Castrovalva

"The universe is purged of the Doctor and his impossible dreams of goodness."

Writer: Christopher H. Bidmead
Format: Novel
Released: June 1983
Series: Target 76

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Adric, Nyssa, Tegan

Synopsis

Still weak and confused after his fourth regeneration, the Doctor retreats to Castrovalva to recuperate.

But Castrovalva is not the haven of peace and tranquility the Doctor and his companions are seeking. Far from being to rest quietly, the unsuspecting time travellers are caught up once again in the evil machinations of the Master.

Only an act of supreme self-sacrifice will enable them to escape the maniacal lunacy of the renegade Time Lord.

Verdict

Castrovalva was a decent little read, but it may go down as one of then most disappointing Target novelisations I have read. Now, I don't mean that in the literal sense of it being a rubbish book because it wasn't but it just differentiated so far from the televised story in terms of quality and my enjoyment which was a real shame. I have also considered this adventure to be my second favourite for the Fifth Doctor and it has a special place in my heart as it was the first story I watched featuring Peter Davison's incarnation and was only my third ever Classic tale. I love the televised story, but the novelisation just seemed lacking which was very surprising to me. I was quite amazed that it took over fifty pages for the Doctor and his companions to even get to Castrovalva! I couldn't quite believe that. I remember there being a good chunk of part one taking place within the deep confines of the TARDIS, but in the book it just seemed to lag a bit which was a shame. What this novelisation has made me realise and appreciate is just how good Peter Davison is in the televised format. He lights up those TARDIS scenes and plays the amnesiac Doctor very well. I like how different this one is as a post-regeneration story with the effects of the Master on the regeneration having a big impact and the Doctor needed time to rest. That's just something that he very rarely has time for! The hunt for the zero room was really good though and I liked how he was ripping apart the famed scarf of the Fourth Doctor to find his way back to the console room. Exploring the depths of the TARDIS is something that I was a fan of and I liked how dangerous things could potentially get within the confines of what is usually a safe place. One thing that the novelised format made me realise was actually how little the Master features. I am a huge fan of the villain so I really did want more. I also wasn't too impressed with the sequence of how the Master got hold of Adric. When he did have him in captivity though it was superb stuff with him using the boy's mathematical intelligence and his crude web to power Castrovalva through block transfer computation. I loved how threads from Logopolis really seeped through and provided some fantastic continuity. The relationship between Nyssa and Tegan was wonderful in this book and it was nice to see them combine together and work well to try and save Adric whilst keeping the Doctor stabilised and not worrying too much. I do think too much time was spent on the potential of the hydrogen inrush at Event One and the anticipation just seemed to simmer out in this format which was a real shame. Without the visuals, the construction of the zero cabinet was probably improved but the constant lugging it around with the Doctor inside became a little tiresome. I really didn't expect to dislike some elements as much as I did compared to what was seen on television. Adric trying to defeat the Master from within was really good and with him hardly featuring in the book, I quite enjoyed him as the companion. There's some cruel irony there. The ending was actually really good and I very much enjoyed the last couple of chapters that saved this novelisation from a real disaster! It was pacy and exciting and the Doctor trying to explain to the Castrovalvans the problem with their locality was brilliant. I loved it when he got them to draw a map and the revelation that it was all a trap laid out by the Master was great! I really liked it. However, the fate of the Master needed more clarity as he seemed to takeoff in his TARDIS and then be trapped by the locals as the place folded in on itself? The Master was trapped by his own creation and that's a good fate. Overall, a decent novelisation but disappointing compared to the televised version.

Rating: 7/10