Written by Malcolm Hulke, based on his scripts for the 1970 TV serial Doctor Who and the Silurians.

Terrance Dicks’ old writing partner becomes his co-noveliser for these early adaptations. As a kid I loved the Target books that opened with a map or a diagram – here, it’s of the Wenley Moor caves and Reptile People base. The prologue places the Reptile People in context as they enter hibernation to escape what they assume is impending cataclysm – only to remain in “total sleep” for a hundred million years. It has the grandeur of The Lord of the Rings movie prologue.

Liz’s exasperation with the Doctor is very funny, especially given Hulke has him come out with lines like, “We are the government”. There are some very dry one liners too, like, “He has destroyed the destructor!” Hulke adds in character backstories, like Matthew Quinn’s cynical romance with Phyllis Dawson. He also writes often from the reptile peoples’ point of view which is largely very good but does result in some odd lapses like the reptiles calling hair “fur” but also correctly identifying frock coats.

The plot is occasionally choppy – the Doctor jumps from being in the reactor room to encountering a T-Rex (its vision based on movement) in the caves and back – but it is all in the interest of keeping this pacy for kids. The final, brief chapter is clearer than on TV that this is the story where the Doctor got it wrong. Liz clearly agrees with the Brigadier – airy-fairy ideals are useless when one side is bent on genocidal aggression. Largely, though, this is an efficient but faithful streamlining of the TV episodes, and a triumph of a novel. Grade 1.

Next Time: Doctor Who And… The Doomsday Weapon