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Doctor Who Target Books (Numerical Order) #70
Doctor Who and the War Games
Mud, barbed wire, the smell of death.... The year is 1917 and the TARDIS has materialised on the Western Front during the First World War. Or has it? For very soon, the Doctor finds himself pursued by the soldiers of Ancient Rome; and then he and his companions are reliving the American Civil War of 1863. And is this really Earth, or just a mock-up created by the War Lords?
As Doctor Who solves the mystery, he has to admit he is faced with an evil of such magnitude that he cannot combat it on his own - he has to call for the help of his own people, the Time Lords. So, for the first time, it is revealed who is Doctor Who - a maverick Time Lord who 'borrowed' the TARDIS without permission. By appealing to the Time Lords he gives away his position in Time and Space. Thus comes about the Trial of Doctor Who....
As Doctor Who solves the mystery, he has to admit he is faced with an evil of such magnitude that he cannot combat it on his own - he has to call for the help of his own people, the Time Lords. So, for the first time, it is revealed who is Doctor Who - a maverick Time Lord who 'borrowed' the TARDIS without permission. By appealing to the Time Lords he gives away his position in Time and Space. Thus comes about the Trial of Doctor Who....
143 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
6 people are currently reading
391 people want to read
About the author
Malcolm Hulke
44 books23 followersMalcolm Hulke was a British science fiction writer best known for his tenure as a writer on the popular series Doctor Who. He is credited with writing eight stories for Doctor Who, mostly featuring the Third Doctor as played by Jon Pertwee. With Terrance Dicks, he wrote the final serial of Patrick Troughton's run as the Doctor, the epic ten-part story "The War Games." Hulke may be best known for writing "The Silurians," the story that created the titular race that is still featured in Doctor Who. Hulke's stories were well-known for writing characters that were not black and white in terms of morality: there was never a clear good guy vs. bad guy bent to his story.
Hulke joined the Communist Party of Great Britain in 1945 and worked briefly as a typist in the party's headquarters. He left the party in 1951, objecting to the Soviet Union's hostility to Yugoslavia and its line on the Korean War, but soon rejoined, and appears to have remained a member of the party, on until the early 1960s. His politics remained firmly on the left, and this was reflected in his writings, which often explored anti-authoritarian, environmental, and humanist themes.
In addition to his television writing, Hulke wrote the novelizations of seven television Doctor Who stories, each of which had written for the screen. He died at the age of fifty-four, shortly before his novelization of "The War Games" would be published.
Hulke joined the Communist Party of Great Britain in 1945 and worked briefly as a typist in the party's headquarters. He left the party in 1951, objecting to the Soviet Union's hostility to Yugoslavia and its line on the Korean War, but soon rejoined, and appears to have remained a member of the party, on until the early 1960s. His politics remained firmly on the left, and this was reflected in his writings, which often explored anti-authoritarian, environmental, and humanist themes.
In addition to his television writing, Hulke wrote the novelizations of seven television Doctor Who stories, each of which had written for the screen. He died at the age of fifty-four, shortly before his novelization of "The War Games" would be published.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
March 18, 2019
The Target range traditionally helps writers to improve their stories without the hindrance of a television budget, so it’s somewhat ironic that one of the best serials during the Classic series novelisation is hindered by the page count restrictions.
Hulke produces a serviceable novel of the epic Second Doctor story, in truth I was slightly surprised that he didn’t stick to a chapter per episode.
I felt that Hulke at least made the best attempt of putting this great story to print, though these episodes do have a certain charm.
In fact this was the story that Diana Gabaldon credits as the inspiration for her Outlander series.
It’s enjoyable enough adaptation though I’d be inclined to recommend the DVD instead.
Hulke produces a serviceable novel of the epic Second Doctor story, in truth I was slightly surprised that he didn’t stick to a chapter per episode.
I felt that Hulke at least made the best attempt of putting this great story to print, though these episodes do have a certain charm.
In fact this was the story that Diana Gabaldon credits as the inspiration for her Outlander series.
It’s enjoyable enough adaptation though I’d be inclined to recommend the DVD instead.
