Doctor Who: The Edge of Destruction

Doctor Who Target Books (Numerical Order) #132

by Nigel Robinson

After the First Doctor's failed efforts to regain control of the TARDIS's faulty control system result in an explosion causing everyone to black out, the Doctor and his companions find themselves trapped in the craft. Strange occurrences cause them to suspect the TARDIS has been infiltrated or worse — that one of the crew members has sabotaged the TARDIS.

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Fiction, Audiobook, Ebooks, Science Fiction Fantasy, Media Tie In

120 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 1988

About the author

Nigel Robinson is an English author, known for such works as the First Contact series. Nigel was born in Preston, Lancashire and attended St Thomas More school. Robinson's first published book was The Tolkien Quiz Book in 1981, co-written with Linda Wilson. This was followed by a series of three Doctor Who quiz books and a crossword book between 1981 and 1985. In the late 1980s he was the editor of Target Books' range of Doctor Who tie-ins and novelisations, also contributing to the range as a writer.

He later wrote an original Doctor Who novel, Timewyrm: Apocalypse, for the New Adventures series for Virgin Publishing, which had purchased Target in 1989 shortly after Robinson had left the company. He also wrote the New Adventure Birthright, published in 1993.

In the 1990s, Robinson wrote novelisations of episodes of The Tomorrow People, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles and Baywatch and the film Free Willy. Between 1994 and 1995, he wrote a series of children's horror novels Remember Me..., All Shook Up, Dream Lover, Rave On, Bad Moon Rising, Symphony of Terror and Demon Brood.In 1996 he continued to write the Luke Cannon Show Jumping Mysteries series,containing four books, namely The Piebald Princess, The Chestnut Chase, The Black Mare of Devils Hill and the last in the series, Decision Day for the Dapple Grey. By 1997 he had also penned a trilogy science fiction novels First Contact, Second Nature and Third Degree.

His most recent work was another quiz book, this time to tie in with the film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️ = Good.
Paperback.
I’m gradually working my way through the back catalogue of this lengthy series.
In this book, The Doctor is travelling with his granddaughter and two other companions. I enjoyed this simple tale and look forward to his next adventure.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a novelization of the third-ever Doctor Who story, which originally aired in two parts in February of 1964. The original script was written by David Whitaker, and Nigel Robinson wrote this adaptation. The story features the original cast, obviously; the first Doctor, his granddaughter (or is she?) Susan Foreman, and kidnapped teachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright. The story is set entirely within the TARDIS, and we learn that it's much, much more than a simple spaceship/time machine. Since the story was quite short, Robinson added quite a bit of character background and detail about the TARDIS, and succeeds in telling an interesting Gothic story. It was one of the last of the original "classic" stories to be novelized, and is entertaining as well as being of particular historical interest to fans.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

The original televised story was fully intended as a filler story to complete Doctor Who’s initially 13 episode run, set entirely inside the TARDIS this story is a great character development for the ships crew.

The book stars out with a nice recap of the previous two stories.
The Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara wake up form a brief spell of unconsciousness, they all become suspicious of each others motives.

It’s a great character piece, the book gives a really sense of the atmosphere in the ship.
I’ve always enjoyed this story and felt it worked even better in print!

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something has happened to the TARDIS and the Doctor suspects Ian and Barbara have caused it. So far the Doctor has been a bit of a pompous jerk towards the two school teachers and this book is no different. But will the Doctor realize that the primitive humans just might have something worthwhile to contribute?

[Matthew Kresal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of the earliest stories in Doctor Who's long televised run, The Edge of Destruction tends to get overlooked. It's two episodes effectively wedged in between the first Dalek story and a much-missed historical story. Indeed, when it came time for the Target novelizations, it was one of the last First Doctor tales to receive such treatment. Perhaps that wasn't a bad thing as Nigel Robinson's 1988 is an excellent read.

Robinson certainly had his work cut out for him in turning the serial into a book. After all, the TV version had a running time of less than an hour, had only the show's four leads, and was set entirely inside the TARDIS. Those factors might suggest a slow, talky, dull story. If you do think that, about either the TV version or this novelization, you'd be dead wrong.

In turning David Whitaker's scripts to prose, Robinson picks up nicely on the Gothic elements of the tale. Whitaker turned the TARDIS with its regularly bright interiors into something akin to a Gothic mansion, looming and full of secrets. Robinson, with an expanded page count, picks up on that atmosphere splendidly. He not only recreates it but heightens it as well, taking us into the thought processes of the four characters as they deal with all the high strangeness involved. The ability of prose to get inside a character's head also works in Robinson's favor, allowing him to explore just what causes the suspicions and outbursts throughout the story. All of which helps bring out the best elements of the original story.

The extended page count also has another benefit. Robinson gets to expand and add sequences to the tale, especially in the middle portion, which gets to take readers further inside the spaceship (to use one of the serial's alternate titles). There's a fascinating sequence with Ian and the Doctor exploring the TARDIS power rooms, for example.
Later on, Robinson adds a sequence with a sleepless Barbara that plays up the Gothic elements right to the hilt with a scene right out of a classic haunted house tale. These are but a couple of examples of how Robinson creates what is, in effect, a big-budget reimaging of the original TV tale in the readers' mind.

