Doctor Who and the Pirate Planet (novelisation)

 was a novelisation based on the 1978 television serial The Pirate Planet. It was written by James Goss and released by Target Books on 11 March 2021.

Unlike the 2017 novelisation (also written by Goss) which was based on Douglas Adams' preliminary scripts, the Target novelisation was adapted from the televised story, and done so in a much shorter format for the Target series.

Publisher's summary
The classic Doctor Who adventure by Douglas Adams, now part of the Target Collection.

This all-new Target novelisation is based on the televised version of The Pirate Planet

The hugely powerful Key to Time has been split into six segments, all of which have been disguised and hidden throughout time and space. Now the even more powerful White Guardian wants the Doctor to find the pieces. With the first segment successfully retrieved, the Doctor, Romana and K-9 trace the second segment of the Key to the planet Calufrax. But when they arrive at exactly the right point in space, they find themselves on exactly the wrong planet - Zanak.

Ruled by the mysterious 'Captain', Zanak is a happy and prosperous planet. Mostly. If the mines run out of valuable minerals and gems then the Captain merely announces a New Golden Age and they fill up again. It's an economic miracle - so obviously something's very wrong...

For a much expanded version based on Douglas Adams' first draft scripts, check out BBC Books' hardback edition of The Pirate Planet.

Chapter Titles

 * 1) The Sky with Diamonds
 * 2) Right Place, Wrong Planet
 * 3) Meeting with Unusual Minds
 * 4) Late to the Party
 * 5) The Normally Delicious Smell of Pork
 * 6) Dark Satanic Mills
 * 7) The Death of Calufrax
 * 8) The Trophy Room
 * 9) Life's Fleeting, but Plank's Constant
 * 10) An Immortal Queen
 * 11) Dinner with Newton
 * 12) The Captain's Plan

Characters
rest to be added
 * Fourth Doctor
 * Romana I
 * K9
 * The Captain
 * Mr Fibuli
 * Xanxia
 * Kimus
 * Mula
 * Pralix
 * White Guardian

Deviations from televised story

 * to be added

Continuity
to be added