonnie en haar beweegredenen is toegevoegd. Dat maakte het wel duidelijker waarom ze doet wat ze doet, maar een stuk of honderd pagina's extra waren niet te veel gevraagd. Ondanks dat weer een leuk boek en die speech, aaaah die speech ❤️
August 9, 2023
Fairly straightforward adaptation, with some subtle touches to place it in the context of the stories around it and with one absolutely sublime footnote joke.
May 3, 2024
i wish to have passionate sex with the ending speech
July 13, 2023
Years ago, the Doctor negotiated a peace treaty between the humans and the Zygons, allowing twenty million Zygons to live on Earth but when the threat of war raises its head once more, Clara's life is at risk.
Harness keeps a fine balance between humour and tragedy in this important novelisation which examines identity and the importance of peace.
Harness keeps a fine balance between humour and tragedy in this important novelisation which examines identity and the importance of peace.
May 29, 2025
“She walked the short distance down to Dulwich, back to where the TARDIS had been left, beside the playground in Brockwell Park”
never thought i’d ever read a Doctor Who book partially set in my own hometown (let alone see it on TV)
never thought i’d ever read a Doctor Who book partially set in my own hometown (let alone see it on TV)
May 2, 2024
I loved these episodes. I hope there will more Target novelizations of the NuWho episodes.
July 15, 2023
3.5/5 stars, rounded up to 4
"The Zygon Invasion" is easily one of the best Twelfth Doctor stories. You've got Peter Capaldi's Doctor dealing with an imminent Zygon invasion, led by the enigmatic Bonnie who's decided to torpedo any attempts at peace with the humans after their original ceasefire fell apart. You've got a ton of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"-style paranoia, laced with some surprisingly scalding political commentary. And you've got, perhaps, the best Twelfth Doctor speech of his entire run. Put simply, the original episode was a masterclass in tension, paranoia, and acting. So, any novelization of such a near-masterpiece seems doomed to pale in comparison, right? Well, sort of.
On the one hand, Peter Harness' novelization of his original scripts is decidedly fine. A very standard Target "Doctor Who" novelization, faithfully adapting the episode as it aired, with a smattering of deleted scenes scattered about. But in all honesty, it's a bit disappointing. The truncated word count robs the story of a lot of its tension. There's just not enough breathing room here for Harness to lather in any real sense of paranoia the way the TV version does. It's clear the book wants to be a political thriller, oozing with intrigue and mystique. But it's just got too much to do and far too little room to do it in. It can't quite cover everything the way it wants to. So, most of the time, it reads like a slightly rejiggered version of the original script, just with the added benefit of prose that brings you a bit further into the characters' minds.
On the other hand, though, Harness does introduce a backstory in this novelization that wholly recontextualizes the entire story. If you found yourself confused about what, exactly, Bonnie's plan or motivations were, "The Zygon Invasion" novelization finally provides an answer. And it's a truly heartbreaking answer, too. Avoiding spoilers, it makes perfect sense and adds an extra layer of emotion to an already gut-punching story. Harness explores this backstory through flashback sequences told from Bonnie's point-of-view, spanning from moments after her birth all the way through the exact moment that radicalized her. And it's genuinely breathtaking stuff. It's just a shame that so little of the book actually explores that backstory. "The Zygon Invasion" needed something to make it stand out as a book, and this element could've been it had the novelization had more room to delve into it.
As it stands, "The Zygon Invasion" novelization is perfectly adequate. It's a well-written retelling of the TV story that adds a few extra details here and there but largely sticks to the script. Aside from that much-needed backstory, there's little here that works better than the TV version. And, in all honesty, it's hard to recommend this book to anyone over just rewatching the TV episodes. The original version is just such a better way to experience a story like this, even if there are parts of this novelization that do improve the story a bit. So ultimately, if you're a big fan of "Doctor Who", and of this story in particular, then give Harness' novelization a read. Heck, even if you didn't like the episode, maybe the novelization will change your mind. But if this is your first time experiencing "The Zygon Invasion", it's probably best to just stick with the TV version.
