Doctor Who and the Keys of Marinus (novelisation)

 was a novelisation based on the 1964 television serial The Keys of Marinus.

Publisher's summary
MARINUS a remote force-shielded island set in a sea of acid, governed by

THE CONSCIENCE the ultimate computer which rules and balances the gentle life of Marinus, guarded by

ARBITAN THE KEEPER ruthless protector of a peace-loving race threatened by

YARTEK Warlord of the brutal sub-human Voords, sworn enemy of Arbitan and of Marinus, who has within his grasp

THE KEYS OF MARINUS the Conscience's vital micro-circuits, the doors of good and evil.

Can the Doctor find the hidden circuits in time? Arbitan's command was 'Find them, OR DIE!'

Chapter titles

 * 1) The Sea of Death
 * 2) The Marble City
 * 3) The Velvet Web
 * 4) The Brains of Morphoton
 * 5) The Screaming Jungle
 * 6) The Whispering Darkness
 * 7) The Snows of Terror
 * 8) The Demons
 * 9) Sentenced!
 * 10) The Mystery of the Locked Room
 * 11) The Missing Key
 * 12) Arbitan's Revenge
 * 13) Final Goodbyes

Deviations from televised story

 * The Voord are identified as a frog-like subspecies with bullet-shaped heads, lacking their distinctive helmets.
 * The warrior who initially follows Susan around the outside of the City is a "Class 1 Voord Assault Trooper" that has been programmed to kill enemies on sight, indicating that it is partly mechanical or robotic in nature.
 * Yartek is said to have developed a technological immuniser that he distributed amongst his followers rather than the unexplained resistance to the Conscience's pacifying influence of the televised version.

Writing and publishing notes

 * This title was Philip Hinchcliffe's last contribution to the range and his sole novelisation of a serial he did not produce.
 * With no photographs for reference, cover artist David McAllister decided to try something different and feature no people on the cover.
 * Then producer John Nathan-Turner's insistent critique of the cover artwork -- namely that the TARDIS itself is blue, not grey and the light atop it white, not red -- went unheeded. The unaltered image was used for publication.

Continuity

 * The passage of time on Marinus is measured in zeniths.
 * The Voord's origins here as genetically-engineered animals conflict with other sources that position them as early ancestors to the Cybermen. (COMIC: The World Shapers)

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


 * Paperback
 * Target

Re-issues:
 * A planned reissue in 1994 was cancelled.