November 8, 2021
This was the final (seventh) serial from the sixth Doctor Who season, which was broadcast in ten segments from April through June of 1969. Malcolm Hulke adapted the teleplay that he had written in collaboration with Terrance Dicks a decade earlier for this book. It marked the final time The Doctor starred in his second incarnation, and was also the final adventure for his two companions, 18th century Scotsman Jamie McCrimmon and the under-appreciated Zoe Heriot, future (21st century) genius, librarian, and astrophysicist. It was an iconic episode in many ways, and Hulke does a fine job of condensing the very long series of events into the Target format. The Doctor is identified as a Time Lord for the first time, and calls upon them for help in returning kidnapped soldiers who have been abducted to form an army by a renegade Time Lord known as the War Chief. Jamie and Zoe are returned to their time of origin, and their memories of their time with The Doctor are erased, even as a third regeneration is forced upon him after they have put him or trial and found him guilty of violating the non-interference policy. It's a very poignant scene, and Hulke describes it well and wistfully.... things would never be the same again. Two things of interest (that have nothing to do with this book version) are that it was the last Doctor Who adventure to be recorded in black and white, and that Diana Gabaldon has been quoted as saying that watching this episode inspired her to set her Outlander series of books in Jacobite Scotland and to name her protagonist Jamie.
June 18, 2011
The final story of the second Doctor's era suffers under the Target mandate that Who books could only run 126 pages. So, while there's a lot of running around to fill out 10 episodes in the "War Games" on screen, distilling it down to 12 pages per episodes leaves you with a feeling like this is a Cliff's Notes version of the story.
April 2, 2017
Chuckle-worthy moments:
Zoe asked, "Doctor, why are you trying to get away from the Time Lords? Why did you leave them in the first place?"
"I was bored. They're very dull. They have immense powers, their life spans are infinite. Yet all they do is to observe and gather knowledge. As for myself, I like to get involved in things."
Later on...
"You can't change what I look like without consulting me!"
"Here is your first choice," said the (Time Lord) voice. On the screen appeared a man's face -- sunken cheeks, hair white, dull eyes.
"Good gracious," exclaimed the Doctor. "Too old!"
The first picture was replaced with another.
"No, never! Too thin!"
Another picture appeared.
"Too young. No one would respect me..."
---
As for the book itself, the plot concept was incredible, with a collection of soldiers pulled from different periods over the Earth and assembled together on a gamefield, quite reminiscent of the game Risk. However, the pace of the book was rather slow and monotonous much of the time. I am sure part of that is attributed to this being a 1979 short serial novel with a genre designation for "children." By 21st century standards it would be hard pressed to captivate a young person's attention. Overall. I give it 3.5 - 4 stars.
Zoe asked, "Doctor, why are you trying to get away from the Time Lords? Why did you leave them in the first place?"
"I was bored. They're very dull. They have immense powers, their life spans are infinite. Yet all they do is to observe and gather knowledge. As for myself, I like to get involved in things."
Later on...
"You can't change what I look like without consulting me!"
"Here is your first choice," said the (Time Lord) voice. On the screen appeared a man's face -- sunken cheeks, hair white, dull eyes.
"Good gracious," exclaimed the Doctor. "Too old!"
The first picture was replaced with another.
"No, never! Too thin!"
Another picture appeared.
"Too young. No one would respect me..."
---
As for the book itself, the plot concept was incredible, with a collection of soldiers pulled from different periods over the Earth and assembled together on a gamefield, quite reminiscent of the game Risk. However, the pace of the book was rather slow and monotonous much of the time. I am sure part of that is attributed to this being a 1979 short serial novel with a genre designation for "children." By 21st century standards it would be hard pressed to captivate a young person's attention. Overall. I give it 3.5 - 4 stars.
July 11, 2024
I can see why people love this story. Full of suspense and intrigue. The Doctor, Jamie and Zoey find themselves stuck in the middle of No Man’s Land but nothing is what it seems.
This story ends the adventures of the 2nd Doctor but I had a blast reading this one. The villains are interesting and their motivations are deliciously diabolical.
Very enjoyable story, maybe a few too many characters to remember for the short length of the book, may have been easier to keep track of characters while watching the original serial
This story ends the adventures of the 2nd Doctor but I had a blast reading this one. The villains are interesting and their motivations are deliciously diabolical.
Very enjoyable story, maybe a few too many characters to remember for the short length of the book, may have been easier to keep track of characters while watching the original serial
December 9, 2021
I enjoyed this adaptation, as far as it went. Constrained by a woefully short page count by Target, Hulke did his best but it inevitably feels very rushed in places. Admittedly, the tv episodes have a lot of padding involving lots of escape, run around a bit, get recaptured etc. which can be glossed over quickly in the narrative. I don't think this one will make it to the top of my favourite DW books list any time soon, though.