"The Zygon Invasion" is easily one of the best Twelfth Doctor stories. You've got Peter Capaldi's Doctor dealing with an imminent Zygon invasion, led by the enigmatic Bonnie who's decided to torpedo any attempts at peace with the humans after their original ceasefire fell apart. You've got a ton of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"-style paranoia, laced with some surprisingly scalding political commentary. And you've got, perhaps, the best Twelfth Doctor speech of his entire run. Put simply, the original episode was a masterclass in tension, paranoia, and acting. So, any novelization of such a near-masterpiece seems doomed to pale in comparison, right? Well, sort of.
On the one hand, Peter Harness' novelization of his original scripts is decidedly fine. A very standard Target "Doctor Who" novelization, faithfully adapting the episode as it aired, with a smattering of deleted scenes scattered about. But in all honesty, it's a bit disappointing. The truncated word count robs the story of a lot of its tension. There's just not enough breathing room here for Harness to lather in any real sense of paranoia the way the TV version does. It's clear the book wants to be a political thriller, oozing with intrigue and mystique. But it's just got too much to do and far too little room to do it in. It can't quite cover everything the way it wants to. So, most of the time, it reads like a slightly rejiggered version of the original script, just with the added benefit of prose that brings you a bit further into the characters' minds.
On the other hand, though, Harness does introduce a backstory in this novelization that wholly recontextualizes the entire story. If you found yourself confused about what, exactly, Bonnie's plan or motivations were, "The Zygon Invasion" novelization finally provides an answer. And it's a truly heartbreaking answer, too. Avoiding spoilers, it makes perfect sense and adds an extra layer of emotion to an already gut-punching story. Harness explores this backstory through flashback sequences told from Bonnie's point-of-view, spanning from moments after her birth all the way through the exact moment that radicalized her. And it's genuinely breathtaking stuff. It's just a shame that so little of the book actually explores that backstory. "The Zygon Invasion" needed something to make it stand out as a book, and this element could've been it had the novelization had more room to delve into it.
As it stands, "The Zygon Invasion" novelization is perfectly adequate. It's a well-written retelling of the TV story that adds a few extra details here and there but largely sticks to the script. Aside from that much-needed backstory, there's little here that works better than the TV version. And, in all honesty, it's hard to recommend this book to anyone over just rewatching the TV episodes. The original version is just such a better way to experience a story like this, even if there are parts of this novelization that do improve the story a bit. So ultimately, if you're a big fan of "Doctor Who", and of this story in particular, then give Harness' novelization a read. Heck, even if you didn't like the episode, maybe the novelization will change your mind. But if this is your first time experiencing "The Zygon Invasion", it's probably best to just stick with the TV version.
January 16, 2024
Series 9 of Doctor Who is one of the most underrated seasons of the sci-fi show in my own personal opinion. I loved how Steven Moffat and his production team were willing to experiment with the format of this season with nearly every story being a two-parter. This to me, allowed each story to have a lot more depth and room to breath for the most part. One of my favorite stories from Series 9 is The Zygon Invasion/The Zygon Inversion two-parter written by Peter Harness and Steven Moffat. That's why I was so happy to hear this great story was getting a Target novelization treatment and Peter Harness was coming back to write it!
The narrative behind The Zygon Invasion follows the 12th Doctor and Clara Oswald as they find themselves embroiled in an Zygon revolution on Earth. After the events of Day of the Doctor, humanity and the Zygons came to an uneasy peace agreement which meant millions of the Zygon race would be settled onto Earth on the basis they take and remain in the form of human beings. The core representation of this peace was the two Osgoods, who were tasked by the Doctor to monitor and maintain the peace. Unfortunately for the Doctor though, the peace doesn't last and a splinter cell of radicalized Zygons begin to infiltrate and take down Earths infrastructure. After the last remaining Osgood is kidnapped, UNIT enlists the Doctor and Clara to make a counter-plan to neutralize the revolution before it goes too far. With Zygon's networked deep and far however, the Doctor and his allies find themselves questioning who to trust as time runs out and they have to answer the necessary question; Truth or Consequences?
