I’ve started reading some of the Doctor Who Target range - any recommendations? I’ve started by reading ones which were written by the episode’s original screenwriter
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I haven’t read it myself, but I remember hearing that the Kerblam! novelisation is stronger than the original episode (more character development and makes it clearly pro-union, less Amazon propaganda). So if you end up reading it, please tell me if it’s worth it!
My faves from my youth include Day of the Daleks, The Invasion, The Web of Fear. I think I’d generally recommend anything by Ian Marter, he had a great writing style.
There were a range of reprints for the 50th that were released in themes, the History Collection etc. Those were well chosen and worth a look if you're interested in the Wilderness era books. They should be easy to track down. Festival of Death. The Witchfinders. Sands of Time. All great.
I haven't read the Ncuti ones yet, but hit the Tennant returns ones as soon as they were available. The Giggle is really something, as close as you can get to Day without being Day.
I have Rogue marked down as a potential one- I’m focusing on ones written by the original screenwriters, because I think it’s an interesting look into their process! You can see how RTD rewrote parts of Rose for the better in hindsight
It’s a range of novelisations of Doctor Who episodes which has been going for maybe decades I think? Many written by the original screenwriter - RTD wrote a Rose novel, Moffat wrote Day of the Doctor, etc
Remembrance of the Daleks is full of lovely little bits that didn't or couldn't have made it into the filmed version, including the tale of the Special Weapons Dalek. I remember the Chase, followed by The Dalek Masterplan, being thrilling. Terrance Dicks is always dependable.
The OG Terrance Dicks ones are quality. Very clear writing, well paced. They're actually a very nice way to experience some of the missing eps if you're not into reconstructions or multi-episode pacing.
The Auton Invasion, for sure. And Dinosaur Invasion. Looking back over the list, I thought Dicks wrote more of the 60's era books than he actually did. The Romans is a fun one. It's an epistolary novel written by Donald Cotten.
Both the Hartnell books by David Whittaker are great, and I've got a soft spot for Genesis of the Daleks by ya boy Terrance Dicks. Power of the Daleks by John Peel is also fab and sort of a Target Book, but it is kind of pricey!
Warrior’s Gate is by the original writer and makes a famously tricky narrative a bit more comprehensible at least - that was a well thumbed one from my childhood anyway!
if you can find a copy of Donald Cotton's The Gunfighters, get that, because it's really, REALLY funny, pretending to be a eyewitness's account of the OK Corral that this limey doctor blundered into.
Terrence Dicks's Day of the Daleks is pretty solid sci-fi fun
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To that, I'd add The Myth Makers, and Day of the Doctor.
Web of Fear for the bit where it just breaks the wall and starts telling you what an important character the Brig is.
Dicks's novelisation umpteen years later: "[bins that] Hey, it's that time the Doc and his chum first met!"
Terrence Dicks's Day of the Daleks is pretty solid sci-fi fun