January 15, 2019
Although I don't remember reading this book as a kid, it still manages to give me a buzz of nostalgia. It is the most "Doctor Who Novelisation" feeling book I have ever read, with Malcom Hulke's efficient writing style, lots of action, adventure, and daring escapes, an interesting science fiction dilemma, and an alien mastermind whose plan that is suitably bonkers.
The television version is a sprawling, epic, adventure, across a good number of episodes. The limited page count clips back the story, and thunders through it at a break neck pace, without feeling abridged or edited, or leaving a feel of "this would make sense if we had a little more time".
That is not to say there aren't areas that would have benefited from a little more exploration, where a few scenes might have added a layer of depth. Little glimpses of what happened to the soldiers who passed selection. (Were they the security guards we saw? What war are they sent to fight?) In at least one scene the story suffers a little because of the literal description of what was on the screen, rather than a more imaginative explanation of a fantastical idea.
Somehow the results are charming, and fun, everything an adventure serial should be.
The television version is a sprawling, epic, adventure, across a good number of episodes. The limited page count clips back the story, and thunders through it at a break neck pace, without feeling abridged or edited, or leaving a feel of "this would make sense if we had a little more time".
That is not to say there aren't areas that would have benefited from a little more exploration, where a few scenes might have added a layer of depth. Little glimpses of what happened to the soldiers who passed selection. (Were they the security guards we saw? What war are they sent to fight?) In at least one scene the story suffers a little because of the literal description of what was on the screen, rather than a more imaginative explanation of a fantastical idea.
Somehow the results are charming, and fun, everything an adventure serial should be.
Read
April 8, 2009http://nhw.livejournal.com/1031032.html#cutid6[return][return]I seem to be against received fannish wisdom in finding this rather good, if taken on its own merits. The original story is one of the great Who stories; the novelisation, constrained to less than fifteen pages for each of the ten episodes, is not quite of the same quality, but none the less tells a good story well, with decent foreshadowing of the Doctor's fate and sensible meditations on the nature of war. This is the first Hulke novelisation I have read in this run, and sadly was the last he wrote before his death, so I am looking forward to the others.
May 24, 2008
An adaption that is able to improve upon the TV show.
The War Games is a great story idea and a very important part of Who history, but it was ten episodes long and six of them consisted of lots of running around not accomplishing much.
The book trims out a lot of the TV show's padding, isn't held back by a special effects budget or actors that just can't do a southern accent and give the story just the right pacing.
The War Games is a great story idea and a very important part of Who history, but it was ten episodes long and six of them consisted of lots of running around not accomplishing much.
The book trims out a lot of the TV show's padding, isn't held back by a special effects budget or actors that just can't do a southern accent and give the story just the right pacing.
March 14, 2025
If anyone was going to novelize The War Games and make it work it’d be Malcolm Hulke, of the serial’s cowriters Hulke is the one with the more interesting style and understanding of how to get a long story down to the length of the Target novel. Doctor Who and the War Games is a novelization that by design had to continually be moving from point to point less it be unable to reach the story’s end. The compression in this circumstance is particularly necessary less the story not work, so Hulke tackles it from the perspective of the Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe. They are the main characters and they should be the ones that move the plot forward, but it does mean that there’s a lot of the smaller character moments and cutaway scenes necessary in a recorded as live television production from 1969 that get cut. There are a handful of minor characters cut completely, or perhaps better say combined to actually keep the story flowing. It does lessen what made The War Games as a story actually work because it is truly a massive ten part epic. The compression does mean that the focus on the Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe adds to their characterization, especially Jamie and Zoe’s general leadership in bringing the resistance together. Zoe’s eidetic memory is put to particularly good use which while in the original television serial is emphasized here, same with how young she is making her eventual fate all the sadder (even sadder than Jamie’s despite having the same fate).
That isn’t to say Malcolm Hulke is cutting with abandon; he is picking what he keeps and to a lesser extent what he adds particularly carefully. If The War Games was relatively subtle in how anti-war it is, Doctor Who and the War Games adds a paragraph of dialogue near the end to make it explicit that nobody actually wins in war. The idea that the War Lords are kidnapping people for a galaxy spanning war is presented as a warped view of wanting galactic peace. It’s an intentionally satirical idea that humanity actually wants to end war because they don’t. Hulke does additions to the portrayal of the Time Lords in essentially the same way. At the Doctor’s trial there is a Great Voice of the Time Lords, something implied to be bigger than all of them and a bit of cosmic horror, while being just as hypocritical as they would be completely known to be. The fact that after being exiled to Earth there is this glib comment from one of the Time Lords secretly rooting for the Doctor is also telling for how the hypocrisy works. Hulke knows exactly what he is doing here.
