Warriors of the Deep

"Mankind's oldest enemies had awakened once more - and they were poised to attack."

Writer: Terrance Dicks

Format: Novel

Released: August 1984

Series: Target 87

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Tegan, Turlough

Synopsis 

When the TARDIS materialises on Earth in the year 2084, the Doctor meets an old enemy - the Sea Devils. Once the masters of this planet, they are now forced to live in the murky depths of the sea. But their intention is to reclaim their position of domination...

This will entail the infiltration of Earth's defence systems and the provocation of another World War, more terrible than any yet experienced, to bring about the complete annihilation of the human race.

Not only is the first stage of the Sea Devils' attack successful, their associates in this dastardly plan are the sinister Silurians, also known to the Doctor of old. 

Verdict 

Warriors of the Deep was a brilliant novelisation and a fine example of when a Doctor Who story works much better in the prose format from rather than on television. I know the televised format gets quite a kicking when it comes to being critical about it and it never ranks highly in the story polls, but I've always liked it even if I thought some of the set design and costumes were pretty poor. However, with this novelisation those factors don't come into play and instead we can see just what a superb little story this is. I wasn't sure what to expect prior to reading because it has been quite some time since I watched this serial and because I liked it against public opinion, I was optimistic about what was ahead but I wasn't holding my breath. Maybe that played a factor in me enjoying it so much. I thought Terrance Dicks did a stellar job of setting the tone for the adventure by not wasting any time in revealing that the Silurians were present and intent on taking back their planet once more. The synopsis on the rear of the novel is a little misleading in my opinion as it indicates that the Sea Devils are the main enemies but the book itself clearly places the Silurians as the superior of the two dormant races which have now awaken. The setting of the sea base was magnificent and worked fantastically well for a story that involved a lot of action but also tactical manoeuvres. There were detailed recaps of both Doctor Who and the Silurians and The Sea Devils which I thought was brilliant and would help any readers who were unfamiliar of the Doctor's past encounters with the two races. The 2084 setting was an interesting one and reading over thirty years since the novel's release might have some impact on this thought, but I think the year was a bit soon for what was being depicted. It just didn't seem right that in seventy years the entire human race is going to be divided into two beliefs on either an east or west block. The premise worked well for the story with Doctor Solow and Nilson working as enemy agents, but the year may just be a tad premature in my opinion. I thought Icthar was an excellent villain and the idea that he was one of the Triad from the Doctor's first encounter with the Silurians was wonderful as it really connected the stories together which I liked. Vorshak was another very good character and I liked how committed he was to following orders and doing what was best for preserving the secrecy of the sea base's location. It did almost get him killed on more than one occasion though. Bulic was a great character also and he was actually rather unique in that he survived! The amount of death in this novel was actually quite astounding with nearly every named character not surviving until the end. Even poor Maddox didn't get to live after all he was put through with the synch-op. The dynamic between the TARDIS trio was particularly interesting in the story as I don't think there has ever been less of a connection between the main characters. It was highlighted perfectly in this story just how irritating the Doctor can find Tegan which I actually thought was quite humorous. And after recent events in the Black Guardian trilogy of adventures, the Doctor still wasn't sure whether he could trust Turlough. As for the companions themselves, they had their differences on more than one instant. I'm not sure it's a great dynamic to have but somehow it still works. The characterisation of Peter Davison's Fifth Doctor was nothing short of sublime and I think that absolutely helped in getting the story a very high rating. It was perfect for this incarnation really as the Doctor soon felt extremely guilty for all of the death that occurred. His being there though ensured that the human race survived. It must have been a good consolation, but the Doctor could only think of the people who died. Overall, a brilliant novel with a great plot, excellent enemies and a fantastic setting! 

Rating: 9/10