The Myth Makers

Doctor Who Target Books (Numerical Order) #97

by Donald Cotton

Novel based on the BBC television serial by Donald Cotton by arrangement with the British Broadcasting Corporation.

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Fiction, Audiobook, Time Travel, Historical, Science Fiction Fantasy

256 pages, Paperback

First published November 6, 1965

Reviews

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Doctor Who story narrated by Homer retelling the events of the Trojan war is exactly the hilarious romp that you’d expect it to be.
Cottons first novelisation is an absolute blast!

Reading in serial order I’d already experienced The Romans (that he wrote 2 years later) and I love that he completely does something different to the normal Target format.
These are certainly standouts First Doctor novels.

I’m really keen to get to he’s only other contrition to the range with ‘The Gunfighters’ in a couple of books time.
I must read The Iliad too!

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an adaptation of the second serial from the third season of Doctor Who, which was broadcast in October and November of 1965 and starred the original version of the title character. Donald Cotton wrote the novel, which was based on the teleplay he'd written twenty years earlier. His companions include futuristic space pilot Steven Taylor, perky 25th century Vicki (who was never given a last name), and introduces Katarina, a resident of ancient Troy who was only around for this adventure and the very beginning of the next. No copies of the episode survive, and it's very doubtful that any one now remembers having seen it. It's one of the most unusual of the early novels, being narrated in the first person by Homer himself. Set concurrent with The Iliad, it's a very comedic slant of Greek classics and mythology, with Homer attempting to set the record straight as to what really happened, a few decades afterwards. (One of the chapter titles is Doctor in the Horse.) We learn that it was actually Steven in armor who battled Achilles, and Vicki falls in love with Troilus and stays behind as Cressida and they're still in love and happily together as Homer's story concludes. It's one of the most original and amusing of the historical adventures.

[Johnny · Rating 2 out of 5]

I generally enjoy Doctor Who novels, but The Myth Makers was just too silly for me to enjoy. This adventure by Donald Cotton offers the most incompetent version of the good doctor I can remember. Worse, the story is told by Homer. But it isn’t told by Homer in any way that makes sense. Even if Homer isn’t going to speak in iambic pentameter (or even blank verse), I don’t expect him to use terms like: “…in a coon’s age” (p. 79—and disturbing in more ways than one), “The Thinker” (p. 112), “bumped and ground” (p. 119 – I don’t think Homer knew of or even the doctor had told him about burlesque or strip clubs), “N-dimensional space (p. 126—okay, the doctor might have dropped that term at a later moment to which Homer alludes), and the cutesy pun for which Homer would have had no cultural reference, “Is there a doctor in the horse?” (p. 133—okay, so I chuckled anyway). Even worse, in addition to anachronistic phrases, there is one point where Damascus steel shows up in the bronze age (p. 136).

Yes, the TARDIS shows up in the no man’s land between the Greeks and the Trojans! Yes, we get to meet Hector, Achilles, Odysseus, Paris, Priam, Helen, and Cassandra! But the story simply lacks verisimilitude, even when one considers the doctor’s conflicted feelings over evoking what he knows happened historically and his fear that by interfering, he might provoke an anomaly in time that would wipe out his existence. In traveling back in time, that is always a conundrum, so traveling to the future is somewhat easier (instead of the grandfather paradox, you might end up messing up the lives of your descendants, but you won’t wipe out your existence in the process).

Having the blind Homer as the narrator describing the scenes was strange, as well. Fortunately, Cotton explains how this happened because he offers a very unexpected description of how the poet loses his eyes and hence, eyesight. He also offers a fascinating twist on the Troilus and Cressida tale. Yet, it just seemed silly to me and I have mixed feelings about trying Cotton’s novel where Doctor Who goes to the wild west. But, since I already own it, I might as well read it. I’m just not as excited about it as I normally would be.

[F.R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novelisation has the sweet conceit of being written by Homer himself, who is flitting back and fore between the Greeks and the Trojans, and helping The Doctor & co end the siege.

An abrupt ending though.