I love everything about the storyline of this book. The concepts at play here, despite being based on the foundation of a clearly fictional sci-fi show; feel remarkably real. Harness uses political undertones to make a great commentary on concepts like Immigration and War in such a smart way. The conflict is given some real weight by having the stakes feel way more personal this time round with integral characters actually dying. The fact that Harness is not only able to deliver a high-stake drama all the while using it to commentate and reflect on some integral themes is a testament to his ability as a writer. While being a clear-cut translation of the original episodes, I also adore Harness' attempt to give more perspective onto the Zygon side of the story by adding some chapters which reflect their own tribulations. It helps reinforce the grey nature of this story and how one side has no moral high ground over the other.
Harness helps the story by keeping the tone consistent all throughout. This is one of the grittier stories of New-Who, mainly because it understands the subject matter is serious and has to be delivered in a respectable format. As noted prior, that gritty tone makes the threat and overarching emotions be reciprocated appropriately. I like how the Doctor is a main conduit for the levity and hope of the story. Harness uses him perfectly to be the mediator in the conflict and make the reader empathize with both sides of the conflict. The only gripe you can pry out of me is pacing, as it's a Target book, the page count is limited so Harness couldn't stick on some sequences for too long. I would love to see a full-fledged book adapted from this story one day, I'd buy it day one just to see how Harness would transcribe the story with a lot more room to play with.
Like the TV episodes it's based on, The Zygon Invasion book captures everything that makes this story recognizably great. It balances modern-day political commentary in line with a credible plotline from the Doctor Who world. There's a reason this story sticks out to me from the entirety of Capaldi's era, it successfully delivers a narrative rich in quality while also being a conduit for something far more important for us to take away and learn from. It's well worth a read from any self-respecting Doctor Who fan.
The narrative behind The Zygon Invasion follows the 12th Doctor and Clara Oswald as they find themselves embroiled in an Zygon revolution on Earth. After the events of Day of the Doctor, humanity and the Zygons came to an uneasy peace agreement which meant millions of the Zygon race would be settled onto Earth on the basis they take and remain in the form of human beings. The core representation of this peace was the two Osgoods, who were tasked by the Doctor to monitor and maintain the peace. Unfortunately for the Doctor though, the peace doesn't last and a splinter cell of radicalized Zygons begin to infiltrate and take down Earths infrastructure. After the last remaining Osgood is kidnapped, UNIT enlists the Doctor and Clara to make a counter-plan to neutralize the revolution before it goes too far. With Zygon's networked deep and far however, the Doctor and his allies find themselves questioning who to trust as time runs out and they have to answer the necessary question; Truth or Consequences?
I love everything about the storyline of this book. The concepts at play here, despite being based on the foundation of a clearly fictional sci-fi show; feel remarkably real. Harness uses political undertones to make a great commentary on concepts like Immigration and War in such a smart way. The conflict is given some real weight by having the stakes feel way more personal this time round with integral characters actually dying. The fact that Harness is not only able to deliver a high-stake drama all the while using it to commentate and reflect on some integral themes is a testament to his ability as a writer. While being a clear-cut translation of the original episodes, I also adore Harness' attempt to give more perspective onto the Zygon side of the story by adding some chapters which reflect their own tribulations. It helps reinforce the grey nature of this story and how one side has no moral high ground over the other.
Harness helps the story by keeping the tone consistent all throughout. This is one of the grittier stories of New-Who, mainly because it understands the subject matter is serious and has to be delivered in a respectable format. As noted prior, that gritty tone makes the threat and overarching emotions be reciprocated appropriately. I like how the Doctor is a main conduit for the levity and hope of the story. Harness uses him perfectly to be the mediator in the conflict and make the reader empathize with both sides of the conflict. The only gripe you can pry out of me is pacing, as it's a Target book, the page count is limited so Harness couldn't stick on some sequences for too long. I would love to see a full-fledged book adapted from this story one day, I'd buy it day one just to see how Harness would transcribe the story with a lot more room to play with.
Like the TV episodes it's based on, The Zygon Invasion book captures everything that makes this story recognizably great. It balances modern-day political commentary in line with a credible plotline from the Doctor Who world. There's a reason this story sticks out to me from the entirety of Capaldi's era, it successfully delivers a narrative rich in quality while also being a conduit for something far more important for us to take away and learn from. It's well worth a read from any self-respecting Doctor Who fan.
