The Dominators (novelisation)

 was a novelisation based on the 1968 television serial The Dominators.

1984 edition
The Doctor remembers Dulkis from a previous visit as a civilised and peaceful place. But times have changed, and his second trip is not quite the holiday he was expecting.

The Dulcians themselves are more reluctant than ever before to engage in acts of violence. The so-called Island of Death, once used as an atomic test site, has served as a dire warning of the horrifying consequences of warfare. But an alien race prepares to take advantage of their pacifism...

The whole planet and its passive inhabitants are threatened with complete annihilation - and no one it seems, is going to lift a finger to stop the evil Dominators and their unquestioning robot slaves.

1991 edition
The Doctor hesitated. "Well ... it kills people..." "Fire it!" Rago commanded.

Dulkis. A planet where war has been outlawed and where the Island of Death, once used as an atomic test site, has served as a dire warning to generations of Dulcians of the horrifying consequences of war.

But an alien race prepares to take advantage of their pacifism: the whole planet is threatened with annihilation by the Dominators and their robot slaves...

The five episodes of The Dominators, first broadcast in 1968 and featuring Patrick Troughton in the role of the Doctor, were written by Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln under the shared pseudonym "Norman Ashby". This book, originally published in 1984, is by the late Ian Marter, who novelized several Doctor Who stories and who played the role of TARDIS traveller Harry Sullivan from 1974 to 1975.

Doctor Who - The Dominators is available on BBC Video and has recently been broadcast on BSB television.

Chapter titles

 * 1) Island of Death
 * 2) The Radiation Mystery
 * 3) The Assessment
 * 4) Heads in the Sand
 * 5) Slavery
 * 6) Fighting Back
 * 7) Buried Alive
 * 8) Clues
 * 9) Last Chances
 * 10) Desperate Measures

Deviations from televised story

 * Like most target novelisastions, a majority of the dialogue is altered in the book form.
 * Marter's novelisation names Cully as 'Kully'.
 * When the Dominator's leave their ship, Toba has a radiation instrument with him.
 * The Survey Unit is described as a portable building.
 * When Toba orders the Quarks to fire on the unit, the portable unit topples over the high ground and crashes to the even ground. Kully and Zoe are then arrested by Toba and his Quarks.
 * The Quarks are coloured gold, whilst the Dominators have glowing green eyes.
 * The Quarks are described as two metres tall and the Dominators as two and a half. Both are significantly shorter on television.
 * The Quarks are described when they kill Wahed, Etnin and Tolata: In the televised version, they are not seen until the Doctor and Jamie encounter them.
 * Teel beats Toba with a metal bar without effect. In the television version, he merely grabs hold of his arm.

Writing and publishing notes

 * The cover for the original Target Books edition featured the artwork of Andrew Skilleter.

British publication history
First publication:
 * Hardback
 * W.H.Allen & Co. Ltd. UK


 * Paperback
 * Target

Re-issues:
 * 1991 Virgin Publishing with a new cover by Alistair Pearson priced £3.50 (UK)

Editions published outside Britain
to be added

Audiobook
This Target Book was released on 6 September 2018 complete and unabridged by BBC Audio and read by Michael Troughton.

The cover blurb and thumbnail illustrations were retained in the accompanying booklet with sleevenotes by David J. Howe. Music and sound effects by Simon Power.