Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen (novelisation)

 was a novelisation based on the 1967 television serial The Abominable Snowmen.

1974 Target edition
A single blow from the giant, hairy paw smashes the explorer to the ground. Terrified, he flees from the monster's glowing eyes and savage fangs...

Why are the peaceful Yeti now spreading death and destruction? And what is the secret behind the glowing cave on the mountain?

When DOCTOR WHO discovers that a long-dead friend is still alive, he knows why his visit to the lonely Himalayan monastery has led to a struggle to save the Earth!

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

1983 Target edition
The Tibetan monks at the monastery of Det-sen are worried, frightened men. Many of their companions have been killed - and it seems the Yeti are the cause of all their troubles.

But normally the Yeti, giant man-like creatures living in the remotest peaks of the Himalayas, are seen only very rarely and are notoriously timid.

What is the explanation for their apparent transformation into ferocious brutes, monsters with glowing eyes and savage fangs who are spreading death and destruction in the isolated valley of peace?

When the Doctor arrives at the monastery, his first visit for three hundred years, he expects to be welcomed with open arms. But because of the mysterious killings the reception that awaits him is anything but friendly...

2011 BBC edition
"Light flooded into the tunnel, silhouetting the enormous shaggy figure in the cave mouth. With a blood-curdling roar, claws outstretched, it bore down on Jamie."

The Doctor has been to Det-Sen Monastery before, and expects the welcome of a lifetime. But the Monastery is a very different place from when the Doctor last came. Fearing an attack at any moment by the legendary Yeti, the monks are prepared to defend themselves, and see the Doctor as a threat.

The Doctor and his friends join forces with Travers, an English explorer out to prove the existence of the elusive abominable snowmen. But they soon discover that these Yeti are not the timid animals that Travers seeks. They are the unstoppable servants of an alien intelligence.

This novel is based on a Doctor Who story which was originally broadcast from 30 September-4 November 1967.

Featuring the Second Doctor as played by Patrick Troughton, and his companions Jamie and Victoria

Chapter titles

 * 1) The Secret of the Snows
 * 2) The Creature in the Cave
 * 3) Live Bait to Catch a Monster
 * 4) Jamie Traps a Yeti
 * 5) The Secret of the Inner Sanctum
 * 6) A Yeti Comes to Life!
 * 7) A Plan to Conquer Earth
 * 8) Revolt in the Monastery
 * 9) Attack of the Yeti
 * 10) Peril on the Mountain
 * 11) The Final Battle
 * 12) The Abominable Snowman

Deviations from televised story

 * Although screened in black and white, the Yeti have beady green eyes on the cover and throughout the novelisation.
 * When Terrance Dicks novelised the story in 1974, he made slight changes to the names of these characters - Padmasambhava became Padmasambvha, Songsten became Songtsen, Thonmi became Thomni and so on - apparently on the advice of Doctor Who's then producer Barry Letts who, as a follower of Buddhism, considered what Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln (the writers of the TV story) had done was unnecessary and risked offence (the names were real historical figures).
 * Edward Travers' unsuccessful life is expanded upon, and his old rival is named as Professor Walters.
 * The Great Intelligence comes from another universe and wants to swallow the Earth.

Writing and publishing notes

 * The title page includes the text: "THE CHANGING FACE OF DOCTOR WHO: The cover illustration and others contained within this book portray the second DOCTOR WHO whose physical appearance was later altered by the Time Lords."
 * Although not the first release in the Target Books novelisation range, due to its placement in alphabetising, when Target Books later assigned issue numbers to its books, Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen became #1 in the series.
 * The original Target edition cover features the artwork of Chris Achilleos.
 * This was the first novelisation of a Second Doctor story.
 * A hardcover edition was not published until more than a decade after the paperback.
 * For the first time in over ten years, the book was re-released by BBC Books in 2011. An introduction by Stephen Baxter was included.

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


 * Paperback
 * Target

Re-issues:
 * 1983 Target Books with a new cover by Andrew Skilleter priced £1.35 (UK)

Audiobook
This Target Book was released complete and unabridged by BBC Audio and read by David Troughton, Patrick Troughton's son.

The audio set of four CDs was released in January 2009 priced £13.99 (UK)