[Scott Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was keen to read this novelisation as the original TV serial is entirely missing. However, it soon became clear that there is a major barrier to it recreating the original - the author's crazy notion of using Homer as a narrator. Not alone does Homer, as a witness to the events, have to dash back and forth between the Greek camp and Troy in order to be present at the scenes involving the main characters. But he also displays the truly bizarre habit of using anachronistic expressions from the modern era, such as 'Flying Dutchman' (which has its origins no earlier than the 17th century), while at the same time not knowing, for example, what London is. Homer states that he has met the Doctor 'several times since' (the events depicted here), so he's clearly picked up some knowledge from the Doctor, but then surely he'd be far more likely to know about London than La Vie Parisienne? In the final chapter of the book, an elderly Homer meets the Doctor again. Homer refers to bumping into the Doctor in Carthage and during the burning of the Library of Alexandria. Yet Carthage did not exist during the probable time of the Trojan War, while Alexandria was founded centuries after the Iliad was first written down and the library, rather than being burned, gradually declined from the 2nd century BCE onwards. How has Homer visited these different time periods? Did the author even think this through?

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the lost stories I think the audio remains (not sure) but the dvd would be better.
So this story is told of the point of view from a character called Homer and it's for that reason I have rated it so low.
Greeks and Trojans face each other for the great prize Helen who is allegedly the most beautiful woman in the world. The doctor, Steven and Vicki get caught up in the irreversible tide of history and legend.
And I have never been so bored reading a book in my life.
Take this with a pinch of salt because some people might love it and others will just be glad it's a short book.

[Brayden Raymond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well times Comedy + Doctor Who. This novel flows effortlessly with banter much like I have with my own friends and family. It's not enough to say I love it. Like the Roman's also by Cotton this story just kept me smirking and laughing the entire way through.

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a book for sure. And it was certainly a choice to make all the mythical characters speak like British people.

[Shane Mackenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some may reject Doctor Who as comedy, but to those critics I remind them that Doctor Who has never shied away from ANY genre. In their fearlessness to touch on anything and everything... they have never failed to commit to the genre they are testing. In this earnest effort, I am always willing to travel with the whims of the different authors who have written for Doctor Who. Donald Cotton, here, did a conceptual story that was successfully interesting, thematic and FUNNY. All told from the perspective of Homer, The Myth Makers brings the Doctor into the center of the story "The Illiad". Again and again, I giggled at the story's framing and one-liners. I recommend this novel because it is both concise and successfully accomplishes its goals. This is truly a dream-come-true kind of Time Travel story that can only be done best within the Who universe.

[Ezekiel Thorp · Rating 5 out of 5]

A novelisation of a TV story from 1965, featuring the First Doctor, Steven and Vicki. Since it's become one of the many missing stories, it's become forgotten, and until the original becomes found (which is highly unlikely) or an animation is made, this book or its audio version are the best ways to experience it.

It's a delightful book-of course, being the age I am, I don't really have much to say on how well it compares to the TV version, although I gather it's actually vastly different. But who cares when the book is so much fun to read? It's genuinely funny, and allows us to get a sense of what this lost piece of Doctor Who history might have been like. PLEASE try and read it if you can!

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mais moi, je pense encore que c'est drôle.

-----------------------------------------------

You, a peasant: The Song of Achilles

Me, an intellectual: Doctor Who and the Myth Makers

[Jacob Licklider · Rating 5 out of 5]

The existing audio for The Myth Makers is one of those underrated Doctor Who soundtracks. It’s quite the humorous serial, only really getting dark at the very end with the recreation of the sacking of Troy. Donald Cotton wrote another serial in 1966 and ended his connection with his show until the 1980s when he novelized The Myth Makers. This novelization was published in 1985, only a year after the show began to be released on VHS so it is in this space where it is still being written for an audience who wouldn’t have the chance to rewatch it had it survived the junkings and not yet essentially for the fans. Yet Donald Cotton clearly decided to take novelization as writing an original novel, something he pivoted to after leaving radio and television. The Myth Makers is far closer to a traditionally published historical science fiction novel, deciding to present the Doctor, Steven, and Vicki as seen by the epic poet Homer. This is posited as a special early draft of the Iliad, told orally revealed in an epilogue to the Doctor at some point in the future. Homer even takes the role of Cyclops from the television story which does make me imagine the narration as Tutte Lemkow which is a fascinating effect. This makes for a fascinating novel because it’s reformatted from the events of the serial to be a novel, following largely the Doctor for the first half, Vicki only briefly whenever it’s important to establish the relationship between her and Troilus, and Steven in the second half.

