Doctor Who and the Terror of the Autons (novelisation)

 was a novelisation of the 1971 television serial Terror of the Autons.

1979 edition
The evil Master leered at the Doctor, and triumphantly pointed out of the cabin window. The many-tentacled Nestene monster – spearhead of the second Auton invasion of the Earth – crouched beside the radio tower!

Part crab, part spider, part octopus, its single huge eye blazed with alien intelligence and deadly hatred…

Can the Doctor outwit his rival Time lord, the Master, and save the Earth from the Nestene horror?

Chapter Titles

 * 1) The Terror Begins
 * 2) Sabotage at the Space Probe
 * 3) The Master Takes Over
 * 4) Death at the Plastics Factory
 * 5) The Killer Doll
 * 6) In the Hands of the Autons
 * 7) The Battle of the Forest
 * 8) The Killer Doll Attacks
 * 9) The Deadly Daffodils
 * 10) Prisoners of the Master
 * 11) The Final Assault
 * 12) The End of Round One

Deviations from televised story

 * More background is given to Luigi Rossini and his circus.
 * A scene cut from the script is retained in the book. It sees the Master use the term “polynestene” to describe the material that the killer chair is made of.
 * The scene with the Master donning a disguise mask to escape UNIT is dropped from the novelisation.
 * At the climax of the story the Brigadier threatens to shoot the Master if he does not co-operate with The Doctor. The novelisation skips the Doctor's final remark about meeting the Master again, leaving him to tinker with the Master’s dematerialisation circuit.
 * The Nestenes and Autons are led by a Council
 * It uniquely names the Nestene planet as Polymos for the first time in Doctor Who history.
 * The Doctor comforts Mrs. Farrell.
 * The Doctor's identifies George Philips' weapon as a Sontaran fragmentation grenade. When Terror of the Autons aired, it was prior to the Sontarans' first on-screen appearance (in The Time Warrior).

Writing and publishing notes

 * The Master and Jo Grant are introduced, as is the case in the original story. However an earlier Target books release, PROSE: Doctor Who and the Doomsday Weapon, also introduced the characters "for the first time".

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


 * Paperback
 * Target

Re-issues:
 * 60p (UK)
 * 1979 Target Books with a new cover by Alun Hood priced 60p (UK)

Editions published outside Britain
To be added

Audiobook
This Target Book was released complete and unabridged by BBC Audio and read by Geoffrey Beevers, who played the Master in various stories (though not Terror of the Autons).

The audio set of four CDs was released in July 2010 priced £13.99 (UK)