November 27, 2023
A novelisation of two episodes of Doctor Who (originally scripted by Harness and Steven Moffat) featuring Peter Capaldi's Twelfth Doctor and his companion Clara Oswald.
Twenty million shape-shifting Zygons have been living among the population of Earth for years as part of an uneasy peace brokered by the Doctor. However, the peace begins to unravel when a splinter group of Zygons set out to unveil their hidden brethren and spark a war with humanity.
As something of a follow-up to 'The Day of the Doctor' (my favourite Who story) and featuring my favourite incarnation of the Doctor, I've always been quite fond of the televised version of these two episodes from Series 9.
Here, however, I discovered that much of my affection for those episodes hinged upon the performances of the actors involved, in particular Capaldi and Jenna Coleman as both Clara and her Zygon doppelganger Bonnie. Without the strength of those performances some of the elements here fall a bit flat, not least the humour and the Doctor's impassioned speech about the nature of war.
So what we're left with is a bit of a mixed bag, with some really interesting core ideas like the conflict of Zygons being forced to live a lie but also some fairly awkward filler moments (the badly is-this-an-80s-action-movie named Turmezistan, for example).
All that said, the messaging of the Doctor helping others through the same 'push a button and commit genocide' decision that he made in his previous lives resonates really nicely.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
Twenty million shape-shifting Zygons have been living among the population of Earth for years as part of an uneasy peace brokered by the Doctor. However, the peace begins to unravel when a splinter group of Zygons set out to unveil their hidden brethren and spark a war with humanity.
As something of a follow-up to 'The Day of the Doctor' (my favourite Who story) and featuring my favourite incarnation of the Doctor, I've always been quite fond of the televised version of these two episodes from Series 9.
Here, however, I discovered that much of my affection for those episodes hinged upon the performances of the actors involved, in particular Capaldi and Jenna Coleman as both Clara and her Zygon doppelganger Bonnie. Without the strength of those performances some of the elements here fall a bit flat, not least the humour and the Doctor's impassioned speech about the nature of war.
So what we're left with is a bit of a mixed bag, with some really interesting core ideas like the conflict of Zygons being forced to live a lie but also some fairly awkward filler moments (the badly is-this-an-80s-action-movie named Turmezistan, for example).
All that said, the messaging of the Doctor helping others through the same 'push a button and commit genocide' decision that he made in his previous lives resonates really nicely.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
August 7, 2023
The ending of this book is sublime. In Doctor Who the “big speeches” can be hit and miss but this story has the Doctor’s biggest and most impactful speech. Beautifully realised both on screen and in this book. Like the best of science fiction it makes you reflect on related real world issues
Overall this book is a solid retelling of a complex couple of Doctor Who episodes which don’t read quite as well on the page as they came across on television. There are however lots of funny moments and newly added moments that make it a worthwhile read for fans. It reminded me of the story in question and made me feel like I knew the story that bit better.
Overall this book is a solid retelling of a complex couple of Doctor Who episodes which don’t read quite as well on the page as they came across on television. There are however lots of funny moments and newly added moments that make it a worthwhile read for fans. It reminded me of the story in question and made me feel like I knew the story that bit better.
October 1, 2023
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/doctor-who-the-zygon-invasion-by-peter-harness/
The novelisation is a good competent screen-to-page job, adding a bit more background about the Zygon Bonnie (who used to have a boyfriend called Clyde, who looked like Danny Pink). There are a couple of footnotes citing other DW novelisations, including one quoting a books called The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein, for which you will search bookshops in vain. At my reading pace it’s quicker to read the novelisation than rewatch the story, and it’s well enough done.
The novelisation is a good competent screen-to-page job, adding a bit more background about the Zygon Bonnie (who used to have a boyfriend called Clyde, who looked like Danny Pink). There are a couple of footnotes citing other DW novelisations, including one quoting a books called The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein, for which you will search bookshops in vain. At my reading pace it’s quicker to read the novelisation than rewatch the story, and it’s well enough done.
January 6, 2024
A good adaptation of a great story. I understand that some bits get changed in adaptations but I feel like changing the approach to the big speech everyone knows from this story was a bit of a weird move. It just didn’t have the same gripping tension that the episode itself had.
This is quite clear when you go back and listen to Capaldi’s performance while reading that pre speech section.