There is something heightened about the characterization, especially of Cassandra in an attempt to somehow outdo the camp of the television story, as well as make the Trojan characters in particular filling into the camp sensibilities of the story. The Doctor is also perfectly characterized and just as stubborn, but if there was one point where this novelization failed it would be on Steven and Vicki in the first half. Vicki in the second half actually gets some focus with Troilus actually providing romantic interest instead of the last-minute relationship of the serial, and having Homer speculate on her inner life means there is at least some justification, however Cotton decides that Steven and Vicki both need to be characters from modern day Earth instead of the future. Steven in particular suffers because Cotton doesn’t have access to any novelizations featuring the character as this would be the first, Vicki at least had Doctor Who and the Zarbi and Doctor Who and the Crusaders, but Steven is just generic male companion which would bring down an otherwise perfect book. 9/10.

[Alice Dillon · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I'm glad to get the chance to experience one of the lost stories of Doctor Who, I found this an utter chore to get through. This is in large part due to the tone, which I can't imagine is anywhere near as ludicrous in the actual episodes. There is silly dialogue, Homer with the writing style of a comedian past his best, and the patent insanity of our narrator sneaking back and forth between Troy and the Greek camp, spying on all the main characters, apparently completely unobserved. Even through the slaughter at the end, the weird, light-hearted comedic tone never changes.
There are also constant and glaring anachronisms, including references to church, paganism, heathens, bluebeard, alimony, ballet and Hippocrates, among many others. These were all quite clearly deliberate choices for some unknown reason.
Aside from all of that, there also didn't seem to be any actual fighting going on. Apart from the odd Greek or Trojan leader wandering the plains hoping to pick a fight with whoever also happened to be aimlessly strolling, no battles were happening at all.
Additionally, everyone's motivations were just completely unclear. Why on earth was Homer so determined to help these strangers (the Doctor and co.) even at the expense of all of Troy? I understand why Steven, Vicki and the Doctor would have their priorities this way around, but Homer has no reason to decide he will save these people's lives at such a great cost.
In large part, I think a lot of my trouble with this book stems from how used I am to these characters and this setting being treated seriously. I kept thinking "this is meant to be Achilles in mourning?", "this is meant to be Priam after Hector's death?" etc. That is in part my own problem, but I still think this was just a badly written book. If this were just a standalone comedy story, I probably wouldn't have minded all of this as much. But this is meant to be part of the Doctor Who universe, with the apparent aim of showing what kind of historical basis could actually exist behind the myths, and I just found myself bored and frustrated. Doctor Who can do comedy well, but it can also take things seriously sometimes and the way this book was written just fell completely flat to me.

[Mikes Dw Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never been a fan of this story. Despite loving the era and the characters/people It focuses on. The story is just so dull. It's literally characters just standing around doing nothing but talking. Mainly about if said person is a god and how do kill the other side. Im not saying that can't work, David whitaker nails this in the crusade because he develops the character's and drama around them so well. Here, it's very one note. But then in part 4 we finally get some great moments as the dr helps create the trojan horse and we see the day they planned to sneak out and kill the trojans.

So I was really looking forward to this book as I've heard lots of good things about it. And while I will say it's much much better than the tv story, it's still suffers from nothing but characters talking. But at least here it's made really enjoyable by having Homer sneakily listening and watching the stories events. We get some jokes I'm there too. The chapters are also short too so it makes for an easy read.

However the ending feels so cheap and lazy. Which is bad because its the only thing the story had going for it, the moment of the trojan horse and we don't even get much of a scene of it. Then there's Vicki's awful exit. Easily one of the very worst companion goodbyes. And this is a fact,(regardless of your opinion), because Vicki falls in love with someone she has zero scenes with. At least in the tv story we do get some slight possible set up. But it's always been one of the worst peices of written media I've seen. You have show at least some scenes of them getting close to each other to show us that this is why she left the dr to be with Troilus.

But apart from that, this is a fun read. It's enjoyable and the structure is great, it just fails at the end and doesn't even bother to develop anything for Vicki's exit.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Donald Cotton's novelisation of his 1965 Doctor Who story takes a slight side-step from the usual Target novelisation. It purports to be narrated by Homer himself who is constantly crossing from Greek camp to Troy itself to keep up with the action.

