Doctor Who and the Armageddon Factor (novelisation)

 was a novelisation based on the 1979 television serial The Armageddon Factor.

Publisher's summary
Some time ago, the White Guardian, one of the most powerful beings in the Cosmos, had set the Doctor an urgent task – to find and reassemble the six segments of the Key to Time.

The Doctor and Romana had successfully retrieved five of the segments and now they have reached the planet Atrios in the middle of an atomic war, to search for the last, most vital piece.

Sinister dangers await them in this final stage of their quest...

THE ARMAGEDDON FACTOR is a novel in the Key to Time Sequence. Also available THE RIBOS OPERATION, THE STONES OF BLOOD, THE ANDROIDS OF TARA and THE POWER OF KROLL.

Chapter titles

 * 1) The Vanishing Planet
 * 2) Missile Strike
 * 3) Kidnapped
 * 4) A Trap for K9
 * 5) The Furnace
 * 6) Behind the Mirror
 * 7) The Shadow
 * 8) Lost of Zeos
 * 9) The Armageddon Factor
 * 10) The Planet of Evil
 * 11) Drax
 * 12) The Bargain
 * 13) Small World
 * 14) The Key to Time

Deviations from televised story

 * The Shadow is an extra-dimensional ghost resurrected by the Black Guardian from one of the Doctor's enemies.
 * The Shadow's planet is an asteroid that resembles a medieval castle on the inside.
 * The planet is littered with trap doors.
 * The Doctor argues that the brief moment the Key was complete, the real White Guardian would have sorted everything out.
 * Drax mentions the Doctor's exile to Earth. He also mentions purchasing a second-hand TARDIS instead of stealing one, like the Doctor and their other classmates had done, and went into repair and maintenance.
 * More context to the name "Theta Sigma" is given, with the Doctor considering it "Time Lord coding".

Writing and publishing notes

 * Producer John Nathan-Turner thought the cover artwork was poor.
 * This is the second and final appearance of the Mary Tamm version of Romana on a Target range cover and the only one based on a photo reference. It was also the last appearance of any incarnation of Romana on a Target novelisation as Lalla Ward's image did not appear on any of the first editions of the Target novels featuring her version of Romana (although she was featured on later editions of some books).

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


 * Paperback
 * Target

Audiobook
This Target Book was released as an audiobook on 6 June 2019 complete and unabridged by BBC Audio and read by John Leeson.

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.