Doctor Who and the Cave-Monsters (novelisation)

Doctor Who and the Cave-Monsters was the novelisation of Doctor Who and the Silurians. Interestingly enough, even though the serial it adapted was accidentally given a Target-style title, the novelisation didn't take the chance to carry the same title and instead gave it a completely different one.

1974 edition
All is not well at the Wenley Moor underground atomic research station: there are unaccountable loses of power-output; nervous breakdowns amongst the staff; and then – a death! UNIT is called in and the Brigadier is soon joined by DOCTOR WHO and Liz Shaw in a tense and exciting adventure with subterranean reptile men – SILURIANS – and a 40ft. high Tyrannosaurus rex, the biggest, most savage mammal which ever trod the earth!

"DOCTOR WHO, the children's own programme which adults adore ..." Gerard Garrett, The Daily Sketch

1992 edition
'If you really want to know what I think, the man simply died of fright...'

All is not well at the Wenley Moor underground atomic research station. Power is being unaccountably lost; the staff are on the verge of a strange nervous collapse and one man, his face horribly marked by some hideous claw, has been killed. The Silurians, ancient creatures who once ruled the Earth, are beginning to stir from their centuries-long slumber...

This is an adaption by Malcolm Hulke of his own original screenplay, which featured Jon Pertwee in the role of the Doctor and which was originally published under the title The Cave Monsters.

Chapter titles

 * 1) Prologue: The Little Planet
 * 2) The Doctor gets a message
 * 3) The Traitor
 * 4) Power Loss
 * 5) The Fighting Monster
 * 6) Into the Caves
 * 7) Quinn Visits His Friends
 * 8) Into an Alien World
 * 9) The Search
 * 10) Man Trap
 * 11) The Doctor Makes a Visit
 * 12) Goodbye, Dr Quinn
 * 13) The Prisoner
 * 14) Man from the Ministry
 * 15) Attack and Counter-Attack
 * 16) The Itch
 * 17) Epidemic
 * 18) A Hot World
 * 19) The Lie

Deviations from televised story

 * A prologue tells of the Silurians going into hiding to avoid catastrophe.
 * Each of the reptile men is given an individual name and personality.
 * A UNIT corporal named Grover tells Liz that the Doctor is working on Bessie.
 * The Doctor's humming of Jabberwocky is removed.
 * A new scene features some security guards at the main gate checking the Doctor and Liz's passes. Liz gives password, which is "Silurians".
 * Liz goes straight from the conference room at the research facility to the medical bay. In the televised version, she goes to the cyclotron room with the Doctor.
 * More background is given to Miss Dawson; she is said to have lived in London her whole life, looking after her old mother, while all her other siblings went to America and Australia. Her mother then died, and she took the job at Wenley Moor. She is also given the first name of Phyllis.
 * It is said Dr Quinn's wife died in a car accident some years before the events of this story. His first name is also changed from John to Matthew.
 * At one point, the Doctor is referred to as "Doctor Who".
 * Major Baker is renamed 'Major Barker'.
 * In the book it is Dr. Meredith who discovers the death of Quinn.
 * At the end, the Brigadier only seals the Silurians in the caves, as opposed to blowing them up. The Doctor's reaction is more muted.
 * A female technician saves the day when the reactor overloads.


 * As one of the early titles in the Target range, the writer was encouraged to flesh out his script for the novelisation.
 * Chapter 8 titled "Into an Alien World" is written from Morka's point of view.
 * The back-cover blurb on the original edition features a scientific error, as the Tyrannosaurus rex is referred to as a mammal, when in fact dinosaurs were reptiles.
 * The fact that Silurians can cry, stated here, flatly contradicts Blood Heat.

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


 * Paperback
 * Target
 * 25p (UK)
 * 80c Australia

Re-issues:
 * 70p (UK) - £1.50

1992 Virgin Publishing with a new cover by Alister Pearson priced £2.99

Netherlands

 * Published as Doctor Who en de Holenmonsters.

Finland

 * Published as Tohtori Kuka Ja Luolahirviöt.

Portugal

 * Published as Douter Who E Os Monstros Das Cavernas.

Japan

 * Published as (transliteration): Senritsu! Chitei Monsutaa

Audiobook
This Target Book was released complete and unabridged by BBC Audio and read by Caroline John who played Liz Shaw.

The audio set of 4 CDs with an ISBN 1-4056-7799-6 was released in September 2007 priced £13.99 (UK)

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.

It was later reissued as an MP3-CD alongside action figures of Amy Pond and a Silurian as part of Character Options' Panodrica wave.