Written by Ian Marter, based on Robert Holmes’ scripts for the 1978 TV serial.

Marter’s third novel is his most sophisticated yet, taking Holmes’ gloriously witty and amusing scripts and turning them into one of the more polished Target novels. There are flashes of grisly horror, particularly in descriptions of the fearsome Shrivenzales (which send sparks flying whenever they move, and which gruesomely melt under laser fire), and in the witchy Seeker, who is stabbed horribly by the Graff Vynda Ka but, to the Doctor’s unease, “the gaping wounds showed not the slightest trace of bleeding.”

But mostly, Marter keeps his penchant for horror in check, leaning instead into Holmes’ humour. The Garron and Unstoffe double act is glorious, with the two in a low-level battle of wills to see who can outsmart the other. And that’s reflected, as onscreen, in the Doctor’s rivalry with his new assistant Romana. Marter captures her haughtiness well, and makes the Doctor more repeatedly condescending than on TV (he continually calls her “my dear”).

Marter is also good at capturing the very Star Wars sense of a world beyond the edge of the screen, with references to the polar settlements, the Graff’s bitterness over his lost empire, and Binro’s heresy of the gods of ice and fire. This goes beyond simply putting the script down onto the page, and genuinely captures the charm and character of the performances. It’s a total win, and an indication that Marter has more than one trick up his sleeve when it comes to these books. Grade 1.

Next Time: Doctor Who And… The Underworld.