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Doctor Who Target Books (Numerical Order) #10
Doctor Who and the Claws of Axos
'Axos calling Earth, Axos calling Earth...'The creatures stood before them, beautiful golden humanoids, offering friendship and their priceless Axonite, in return for — what?Only Doctor Who remains suspicious. What is the real reason for the Axons' sudden arrival on Earth? And why is the evil Master a passenger on their spaceship? He very soon finds out...
140 pages, Hardcover
First published April 21, 1977
6 people are currently reading
270 people want to read
About the author
Terrance Dicks
329 books219 followersTerrance Dicks was an English author, screenwriter, script editor, and producer best known for his extensive contributions to Doctor Who. Serving as the show's script editor from 1968 to 1974, he helped shape many core elements of the series, including the concept of regeneration, the development of the Time Lords, and the naming of the Doctor’s home planet, Gallifrey. His tenure coincided with major thematic expansions, and he worked closely with producer Barry Letts to bring a socially aware tone to the show. Dicks later wrote several Doctor Who serials, including Robot, Horror of Fang Rock, and The Five Doctors, the 20th-anniversary special.
In parallel with his television work, Dicks became one of the most prolific writers of Doctor Who novelisations for Target Books, authoring over 60 titles and serving as the de facto editor of the range. These adaptations introduced a generation of young readers to the franchise. Beyond Doctor Who, he also wrote original novels, including children’s horror and adventure series such as The Baker Street Irregulars, Star Quest, and The Adventures of Goliath.
Dicks also worked on other television programmes including The Avengers, Moonbase 3, and various BBC literary adaptations. His later work included audio dramas and novels tied to Doctor Who. Widely respected for his clarity, imagination, and dedication to storytelling, he remained a central figure in Doctor Who fandom until his death in 2019, leaving behind a vast legacy in television and children's literature.
In parallel with his television work, Dicks became one of the most prolific writers of Doctor Who novelisations for Target Books, authoring over 60 titles and serving as the de facto editor of the range. These adaptations introduced a generation of young readers to the franchise. Beyond Doctor Who, he also wrote original novels, including children’s horror and adventure series such as The Baker Street Irregulars, Star Quest, and The Adventures of Goliath.
Dicks also worked on other television programmes including The Avengers, Moonbase 3, and various BBC literary adaptations. His later work included audio dramas and novels tied to Doctor Who. Widely respected for his clarity, imagination, and dedication to storytelling, he remained a central figure in Doctor Who fandom until his death in 2019, leaving behind a vast legacy in television and children's literature.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
June 10, 2019
I’ve always enjoyed this serial from Jon Pertwee’s second season as The Doctor.
I find four parts stories to be the perfect length for Doctor Who, so tend to navigate towards them...
Being set during The Doctor’s exile on Earth, Dicks takes this enjoyable story and adds an extra layer of the Time Lords frustration of being stranded in one location.
It gives great character development for this incarnation.
The TV episodes are fun, but this novelisation is even better!
I find four parts stories to be the perfect length for Doctor Who, so tend to navigate towards them...
Being set during The Doctor’s exile on Earth, Dicks takes this enjoyable story and adds an extra layer of the Time Lords frustration of being stranded in one location.
It gives great character development for this incarnation.
The TV episodes are fun, but this novelisation is even better!
December 10, 2021
This is a novelization of the third serial of the eighth season of Doctor Who, which was broadcast in four segments in March and April of 1971. Terrance Dicks adapted the teleplay by Bob Baker and Dave Martin in a very straight-forward fashion. The Doctor is in his third regeneration, and the feisty Jo Grant is his companion. Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, Captain Yates, and Sergeant Benton of UNIT are also on hand, as is The Doctor's old rival and nemesis, The Master. The Axons, who have captured The Master, land on Earth and offer to trade a marvelous substance, Axonite, in exchange for fuel for their spaceship. Things aren't what they seem, and Axonite is actually a deadly substance that will drain the life energy from all Terran life. It's up to The Doctor to save the day, which he does, but in the confusion The Master escapes and The Time Lords install a routine on The Doctor's TARDIS that always returns him to Earth. He indignantly tells Jo: "I seem to be some kind of cosmic yo-yo!" It's one of the more enjoyable and best-paced stories from the Pertwee years.