Overall, Doctor Who and the War Games was never going to be nearly as good as the relevision serial with the constraints of a Target novel. Malcolm Hulke still delivers on an actual novel in terms of storytelling meaning that it does manage to stand on its own and be a good novel. The characters are there, there is extra worldbuilding, and an understanding of prose as a format. 8/10
That isn’t to say Malcolm Hulke is cutting with abandon; he is picking what he keeps and to a lesser extent what he adds particularly carefully. If The War Games was relatively subtle in how anti-war it is, Doctor Who and the War Games adds a paragraph of dialogue near the end to make it explicit that nobody actually wins in war. The idea that the War Lords are kidnapping people for a galaxy spanning war is presented as a warped view of wanting galactic peace. It’s an intentionally satirical idea that humanity actually wants to end war because they don’t. Hulke does additions to the portrayal of the Time Lords in essentially the same way. At the Doctor’s trial there is a Great Voice of the Time Lords, something implied to be bigger than all of them and a bit of cosmic horror, while being just as hypocritical as they would be completely known to be. The fact that after being exiled to Earth there is this glib comment from one of the Time Lords secretly rooting for the Doctor is also telling for how the hypocrisy works. Hulke knows exactly what he is doing here.
Overall, Doctor Who and the War Games was never going to be nearly as good as the relevision serial with the constraints of a Target novel. Malcolm Hulke still delivers on an actual novel in terms of storytelling meaning that it does manage to stand on its own and be a good novel. The characters are there, there is extra worldbuilding, and an understanding of prose as a format. 8/10
January 13, 2025
Based on a script co-written with Terrance Dicks this is number 70 in the Target catalogue. The first cover is by John Geary and the second by Alister Pearson. Of the 2 covers I have to say I think the second captures a lot more of the story. And I like that it’s essentially black and white as this was the last story before Doctor Who went colour (though I first saw Pertwee in B/W as Australia didn’t get colour TV until ’75).
I need to find myself a battered copy of this book for reading purposes so I don’t wear out these 2. This is a novelisation which I think is better than the TV episodes. At 10 episodes I find the TV version drags with a lot of needless running around. The book is much more concise.
There’s also quite a lot of minor differences. The essence of all the events in the broadcast version are included, but they are frequently reworked. For example the scene where Zoe is integrated by the Security Chief about the resistance leaders doesn’t appear, but when the Doctor releases her she gives a quick recount to him of what happened. And the arrival of Arturo Villar plays out completely differently in the book.
Personally I thought these changes help the story and make it better than the original version. But that could also be that I’ve seen the TV version so often that I’m filling in any gaps from the book. I wonder if someone who’s never seen the TV episode read the book, would the plot make sense?
It might also be that I’m now reaching my childhood. As a child of the 70s Pertwee and Baker are my Doctor. But I still think this is a cracking read and one I will return to.
I need to find myself a battered copy of this book for reading purposes so I don’t wear out these 2. This is a novelisation which I think is better than the TV episodes. At 10 episodes I find the TV version drags with a lot of needless running around. The book is much more concise.
There’s also quite a lot of minor differences. The essence of all the events in the broadcast version are included, but they are frequently reworked. For example the scene where Zoe is integrated by the Security Chief about the resistance leaders doesn’t appear, but when the Doctor releases her she gives a quick recount to him of what happened. And the arrival of Arturo Villar plays out completely differently in the book.
Personally I thought these changes help the story and make it better than the original version. But that could also be that I’ve seen the TV version so often that I’m filling in any gaps from the book. I wonder if someone who’s never seen the TV episode read the book, would the plot make sense?
It might also be that I’m now reaching my childhood. As a child of the 70s Pertwee and Baker are my Doctor. But I still think this is a cracking read and one I will return to.
September 3, 2025
With the tv episode, you either love it or find it too long. With the book, you either love that it's been cut down or hate it because it has no real expansion to it despite the fact that its written by Malcolm Hulke, who is famous for great expansion on his books. While I love the orginal 10 parts the book does an excellent job at cutting it down and making it a quick pacer read but focusing on the main plot points and setting up both the reveal and the timelords.
