Doctor Who and the Cybermen (novelisation)

Novelisation

 * This novelisation is based on the original television serial DW: The Moonbase which was shown from 11th February 1967 and written by Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis
 * The cover and information shown on the right is for the original Target novel and featured the artwork of Chris Achilleos. (See below for information on other UK and international editions which published with a different cover).
 * Unlike most pre-1988 releases that saw a hardcover and paperback edition published either at the time time, or within months of each other, a hardcover edition of Doctor Who and the Cybermen did not appear until 1981.

1975 edition
One by one, their limbs became diseased-they were replaced by plastic and steel! Little by little, their brains tired-computers worked just as well! With metal limbs, they had the strength of ten men. They could live in the airless vacuum of space. They had no heart, no feelings, no emotions and only one goal - power! In the year 2070, a small blue planet caught their attention. They would land on its satellite and, from there, attack, ransack, destroy and finally abandon… THE SATELLITE WAS THE MOON THE HELPLESS PLANET - EARTH THEIR NAMES? THE CYBERMEN! Can the Doctor defeat an enemy whose threat is almost as great as that of the mighty Daleks?

1981 edition
A mystery virus is wreaking havoc among the crew of the Earth's weather control station on the Moon. While investigations into the strange disease are in progress, International Space Headquarters Earth puts the entire Moon base into strict quarantine - the Doctor and his companions included! To make matters worse, Moon base personnel inexplicably vanish and vital weather control equipment is sabotaged. Who is responsible? The Director of the base suspects the time-travellers. The Doctor fears that the ruthlessly evil Cybermen are at work...

Deviations from the Televised Story

 * An introductory chapter briefly recounts the origin and history of the Cybermen but states that they originated on Telos not Mondas. A condensed version of this is reprinted in the books Doctor Who and the Tenth Planet, Doctor Who - The Revenge of the Cybermen and Doctor Who and the Tomb of the Cybermen with additional details were relevant (for example in Doctor Who and the Tenth Planet it is stated the Cybermen subsequently colonised Mondas).
 * In Chapter 10 (taken from episode 4 of the TV story) the task of stopping more cyber-controlled people coming out the infirmary is given to Polly and Jamie instead of Ben and Jamie.
 * When lowering the Gravitron in Chapter 11, the characters use the intercom to communicate rather than the hand signals used in the tv vesion
 * The lead into The Macra Terror is not included.

Author, Writing and Publishing Notes

 * The first edition was the last Target novelisation to use its own unique version of the Doctor Who logo (a modification of the Pertwee-era logo used between 1970 and 1973). Beginning with the next book, Doctor Who and the Giant Robot and continuing through to 1991, the line would usually use the on-air logo current at the time of the book's publication (even if it didn't correspond with the Doctor's era featured).

Illustrations

 * Contains 7 illustrated pages by Alan Willow

Publishing History (UK)
To be added

First Publication:
 * Hardback
 * W.H.Allen & Co. Ltd. UK


 * Paperback
 * Target

Re-issues:
 * 60p (UK)
 * 1981 by Virgin Publishing with a new cover by Bill Donohoe priced 95p (UK)

International Editions
To be added

External Sources

 * The Target Book by David J Howe (Telos Publishing 2007)
 * On Target a comprehensive guide to the Target novelisations by Tim Neal