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62nd out of 155 books
—
44 voters
Doctor Who and an Unearthly Child (Doctor Who Library (Target) #68)
A strange girl who knows far more than she should about the past — and the future...
Two worried teachers whose curiosity leads them to a deserted junk yard, an extraordinary police box and a mysterious traveller known only as the Doctor...
A fantastic journey through Space and Time ending in a terrifying adventure at the dawn of history...
Doctor Who and an Unearthly Child —...more
Two worried teachers whose curiosity leads them to a deserted junk yard, an extraordinary police box and a mysterious traveller known only as the Doctor...
A fantastic journey through Space and Time ending in a terrifying adventure at the dawn of history...
Doctor Who and an Unearthly Child —...more
Mass Market Paperback, 128 pages
Published
October 1981
by Target
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The book starts off strong with Ian and Barbara heading to find out more about Susan, thus leading to the Doctor. The introduction to the Doctor and the TARDIS is great, along with the Doctor taking Ian and Barbara. With the reactions and interactions between the main characters, we see where everyone comes from. Once we reach the the cavemen, things slow down as it becomes get captured, escape, and get captured again. The cavemen are just there, simple characters with not much going for them. T...more
He had two copies of this book, one he bought in England and one he bought some time later here in the States. He has a sentimental attachment to the one bought in England but has given me the okay to BookCross this copy.
This novelization of the first Doctor Who episode was interesting to see how the Doctor has changed as a character over time but the story itself is rather thin. Anyone familiar with the show will be able to jump in and enjoy the story and imagine the episode in one's mind's eye...more
This novelization of the first Doctor Who episode was interesting to see how the Doctor has changed as a character over time but the story itself is rather thin. Anyone familiar with the show will be able to jump in and enjoy the story and imagine the episode in one's mind's eye...more
This novelization of the first Doctor Who story arch ever felt like a transcript reworked into a novel, which I suppose is fine. It wasn't horribly fleshed out though. There was hardly anything about what any of the characters were thinking or feeling. The book is for children, and it shows. It tries to slip a little educational content in, like when it said that dinosaurs living with humans during the Stone Age was a common misconception. Also, in the worst line in the book:
'Me neither,' said I...more
A lot better than I expected! I mainly know this story from watching the DVD of the original episodes, and always considered the cavemen storyline to be one of the more dull Doctor Who episodes, only really notable for being the first journey seen.
The book, on the other hand, made the story a lot more engaging! The characters are a lot more memorable when you're reading their associated character names and their thoughts, rather than watching the episodes themselves where there's a lot of unint...more
The book, on the other hand, made the story a lot more engaging! The characters are a lot more memorable when you're reading their associated character names and their thoughts, rather than watching the episodes themselves where there's a lot of unint...more
Apr 08, 2009
Nicholas Whyte
added it
http://nhw.livejournal.com/1012809.html[return][return]This is the novel version of the very first Doctor Who story, as broadcast in 1963. But the novel was not published until shortly before the story was shown again as part of the 1981 repeat season of the Five Faces of Doctor Who, so it ties much more into the continuity of the publication of dozens of Target novelisations of Who stories by the early 80s than into the TV programme's internal chronology starting on 23 November 1963. In fact, w...more
Old familiar books are nearly as good as new exciting ones. I'm reacquainting myself with the original Doctor Who stories, after a couple of bad experiences with the new ones.
Thank goodness for my trusty box of paperbacks!
An Unearthly Child is the first Doctor Who adventure, but the core elements of the tales are all there ... clueless companions, aliens (of a sort) to interact with, and leave mildly better off than they were found, and, of course, a malfunctioning TARDIS.
Thank goodness for my trusty box of paperbacks!
An Unearthly Child is the first Doctor Who adventure, but the core elements of the tales are all there ... clueless companions, aliens (of a sort) to interact with, and leave mildly better off than they were found, and, of course, a malfunctioning TARDIS.
It was a rush job at the time...and while it's a solid, inoffensive transcript-style novelization, it deserves the love & attention granted to the early Target/Pertwee novels -- many of which Uncley Terry wrote himself! It's very disappointing that the first-ever Doctor Who story didn't get the in-depth treatment it deserved. Especially considering that 90% of the other Hartnell-era stories are fleshed out to fantastic levels in their respective novelizations.
