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Doctor Who Target Books (Numerical Order) #6
Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion
Exiled to Earth in the late 20th Century by his own people — the Time Lords — the newly regenerated Doctor arrives in Oxley Woods alongside a shower of mysterious meteorites. Investigating these unusual occurrences is the newly-formed United Nations Intelligence Taskforce — UNIT for short. Led by Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, UNIT are soon called into action when people and meteorites start going missing. Most puzzling of all is the attempted kidnapping of a strange hospital patient — a man with two hearts, who insists that he knows the Brigadier...
The new Doctor soon joins forces with his old friend, UNIT and the recently recruited Dr Liz Shaw, but time is running out...
Irregular things are happening at a nearby plastics factory, while faceless creatures lurk in the woods. The Nestenes have arrived, and want to conquer the Earth...
The new Doctor soon joins forces with his old friend, UNIT and the recently recruited Dr Liz Shaw, but time is running out...
Irregular things are happening at a nearby plastics factory, while faceless creatures lurk in the woods. The Nestenes have arrived, and want to conquer the Earth...
152 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 17, 1974
22 people are currently reading
642 people want to read
About the author
Terrance Dicks
326 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 96 reviews
March 22, 2017
Third Doctor begins here!
This is a novelization of the TV serial titled “Spearhead from Space”, which was the first story of the Season 7 in the classic era of “Doctor Who”.
WHO
The Doctor:
The Third Doctor
Companion:
Dr. Elizabeth “Liz” Shaw
Ally:
Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart
WHERE & WHEN
Epping, Essex. England (Earth). 1970.
WHAT
The Doctor was punished by the Time Lords for endless interferences in the timeline, and he’s forced to regenerate into his third one, and also he’s being “grounded” on Earth in 1970, so while he keeps his TARDIS, the famous time machine is unable to travel to other time periods or leaving the confines of Earth.
Bye, bye, Second Doctor…
…hello, hello, Third Doctor!
As usual, at the moment of a regeneration, The Doctor is quite weak and he falls into a coma, and while it was a good thing that he was traslated to a hospital, he almost is killed by accident due the physicians there, are baffled for his alien physiology (for starters, he has two hearts!).
After his recovery, The Doctor meets UNIT (United Nations Intelligence Taskforce) where, the Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, a familiar face from his era as the Second Doctor is commanding the United Kingdom operations of the military organization, and while ironically The Doctor wasn’t a familiar face to the Brigadier (due his regeneration), soon enough, the Brigadier is convinced that The Doctor is who he says to be.
UNIT is the international agency assigned to investigate paranormal incidents and deal against alien threats, so it’s clear for The Brigadier that The Doctor can be a priceless asset in their operations, and since The Doctor is stranded at Earth, it’s convenient for him too.
And along with UNIT’s offer, The Doctor gets a new companion, Dr. Elizabeth “Liz” Shaw, that she is one of my favorite companions, she is a brilliant scientist (one of the few, able to keep up with The Doctor’s technobabble), with college degrees in several fields like medicine and physics, strong character, easy to work with, and loyal to The Doctor.
Once the alliance of UNIT and The Doctor is forged, they already have their first menace…
…The Autons, in their very first appearance in Doctor Who.
The Autons are really creepy life-sized plastic dolls (and if you think that dolls in horror stories are creepy, just imagine dolls at the size of a person!) that are controlled by the Nestene Consciousness. However, they are able not only of fabricating creepy dolls with few facial features, but also they can replicate the appearance of real people and that’s their insidious plan…
…to substitute key members of the UK Government to facilitate their invasion to Earth, which already begun with the fall of several meteorites containing other Nestenes inside.
A new Doctor, a new foe, a new era in Doctor Who!
This is a novelization of the TV serial titled “Spearhead from Space”, which was the first story of the Season 7 in the classic era of “Doctor Who”.
WHO
The Doctor:
The Third Doctor
Companion:
Dr. Elizabeth “Liz” Shaw
Ally:
Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart
WHERE & WHEN
Epping, Essex. England (Earth). 1970.
WHAT
The Doctor was punished by the Time Lords for endless interferences in the timeline, and he’s forced to regenerate into his third one, and also he’s being “grounded” on Earth in 1970, so while he keeps his TARDIS, the famous time machine is unable to travel to other time periods or leaving the confines of Earth.
Bye, bye, Second Doctor…
…hello, hello, Third Doctor!
As usual, at the moment of a regeneration, The Doctor is quite weak and he falls into a coma, and while it was a good thing that he was traslated to a hospital, he almost is killed by accident due the physicians there, are baffled for his alien physiology (for starters, he has two hearts!).
After his recovery, The Doctor meets UNIT (United Nations Intelligence Taskforce) where, the Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, a familiar face from his era as the Second Doctor is commanding the United Kingdom operations of the military organization, and while ironically The Doctor wasn’t a familiar face to the Brigadier (due his regeneration), soon enough, the Brigadier is convinced that The Doctor is who he says to be.
UNIT is the international agency assigned to investigate paranormal incidents and deal against alien threats, so it’s clear for The Brigadier that The Doctor can be a priceless asset in their operations, and since The Doctor is stranded at Earth, it’s convenient for him too.
And along with UNIT’s offer, The Doctor gets a new companion, Dr. Elizabeth “Liz” Shaw, that she is one of my favorite companions, she is a brilliant scientist (one of the few, able to keep up with The Doctor’s technobabble), with college degrees in several fields like medicine and physics, strong character, easy to work with, and loyal to The Doctor.
Once the alliance of UNIT and The Doctor is forged, they already have their first menace…
…The Autons, in their very first appearance in Doctor Who.