But a quick back step. The Myth Makers is Doctor Who does the Iliad. It is also Doctor Who does (at least part of) Troilus and Cressida, although based on how that story goes I'm not sure Donald Cotton thought it all through. It is, however, played broadly for comedy. The book even more so than the television series. But a lot of the main characters are here: Hector, Achilles, Paris, Agamemnon, Menelaus, Cassandra etc. Tonally though it avoids the tragedy - mostly - in favour of the comedy.

The Doctor is mistaken for Zeus. Stephen and Vicki get to cosplay, although arguably Vicki gets too involved in the part as she departs at the end of this story - as Cressida - and stays behind. The Doctor takes a Greek slave girl, Katarina, with him.

Cotton's take on the Doctor Who novelisation is something of a breath of fresh air stylistically, which is a joy and I always enjoy a Doctor Who historical - even if this is more mythical than historical. You get a real sense of character even in a short description and there are jokes like the way heroes always talk in blank verse to each other but not 'normal' people thus demonstrating snobbery through style.

Very fun.

[Leo H · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book, told from the perspective of the classical poet Homer (who happened to be at the battle of Troy) rather than The Doctor or the companions. This nearly works, but Cotton has Homer speak and think in rather a strange way, using sayings and analogies far more modern than really makes sense, and often just phrasing things in a way that doesn't flow very well. It also exposes the somewhat threadbare nature of the plot, as Homer basically spends his time just running between the Greek camp where The Doctor is and Troy where Vicki - and later Steven - are being held, arriving as something happens and leaving as it finishes. I'm sure he literally says at one point "I'd better go and see how The Doctor's getting on" which isn't exactly great plotting. You also get the feeling that you're missing stuff that would have happened in the actual episodes, as The Doctor doesn't really appear that much, which, while not the sole purpose of the novelisations of missing episodes, is certainly a large part of why Dr Who fans want to read them.
A 'well done for trying something different, even if it didn't go too well' 3 stars, then.

[Michel Siskoid Albert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Donald Cotton's done it again! As with The Romans, but even more so, his novelisation of The Myth Makers is a riot. Mind, it already was - a comedy send-up rather than a straight visit to the Trojan War - but it's entirely missing from the visual canon (and near the top of my wishlist for old film cans to be found in some basement in Kenya or something). The book then becomes a great way to discover the story, even its differences. The very amusing conceit here is that it's told by Homer, as if he were a character in the story, always running from place to place to get to the next scene. But Homer is just as much in "send-up" mode as the original episodes were, and he sounds a bit like he's Terry Pratchett, mocking the Greek epic AND Doctor Who, both. And yet, there's an added epilogue that makes it a little sweet too. I ran through this one. Huge, huge fun. Consider it the next time you're assigned to read the Iliad... it's definitely breezier. (I do not guarantee results on an exam, however.)

[Gareth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Between a 3 and a 4 for me. A lot stronger book then the previous comedy one the Romans, possibly helped by only having one internal narrator vs the various in the Romans. The humour is a bit more understated but stronger for it in this novel, as it turns the traditional view of the Trojan War and it's main characters on its head, with a lot of amusing changes to character traits.
The Doctor, Steven and Vicki are well presented here I think, even if from a third party point of view, but that allows for a bit more of a humorous view of their actions / intent as well.
While it is a shame to not see Vicki's farewell as it likely appeared on screen due to the nature of the book, it is still done pretty well, and is just unfortunate that we don't see Steve's injury at the end, that would flow directly into the next story.

[Jason Bleckly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm trying to think of the word that best describes this book. Stupid. That's the word.

This is the first Doctor Who novelization I've been tempted to DNF. It's puerile drivel. I only slogged my way to the end so I can say that I've read every Doctor Who novelisation at least once. I'll keep it in my collection for the sake of completeness, but I will never read this childish attempt at humour again. Like his first novelisation, The Romans, Donald took all the worst aspects of the story and exaggerated them into farce. I'm not looking forward to reading The Gunfighters, his third novelisation. I'm only grateful he was allowed to ruin 3 Doctor Who novelisations. I only hope they get redone in the NuWho era by people who respect the series.

[Kirsten Simkiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I accidentally deleted my first review, but I mostly remember. Thank goodness for me keeping track of when I read books! I gave this one 4.5 stars. It was a good story idea, but, ultimately, it fell just short of deserving 5 stars for me so I rounded down.

