The First Doctor, his first encounter with the Daleks - and the first ever Doctor Who novel back in print!
Doctor Who and the Daleks
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Book Description
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Product Description
About the Author
David Whitaker was the first Story Editor for Doctor Who, and was responsible for finding and commissioning writers, and it was Whitaker as much as anyone who defined the narrative shape of Doctor Who. He wrote for the Doctor Who annuals, novelised the first Dalek story and worked with Terry Nation on various Dalek-related material including the hugely successful comic strip The Daleks. David Whitaker died in 1980.
Terry Nation started as a comedy writer and performer, and was approached with an offer to work on Doctor Who, providing the seven episodes of the first ever Dalek story. After inventing the Daleks, Nation moved on to work on The Saint, The Champions and The Avengers. In the 1970s he scripted four more Dalek series - including Genesis of the Daleks which has been voted the best ever story in the series. Nation later devised the hugely popular BBC science fiction series Blake's 7. Terry Nation died in Los Angeles in 1996.
Terry Nation started as a comedy writer and performer, and was approached with an offer to work on Doctor Who, providing the seven episodes of the first ever Dalek story. After inventing the Daleks, Nation moved on to work on The Saint, The Champions and The Avengers. In the 1970s he scripted four more Dalek series - including Genesis of the Daleks which has been voted the best ever story in the series. Nation later devised the hugely popular BBC science fiction series Blake's 7. Terry Nation died in Los Angeles in 1996.
From AudioFile
William Russell, Ian in the original "Doctor Who" series, narrates the novelization of the 1964 season, a retro sci-fi adventure of two average Brits caught up in the mysterious doctor's travels. On the planet Skaro they intervene to save the pacifist Thals from the evil Daleks. Russell reads with earnest breathlessness, making Ian a sturdy, if querulous, hero. He differentiates other voices adequately, with electronic filtering for the Daleks' voices. Frequent sound effects and occasional music are sometimes laughable, sometimes effective. The story has both the charms of old-time sci-fi and the flaws, including some nasty xenophobia. But those who overlook the negatives and get into the spirit will find this title fun. W.M. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Amazon.com:
4.2 out of 5 stars
8 reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
The original Dalek story
Oct 9 2000
By "grrreg"
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The second televised Doctor Who story introduced one of the most important elements in the show's history: the Daleks, the most constant opponents of the Doctor through his many lives. So popular were they that this novel was published in 1964. Written by the show's original script editor, it is not a straight adaptation of the show it is based on.
Mr Whitaker starts the novel with a variant version of the first episode of the series, although Ian is not a teacher and Susan has a different surname (English instead of Foreman). This version is rather more atmospheric than the equivalent in the novelisation of An Unearthly Child. In fact, writing the book in the first person (narrated by Ian) is an excellent device in this book.
Moving on into the story proper, it is again not a simple adaptation of the televised story. While fairly faithful, some of the deviations (like the glass Dalek) add interest in a way that the show could not actually portray at the time. The Thal characters are fairly well outlined (given that they are quite flat in the original serial), and the descriptions of the planetary environs is also good.
Way back when, Doctor Who books included line drawing illustrations. I've never been impressed with these, but those in this book are among the best, and obviously based on stills from the original.
An excellent, if inaccurate, adaptation of an important story. A pity they aren't all this good.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great way experience Classic Doctor Who
Aug 25 2012
By Andrew
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Having never seen a single episode of the original Doctor Who, the notion of 40 years of backstory is a bit daunting. But with this book, and the whole series reprints BBC Books is publishing, it's easier than ever the dive in to some classic Doctor Who stories.
This particular volume is a reprint of the first ever Doctor Who novelisation, itself an adaptation of the second Doctor Who tv serial. But Steve Whitaker did a brilliant job of not just adapting a classic sci-fi tele-play to prose, but making of it a wonderfully fun, and very engaging novel.
It's definitely a quick and easy read, but well worth it for any fan of fun sci-fi romps.
Bear in mind that all these novels are a totally authentic way, and in the case of many of the older Doctor who stories, the only way, to experience a piece of sci-fi history. The new introductions, as well as summaries of the various characters backgrounds, and a "Between the Lines" section giving a brief history of not only the novel, but the original tv serials themselves, are welcome additions that make these reprints well worth the $6.99 price tag.
This particular volume is a reprint of the first ever Doctor Who novelisation, itself an adaptation of the second Doctor Who tv serial. But Steve Whitaker did a brilliant job of not just adapting a classic sci-fi tele-play to prose, but making of it a wonderfully fun, and very engaging novel.
It's definitely a quick and easy read, but well worth it for any fan of fun sci-fi romps.
Bear in mind that all these novels are a totally authentic way, and in the case of many of the older Doctor who stories, the only way, to experience a piece of sci-fi history. The new introductions, as well as summaries of the various characters backgrounds, and a "Between the Lines" section giving a brief history of not only the novel, but the original tv serials themselves, are welcome additions that make these reprints well worth the $6.99 price tag.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Karen, Doctor Who Fan
Sep 19 2011
By Karen A. Langro
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm glad I bought this book, and it is different from the TV show, which is not a bad thing. I thought that An Unearthly Child was the first novelzation of the show, but it's not. Anyway this book does not disapoint at all. I hope that profits for these six reprints of the old Doctor Who stories are large eneough, so that more of these stories will be printed. There are of course Target books out there avaiable, but the ones that are new, quite often are out of my price range, while these are not. I'm sure that I'm not the only one who hopes that more of these old stories will be reprinted, and the sooner the better!
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4.2 out of 5 stars
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