Doctor Who and the Curse of Peladon (novelisation)



Published in January 1975, this novelisation was based on the Doctor Who story The Curse of Peladon. Both the novelisation and the television story were written by Brian Hayles. Chris Achilleos provided the cover artwork for the first edition, whilst Alan Willow provided the interior illustrations.

1975 edition
Again, the terrifying cry rang out. The Doctor quickened his pace along the gloomy tunnels of the castle. Suddenly, from the darkness lumbered the mighty Aggedor, Royal Beast and Protector of the Kingdom of Peladon!

The Doctor fumbled in his pocket. Would the device work? As he trained the spinning mirror on the eyes of Aggedor, the terrible claws came closer and closer...

What is the secret behind the killings on the Planet of Peladon? Is Aggedor seeking revenge because the King of Peladon wants the kingdom to become a member of the Galactic Federation? Will the Doctor escape the claws of Aggedor and discover the truth?

Chapter Titles

 * 1) The Deadly Guardian
 * 2) Into the Chasm
 * 3) An Enemy from the Past
 * 4) The Doctor Must Die
 * 5) The Attack on Arcturus
 * 6) The Temple of Aggedor
 * 7) Escape to Danger
 * 8) Trial by Combat
 * 9) A Conspiracy of Terror
 * 10) The Battle for the Palace
 * 11) The King's Avenger

Deviations from televised story

 * The original idea that Alpha Centauri's colour changed to reflect 'its' mood was retained in the novelisation but dropped from the televised version.

Writing and publishing notes

 * Title page includes: THE CHANGING FACE OF DOCTOR WHO. The cover illustration of this book portrays the third DOCTOR WHO whose physical appearance was altered by the Time Lords when they banished him to planet Earth in the Twentieth Century.
 * Like many early Pertwee novelisations, a hardcover edition was not seen for several years, until 1980 in this case.

Illustrations

 * This title contain six illustrated pages by Alan Willow.

British publication history
To be added

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


 * Paperback
 * Target

Re-issues:
 * 40p (UK)
 * 1992 Virgin Publishing with a new cover by Alister Pearson priced £2.99 (UK)

Editions published outside Britain
To be added

Audio Book
In July 1995, BBC Audio released an abridged audio book version of the novel, read by Jon Pertwee.