Doctor Who and the Enemy of the World

"I wish to expose a monstrous tyrant."

Writer: Ian Marter
Format: Novel
Released: April 1981
Series: Target 24

Featuring: Second Doctor, Jamie, Victoria

Synopsis

In the year 2030 only one man seems to know what action to take when the world is hit by a series of terrible natural disasters. Salamander's success in handling these monumental problems has brought him enormous power.

From the moment the Doctor, Jamie and Victoria land on an Australian beach, they are caught up in a struggle for world domination - a struggle in which the Doctor's startling resemblance to Salamander plays a vital role.6

Verdict

Doctor Who and the Enemy of the World was a very good novelisation! Ian Marter is always a good novelist and whilst removing a considerable amount from what was broadcast, he managed to capture this story in prose in a great way. I thought the book was a bit more pacier than what we saw on television and with a six-part story fitting into less than 130 pages, that isn't too much of a surprise. There was a lot going on but that was good and I quite liked how things didn't wait for the action to start. It didn't take long at all for the Doctor, Jamie and Victoria to be shot at and I liked how little the delay was in them finding out why. The resemblance between the Doctor and Salamander could never be as good in prose as it was on screen and that's mostly down to Patrick Troughton's brilliance but I thought it was tackled excellently here and the writing of the differing people who shared a look was good. You always knew which was which and there was never confusion which was commendable. Jamie and Victoria were good and I particularly liked the former quickly assuming the role of lieutenant after the staged attempt on Salamander's life. Astrid was a wonderful character and her efforts to avenge her father's death were obvious to see. Kent was another good character and the confusion over the Doctor's initial impersonation was rather humorous. I was quite surprised by his turn towards the book's conclusion though and I did not expect him to be hoping to use the Doctor to replace Salamander and take the leader's place by using the Doctor as a puppet. The way the Doctor revealed that was majestic though. The characterisation of Patrick Troughton's Second Doctor was decent but I thought the writing of Jamie was the standout piece of the novel. Bruce was a fantastic character and his dislike for Benik worked in the Doctor's favour as he was able to control him and get him to help. Fariah's death was another shocking moment and the Doctor's reaction to that was brilliant. She had needlessly died but she also had the evidence against Salamander that the Doctor so craved. The way Salamander was able to orchestrate natural disasters was uncanny and when Astrid revealed to the slaves the way they had been used, their initial refusal to believe it was quite heartbreaking. I thought the ending with Salamander's demise in the TARDIS, or rather by falling out of it, was terrific and I liked how that was the only time where Marter referred to Salamander as the Doctor to try and trick the reader at the end. The World Zones Organisation was good and I thought the multi-settings worked well. Overall, a brilliant read!

Rating: 8/10