Meglos (novelisation)

 was a novelisation based on the 1980 television serial Meglos.

1983 Target Books edition
Zastor, Leader of the planet Tigella, rules a divided people. Savants and Deons are irrevocably opposed on one crucial issue – the Dodecahedron, mysterious source of all their power.

To the Savants the Dodecahedron is a miracle of science to be studied, observed and used to benefit Tigellan civilisation. To the Deons it is a god and not to be tampered with.

When the power supply begins to fluctuate wildly the whole planet is threatened, but the Tigellans cannot agree how they should deal with the problem.

Zastor welcomes the arrival of the Doctor and invites him to arbitrate, but the Deons are suspicious of the Time Lord – and perhaps rightly so...

1993 Target Books edition
'WHY SHOULD A GOOD LOOKING CHAP LIKE YOU WANT TO CONTROL THE UNIVERSE?'

When the Dodecahedron, the mysterious source of all power on the planet Tigella, goes out of control, the survival of the whole planet is threatened. Zastor, leader of Tigella rules over a divided people: the Savants and the Deons, who have vastly differing views on how to rectify the situation. Zastor welocmes the arrival of the Doctor, hoping he'll mediate and find a solution. However, things are thrown into jeopardy when the Dodecahedron is stolen and the Doctor is arrested as the thief and condemned to death! Someone, somewhere, is messing around with identity - someone who wants to take control of the Dodecahedron for their own selfish purposes.

Deviations from televised story

 * The "abducted earthling" of the televised story is given a name — George Morris — and backstory as an assistant bank manager. His abduction by the Gaztaks, whom he believes at first are students carrying out one of their Rag Week pranks, is shown in the opening pages.
 * The novelisation makes it clear the "Gaztak" is a broad term for mercenary bands, not referring only to Grugger's group.
 * Brotadac's name is rendered as Brotodac instead.
 * Grugger's kicking of the immobile K9 has been omitted.
 * The Dodecahedron is twice referred to as a five-sided crystal (the proper name for which, in the real world, would be a pentahedron).
 * The Doctor's claim to have seen the Dodecahedron on his previous visit is omitted.
 * The novel answers the question of how Meglos' species would be able to advance technologically as immobile cacti by their ability to take over the minds of other beings, implying that, despite what was shown, they are able to do it without technological adjuncts.
 * Grugger mentions the planet Pelagos.
 * The novelisation ends with George Morris returning to Earth.

Writing and publishing notes

 * The publication of this title completed the Fourth Doctor's novelisations, excluding The Pirate Planet, City of Death and the unbroadcast serial, Shada; Target Books never came to an agreement with Douglas Adams for the publications of these books. Target would publish one more Fourth Doctor novelisation eight years later with The Pescatons, a novelisation of the audio drama Doctor Who and the Pescatons.

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


 * Paperback
 * Target

Editions published outside Britain

 * Published in France by Editions Garanciere in 1987 as a paperback edition, translated by Corine Derblum and published as Docteur Who – Meglos, it was one of eight French novelisations; each book is given the strapline ‘Igor et Grichka Bogdanoff presentent’ they presented a French science programme called Temps X, the broadcaster had bought and dubbed a selection of Fourth Doctor stories in 1986 but didn’t show them until 1989.

Audiobook
This Target Book was released as an audiobook on 1 July 2021 complete and unabridged by BBC Audio and read by Jon Culshaw with K9's voice by John Leeson.