As a great first intro to Doctor Who, this book tells the first novelized story in the Doctor Who timeline. The First Doctor, along with his granddaughter Susan, and her confused teachers Barbara and Ian, travel back in time to the age of the Cavemen and antics ensue.
Great book!
Great book!
Jun 02, 2009
Valerie
added it
I have seen this episode, and I don't think the novelization does it justice--but that's often the case. Speaking as someone with fairly technical knowledge of 'cavemen', I have to say that it's not only the >45 years of time since this aired that makes the descriptions almost risible--many more recent stories are equally absurd.
The Doctor Who story that started it all! Here we are introduced to the Doctor as portrayed by William Hartnell, his granddaughter Susan (highly brilliant at science but quite ignorant of how many shillings are in a pound...this was pre-decimalization), and her teachers Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton. This is the story of their adventure in a prehistoric civilization populated with savage cave people. What trouble will they get into?
This novelization was very exciting and well written. Unlike...more
This novelization was very exciting and well written. Unlike...more
OK, as far as it goes (which is to say: an adaptation of the TV episodes). For some reason I can't get that daft One Million Years BC film out of my head; fortunately there are no dinosaurs in this... Certainly not the classic start that the first televised episode promised way back in '63.
#1 in the series.
#1 in the series.
Being an avid Doctor Who fan, I have of course developed an interest in all those classic Who stories that I missed out on by coming in so late in the game. So far I have found the novelizations to be a great way to catch up. This story was a pretty interesting look at the first Doctor and his companions on their very first adventure together. It's clear that the Doctor's character has come a long way since those early days. I have to admit, I was a tiny bit disappointed in one respect. I'd expe...more
Where it all begins, this was a good novel but nothing special compared to other Terrence Dicks' works I have read. A must read more for canonical purpose and to know the roots, not for the quality.
Muy buena esta novelita, la primera que leo de Doctor Who, al que le guste la serie, aunque no haya visto nada de la serie original esta novela le va a encantar, narra el principio de la serie con el primer doctor, me encantó!
I spent the whole book anticipating the final line on the last page: "Out there on Skaro, the Daleks were waiting for him"! Marvellous stuff!
Felt more like a teleplay. Obviously aimed at a younger audience than myself, but otherwise standard fare.
i actually found this more entertaining to read than to watch. hmm. read in two hours.
Loved this book - the very beginning....
Where it all began. What's not to like?
Oct 06, 2012
Brett Axel
added it
fun and easy read. Good solid story.
2 1/2 stars.
Lovely, trashy fun.
Novelization of the first story of Doctor Who. While I liked it, I found that I was expecting a little more. Novelizations tend to take me into the heads of the characters more than the film/show, and this just didn't do that.
A fun, quick read :)
The novelization of the very first episode has a nice intro/set up of the premise for the TV show and characters followed by a fun historical adventure involving cavemen.
Good characterization of the four leads as they are thrown together and then into fantastic situation.
Good characterization of the four leads as they are thrown together and then into fantastic situation.
The Doctor Who 'oldies' episodes for TV are very different from the newer series. I am not so accustomed to it and my enjoyment is limited. But I love that fact that I can read the story instead. For me personally, I prefer the book to the TV episodes.
This is still my favorite of all the Doctor Who books. I think it was better written than many of the succeeding titles.
a strong introduction to the doctor's world and a faithful adaptation of the episode
Novelisation of the first ever episode.
Doctor Who
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| Doctor Who Book Club: **MAIN DISCUSSION** --Spoilers | 7 | 4 | Oct 16, 2012 11:18am | |
| Doctor Who Book Club: October's Pick(s) | 9 | 7 | Oct 13, 2012 04:29pm |
Terrance Dicks is an English writer, best known for his work in television and for writing a large number of popular children's books during the 1970s and 80s.
His break in television came when his friend Malcolm Hulke asked for his help with the writing of an episode of the popular ABC (ITV) action-adventure series The Avengers, on which Dicks received a co-writer's credit on the broadcast. He als...more
More about Terrance Dicks...
His break in television came when his friend Malcolm Hulke asked for his help with the writing of an episode of the popular ABC (ITV) action-adventure series The Avengers, on which Dicks received a co-writer's credit on the broadcast. He als...more
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Jun 16, 2011 04:01pm