Doctor Who and the Space War

"We both fear each other."

Writer: Malcolm Hulke

Format: Novel

Released: September 1976

Series: Target 57

Featuring: Third Doctor, Jo

Synopsis 

"Doctor," screamed Jo. "Look at that thing. It's coming straight at us!" A small black spaceship, about a mile away, was approaching rapidly. 

It had no lights, no markings. But some instinct told Jo that the tiny craft meant danger. 

The year is 2540, and two powers loom large in the Galaxy – Earth and Draconia. After years of peace, their spaceships are now being mysteriously attacked and cargoes rifled. Each suspects the other and full scale war seems unavoidable. The Doctor, accused of being a Draconian spy, is thrown into prison. And only when the Master appears on the scene do things really begin to move...

Verdict

Doctor Who and the Space War was a great novelisation of the Frontier in Space television serial! Somehow I am yet to actually blog the televised version of this adventure in 11 years of blogging now which means it has been more than that long since I last watched this story. But it’s a rather iconic one so it didn’t feel like I was coming at this one completely anew. However, my memory was hazy enough that I wasn’t spoilt by the surprises. I think the highlight of the adventure for me was the politics. It was so strong and the first half of the book in particular for me was near perfection. I was so engrossed in the political battle and peace that was being tested to the limits between the empires of Earth and Draconia. It was so well presented and I love the idea of the frontier that distinguished each respective half’s boundary in the Milky Way. It was delightful. So when that peace was threatened I was a big fan. I loved the mystery that somebody was playing both sides against each other and the hypnotic wave making each party see their worst fears was delicious. The Ogrons are pretty useless yet somehow effective as a hired mercenary race and them being the ones that were on the Earth ship stealing the flour cargo was good. They also took the TARDIS! The Doctor being separated from the TARDIS is always something I enjoy but I do think he could have sold the desperation a little better. It seemed like a helpless situation! The President was a strong character and I loved how she was devoted to peace. General Williams didn’t share those same sentiments but his story soon became quite emotional as we learned of the origins of the first war between Earth and Draconia. He’d been hasty and was young, and that really impacted him which was powerful to read. I loved his turmoil of accepting presidential orders but then also wanting to attack the Dragons. That being a derogatory term was intriguing and I just loved the whole dynamic of twenty-sixth century politics in this regard. Things were balanced on a thin wire for sure! Surprisingly, I thought this story actually dwindled slightly when the Master showed up. It was a fun moment and I love the irony of Jo almost being pleased to see him as a familiar face, but his motives were a little old. The Daleks being his employers is fun and that’s an alliance we could only dream of seeing, but they barely stick around for more than three pages before they set off for pastures new and the Doctor follows them setting things up for Planet of the Daleks. I enjoyed the fear that the Ogrons had when it came to knowing ‘they’ were coming though. They obviously have history and the Daleks frightened them which was tremendous. The Doctor’s speech about the Daleks and how they came to be how they were was outstanding too. I thought there was probably a little too much bouncing around from place to place in the second half of the book, with too many imprisonments followed by escapes in quick fashion. That’s not to say it wasn’t fun though! The pace was really good although I do think things were a little quick in having the Earth President and Draconia Ambassador to ensure the peace was protected. It was neat and tied things up nicely though whilst setting up the next adventure. Overall, a great read!

Rating: 8/10