Meglos (novelisation)

 was a novelisation based on the 1980 television serial Meglos.

1983 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 Fourth Doctor and invites him to arbitrate, but the Deons are suspicious of the Time Lord – and perhaps rightly so ...

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.
 * Grugger's kicking of the immobile K9 has been omitted.
 * The Dodecahedron is twice referred to as a five-sided crystal. Which 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.
 * 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.