While I am sad we get some great moments or character moments cut to keep the story going, I think the biggest shame is that theres no real expansion or inner depth to the characters and villians. We really should have gotten a "power/evil of the daleks" type of book for this story.
But it's still a very enjoyable and an excellent read. The timelords are set up as such an evil threat here and While it does miss the impact from Patrick troughtons brilliant acting, the book does achieve the same effect of power from them. There are some scenes with them that are slightly changed and make them more like gods that can do whatever they want and its really great stuff. The final goodbye is also still incredibly heartbreaking but alittle rushed. Cutting Jamie's line of "I won't forget you you know" was criminal. I also hated the little joke from the timelords at the end. The "shame hes gone, he'd of been a laugh at home" after making them so powerful and forcing the dr to regenerate you make them jokers?
While I am sad we get some great moments or character moments cut to keep the story going, I think the biggest shame is that theres no real expansion or inner depth to the characters and villians. We really should have gotten a "power/evil of the daleks" type of book for this story.
But it's still a very enjoyable and an excellent read. The timelords are set up as such an evil threat here and While it does miss the impact from Patrick troughtons brilliant acting, the book does achieve the same effect of power from them. There are some scenes with them that are slightly changed and make them more like gods that can do whatever they want and its really great stuff. The final goodbye is also still incredibly heartbreaking but alittle rushed. Cutting Jamie's line of "I won't forget you you know" was criminal. I also hated the little joke from the timelords at the end. The "shame hes gone, he'd of been a laugh at home" after making them so powerful and forcing the dr to regenerate you make them jokers?
May 24, 2025
With Doctor Who and The War Games, Malcom Hulke had the potentially difficult task of adapting second-longest Doctor Who serial into a single, short book. The Daleks' Master Plan would be split into two, so this stands as the most compressed story... and he succeeds very well! Some incidents and secondary characters are cut, but the way he mostly does it is by having scenes recounted later in the narrative, sometimes by new-to-the-novelisation extras that see what's happening from afar. It's a cheat that actually adds a lot of flavor to the story, as we get into the heads of transported humans from different eras who were never given voice in the original story. And what a story! Time frames crashing into one another. More violence than ever before. Goodbyes for all three cast members. And the introduction of the Time Lords! The Second Doctor era is where all the world-building happened, isn't it? Many recurring foes were born in this era, as was Time Lord lore, the sonic screwdriver, and of Troughton and the writers hadn't differentiated the Second and First Doctors, we wouldn't have the formula we have today. And since a lot of the era is technically lost, the novelisatons are important. It chronologically ends on a high.
March 7, 2021
Possibly being slightly harsh in rating here, but while an enjoyable enough read, it really does come across as an abridged version of the story, suffering from the Target page count mandates, when covering a massive 10 episode story.
We do get some elaboration on characters thinking, but means that some scenes skipped altogether, and other scenes just rushed through.
As a consequence, while plenty of interesting characters featured, none really get enough screentime to really shine, and Jamie and Zoe in particular seem to suffer somewhat for this.
The story itself is an interesting one and an interesting idea, and a notable one for being the first time we are introduced to the Time Lords, and get to see Gallifrey.
Is a sad ending to Jamie and Zoe's character journeys, having their memories wiped, I like suggestions from other media that this is reversible, and was reversed eventually.
In some ways though, a fun end to the Second Doctor's run, with some very in character reactions to his trial and outcome.
All in all, not a bad story, but too condensed to be a great story.
We do get some elaboration on characters thinking, but means that some scenes skipped altogether, and other scenes just rushed through.
As a consequence, while plenty of interesting characters featured, none really get enough screentime to really shine, and Jamie and Zoe in particular seem to suffer somewhat for this.
The story itself is an interesting one and an interesting idea, and a notable one for being the first time we are introduced to the Time Lords, and get to see Gallifrey.
Is a sad ending to Jamie and Zoe's character journeys, having their memories wiped, I like suggestions from other media that this is reversible, and was reversed eventually.
In some ways though, a fun end to the Second Doctor's run, with some very in character reactions to his trial and outcome.
All in all, not a bad story, but too condensed to be a great story.
December 1, 2021
This was a slightly tricky story to get into as the setting started somewhat familiar (the frontlines of World War I), but then got very complicated in a weird way (different time zones of war!). It was only mid-way through the book that I really came to appreciate the relative ambition of this show to present us with the greater potential for storytelling that comes with a race like the Time Lords. Instead of just having time-traveling adventures, this story tried to depict what the actual manipulation of time could be like.
