Doctor Who and the Ribos Operation

"Spirits of the Ice, Spirits of the Sun, show what I seek."

Writer: Ian Marter

Format: Novel

Released: December 1979

Series: Target 52

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Romana I, K9

Synopsis

Reluctantly cancelling his well-earned holiday, the Doctor sets off in the TARDIS to trace and re-assemble the six segments of the Key to Time on which the stability of the entire Universe depends.

Assisted by the argumentative Romanadvoratrelundar and K9, he lands on the planet Ribos in search of the first segment and finds himself entangled in the machinations of two sinister strangers, Garron and the Graff Vynda Ka.

Who are they? Is Garron simply a shady confidence-trickster dealing in interplanetary real estate? Is the Graff Vynda Ka just a power-crazed exile bent on revenge? Or are they both really agents of the Black Guardian, intent upon seizing the precious Key in order to throw the Universe into eternal chaos?

Risking his life within the monster-infested catacombs of Ribos, the Doctor has to use all his wit and ingenuity to find out ...

Verdict

Doctor Who and the Ribos Operation was a decent novelisation of the Season 16 opener! I thought this was a little hit and miss in places and definitely was a bit too bulky text heavy, but it served well in novelising the debut of Romana. I was impressed with how much I enjoyed Romana's emergence to the show through this book and the interactions between her and the Doctor were feisty from then off. The first incarnation of Romana doesn't rank highly on my companions list at all, which is ironic given my placement for the second incarnation, but I found myself enjoying her early dialogue with the Doctor as she arrived as an assistant in the quest for the Key to Time. I really enjoy the quest concept but I do think it goes on too long to span an entire season. It's fine in the opener because nothing has been repeated yet, but I do think it was a mistake to locate the segment hidden as the Jethryk so early on as that leaves things predictable of where we are going. K9 had a strong outing in this book and I did not remember his early interactions with Romana being so full of conflict. She didn't seem to get on well with his logical nature which was amusing in parts, but she was apologetic when it came to her snapping at the little robot dog. The conflict between the Doctor and Romana was excellent as well with the former trying to show off despite his inferior exam results at the Academy on Gallifrey. Romana didn't take well to having her inexperience used against her. The setting of Ribos has a lot of potential and it's no surprise that Big Finish will return to it in the Seventh Doctor Adventures. I particularly like the idea of Sun Time and Ice Time and definitely think more could be made of that. It's an intriguing position for a planet to be in, especially with its population being primitive. Binro being referred to as a heretic was good and I liked how he was firmly in belief that Ribos moved and that there were other planets. Garron and Unstoffe being from another world and having advanced technology was something he saw with awe which was nice. The Graff Vynda-Ka made for a decent villain and Garron trying to double cross and con him into buying a false mine was fun, but the monster was onto him and dealt with the scorpions laid for him brutally. I thought the Seeker was a bit too much of a bit-part role for how important she actually was, and there did seem to be a little blending of themes with religion and science. I did appreciate the amount of action that took place in the book with the caves and makeup of Ribos being utilised very well. I also thought the description at the end of the transformation of the segment into its true form was superb, but why Marter decided to rename the tracer as the ludicrous Locatormutor core is beyond me! Sometimes simple works best. I did enjoy the brief moments with the White Guardian in setting up the series arc, but that loses its place a little when things just stop here. I thought the death of Binro was emotional and I liked the fate of Sholakh as the commander. The Doctor swapping the Jethryk back with Garron at the end is so much fun as well and the Fourth Doctor at his best. Overall, a decent read!

Rating: 7/10