The Mind of Evil (novelisation)

 was a novelisation of the 1971 television serial The Mind of Evil.

Publisher's summary
Eminent scientist Emil Keller has developed a revolutionary new process for the treatment of hardened criminals. His invention, the Keller Machine, is being heralded as a major scientific breakthrough.

But Professor Keller is in truth the Master and the Keller Machine is much more than a mere machine.

Soon the Doctor is involved in a bitter struggle with his deadliest enemy, an alien mind parasite, and a diabolical scheme to plunge the world into a Third World War...

Chapter titles

 * 1) The Sentence
 * 2) The Terror
 * 3) The Inferno
 * 4) The Listener
 * 5) The Pistol
 * 6) The Dragon
 * 7) The Hostage
 * 8) The Mutiny
 * 9) The Test
 * 10) The Mind Parasite
 * 11) Hijack
 * 12) The Escape
 * 13) The Attack
 * 14) The Reunion
 * 15) The Mind of Evil
 * 16) The Farewell

Deviations from televised story

 * The Doctor is aware of the mind parasite as an urban legend across the universe.
 * The characters' fears are explored in greater detail.
 * Some of the character names used appeared in scripts but were not used on screen: The Governor's full name is given as Victor Camford (the television version merely calls him "Victor") and the two warders in the condemned cell are called Johnson and Samuels.
 * Back story is introduced for some of the characters: Barnham killed a security guard who caught him robbing a safe and a fellow prisoner before attacking a warder, while Harry Mailer is the leader of a London gang who was jailed when one of a string of suspected murders was committed in public.
 * Green is not identified as one of the fatalities in the prison takeover: He is last mentioned helping to quell the earlier escape attempt, making his fate unclear.
 * The Brigadier is mentioned as dreaming of his time as a subaltern with Doris, something not established until "Planet of the Spiders".
 * Mailer accidentally kills a fellow prisoner when Jo jumps him during his escape attempt. The physical comedy of the Doctor glaring at Mailer when he is about to club him is removed.
 * The Master introduces himself to Mailer; in the televised version, Mailer only knows him as Keller. Jo addresses the Master directly as "Master" on seeing him again, something she never does on screen.
 * There are a few extra lines of dialogue and thoughts to cover minor plot holes: Summers worries about Barnham being left behind in the infirmary during the attempted break-out and the Brigadier reflects that he cannot involve the army in liberating Stangmoor Prison because for political reasons (presumably the secrecy surrounding the Thunderbolt).

Writing and publishing notes
to be added

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


 * Paperback
 * Target

Re-issues:
 * 1989 Star Books along with Doctor Who and the Claws of Axos

Audiobook
This Target Book was released on 6 April 2017 complete and unabridged by BBC Audio and read by Richard Franklin.

The cover blurb and thumbnail illustrations were retained in the accompanying booklet with sleevenotes by David J. Howe. Music and sound effects by Simon Power.