The Autons are really creepy life-sized plastic dolls (and if you think that dolls in horror stories are creepy, just imagine dolls at the size of a person!) that are controlled by the Nestene Consciousness. However, they are able not only of fabricating creepy dolls with few facial features, but also they can replicate the appearance of real people and that’s their insidious plan…
…to substitute key members of the UK Government to facilitate their invasion to Earth, which already begun with the fall of several meteorites containing other Nestenes inside.
A new Doctor, a new foe, a new era in Doctor Who!
November 13, 2018
‘Spearhead from Space’ is one of the most iconic Doctor Who stories, ever since I first watched a repeat showing on BBC2 in 1999 I’ve been captivated by the story.
It introduces so many stables to the show, The Doctor suffering from post-regeneration trauma, the brilliant Auton’s and whist UNIT has appeared before the inclusion of Liz Shaw makes it feel more like a team.
It a great invasion story that will become much of a temple for the Third Doctor era that’s set on earth, Dicks is able to flesh out these scenes near the end of the book to get effect.
It’s one of my all time favourite stories.
It introduces so many stables to the show, The Doctor suffering from post-regeneration trauma, the brilliant Auton’s and whist UNIT has appeared before the inclusion of Liz Shaw makes it feel more like a team.
It a great invasion story that will become much of a temple for the Third Doctor era that’s set on earth, Dicks is able to flesh out these scenes near the end of the book to get effect.
It’s one of my all time favourite stories.
August 28, 2021
This is a novelization of the first serial of the seventh season of Doctor Who, which was broadcast in January of 1970 under the title Spearhead From Space. The teleplay was written by Robert Holmes. This was the first new novelization commissioned by Target after their successful reprinting of three early- and mid-'60's Doctor Who kids' books; the first of hundreds of Doctor Who books they went on to release. (Dicks went on to write dozens more of the novelizations, and was the most popular and successful of the authors to adapt stories from the series.) It was also the first story to feature the third regeneration of The Doctor, who meets his new companion Dr. Liz Shaw, scientific advisor to UNIT, and continues his association with Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, head of UNIT. (United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, just in case you forgot.) I believe it was the first episode to be filmed in color, as well. (Or "colour," I should probably say.) The novel is quite a bit longer than the later ones in the series, and is nicely illustrated by Chris Achilleos. Dicks does a nice job of introducing the new Doctor and showing his feelings of disassociation, and writing the meetings with his associates with considerable humor. (Dude, new Doctor is a car thief?) There's a meteor shower, which turns out to be the first stage of the Auton invasion. The Nestene Consciousness is one of the better creepy alien invaders of the many they've presented over the years, and Dicks did a good job or infusing the story with a nice mesh of horror and science fiction. Dicks concludes the story with a tidy summation of the Doctor's outcast condition, and he agrees to stay on as his position with Liz and UNIT in order to continue to try to repair the TARDIS.
August 5, 2012
The basic story of this one owes a lot to Nigel Kneale's second Quatermass serial, with sentient meteorites being scattered about the countryside, mysterious industrial compounds manned by dull faced workers, high ranking officials being subverted or controlled, an alien intelligence brewed in a vat and scientists aiding the military to bring down an alien invasion.
Doctor Who script editor Terrance Dicks took to writing tv novelisations like the proverbial quacker to the wet stuff. Without him it's doubtful that the Target range would have lasted the course. Generally his novelisations were very faithful to the tv stories, with some slight character expansions, some additional or extended scenes and a handful of small changes, usually included to emphasize something that wasn't clearly explained or got lost in the production.
He can't resist correcting little mistakes either (ones he missed the first time round) like Liz Shaw's 'The world is fast asleep' line or big mistakes like Channing recalling the Auton when it's shot at by the Brig's sidearm, even though it had previously cheerfully shrugged off both barrels from a shotgun. Dicks explains this away by getting the Doctor to trick Channing by the shouted bluff, "The platoon must be nearly here. We'll capture it when they arrive." Ah, the old ones are the best.
The country poacher, Sam Seely, is probably the character who gets the most additional coverage as he skulks about Oxley Woods, searching for 'thunderbolts' and observing the UNIT soldiers. He even gets to witness the arrival of the Tardis and the emergence of the newly minted Doctor. On screen Seely is little more than a Robert Holmes poacher archetype. Dicks gives him a little bit more and even tries to give him and his wife Meg a touch more marital devotion than seen on screen. Some of the rank and file also get more of a mention, notably the ill fated Corporal Forbes. The latter part of the book gets the lion's share of attention by Dicks, with added scenes ramping up the scale of the Auton Invasion. The imagination doesn't bow to budget restrictions; street to street fighting, quarry men fighting back with explosives and I would have loved to have seen the tanks crushing the invaders under their tracks.
The Autons were the first old monster to be resurrected for the present day series, so I guess this novelisation of Spearhead from Space, Jon Pertwee's first outing, might be a good place for the present young generation of fans to dive in. It's clear that this book had some influence on Russell T. Davies; when the Autons first crash through the store front windows, one of the first witnesses' blames it on 'students' just as Rose does on her first encounter; and from the final battle there's a great line about a severed Auton arm lashing 'wildly round the room, spitting energy-bolts like a demented snake'.
Fittingly this new edition includes a special introduction by new series executive producer (2005-10) Russell T. Davies, a spotlight on writers Terrance Dicks and Bob Holmes, original illustrations and a between the lines feature noting the novelisation process and the differences between the broadcast series and the book.
Doctor Who script editor Terrance Dicks took to writing tv novelisations like the proverbial quacker to the wet stuff. Without him it's doubtful that the Target range would have lasted the course. Generally his novelisations were very faithful to the tv stories, with some slight character expansions, some additional or extended scenes and a handful of small changes, usually included to emphasize something that wasn't clearly explained or got lost in the production.
He can't resist correcting little mistakes either (ones he missed the first time round) like Liz Shaw's 'The world is fast asleep' line or big mistakes like Channing recalling the Auton when it's shot at by the Brig's sidearm, even though it had previously cheerfully shrugged off both barrels from a shotgun. Dicks explains this away by getting the Doctor to trick Channing by the shouted bluff, "The platoon must be nearly here. We'll capture it when they arrive." Ah, the old ones are the best.
The country poacher, Sam Seely, is probably the character who gets the most additional coverage as he skulks about Oxley Woods, searching for 'thunderbolts' and observing the UNIT soldiers. He even gets to witness the arrival of the Tardis and the emergence of the newly minted Doctor. On screen Seely is little more than a Robert Holmes poacher archetype. Dicks gives him a little bit more and even tries to give him and his wife Meg a touch more marital devotion than seen on screen. Some of the rank and file also get more of a mention, notably the ill fated Corporal Forbes. The latter part of the book gets the lion's share of attention by Dicks, with added scenes ramping up the scale of the Auton Invasion. The imagination doesn't bow to budget restrictions; street to street fighting, quarry men fighting back with explosives and I would have loved to have seen the tanks crushing the invaders under their tracks.
The Autons were the first old monster to be resurrected for the present day series, so I guess this novelisation of Spearhead from Space, Jon Pertwee's first outing, might be a good place for the present young generation of fans to dive in. It's clear that this book had some influence on Russell T. Davies; when the Autons first crash through the store front windows, one of the first witnesses' blames it on 'students' just as Rose does on her first encounter; and from the final battle there's a great line about a severed Auton arm lashing 'wildly round the room, spitting energy-bolts like a demented snake'.
Fittingly this new edition includes a special introduction by new series executive producer (2005-10) Russell T. Davies, a spotlight on writers Terrance Dicks and Bob Holmes, original illustrations and a between the lines feature noting the novelisation process and the differences between the broadcast series and the book.
July 27, 2011
One of the first adaptations in the long running Target range of "Doctor Who" novels and still one of the best. It just goes to show that when given time to let a story breathe, Terrance Dicks can do more than just translate a script onto the printed page.
Adapting the first story of the Jon Pertwee era, "Auton Invasion" fleshes out some of the supporting characters, gives a bit more background to some of the regulars and still manages to convey the on-screen story in a readable, accessible way. No one will ever mistake the Target novels for great literature, but this one is solidly written and as entertaining as the TV serial on which is was based.
Listening to it again on audio, I was still impressed by Dicks' writing, but not as much by Caroline Johns' reading of the story. It's solid but not quite in the same league as some of other stories in this BBC Audio range.
Adapting the first story of the Jon Pertwee era, "Auton Invasion" fleshes out some of the supporting characters, gives a bit more background to some of the regulars and still manages to convey the on-screen story in a readable, accessible way. No one will ever mistake the Target novels for great literature, but this one is solidly written and as entertaining as the TV serial on which is was based.
Listening to it again on audio, I was still impressed by Dicks' writing, but not as much by Caroline Johns' reading of the story. It's solid but not quite in the same league as some of other stories in this BBC Audio range.
March 10, 2012
I went into the Oxfam shop in Ipswich the other day, because to my delight, there was a whole load of the original Doctor Who Target books displayed prominently in the window. About 20 or more of them. A nostalgic treasure trove. So naturally I stood in the doorway, with my tangled mop of curly hair, pleasant open face, youthful energy etc, and tried to work out if I owned all of those books.
A lady with her son passed by, and her son cried out:
"Doctor Who books!" I cheerfully moved aside so the younger generation could do what I did 30 odd years ago - stare at the Doctor Who books and be dazzled and overawed by the choice.
The boy loved it. He was pointing out the Cybermen, the 1960s Cybermen at that! And the Daleks. It was really nice to see a child of today enjoying the same books that I loved in the 1980s. Good to know the current series' appeal has given those old books a boost.
I had to chuckle when the boy pointed at the impressive collection of vinyl records that they also sell in Oxfam and asked: "What are they?"
His mum smiled too and said: "That's what they had before CDs."
"Oh yeah, I knew that," said the boy, possibly not even knowing what CDs are. And went back to the Doctor Who books. Good lad.
Anyway. You don't have to go to Oxfam in Ipswich. Some of the original books have been republished. This is one of them. I read it by the pool on my holiday in Cyprus. Fantastic. The Autons (seen in Christopher Ecclestone's first TV adventure) make their first ever appearance here, as does Jon Pertwee's Doctor.
It's a great story, and you'll probably recognise numerous elements of the new show in the story. Russell T Davies very kindly writes a great foreword for this republished version.
As RTD says, the book is a story telling masterclass, delivered by one of the best children's authors in the country, Terrance Dicks.
Try it out on your children, or yourself if you're going on holiday :-)
A lady with her son passed by, and her son cried out:
"Doctor Who books!" I cheerfully moved aside so the younger generation could do what I did 30 odd years ago - stare at the Doctor Who books and be dazzled and overawed by the choice.
The boy loved it. He was pointing out the Cybermen, the 1960s Cybermen at that! And the Daleks. It was really nice to see a child of today enjoying the same books that I loved in the 1980s. Good to know the current series' appeal has given those old books a boost.
I had to chuckle when the boy pointed at the impressive collection of vinyl records that they also sell in Oxfam and asked: "What are they?"
His mum smiled too and said: "That's what they had before CDs."
"Oh yeah, I knew that," said the boy, possibly not even knowing what CDs are. And went back to the Doctor Who books. Good lad.
Anyway. You don't have to go to Oxfam in Ipswich. Some of the original books have been republished. This is one of them. I read it by the pool on my holiday in Cyprus. Fantastic. The Autons (seen in Christopher Ecclestone's first TV adventure) make their first ever appearance here, as does Jon Pertwee's Doctor.
It's a great story, and you'll probably recognise numerous elements of the new show in the story. Russell T Davies very kindly writes a great foreword for this republished version.
As RTD says, the book is a story telling masterclass, delivered by one of the best children's authors in the country, Terrance Dicks.
Try it out on your children, or yourself if you're going on holiday :-)
September 25, 2020
I loved this little story based off the old 1970’s episodes from The Spearhead from Space with Jon Pertwee. I had watched these episodes first before finding this book and loved it when I saw it on TV and the book was certainly no different!
It was great to read this episode in written form, with all the adventures of the Doctor, Liz Shaw and the Brigadier. I still find the Autons terrifying and the way they were portrayed here still leaves me looking at a shop window dummy with added distrust!
Loved the plot and the telling of the story and it makes me excited to read more stories like these based of the old Classic who’s! As someone who has grown up in the world of New Who, I’ve really enjoyed reading and getting to know the older doctors through books like these, with this one being a great introduction to the third doctor.
It was great to read this episode in written form, with all the adventures of the Doctor, Liz Shaw and the Brigadier. I still find the Autons terrifying and the way they were portrayed here still leaves me looking at a shop window dummy with added distrust!
Loved the plot and the telling of the story and it makes me excited to read more stories like these based of the old Classic who’s! As someone who has grown up in the world of New Who, I’ve really enjoyed reading and getting to know the older doctors through books like these, with this one being a great introduction to the third doctor.
December 20, 2021
Terrance Dicks' groundbreaking first Target novel...and what is there left to say? An artistic triumph of how you can deliver concise & efficient storytelling, yet still include thumping great lumps of extra characterization & embellished scenes with extra loving details. There's even a prologue that takes us to the end of the 2nd Doctor's time in "The War Games" to set the scene. I've picked this particular addition because I love the 80s logo, and the late Andrew Skilliter's artwork matches it to perfection.
March 19, 2019
one of the best televised stories and one of the most fun novelisations, wonderfully narrated by the late Caroline John and her cavalcade of Irish, Scottish and nasal English accents
December 17, 2021
Another highly enjoyable adaptation by Dicks.
December 28, 2019
Superior children's fiction that gave me a love of reading as a child and is now getting a well-deserved reprint. I once piloted the TARDIS with Terrance Dicks and it is one of my deepest regrets that he will never write a one sentence description of my face.
August 17, 2022
Is this one worth a read?
-Yes
Is it better than the TV version?
-Yes
Go on...
We get a prologue scene of the end of the Trial and the Doctor's compulsory regeneration. The events are tighter, the flow is good, brisk characterisation keeps a good momentum to the story. Events seems logical and characters behave consistently.
The last chapter, aka episode 4, goes remarkably all-out 'wide-screen' when the invasion kicks off proper, on a scale and budget that couldn't have been done by classic Who.
Given the larger scale set pieces and better pacing, this comes across as superior to the television version (which doesn't really get going till well into part 2).
-Yes
Is it better than the TV version?
-Yes
Go on...
We get a prologue scene of the end of the Trial and the Doctor's compulsory regeneration. The events are tighter, the flow is good, brisk characterisation keeps a good momentum to the story. Events seems logical and characters behave consistently.
The last chapter, aka episode 4, goes remarkably all-out 'wide-screen' when the invasion kicks off proper, on a scale and budget that couldn't have been done by classic Who.
Given the larger scale set pieces and better pacing, this comes across as superior to the television version (which doesn't really get going till well into part 2).
June 2, 2008
Good story, done in a much more straight forward, realistic feel than a lot of Doctor Who stories.
It moves at a slower pace, which is good as we an being introduced to a new Doctor, new status quo, whole new supporting cast and a new monster.
Liz Shaw is a great Who girl. Too bad she didn't stay around longer. As always, any scenes between the Doctor and the Brigader are great.
It moves at a slower pace, which is good as we an being introduced to a new Doctor, new status quo, whole new supporting cast and a new monster.
Liz Shaw is a great Who girl. Too bad she didn't stay around longer. As always, any scenes between the Doctor and the Brigader are great.
Read
August 23, 2008isbn,original
October 24, 2023
This was kind of an amusing read for me - since the original title of the serial this is adapting is Spearhead from Space, I got this mixed up with the later Pertwee episode 'Terror of the Autons', and it took a few pages of confusion as I wondered why the hell they were folding Pertwee's regeneration into an episode an entire season away. I'm just dumb.
Either way, as opposed to The Faceless Ones, which I reviewed earlier, whilst I have seen Spearhead From Space before, my memory of it is pretty faint, so a lot of the elements of tis book felt relatively fresh to me, though a memory of the episode began to return as I read through. Overall, this is one of those rare adapatations that elevate it's source material. It's just little things, here and there - a first person account of The Third Doctor's regeneration reaction, a great depiction of the Brigadier's gruff, no-nonsense persona, and a chilling, inhume perspective from the book's primary antagonist. Author Terrance Dicks really understands the voices of these characters, both internal and external - unsurprisingly, as he was the script editor of the episode - and whenever his primary, recurring characters like The Third Doctor, The Brigadier, or Liz Shaw spoke, I could hear their actor's voice, clear as day in my head.
The story itself of The Auton Invasion is a relativly stock standard one, mostly remixed by the precense of recently-regenerated Doctor, but Dicks' in how uncomfortable and eerie the inhuman, almost robotic Auton threat is. The real treat of the novel is seeing The Third Doctor deal with his recent regeneration - helped along by a prologue featuring the Second Doctor in his final moments- and exile to the Earth. To be blunt, he's a bit of a prat, constantly trying to escape whatever situation he's found himself in, but this leads to a lot of genuinely hilarious interactions between him and the various members of UNIT who just can't get to grips with the newly regenerated madman.
One of the issues with this era of Doctor Who was it's near total lack of budget. Whilst this lent the series a genuine sense of charm, it did lead to certain events feeling a bit... muffled, so to speak. The titular Auton Invasion, as depicted in the final chapters of the book, felt so localized and small-scale, but the way it's depicted in the book feels like a genuine nightmare, with the entirety of England at stake, feeling more akin to the world-ending threats present in modern Doctor Who episodes. I knew from the start how it ended - how Doctor Who threats always end - but still, the sheer tension of the invasion elevated this book an entire star rating - hats off.
I think my major issue with the book is that, whilst the story he tells and the points of view he employs are really good, I struggle a bit with Terrence Dicks' style of prose. It just really bothers me when an author will swap perspective, point of view, and even location with any kind of paragraph or line break to signify it. I got used to it over the course of the book, but it still threw me for a loop here and there.
The story of The Auton Invasion, even when it was once Spearhead From Space, is fairly standard, but that middling story is uplifted by the fantastic depiction of it's key characters, and a nightmarish, tense account of the titular invasion. Terrance Dicks' prose does has some issues, but I managed to push through it to reach a novel that feels almost quintessentially Doctor Who in nature. Very strong novel debut for the Third Doctor, and absolutely recommended for those with a love for not only this era of Who, but with a love for the series in general.
Either way, as opposed to The Faceless Ones, which I reviewed earlier, whilst I have seen Spearhead From Space before, my memory of it is pretty faint, so a lot of the elements of tis book felt relatively fresh to me, though a memory of the episode began to return as I read through. Overall, this is one of those rare adapatations that elevate it's source material. It's just little things, here and there - a first person account of The Third Doctor's regeneration reaction, a great depiction of the Brigadier's gruff, no-nonsense persona, and a chilling, inhume perspective from the book's primary antagonist. Author Terrance Dicks really understands the voices of these characters, both internal and external - unsurprisingly, as he was the script editor of the episode - and whenever his primary, recurring characters like The Third Doctor, The Brigadier, or Liz Shaw spoke, I could hear their actor's voice, clear as day in my head.
The story itself of The Auton Invasion is a relativly stock standard one, mostly remixed by the precense of recently-regenerated Doctor, but Dicks' in how uncomfortable and eerie the inhuman, almost robotic Auton threat is. The real treat of the novel is seeing The Third Doctor deal with his recent regeneration - helped along by a prologue featuring the Second Doctor in his final moments- and exile to the Earth. To be blunt, he's a bit of a prat, constantly trying to escape whatever situation he's found himself in, but this leads to a lot of genuinely hilarious interactions between him and the various members of UNIT who just can't get to grips with the newly regenerated madman.
One of the issues with this era of Doctor Who was it's near total lack of budget. Whilst this lent the series a genuine sense of charm, it did lead to certain events feeling a bit... muffled, so to speak. The titular Auton Invasion, as depicted in the final chapters of the book, felt so localized and small-scale, but the way it's depicted in the book feels like a genuine nightmare, with the entirety of England at stake, feeling more akin to the world-ending threats present in modern Doctor Who episodes. I knew from the start how it ended - how Doctor Who threats always end - but still, the sheer tension of the invasion elevated this book an entire star rating - hats off.
I think my major issue with the book is that, whilst the story he tells and the points of view he employs are really good, I struggle a bit with Terrence Dicks' style of prose. It just really bothers me when an author will swap perspective, point of view, and even location with any kind of paragraph or line break to signify it. I got used to it over the course of the book, but it still threw me for a loop here and there.
The story of The Auton Invasion, even when it was once Spearhead From Space, is fairly standard, but that middling story is uplifted by the fantastic depiction of it's key characters, and a nightmarish, tense account of the titular invasion. Terrance Dicks' prose does has some issues, but I managed to push through it to reach a novel that feels almost quintessentially Doctor Who in nature. Very strong novel debut for the Third Doctor, and absolutely recommended for those with a love for not only this era of Who, but with a love for the series in general.
January 20, 2025
Based on a script by Robert Holmes this in number 6 in Target catalogue. It is also 1 of only half a dozen that had a name change between the TV and book versions, it was broadcast as The Spearhead from Space. The first cover is by Chris Achilleos, the second by Andrew Skilleter, and the third by Alister Pearson. Being one of the early Target novelisations it also has interior artwork by Chris Achilleos.
It’s interesting how and where Terrance chose to start this book. He begins with the Doctors part of his trial on Gallifrey that was the end of War Games, yet he makes no mention of the Warlord, Jamie, Zoe, or any aspect of that story. He just tells the bit relevant to the Doctors regeneration. Whereas the TV version begins with the new Doctor opening the door and collapsing. But the TV also had a bit before the Doctors arrival introducing UNIT tracking the Nestene landing force which is entirely missing from the book. The whole start is given to Sam Seely. He finds the swarm leader, which matches the TV version, but he also sees the Doctors arrival. So the book and TV both have the essence of the story, just told in slightly different ways to fit their medium. (I re-watched the DVD the morning after reading the first 2 chapters so both were very fresh in my mind)
This book has lots of little variations to the TV version. But there were a couple of changes I really didn’t like, and they all related to the Brig. He gets angry and abusive, and that is just not the Brig. One of the worst bit’s is his interaction with Liz over the TARDIS key (pg 88). He yells at Liz and calls her an idiot. Yet in the actual episode he remains perfectly calm and simply states with a touch of disappointment, I had no idea you could be so gullible. And there are a few other instances of un-Brig like reactions in the book.
But in counter-point to this are some nice additions, like at the end we get a flashback from Hibbert on Channing’s creation (pg 141)
It’s still a very good book, but getting the Brig wrong prevents it from being a great book.
It’s interesting how and where Terrance chose to start this book. He begins with the Doctors part of his trial on Gallifrey that was the end of War Games, yet he makes no mention of the Warlord, Jamie, Zoe, or any aspect of that story. He just tells the bit relevant to the Doctors regeneration. Whereas the TV version begins with the new Doctor opening the door and collapsing. But the TV also had a bit before the Doctors arrival introducing UNIT tracking the Nestene landing force which is entirely missing from the book. The whole start is given to Sam Seely. He finds the swarm leader, which matches the TV version, but he also sees the Doctors arrival. So the book and TV both have the essence of the story, just told in slightly different ways to fit their medium. (I re-watched the DVD the morning after reading the first 2 chapters so both were very fresh in my mind)
This book has lots of little variations to the TV version. But there were a couple of changes I really didn’t like, and they all related to the Brig. He gets angry and abusive, and that is just not the Brig. One of the worst bit’s is his interaction with Liz over the TARDIS key (pg 88). He yells at Liz and calls her an idiot. Yet in the actual episode he remains perfectly calm and simply states with a touch of disappointment, I had no idea you could be so gullible. And there are a few other instances of un-Brig like reactions in the book.
But in counter-point to this are some nice additions, like at the end we get a flashback from Hibbert on Channing’s creation (pg 141)
It’s still a very good book, but getting the Brig wrong prevents it from being a great book.
April 10, 2021
It’s often said that the televised Spearhead from Space is a jumping on point for Doctor Who fans trying to get into the Classic Series, and this is not without reason. It was a formula shake-up, but that cannot be the only reason. Some credit must go to Terrance Dicks who wrote the novelization Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion, which became the first story to be published outside of Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks, Doctor Who and the Zarbi, and Doctor Who and the Crusaders. Oddly enough if you were someone reading the book without any knowledge of Doctor Who you would be frightened off by the first chapter, which recounts the final scenes of The War Games where the Doctor regenerates, before actually going on into the adaptation. This would confuse readers and in my humble opinion Dicks could have easily just started with the Third Doctor falling out of the TARDIS in the next scene. It would have gotten rid of a lot of the tedious continuity that bogs down the early pages, yet the book flies by as Dicks stays true to the scripts, with occasional dialogue and action changes only really there because the imagination can run away with you when reading these events. Dicks keeps the characters intact, and because of his position as a script editor he has down the mannerisms of the original cast which makes you feel like you’re just experiencing Spearhead from Space, in written form. He does one up the story in one effect as he makes it a bit clearer that the meteorites falling on Earth are causing heat and the story is meant to be taking place in October, when it is cold. The Doctor also is specified to arrive in the dead of night which just makes more sense. 8.5/10
February 21, 2020
First I want to say there is nothing wrong with this story and the reason I gave it such a low rating was completely personal.
When I seen the title I assumed it was a re telling of attack of the autons. It's not.
They started the Doctor out regenerating. I didn't think much of it at first. But the lack of Jo Grand was disappointing. (Her being my favourite companion) I don't have anything against Liz but I found myself becoming more and more frustrated when I had to keep reminding myself it was Liz and not Jo.
The lack of Master was also a big disappointment. At first I was couldn't understand why he was being written so boring. And upset that some of my favourite parts where not being shown. Well that had to do with the Master just not being a part of this story at all.
This also makes the mind control make a lot less scene.
Like I said, it's not a bad story at all. But coming thinking I would be seeing two of my favourite characters in the doctor who univers this because very frustrating.
When I seen the title I assumed it was a re telling of attack of the autons. It's not.
They started the Doctor out regenerating. I didn't think much of it at first. But the lack of Jo Grand was disappointing. (Her being my favourite companion) I don't have anything against Liz but I found myself becoming more and more frustrated when I had to keep reminding myself it was Liz and not Jo.
The lack of Master was also a big disappointment. At first I was couldn't understand why he was being written so boring. And upset that some of my favourite parts where not being shown. Well that had to do with the Master just not being a part of this story at all.
This also makes the mind control make a lot less scene.
Like I said, it's not a bad story at all. But coming thinking I would be seeing two of my favourite characters in the doctor who univers this because very frustrating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2020
Merhaba! Bugün, aslında 2 yıl önce bir kütüphaneden alıp okuyup burada sizlerle de paylaşmış olduğum bir kitabı, satın aldıktan sonra tekrar okudum.
Bu kitap, 3.Doctor'un ilk TV bölümü olan "Spearhead from Space"in romanlaştırılmış hali. Zaten izlerken çok büyük keyif aldığım bölümlerden biri olan bu hikayeyi roman olarak yazılması sonucunda Terrance Dicks tarafından yapılan eklemelerle çok daha keyif alarak okumuş oldum.
Kitap, 2.Doctor'un Zaman Lordları tarafından yargılanması ile başlıyor ve sonrasında cezası olarak Dünya'ya, 70'ler İngilteresine gönderilmesi ile eş zamanlı olarak başlayan Auton istilası ve Doctor'un, Liz, Lethbridge Stewart ve UNIT ekibi ile bu istilayı durdurmasını okuyoruz.
Gerçekten Doctor Who hem izlemeyi, hem audio dramalarını dinlemeyi hem de kitaplarını okumayı çok sevdiğim ve beni çok mutlu eden bir seri. Bu yüzden bu ay itibariyle başlayarak yaz boyunca BBC Books tarafından basılan "The Eight Doctor Adventures" serisine de "The Eight Doctors" kitabıyla başlayacağım.
Bu kitap, 3.Doctor'un ilk TV bölümü olan "Spearhead from Space"in romanlaştırılmış hali. Zaten izlerken çok büyük keyif aldığım bölümlerden biri olan bu hikayeyi roman olarak yazılması sonucunda Terrance Dicks tarafından yapılan eklemelerle çok daha keyif alarak okumuş oldum.
Kitap, 2.Doctor'un Zaman Lordları tarafından yargılanması ile başlıyor ve sonrasında cezası olarak Dünya'ya, 70'ler İngilteresine gönderilmesi ile eş zamanlı olarak başlayan Auton istilası ve Doctor'un, Liz, Lethbridge Stewart ve UNIT ekibi ile bu istilayı durdurmasını okuyoruz.
Gerçekten Doctor Who hem izlemeyi, hem audio dramalarını dinlemeyi hem de kitaplarını okumayı çok sevdiğim ve beni çok mutlu eden bir seri. Bu yüzden bu ay itibariyle başlayarak yaz boyunca BBC Books tarafından basılan "The Eight Doctor Adventures" serisine de "The Eight Doctors" kitabıyla başlayacağım.
December 19, 2019
With regards to classic Doctor Who with regards to experiencing it in today's society, it's easy to see why some would see the target books as a somewhat inconsequential piece of history.
Personally I have a disagree/agree relationship with these sentiments.
One of the reasons as to why I defend them is that, to me, "Doctor Who" is a show that can very easily work as a series novels. Many of its TV stories I feel would make great reads.
Now, I'm not trying to brush the TV series itself under the carpet as it most definitely is still fantastic (neither am I trying to day it's worse), but to me it is fascinating to explore it in a different light that it can most definitely shine in.
"Spearhead from Space" (or "The Auton Invasion" as it's retitled here) is one of those stories that works very well as a book imo and I feel that, once again, Terrance Dicks has created another grear adaptation of what is one of my favourite serials.
8/10
Personally I have a disagree/agree relationship with these sentiments.
One of the reasons as to why I defend them is that, to me, "Doctor Who" is a show that can very easily work as a series novels. Many of its TV stories I feel would make great reads.
Now, I'm not trying to brush the TV series itself under the carpet as it most definitely is still fantastic (neither am I trying to day it's worse), but to me it is fascinating to explore it in a different light that it can most definitely shine in.
"Spearhead from Space" (or "The Auton Invasion" as it's retitled here) is one of those stories that works very well as a book imo and I feel that, once again, Terrance Dicks has created another grear adaptation of what is one of my favourite serials.
8/10
May 15, 2022
this is a pretty solid novelisation of an iconic story. TV stories like spearhead from space are always gonna be hard to novelise bc their beloved reputation and iconography can't be topped by simply adapting it into prose. what makes it worth the time reading it is what it adds to the original material. the best target novelisations add to the source material they are based on or diverge from it completely (fenric adds a lot of backstory and insight into characters for example). where this succeeds in this instance is better understanding the nestene/auton side of the story and the amped up, more thrilling part 4 (where liz actually saves the day!!). only issue is that I read my version in the essential terrance dicks vol. 1 collection, but there was clearly no effort made to correct any of the errors within the text. doesn't detract, I'm just noticing a trend of doctor who book reprints not bothering to fix typos and grammatical errors
May 24, 2025
Though earlier novelisation were wrapped into the Target line, Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion by Terrence Dicks was the first actual book commissioned for the line (you can tell it's early yet, because it includes illustrations), near the end of the Third Doctor era. Spearhead from Space is very well rendered by Dicks (the UNIT era is covered between him and Malcolm Hulke, so we're in good hands), expanding the canvas of the invasion with what's happening in the larger world, giving guest characters efficient backstories, and explaining things that never were on screen (for example, how Channing came to be and where the word Auton came from). Alas, no word on whether Seeley's dog was killed or not (in my head canon, it yipped away at the first sign of trouble, okay??). As with any adaptation, I miss a line or bit of performance here and there, but generally, it makes the stories bigger and more effects-heavy, which is enjoyable.
March 7, 2021
A much better novelisation than the War Games, and a strong start to the Third Doctor's run. A fun start in many ways for the Third Doctor, dealing with post regeneration stress for the first time, and getting the Brigadier's hopes up initially before unintentionally messing with him, then intentionally messing with both the Brigadier and Liz.
Liz a new companion introduced here, and a good one as well, a good scientist in her own right to bounce off the Doctor as such, but certainly able to hold her own as well, demonstrated well at the beginning when they are having to make do without the Doctor.
For the enemies here, a little one dimensional in terms of aim, but still an interesting menace with quite a unique approach with the Autons, using mannequins and the like, and the 'natural' shape of the Nestenes is nicely alien.
All round a good start to a new era.
Liz a new companion introduced here, and a good one as well, a good scientist in her own right to bounce off the Doctor as such, but certainly able to hold her own as well, demonstrated well at the beginning when they are having to make do without the Doctor.
For the enemies here, a little one dimensional in terms of aim, but still an interesting menace with quite a unique approach with the Autons, using mannequins and the like, and the 'natural' shape of the Nestenes is nicely alien.
All round a good start to a new era.
April 12, 2023
Looking at the spines of the Doctor Who books in my library, I wonder why Target changed so many titles - and why those titles are often substandard to the original serial. Which would you rather read: "Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion," or "Spearhead from Space?"
I don't know why they changed so many titles any more than I know why they decided to number the first 73 books in alphabetical order, but it gives reading them in order a nice randomizer effect. Not sure how many accolades to put on this one, though. The TV serial didn't take as much time to get traction, and the Doctor spends the first third of the book in bed, recovering from regenerative trauma. It's as if the cataclysmic events of the climax wait until he's available.