July 25, 2017
While some of my peers were reading the Sweet Valley High or R.L. Stine's novels, I spent my teenage years reading Stephen King and Target adaptations of classic Doctor Who stories. One of the most prolific authors of the Who range was former script-editor Terrance Dicks. If you take a step back and look at the sheer volume of novels published by Dicks during this era, it's staggering -- to the point that I had an image of poor Terrance chained to a desk, fed only bread and water and forced to hammer out adaptation after adaptation on his typewriter.
Visiting some of Dicks' output again thanks to BBC Audio has only underlined again just what Dicks was able to do for an entire generation of Doctor Who fans -- keep the series alive and fresh in our imaginations when we couldn't see all the stories we wanted to again, much less collect them to sit our shelves. The fact that these novels are still readable and enjoyable today is a testament to just how good Dicks was.
"The Claws of Axos" comes from an era when Dicks wasn't given as much time to adapt serials as he had in the bookends of his Doctor Who adapting career. "Claws" is pretty much a straight-forward adaptation of the original script with some nifty descriptions and one or two embellishments thrown in for good measure (for example, at the end when the serial ends with the Doctor's chagrin at being "a galactic yo-yo," Dicks allows the action to continue onward with everyone saying their farewells and the Doctor rushing out to ensure the UNIT guys don't jostle the TARDIS).
And while the TV version of "Axos" is hampered by the budget of the time, there are no such restrictions for the printed page. Dicks allows the readers to see a larger view of the world under attack from Axos, including a sparkling moment when the trap of Axonite is sprung all across the globe. The Axons are a bit more threatening on the printed page and their alliance with the Master makes a bit more sense. Even the Doctor's apparent betrayal of his friends in the fourth episode is given a bigger element of mystery and questioning if the Doctor is just playing along or if he really intends to throw Earth to the Axons and escape.
Even some of the battles between the Axons and UNIT seem bigger than they could or would on a television budget of the time.
It's one of the reasons I think that the story was so fondly loved by fans before it hit VHS in the 90's. It was one of those stories that the televised version just couldn't quite live up to the picture that Dicks painted on our minds eye.
The structure of the original script by Bob Baker and Dave Martin also helps in adapting it for print. The Bristol Boys (as they were known) structured their stories to have a big revelation or turning point come every five or so minutes, building up to the cliffhanger each 25 or so minutes. These build-ups create some nice chapter breaks for Dicks and help make "Axos" a real page turner. And yet, there are still some faults to the story -- both on screen and on the printed page.
One of the biggest is that the audience knows Axos is up to no good from the early stages of episode two, but it takes UNIT and company a long time to catch up to the fact. Dicks tries to make this work a bit better on the printed page by playing up the Doctor's overriding desire to escape his exile on Earth using the Axonite. He also wisely has Jo become a bit suspicious his motivations earlier in the story so she's not nearly as blind-sided by his decision to join forces with the Master late in novel (or episode four on screens).
And yet for all of this, I can't necessarily say that "Axos" is one of my favorite stories or adaptations of that era.
But it still made for a nice little piece of mind bubble-gum while I was pounding out miles on the jogging trail this year. Richard Franklin's reading of the story is well done. Franklin attempts to get into the character of some of the regulars from the era with varying degrees of success. He creates an entirely different voice and tone for Axos and the Axons that works well here. At times, Axos gets a bit too excited in its reaction to events, but for the most part Franklin does a solid job with the material.
As with many of the Target novels, "The Claws of Axos" left me wanting to dust off my DVD copy of the original story and visit it again. I may just have to do that...
Visiting some of Dicks' output again thanks to BBC Audio has only underlined again just what Dicks was able to do for an entire generation of Doctor Who fans -- keep the series alive and fresh in our imaginations when we couldn't see all the stories we wanted to again, much less collect them to sit our shelves. The fact that these novels are still readable and enjoyable today is a testament to just how good Dicks was.
"The Claws of Axos" comes from an era when Dicks wasn't given as much time to adapt serials as he had in the bookends of his Doctor Who adapting career. "Claws" is pretty much a straight-forward adaptation of the original script with some nifty descriptions and one or two embellishments thrown in for good measure (for example, at the end when the serial ends with the Doctor's chagrin at being "a galactic yo-yo," Dicks allows the action to continue onward with everyone saying their farewells and the Doctor rushing out to ensure the UNIT guys don't jostle the TARDIS).
And while the TV version of "Axos" is hampered by the budget of the time, there are no such restrictions for the printed page. Dicks allows the readers to see a larger view of the world under attack from Axos, including a sparkling moment when the trap of Axonite is sprung all across the globe. The Axons are a bit more threatening on the printed page and their alliance with the Master makes a bit more sense. Even the Doctor's apparent betrayal of his friends in the fourth episode is given a bigger element of mystery and questioning if the Doctor is just playing along or if he really intends to throw Earth to the Axons and escape.
Even some of the battles between the Axons and UNIT seem bigger than they could or would on a television budget of the time.
It's one of the reasons I think that the story was so fondly loved by fans before it hit VHS in the 90's. It was one of those stories that the televised version just couldn't quite live up to the picture that Dicks painted on our minds eye.
The structure of the original script by Bob Baker and Dave Martin also helps in adapting it for print. The Bristol Boys (as they were known) structured their stories to have a big revelation or turning point come every five or so minutes, building up to the cliffhanger each 25 or so minutes. These build-ups create some nice chapter breaks for Dicks and help make "Axos" a real page turner. And yet, there are still some faults to the story -- both on screen and on the printed page.
One of the biggest is that the audience knows Axos is up to no good from the early stages of episode two, but it takes UNIT and company a long time to catch up to the fact. Dicks tries to make this work a bit better on the printed page by playing up the Doctor's overriding desire to escape his exile on Earth using the Axonite. He also wisely has Jo become a bit suspicious his motivations earlier in the story so she's not nearly as blind-sided by his decision to join forces with the Master late in novel (or episode four on screens).
And yet for all of this, I can't necessarily say that "Axos" is one of my favorite stories or adaptations of that era.
But it still made for a nice little piece of mind bubble-gum while I was pounding out miles on the jogging trail this year. Richard Franklin's reading of the story is well done. Franklin attempts to get into the character of some of the regulars from the era with varying degrees of success. He creates an entirely different voice and tone for Axos and the Axons that works well here. At times, Axos gets a bit too excited in its reaction to events, but for the most part Franklin does a solid job with the material.
As with many of the Target novels, "The Claws of Axos" left me wanting to dust off my DVD copy of the original story and visit it again. I may just have to do that...
March 15, 2024
Great novelisation of the 1971 The Claws of Axos serial with Terrance's treadmark wry humour thrown in. Tiny bit disappointed Pigbin Josh and his iconic dialogue never made it in but still a fun read :)
March 18, 2023
There seems to be a sweet spot in looking at the publication of the Doctor Who Target novelizations. Go too early and there may be a tendency for them to drag and do weird things since there hadn’t been an established format, but go too late and there’s a large chance it’ll be a Terrance Dicks novelization that feels more workman like or it’s from an author who doesn’t quite know how to novelize, before you get to the very end when they were basically proto-New Adventures novels. Doctor Who and the Claws of Axos is a candidate for one of the books in that sweet spot in terms of quality. It’s early enough for Terrance Dicks that there isn’t the fear of Dicks being overworked by the sheer number of books he was writing so there is this great focus on adapting and expanding the television story. The conversion of the script itself is incredibly faithful to the television story, Dicks really playing up a lot of the over the top aspects of the Axons. One of the late working titles on the serial was The Vampire from Space and Dicks really is working on that as a model for the story. His prose is very punchy and comes at you quickly, though not without taking time to expand the characters.
It's the character expansion that makes Doctor Who and the Claws of Axos interesting to read. The abduction of Pigbin Josh in the first episode in particular is wonderful where Dicks gives the character backstory more than just the weird tramp noises of the televised episode. It helps that Dicks gets into his head so he gets a small backstory, and he’s referred to as Old Josh instead of Pigbin Josh which definitely helps avoid the comedy tramp trope. There are also two added elements that really help flesh out the story quite well. First, there is an added introduction to Bill Filer where he meets Jo Grant, creating this little meet cute that really sells the underwritten romance of the rest of the story. It helps make up for the lack of Katy Manning in a novel, which is incredibly important to do for something like this. This also has a knock-on effect of Mr. Chinn being fleshed out more as a bureaucrat, Dicks going for the jugular in terms of anti-bureaucracy. The character just makes the situation worse, more than the Master ever could, due to his greed and ambitions of power, with an added little bit of governmental comeuppance implied by the end. Second, the Doctor’s betrayal is played far more straight and sinister here, proposing a genocidal assault on Gallifrey in a way that even the Master fears him. Somehow this doesn’t feel out of character for the Third Doctor while simultaneously feeling like something Jon Pertwee couldn’t have played. Dicks gets away with it by making the other characters believe it and feel genuinely betrayed while winking to the reader.
Overall, Doctor Who and the Claws of Axos is honestly a near perfect adaptation of one of those Season 8 stories that everyone has seen and remembered. The characters shine from the page with the Doctor and the Master getting to have some great extra tidbits of characterizations, the underwritten elements being propped up by Dicks, and honestly a pace that breezes by. It’s a great way to relive a classic in a different way for those who didn’t grow up with the book as well as a trip down memory lane for those who did. 9/10.
It's the character expansion that makes Doctor Who and the Claws of Axos interesting to read. The abduction of Pigbin Josh in the first episode in particular is wonderful where Dicks gives the character backstory more than just the weird tramp noises of the televised episode. It helps that Dicks gets into his head so he gets a small backstory, and he’s referred to as Old Josh instead of Pigbin Josh which definitely helps avoid the comedy tramp trope. There are also two added elements that really help flesh out the story quite well. First, there is an added introduction to Bill Filer where he meets Jo Grant, creating this little meet cute that really sells the underwritten romance of the rest of the story. It helps make up for the lack of Katy Manning in a novel, which is incredibly important to do for something like this. This also has a knock-on effect of Mr. Chinn being fleshed out more as a bureaucrat, Dicks going for the jugular in terms of anti-bureaucracy. The character just makes the situation worse, more than the Master ever could, due to his greed and ambitions of power, with an added little bit of governmental comeuppance implied by the end. Second, the Doctor’s betrayal is played far more straight and sinister here, proposing a genocidal assault on Gallifrey in a way that even the Master fears him. Somehow this doesn’t feel out of character for the Third Doctor while simultaneously feeling like something Jon Pertwee couldn’t have played. Dicks gets away with it by making the other characters believe it and feel genuinely betrayed while winking to the reader.
Overall, Doctor Who and the Claws of Axos is honestly a near perfect adaptation of one of those Season 8 stories that everyone has seen and remembered. The characters shine from the page with the Doctor and the Master getting to have some great extra tidbits of characterizations, the underwritten elements being propped up by Dicks, and honestly a pace that breezes by. It’s a great way to relive a classic in a different way for those who didn’t grow up with the book as well as a trip down memory lane for those who did. 9/10.
March 5, 2025
Based on a script by Bob Baker and Dave Martin this is number 10 in the Target catalogue. The first cover is by Chris Achilleos and the second by John Geary. I have no idea why they made the Axons green on the second cover. It makes them look like Krynoids.
As a kid I was never really fond of this story, but it’s grown on me over the years. I think the problem initially was Axos just sat there. But now that I’ve had to deal with Chinns in the real world I can appreciate the motivations of the characters more.
This is a typical Dicks novelisation and demonstrates why he got to do so many. He doesn’t muck about. The pace is rapid and captures the essence of the broadcast version. Theres a few tweaks to some of the scenes, like Yates and Benton destroying the jeep with Axon in it. Or the Master’s speech just before feeding the power back to Axos. It’s much snappier in the broadcast version.
This is an enjoyable novelisation of the story.
As a kid I was never really fond of this story, but it’s grown on me over the years. I think the problem initially was Axos just sat there. But now that I’ve had to deal with Chinns in the real world I can appreciate the motivations of the characters more.
This is a typical Dicks novelisation and demonstrates why he got to do so many. He doesn’t muck about. The pace is rapid and captures the essence of the broadcast version. Theres a few tweaks to some of the scenes, like Yates and Benton destroying the jeep with Axon in it. Or the Master’s speech just before feeding the power back to Axos. It’s much snappier in the broadcast version.
This is an enjoyable novelisation of the story.
March 14, 2021
A good story here, a mix of elements that make for a good read.
We have UNIT having to deal not only with extra-terrestrial threats, but also having to deal with politicians, which makes for some quite fascinating, and at times amusing, scenes between the two groups, with the regular army caught in the middle.
We also see echoes of stories like Galaxy Four, where apparently 'nice' aliens are anything but, and can't be taken at face value.
The Master adds another dimension to the story, having his own aims but also being forced to help all sides at times in order to get out of his own predicament.
The Doctor, Jo and the rest of the UNIT crew in good form as always here, and the last scene was quite a nice one I found, similar to last scene of Inferno, but happily no character subsequently disappeared.
We have UNIT having to deal not only with extra-terrestrial threats, but also having to deal with politicians, which makes for some quite fascinating, and at times amusing, scenes between the two groups, with the regular army caught in the middle.
We also see echoes of stories like Galaxy Four, where apparently 'nice' aliens are anything but, and can't be taken at face value.
The Master adds another dimension to the story, having his own aims but also being forced to help all sides at times in order to get out of his own predicament.
The Doctor, Jo and the rest of the UNIT crew in good form as always here, and the last scene was quite a nice one I found, similar to last scene of Inferno, but happily no character subsequently disappeared.
March 8, 2025
Golden aliens (the Axons) land on Earth to refuel their ship, in exchange for which they will give Earth authorities a substance called axonite - which could eliminate world hunger. Or so it seems! The Doctor and UNIT get involved with war not only with the Axons but with an old foe.
As usual with Dicks it's a straightforward re-telling of a third Doctor story. It whizzes along with not a lot of description or side-story, and is all the more enjoyable for it. It barely deviates from the original 1971 show that I've recently re-watched. For me it's pure nostalgia, whether it would be the same for someone unfamiliar with the show is difficult to tell.
Read in just a couple of days. It's nice to occasionally have short undemanding reads. With their usually colourful covers, these Target books are nice to have for fans of the original series.
As usual with Dicks it's a straightforward re-telling of a third Doctor story. It whizzes along with not a lot of description or side-story, and is all the more enjoyable for it. It barely deviates from the original 1971 show that I've recently re-watched. For me it's pure nostalgia, whether it would be the same for someone unfamiliar with the show is difficult to tell.
Read in just a couple of days. It's nice to occasionally have short undemanding reads. With their usually colourful covers, these Target books are nice to have for fans of the original series.
June 13, 2025
I was very interested in seeing what Terrence Dicks would do with The Claws of Axos' rather insane (confusing?) effects. He pretty much ignores then, actually, or at least, they don't seem as psychedelic in prose. Evidently working from the original script, as the book deviates from production decisions, Dicks has reworked much of the action, reinserted deleted scenes (Bill Filer is the most obvious winner, but even on screen, I'd have liked to see more of him in the series), and generally tried to "fix" the serial. Pigbin Josh isn't the caricatured yokel he was on TV, Chinn has better motivations (but is not less stupid), we don't see our heroes run to hide from a nuclear explosion behind a window with sticky tape on it, and mystifying failed effects become well-explained situations. The result is a much more generic affair. Better told, perhaps, but it's lost a lot of it character.
February 2, 2023
Once again, I only have vague memories of this episode, but I almost think that is better because then I get to discover it for the first time. This was an interesting episode of Doctor Who because it features the Master. The Master is an interesting recurring villain. I enjoy him as an antagonist if he is well-written but sometimes, he comes off as more of a comic supervillain then an actual menace. Thankfully Claws of Axos does not fall into that trap. I thought he was used well in the story, and it made sense that he was there. The storyline was interesting and so were the aliens, so much so that I am surprised we haven't seen more of the Axos in the Whoverse. The Doctor, Jo, and the Brigadier were stellar as always. Overall, a solid Doctor Who story.
March 11, 2020
I first read this book as a child (I recall reading it while on holiday in Cornwall). At the time I worked my way through many Doctor Who books. I picked it up recently as a library ebook and decided to re-read it.
These books are not particularly well written, but they are not terrible either. It is a faithful reproduction of the plot, with just a touch of additional character development that would not have been possible in the TV series. The author does not really work very hard at character development though.
Classic Doctor Who, with aliens attempting to destroy the world and the Master adding to the mayhem.
Not really recommended to anyone who is not a Doctor Who fan.
These books are not particularly well written, but they are not terrible either. It is a faithful reproduction of the plot, with just a touch of additional character development that would not have been possible in the TV series. The author does not really work very hard at character development though.
Classic Doctor Who, with aliens attempting to destroy the world and the Master adding to the mayhem.
Not really recommended to anyone who is not a Doctor Who fan.
August 21, 2022
I decided to try something different when choosing my next book to read this time around. The Claws of Axos is the third serial of season eight of Doctor Who. At the tome of writing this review, I have just completed season seven in my rewatch. That said, I haven't actually seen this story before, so I knew practically nothing about this story, and I was pleasantly surprised with this. This book is really intriguing and kept my interest the whole way through, hence why I read it in a matter of three days. It's got me really excited to watch the story, and as well as that, it's one of the cheapest target books you can get. I recommend.
April 30, 2023
Doctor Who and the Claws of Axos (1977) by Terrance Dicks is the novelisation of the third serial of the eighth season of Doctor Who and the fifty seventh serial in total.
The Doctor, Jo and Unit are summoned to an imminent alien landing in the South of England. The Axons, who appear as gold people. The Axons want earth people to take Axonite, which can do all sorts of remarkable things and put it all over the place.
But there is evil afoot, also The Master returns.
Doctor Who and the Claws of Axos is not a bad serial, but nothing special.
The Doctor, Jo and Unit are summoned to an imminent alien landing in the South of England. The Axons, who appear as gold people. The Axons want earth people to take Axonite, which can do all sorts of remarkable things and put it all over the place.
But there is evil afoot, also The Master returns.
Doctor Who and the Claws of Axos is not a bad serial, but nothing special.
August 1, 2018
Another early Terrance Dicks success. He takes the glam-era brain meltdown that "The Claws of Axos" was on television, and gives it far more logic, discipline and structure. At the same time, he accentuates the action and the terror, and adds in a few lovely easter eggs for those fans who are paying attention. Very much a winning novelization, superior to the original episodes.
December 31, 2022
Nothing particularly special, nothing particularly terrible. I'm not all that attached to the serial this is based on, so I probably couldn't ever have been as bitterly disappointed as I was with, say, Inferno, and it's not that this one doesn't do its job. At the same time it wasn't all that thrilling either.
March 4, 2023
trigger warning
Writing is a mess and as I haven't watched the old episodes yet, I had no emotional attachment to the characters. Would have dnf-ed it if it wasn't that short.
Found the book in the open bookshelf, and in it was a note from an insurance agency that looks like it has been in there for decades, which is fun.
Writing is a mess and as I haven't watched the old episodes yet, I had no emotional attachment to the characters. Would have dnf-ed it if it wasn't that short.
Found the book in the open bookshelf, and in it was a note from an insurance agency that looks like it has been in there for decades, which is fun.
June 4, 2018
I read this to my 10-yr-old son, a bit each night before bed. I liked it, especially the funny bits with the Master — which my son also liked, but he otherwise called the story, "Not the MOST interesting."
June 9, 2022
Fun and a neat plot, full of odd things for a Who story, (conspiracy, a visiting yank, etc) and an interesting villain. The Master is a bit of a silly villain, always sneaking away at the last minute. Fun though.
July 10, 2022
This is a basic retelling of a tv story, from the days when Target were banging them out very rapidly. Dicks had little time ( or page count) to embellish the story much, but what he did add was very good, particularly the new final scene.
April 5, 2024
Dicks makes a satisfactory dish of a story I’ve never had a lot of time for. The secondary characters are delightfully fleshed out and the settings are wonderfully described, making this a lot more fun than the televised version.
July 27, 2025
Typical 'efficient' Dicks interpretation of the TV story from the John Pertwee era. Tight novelisation with a wry bit of humour. I wonder how Axos is getting on in the time loop and whether they will ever escape to continue their parasitic activities!?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2019
This and other Terrance Dicks books reviewed here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.com...
June 12, 2024
A classic Doctor Who story, involving The Master and great peril
February 9, 2019
Not bad. A quick read that again covers the episode but not much more. Simple plot about if aliens who visit Earth are here for the good of man, or something else. Easy to know what their intentions are, but the characterization of the Doctor is different.
Even though it is understandable the Doctor is wanting to leave the Earth, the way he pretends to do is against his feelings of Earth, leaving it for Axos to consumer. Was odd seeing the Doctor wanting to leave Earth this bad. Then again, it could be chalked up to continuity error.
It was nice seeing a different view of the Master. Where the Master knows what Axos is up to and is trying to save himself. Different seeing him not involved with a plan to destroy the Earth. Though I really don't think the Master would believe the Doctor was willing to sacrifice the Earth to escape, or destroy the Time Lord.
The other oddity was seeing UNIT being locked up as well. It is not a story you would expect and feels a bit odd in the Third Doctor range. Enjoyable, but not memorable.
Even though it is understandable the Doctor is wanting to leave the Earth, the way he pretends to do is against his feelings of Earth, leaving it for Axos to consumer. Was odd seeing the Doctor wanting to leave Earth this bad. Then again, it could be chalked up to continuity error.
It was nice seeing a different view of the Master. Where the Master knows what Axos is up to and is trying to save himself. Different seeing him not involved with a plan to destroy the Earth. Though I really don't think the Master would believe the Doctor was willing to sacrifice the Earth to escape, or destroy the Time Lord.
The other oddity was seeing UNIT being locked up as well. It is not a story you would expect and feels a bit odd in the Third Doctor range. Enjoyable, but not memorable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2009
The Axos, a race of beautiful, golden aliens land in the English country side, hoping to make friends and share their wonderous technology with mankind.
Or do they...?
As things start to go wrong, and then the Master shows up, the Doctor and UNIt have to deal with a menace that's too much for a single time lord to deal.
Cool aliens, lots of action with UNIT, cool bits involving Tardis' and lots of great interplay between the Doctor and the Master.
Or do they...?
As things start to go wrong, and then the Master shows up, the Doctor and UNIt have to deal with a menace that's too much for a single time lord to deal.
Cool aliens, lots of action with UNIT, cool bits involving Tardis' and lots of great interplay between the Doctor and the Master.
July 14, 2015
A blast from the past with a story from the Pertwee era of Doctor Who. The cool part was that this was a classic Master story. The odd part was that he wasn't even the main villain, as the Axons were one of those villains that give English grammar a workout, since we don't really have a proper set of ways to describe something which is both singular and plural.
With Jo Grant and the Brigadier, this was a lot of fun.
With Jo Grant and the Brigadier, this was a lot of fun.
Read
April 8, 2009http://nhw.livejournal.com/1033342.html?#cutid3[return][return]As often happens with stories from this period, the printed page is able to compensate for the ropy special effects and less convincing performances of the original. The story is still pretty silly though.
Read
August 23, 2008isbn,original
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