This is actually a novelization of one of the missing episodes. So, reading it, I could really envision the actors embodying the roles written on the page. I bet the ending must be a shock for some of the New Who fans who go back to watch. Suddenly, a companion simply isn't there any more? Must have been quite a shock. I certainly liked the concept.

[Flowergirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I loved how it was Homer's perspective through the whole story. It was rather interesting, it was funny hearing his thoughts on the Doctor.
Through Homer's perspective, we see the end of the Trojan war. I like that we got to see all the heroes like Odysseus, Achilles, etc. They weren't what I expected to be, however it was still a great story.
The interactions between the Doctor and Odysseus were quite funny. At some points they hated each other. At others they seemed to respect each other.
I really enjoyed the whole story. I'm a fan of around this time in history. It was a funny perspective.

[Ffion Horrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novelisation is told entirely through the eyes of a third character, Homer, who jumps between the Greeks and the Doctor and the Trojans, Vicki, and Steven. This means that some of the scenes from the original TV script are missing or told as a flashback through another conversations. Though for the most part I dont mind this, I wish we had some of the book from Vicki's POV, particularly her departure from the Tardis. I do however find the style of writing quite enjoyable to read and the book moves at a nice pace. 7/10

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doctor Who : The Mythmakers (1985) by Donald Cotton is a marvelous romp with the first Doctor, Vicki and Steven. It was the fourth serial of the third season of Doctor Who.

The TARDIS arrives during the siege of Troy and the story is narrated by Homer. It’s all fun and even the chapter titles have some amusing puns. Cotton wrote the TV serial and has fun with the book. None of the TV episodes remain. All that there is now is the book.

The Mythmakers is well worth a read. It shows how early on Doctor Who was also being written to be fun.

[Emilou · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the idea of the story being told through Homer's point of view, but the execution came off as flat and not fitting with the rest of the series. The author tried to bring in a blithe, dry type of humor, but in a story where people are dying and getting their eyes gouged out, it just wasn't funny. Not to mention, the world-building was terrible. It was as if the author had only a small idea of what happens in a war and a seige, and he didn't really care because the humor was more important than making the story realistic.

[David Sutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I experienced this lost Doctor Who episode in the form of an audiobook from BBC Audio. So far this is my favourite of the missing Doctor Who episodes because I love the way it blends mythology into the historical adventures. In this version of history it is the Doctor who suggests the ideas of Icarus's flying machine and the Trojan horse! What a wonderful way of approaching a blend of history and myth. The two surviving episodes of this four episode adventure are only available to stream with a paid BritBox subscription (USA).

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

I've always really loved The Myth Makers, and while this didn't stand out to me so much as The Romans novelisation, and there were a few jokes that didn't land, I still had a great time reading it. Even though it's mostly a farce, I think it did a decent job at the last episode's tragedy and the Vicki/Troilus romance, for all that it doesn't have that much space to it. The epilogue was really great as well, such a nice touch to finish off the story.

[George Nash · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a novelization of one of the missing episodes of Doctor Who that originally aired during the 3rd season of Doctor Who. This has the doctor and his companions Vicki and Steven landing in the tell end of the 10 year long Trojan war.

This leads to meeting the famous characters from Homers stories. It is a fun little take on time travel. A fun story that I actually think I enjoyed more than if I had watch the episodes instead.

[Chris Jenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a novelization of one of the missing first Doctor (William Hartnell) adventures. Cotton cleverly weaves the Doctor, Vicki, and Steven into the Iliad. If you have a classical education (even just a little), you will find all kinds of fun references and jokes. Cotton's humor is a lot of fun. It is a real shame that this episode is lost.

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very entertaining Doctor Who story. I loved that it was told through an outside character's pov who just happened to be the ancient Greek author Homer. He was a delightful narrator, he had sharp wit and had something to say about everyone he ran across including the Doctor and his companions Steven and Vicki. I thought it was a clever way to tell the story so kudos to the author.

[Julian White · Rating 3 out of 5]

pdf; 144 pages

A quirky, jokey retelling by Homer as narrator. Fast-moving, too - no dta=ragging things out as the narrator commutes seemingly at will between the Greeks, unsavory lot, and more civilised Troy. n epilogue mentions the fate of Vicki after she leaves the TARDIS as 'Cressida' with her Troilus.