But overall the story was still one that hooked me in and got me turning page after page. And that speech still hits home even in just prose. Though I would love to know how other people would perform it if they hadn’t heard Capaldi’s version.
This is quite clear when you go back and listen to Capaldi’s performance while reading that pre speech section.
But overall the story was still one that hooked me in and got me turning page after page. And that speech still hits home even in just prose. Though I would love to know how other people would perform it if they hadn’t heard Capaldi’s version.
June 6, 2024
There are some really cool additions to this Target novelization, like a backstory for Bonnie that reveals how she had met a Zygon who took on the form of Danny Pink and called himself 'Clyde'. It does a particularly excellent job at diving deeper into Bonnie's motivations, and why she is so bitter towards the ceasefire.
It's also interesting reading The Day Of The Doctor from Osgood's perspective. It's a neat way of incorporating the flashback to Day of the Doctor at the beginning of the story.
It's also interesting reading The Day Of The Doctor from Osgood's perspective. It's a neat way of incorporating the flashback to Day of the Doctor at the beginning of the story.
April 24, 2025
Well damn! This is the first book of this series that I’ve read and I did not expect for it to give so much more introspection and backstory than the episodes.
Bonnie’s backstory was so so needed to understand the reasons behind her anger, in the episode it was quite unclear why the Zygons would flip out like that.
Also, the way Danny was brought back into the picture was heart-wrenching and I loved every bit of it :’)
Bonnie’s backstory was so so needed to understand the reasons behind her anger, in the episode it was quite unclear why the Zygons would flip out like that.
Also, the way Danny was brought back into the picture was heart-wrenching and I loved every bit of it :’)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 24, 2023
Rating: 3.5 stars
I love the Zygon episodes of New Who but parts of this adaptation just didn’t work for me; some of the added bits didn’t fit properly, especially some of Clara’s extra thoughts. The book has certainly made me want to rewatch all of Twelve & Clara’s episodes again though. They truly are my favourites.
I also miss Osgood. I hope she (they?) will pop up again one day.
I love the Zygon episodes of New Who but parts of this adaptation just didn’t work for me; some of the added bits didn’t fit properly, especially some of Clara’s extra thoughts. The book has certainly made me want to rewatch all of Twelve & Clara’s episodes again though. They truly are my favourites.
I also miss Osgood. I hope she (they?) will pop up again one day.
December 6, 2023
Sometimes Targets expand on and improve under developed Who. Not really the case here which struggles with the same problems the original had of a weak globe hopping story, weak tie ins to real world ishoos (radicalised Muslims but they're zygons) and thinly characterised leads.
December 15, 2023
A brilliant expansion of the tv episodes with Bonnie's heart-breaking backstory. This makes much more sense of why some Zygons would break the deal so violently. There are some great character background details which flesh the tale out.
June 4, 2024
terrible optics of equating muslims with blobby monsters, wishy washy centrist politics, a not very interesting style, just very very poor. why would bonnie be allowed to copy clara's body if clara's body print allows her access to the black archive??
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 23, 2025
Being a big Capaldi fan, this Zygon two-parter doesn't rate super highly for me episode wise (yes the speech is great but there's an hour and a half of story before thay). But once again, Target makes something so readable and fun that you can't help but enjoy it.
July 14, 2023
An excellent addition to the Target novelisation range.
July 16, 2023
I wasn’t expecting too much but this was good! Peter Capaldi’s facetiousness is hard to capture but it came through here with plenty of heart. Nice refugee subtext and the pacing was just right. Fab
September 27, 2023
Lit er a ture
December 23, 2023
Still one of my favourite who stories❤️🥺
December 27, 2023
A confusing TV episode turned into a book that's just as confusing.
February 11, 2024
Not one of my favourite 12th Doctor stories (they came in his final season) but still not a bad read
March 10, 2024
Easy breezy beautiful. Takes a story I was lukewarm on and turns it into something I really liked, the Bonnie and Clyde sections were masterful.
March 15, 2024
The speech is excellent form Peter thank you.
Read
March 17, 2024"Zygons notwithstanding, it was one of the last truly peaceful years of the twenty-first century."
March 30, 2025
Loved this novelization so much.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews