'Doctor Who and the Silurians' is adapted by its original author, Malcolm Hulke. This novelisation varies from the original story, principally by adding more detail. However, don't be surprised if not all the details tally!

The Doctor has accepted a post as UNIT's scientific adviser in exchange for the use of facilities to repair the TARDIS. He and Liz Shaw are summoned by the Brigadier to Wenley Moor, where strange things are happening at a nuclear research station. There are mysterious power losses, nervous breakdowns, and UNIT's assistance is sought after one scientist is killed and his pot holing companion goes mad.

There is something in the caves under Wenley Moor, and it is not friendly...

One of the earliest Target novelisations, author Malcolm Hulke obviously takes a fairly free hand in retelling this story. It is a recognition that what works well on TV won't necessarily work well in a book. This book is not simply an adaptation, but a reworking of the story for a different medium.

The TARDIS returns the Doctor and Sarah to London, which is strangely deserted. Trying to stop some looters, they are arrested by soldiers who are part of the force policing martial law. They do not know why London is abandoned, but escaping from captivity, but soon come face-to-face with a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Where did this (and other) dinosaurs come from? Who is behind the return of these mindless creatures?

A Doctor Who serial I have never seen (it was not rated for General Exhibition, so Australia's ABC didn't show it), my only experience of this serial is this novel and some photos. Some of the ideas underlying it are good (I won't explain about how the dinosaurs arrive, as that would give away the book...), but the main problem is that the story is repetitive - every so often, dinosaurs will arrive.

Malcolm Hulke's adaptation of his own script is quite readable despite this repetition.

The last story in Doctor Who's tenth season, this story of environmental issues was one that I never saw on TV. It was rated above "General Exhibition", so Australia's ABC didn't show it. So my first experience was with this, the novelisation by the script's author, Malcolm Hulke.

UNIT is called in to investigate the death of a Welsh miner, who turned green before he died. Jo Grant is, instead, attracted to the cause of the Wholeweal Community, who are seeking environmentally sustainable methods of living under the guidance of Professor Cliff Jones, the youngest winner of the Nobel Prize. The Doctor, however, takes a trip to holiday on Metebelis Three.

Some holiday! After being attacked by all kind of creatures, he returns to Earth to receive a message from the Brigadier, and heads off Llanfairfach to join UNIT. While Professor Jones is right top criticise Global Chemicals, even he has no idea of exactly what the company is up to.

While this story is neither particularly good or bad, and rather predictable, I think you are better off watching it on video as the final scenes, the farewell to Jo Grant as the Doctor's assistant, is very moving because of the great acting.

While Doctor Who was still in its "exiled on Earth" format in season sine, this story is the odd one out as it is the only one not to feature a journey through time and/or space. It is adapted by its original author, Malcolm Hulke.

The Doctor and Jo visit the Master in his island prison, where he is given every luxury except his freedom. But there is something going on out to sea. Three ships have gone down with all hands in the recent past, and the Doctor takes it upon himself to investigate.

What undersea menace is at work? And how is the Master involved?

The eponymous race of this story have the misfortune of appearing in a story with the Master, and are largely relegated to the role of being "the muscle". This is unfortunate, as it has set the tone for all subsequent appearances. (The Sea Devils' "cousins", the Silurians got to hold the spotlight in their first showing and have held it ever since!)

The novel itself has the distinct advantage over the video in that the original TV serial was overlong, and the novel avoids spending too much time on running around. However, the straightforward adaptation of this story compares unfavourably with Mr. Hulke's adaptation of 'The Silurians'. There are also illustrations of a fairly poor quality.

One of Jon Pertwee's favourite serials, 'Frontier in Space' is here adapted by its original author, Malcolm Hulke.

This story is an old fashion space opera, something not common in Doctor Who. The Doctor and Jo are in a just-avoided collision between the TARDIS and a space freighter. They materialise on the freighter, which is shortly after under attack from another ship. Suddenly, the freighter's crew starts to respond to them as though they are the alien Draconians - and Draconians invade the freighter. However, the Doctor and Jo see Ogrons...

Earth and Draconia have been in an uneasy peace for many years, and the raids on ships of either empire, blamed by each on the other, are driving the empires towards war. And behind this plot is the Master...

Ambitious, although a little slow, this story is actually the first part of a story which is completed by 'The Planet of the Daleks'. Sadly, Mr. Hulke varies the ending of the story so that the Master doesn't shoot the Doctor - which means that the story doesn't flow easily into the second part.

This adaptation of the last second Doctor, adapted by script co-author Malcolm Hulke. The original story ran for ten episodes, and replaced two scripts that fell through. I think that many viewers thought it was a bit padded. The novel confirms this, as the page count is about that of a four or six episode story adaptation.

The TARDIS lands in what appears to be World War I. However, as they endeavour to avoid capture they see a number of things that are anachronistic, but invisible to the inhabitants of the world, and the fact that something is very wrong when, after passing through a fog bank and encounter Roman soldiers.

Some alien force has kidnapped soldiers from various wars on Earth, and are conducting war games for a reason that is revealed late in the story.

At the climax of the story, some of the Doctor's past is revealed - more than had been the case to this point. And the resolution of the story requires that the Doctor change his form again...

In adapting this story, Mr. Hulke wisely trims the early-middle of the story, where things contained a bit of a run around. It is an important story, and this adaptation preserves the most important parts for the reader.

Based on the TV serial 'Colony in Space', Malcolm Hulke adapts his own story, which features the first trip of the third Doctor and Jo in the TARDIS.

Showing Jo the TARDIS interior, the ship suddenly takes off without any actions from the Doctor and the pair are deposited on an alien planet 1000 years in the future. They are captured by colonists, who believe they are working for the IMC, a mining company who wants to exploit the minerals of their planet. Amongst conflict between the two groups of humans, and the possible threat of the Primitives of the world, a Earth Adjudicator arrives to settle the problems. But he is, in fact, the Master...

For the first trip into space in two years, this story is actually very dull, making the Earth-based ones seem much better by comparison. It is quite drawn out, taking a while to get to the point, with several spurious conflicts that seem to exist simply to string out the book.

The illustrations are OK, but not great.

This novel was one of the first published by Target, and somewhat spuriously adds the meeting between the Doctor and Jo to the beginning of the book. If you were reading the novelisations in order, this would be your second encounter with this seen, the previous one being three books before!