It ended as a pretty solid story of the Second Doctor with quite a shocking end once things come to a head. We're so used to the Doctor being the hero and the cleverest person in the room, as it were, and this book tries to put him in scale with the rest of this actual Time Lord peers. And I know that gets a little ahead of the story as they don't come in until the very end, but really the structure of the book ended up being defined by Time Lord technology being abused.
It ended as a pretty solid story of the Second Doctor with quite a shocking end once things come to a head. We're so used to the Doctor being the hero and the cleverest person in the room, as it were, and this book tries to put him in scale with the rest of this actual Time Lord peers. And I know that gets a little ahead of the story as they don't come in until the very end, but really the structure of the book ended up being defined by Time Lord technology being abused.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2018
It may possibly be just my disenchantment with Another Author's novelisations but this retelling is a more than decent version of a (perhaps) overlong script - managing to condense the ten episodes into the standard Target length without losing anything of the plot and in fact adding some tantalising hints about the Doctor's origins long before we reach the big reveal at the end. The use of titles (War Chief/War Lord/Security Chief/scientist... ) for the aliens doesn't help clarify the scenes in the control area without visual clues but is at least consistent with the Doctor never revealing a name, either. The Time Lords are named as the Doctor's people - but the planet isn't - and there is a different power source for the TARDISes but the final chapter is an intriguing glimpse at the world the Doctor escaped. (The final line is telling, too: 'He would have brightened the place up no end.')
June 16, 2022
Impressively manages to be fairly comprehensive, given the difficulties of cramming 10 episodes of story into 143 pages, although the trial scenes still feel quite curtailed comparatively. I appreciated that Hulke took advantage of the format to show us more wars and fighters, and to briefly characterise a lot of the soldiers (because the whole ideology of the villains is that these people don't matter except for what they can give the War Lords, so even giving them names and brief backstories is pushing against that), but was frustrated that it retained some of the shortcomings of the TV version (Lady Jennifer, our sole non-Zoe female character, disappears about two thirds of the way through to go nurse people, and there's a black man who's exclusively referred to by his race, getting no name, before he's unceremoniously killed).
April 16, 2023
Doctor Who and the War Games (1979) by Malcolm Hulke is the novelisation of the seventh and final serial of the sixth season of Doctor Who. It was the last Doctor Who filmed in black and white and the last Doctor Who of the nineteen sixties.
The Doctor, Zoe and Jamie appear to have landed in the middle of World War 1. But soon they encounter other fighters from other time zones. They also encounter SIDRATs which are like the TARDIS.
The story is one of the better ones and the serial is known as a regeneration episode as well. It’s a strong farewell to the black and white era of Doctor Who and to the Second Doctor.
The Doctor, Zoe and Jamie appear to have landed in the middle of World War 1. But soon they encounter other fighters from other time zones. They also encounter SIDRATs which are like the TARDIS.
The story is one of the better ones and the serial is known as a regeneration episode as well. It’s a strong farewell to the black and white era of Doctor Who and to the Second Doctor.
June 27, 2025
Overall, I enjoyed this DW story. I thought the premise was interesting and well done. I was sad that the story ended where it did, as Jaime and Zoe are fun companions. I also started to get annoyed as it seemed like the Doctor, Jaime, and Zoe would get captured by one group and then they would escape, only to get captured by another one a few pages later. This just kept repeating. Other than that, an enjoyable read.
May 1, 2021
One of the earlier Target novels I read as a child, this story still holds up several decades after it was broadcast. The plot is interesting and novel, the story well-written (as one might expect from Hulke), and things move at a decent pace. The only downside is that at around 120 pages a lot - perhaps too much - of the original TV story has to be reduced or cut completely.
August 17, 2021
A good compacting of the overall story into book form, and on its own it does make a pretty good read.
However; it pales in comparison to the original 10 part TV version. In particular with the three "War" characters who are far less intimidating, memorable, and as well done.
Decent, but the TV version is a much better iteration.
However; it pales in comparison to the original 10 part TV version. In particular with the three "War" characters who are far less intimidating, memorable, and as well done.
Decent, but the TV version is a much better iteration.