Anyway, that's the last of the A's. Any Doctor Who serials start with B?
I don't know why they changed so many titles any more than I know why they decided to number the first 73 books in alphabetical order, but it gives reading them in order a nice randomizer effect. Not sure how many accolades to put on this one, though. The TV serial didn't take as much time to get traction, and the Doctor spends the first third of the book in bed, recovering from regenerative trauma. It's as if the cataclysmic events of the climax wait until he's available.
Anyway, that's the last of the A's. Any Doctor Who serials start with B?
August 11, 2023
TD did a really good job with this novelisation, the added bits work like the addition of the trial scene from the 2nd Doctors last story which sets up the 3rd Doctor superbly.
On the page there is an unlimited budget & the effects are better and i think thats what was needed here. The Autons to me have never been scary (far too young to have seen this when first transmitted) the book manages to give them an air of menace which i thought was lacking.
Plus as much as i like the Jon Pertwee the gurning he does in the show to me was ridiculous, at least on the page i wasnt subjected to that, we do get the allusions to daft alien customs etc but here they can be read as him being purposely ridiculous to the primitive humans.
All in all a pretty good novelisation.
On the page there is an unlimited budget & the effects are better and i think thats what was needed here. The Autons to me have never been scary (far too young to have seen this when first transmitted) the book manages to give them an air of menace which i thought was lacking.
Plus as much as i like the Jon Pertwee the gurning he does in the show to me was ridiculous, at least on the page i wasnt subjected to that, we do get the allusions to daft alien customs etc but here they can be read as him being purposely ridiculous to the primitive humans.
All in all a pretty good novelisation.
September 6, 2025
One of the earliest Target books there is, and it’s a tight banger. It combines the sense of a bigger budget than what would have been used for the screen version, doing in prose what the TV show could have dreamed of, only with the power of description. One paragraph about martial law being declared and the sense of chaos sweeping the nation is a particular highlight. Elsewhere, Dicks reinterprets the material four years on, with greater interiority for otherwise superfluous characters (especially Sam). Some of the plot inconsistencies are smoothed out, while other minor scenes are given more detail (e.g. the Doctor stealing his clothes becomes an epic revenge story rather than a spur of the moment thing). It’s a great compliment to a great story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2023
Doctor Who and the War Games (1974) by Terrance Dicks is the novelisation of the first serial of the seventh season of Doctor Who and Jon Pertwee’s first episode as the Doctor. It was the first Doctor Who serial to be filmed in color.
The Doctor lands the TARDIS in twentieth century having regenerated and falls out of the TARDIS. Meanwhile mysterious asteroids have been falling in the same spot. The Brigadier hires Jo Grant as a new scientific advisor. Meanwhile plastic dummies are behaving oddly.
It’s all entertaining. It’s a good TV serial and a well written book. It’s also the start of the Doctor teaming up longer term with UNIT.
The Doctor lands the TARDIS in twentieth century having regenerated and falls out of the TARDIS. Meanwhile mysterious asteroids have been falling in the same spot. The Brigadier hires Jo Grant as a new scientific advisor. Meanwhile plastic dummies are behaving oddly.
It’s all entertaining. It’s a good TV serial and a well written book. It’s also the start of the Doctor teaming up longer term with UNIT.
December 5, 2025
[Target] (1984). SB. Reprint. 156 Pages. Purchased from Zardoz Books.
An entertaining adaptation of the well regarded, four part (03/01/1970)/24/01/1970) Jon Pertwee series: “Spearhead from Space”.
Pacy and entertaining enough. A pleasing, nostalgic distraction. 50 years on, a few plot features have transitioned from fantastical realms to plausibility.
No hint, at the time, of the post-Tom Baker, ludicrous kitsch, woke crud to follow; which continues to explore new lows.
The embedded illustrations are something of a disappointment. If it weren’t for the evocation of the T.V. show, this may well have been less enjoyable to read.
An entertaining adaptation of the well regarded, four part (03/01/1970)/24/01/1970) Jon Pertwee series: “Spearhead from Space”.
Pacy and entertaining enough. A pleasing, nostalgic distraction. 50 years on, a few plot features have transitioned from fantastical realms to plausibility.
No hint, at the time, of the post-Tom Baker, ludicrous kitsch, woke crud to follow; which continues to explore new lows.
The embedded illustrations are something of a disappointment. If it weren’t for the evocation of the T.V. show, this may well have been less enjoyable to read.
June 6, 2019
Since Finnish translation was from 70´s I was expecting kind of gringefest on lots of things and translation quality. However I got a nice suprise. Only thing that Finnish edition lacked explaining was that which of Doctor's regeneration this was. Also times have been very gently on this one and reading it felt timeless. I hopped on 10th Dr Who.
Dr Who's iconic character... he felt very similar to as what I have gotten used to see in 10th to 12th and it's weird.
I do recommend this for Dr Who fans.
Dr Who's iconic character... he felt very similar to as what I have gotten used to see in 10th to 12th and it's weird.
I do recommend this for Dr Who fans.
October 17, 2020
Episodes of the Doctor Who show that feature a new iteration of the Doctor are always interesting but the serial that The Auton Invasion was based on is definitely one of the standout episodes of this nature. This is a truly classic story brought to life quite well. As much as they say the Target books were geared towards children, this book stands well on its own as an all-audience adventure that doesn't feel like it's talking down to the reader.
It's simply a good Doctor Who adventure and a fulfilling novelization of the original serial.
It's simply a good Doctor Who adventure and a fulfilling novelization of the original serial.
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