January 21, 2024
A breezy but frustrating adaptation of one of the most ambitious stories in the show’s history. Hulke manages to abbreviate a lot of scenes without losing their impact but the whole novel feels like it needs some breathing room and introspection at times. There’s very little depth to the characters and the settings are perfunctory at best.
July 6, 2018
My 10 yr old son and I finished reading this together, and I think I liked it a bit more than he did, but I've already seen the TV episodes. It's a really good send-off for the Second Doctor.
June 24, 2021
this went on several chapters to long
November 9, 2021
The War Games is a standout TV serial from the Patrick Troughton era of Doctor Who, despite being stretched over 10 episodes. I was worried that the 143-page length of the book would mean a butchered version - like Dicks' novelisation of the Dalek Invasion of Earth - but Malcolm Hulke managed to condense the story without losing too much. It's still a little rushed, but the quality of the writing is high and creates a good atmosphere.
February 18, 2023
Cool story but I think this book is very 'quick' for what it tries to tell, still a fun enough read tho.
December 4, 2023
"You have answered your own question, Lieutenant. War is always death and misery, and both sides lose. I hope that one day you humans will find another way to settle your arguments."
January 30, 2024
Concise interpretation of the original TV story which was the last of the 2nd Doctor. Bye to No.2, Jamie and Zoe.
November 14, 2024
Yep. Fine. Waste of a read probably but I couldn't stomach anything more valuable at 4am
August 30, 2015
The final adventure of the Second Doctor. The novel jumps right into the action, with what appears to be a historical adventure set in World War I. (Not implausible to audiences at this early point in the series.) It soon becomes clear things are not what they seem, of course - it is gradually revealed that the Doctor and companions have landed in a hodgepodge of different time zones, each centered around a different Earth conflict. The entire affair is manipulated by the War Lords, who wish to form the ultimate army from humanity's strongest warriors throughout history. (Unfortunately, the War Lords' plan is revealed by the novel's introduction - but it was probably a genuine surprise on TV.)
The War Games is a solid Doctor Who adventure, with a large-scale premise worthy of the Second Doctor's finale. The Second Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe all get nice moments displaying the best aspects of their characters. The War Lords and the War Chief make for good adversaries. And the introduction of the Time Lords into Doctor Who mythology is well-handled: near-mentions early on, then the introduction of the SIDRATs and the War Chief, and finally the appearance of the Time Lords themselves... who seem terrifyingly omnipotent as they hunt the fleeing Doctor from world to world, and wipe the villains from existence at the end.
The novel is compressed down from a notably long serial, but for most of its length, the pacing seems just fine. However, things grow more hurried towards the end, and I suspect we lost some bits in the process. For example, a resistance is introduced, formed from random soldiers in the different time zones. These characters seem rushed into play (some of the named members get little development beyond their name), and I would have liked to know more about how they formed. Lady Buckingham, prominent during much of the novel, pretty much disappears beyond offhand mentions. And the entire final sequences with the Doctor and the Time Lords feel largely stripped of dramatic weight, as if they're simply hitting key plot points. Still, I thought the pacing issues were less of an issue here than in the later sections of Doctor Who and the Daleks.
Final verdict: B. A great finale for the Second Doctor, only weakened by a hurried final stretch. Recommended.
The War Games is a solid Doctor Who adventure, with a large-scale premise worthy of the Second Doctor's finale. The Second Doctor, Jamie, and Zoe all get nice moments displaying the best aspects of their characters. The War Lords and the War Chief make for good adversaries. And the introduction of the Time Lords into Doctor Who mythology is well-handled: near-mentions early on, then the introduction of the SIDRATs and the War Chief, and finally the appearance of the Time Lords themselves... who seem terrifyingly omnipotent as they hunt the fleeing Doctor from world to world, and wipe the villains from existence at the end.
The novel is compressed down from a notably long serial, but for most of its length, the pacing seems just fine. However, things grow more hurried towards the end, and I suspect we lost some bits in the process. For example, a resistance is introduced, formed from random soldiers in the different time zones. These characters seem rushed into play (some of the named members get little development beyond their name), and I would have liked to know more about how they formed. Lady Buckingham, prominent during much of the novel, pretty much disappears beyond offhand mentions. And the entire final sequences with the Doctor and the Time Lords feel largely stripped of dramatic weight, as if they're simply hitting key plot points. Still, I thought the pacing issues were less of an issue here than in the later sections of Doctor Who and the Daleks.
Final verdict: B. A great finale for the Second Doctor, only weakened by a hurried final stretch. Recommended.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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