While the book itself may be out of print, it has found a second life on audio. Released in 2011 as an audiobook read by actor William Russell, Robinson's work gets a further added layer. As Big Finish listeners know, Russell (who played Ian Chesterton in the TV version) is an excellent reader. His narration brings the tale to life from his fellow actors to describing the various TARDIS interiors. The icing on the cake is the sound design and music, which add to the Gothic atmosphere created by Whitaker and Robinson. All told, it's a solid piece of work.

The Edge of Destruction stands out as an excellent example of the late Target range. Robinson takes an underrated First Doctor story and transforms it into a tense, Gothic tale. In doing so, he remains at once faithful to the original scripts while also expanding upon it neatly. Especially with its 2011 audiobook edition, it's a welcome addition to any Doctor Who fans library.

[Michel Siskoid Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nigel Robinson effectively saves Doctor Who (and) the Edge of Destruction in his late-era Target novelization. On the one hand, he puts us inside the heads of the characters and more clearly explains their trains of thought and how they come to the conclusions they do on the program. The televised story is a big WTF - though a bit less so today when it's accepted the TARDIS is a living being - skippable except that it ends on some sweet scenes that move the Doctor away from being a sort of antagonist and forges the original foursome as a family. Robinson hasn't jettisoned that and provides the same feels. But since this WAS only TWO episodes long, he gets to fill out the story with additional scenes of the characters visiting the ship. Ian and the Doctor go down to the engines, and Barbara finds herself in an enormous laboratory, which is all very interesting. Interesting, but also quite useful in showing how the TARDIS is alive and is trying to protect them, something that doesn't come across very clearly on the show.

[Kurt Rongey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Original script by David Whitaker, 1964. Novelization issued in 1988.

Spinning this brief two-episode story into even novella length was undoubtedly a bit of a task for Robinson. He managed to put something together with great atmosphere and nice sense of wonder as the four companions wander about, discovering mysterious areas inside the far reaches of the vast TARDIS interior. The dynamics between the characters are clunky, but the characterizations are good and it's easy to hear the voices of the actors in the dialogue. It's not a compelling story but it leaves the expression of an experience I'd like to relive through a reread sometime.

Parental suggestion. Age 9+. There are some creepy parts.

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hot take incoming: The Edge of Destruction is one of my favorite serials of the first Doctor. I always felt it was a very clever little story that leaned very heavily on the horror aspect of Doctor Who and created a really good atmosphere. The climax might have been very... ahem, rushed but everything leading up to it was solid acting and directing.

Having recently read Doctor Who and the Daleks, I was honestly doubting whether I would read another Doctor Who novelization or not. I didn't like it much, to put it mildly, and I knew that there were several serials coming up that I wasn't too fond of either. But I had decided early to read the novelizations of the first three serials... and I'm glad that I stuck to that.

Nigel Robinson really gives the serial the much needed lift that makes this one of the serials that's better off as a book than early TV. The TARDIS is expanded a fair bit, events are added to really emphasize the horror aspect of the story and the climax itself feels a bit more weighty, even if it still reads a bit rushed.

I'm not ashamed to say that reading this in the evening gave me some serious chills at times.

It still doesn't make a whole lot of sense, if you start picking it apart but it really does a good job of selling how early in the adventures of the Doctor this is, making him out to be a distrustful, egotistic and truly loathsome being. He's not a nice man and this story reminded me just how much I didn't care for him in the early show either. Whether this was intentional from the start of the series or if they changed his personality a bit after seeing audience reaction, I don't know, but this story really came at the perfect time to facilitate the change.

This story, more than The Daleks or Doctor Who and an Unearthly Child, shows that even back then they were dedicated to telling good stories. An Unearthly Child and The Daleks have gone on to be more historically important, both culturally and for the show itself, but if rewatching or rereading, don't skip it. It's well worth a second look. Or a third. Or fourth.

[David Sarkies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stuck in the Tardis
7 September 2024

While I’m trying to read these Doctor Who books in order (though I won’t be touching the ones that were written after the conclusion of the original series) I doubt I’ll be able to read all of them as I have a gut feeling that some of the books, or at least The Dalek Masterplan, was never novelised (actually, it was, but it was split into two volumes – Mission to the Unknown and The Mutation of Time).

Anyway, this is the third story and it begins with a brief rundown of the previous two stories and ends with an introduction to the fourth one, Marco Polo. So, the entire story is set inside the Tardis, something that you don’t get all that much in the series (though there is probably a pretty good reason for that). The Tardis suddenly breaks down and they are in a race against time (of course) to try and find out what is happening.

Actually, one of the main themes in this story is about how the Tardis is actually more than just a machine. That is probably not surprising considering that it is a device built by an advanced culture. In a way you could say that the Tardis contains artificial intelligence, though I’m a little surprised that the Doctor doesn’t actually know this.

Another thing that happens is that the crew end up turning on each other, accusing each other of attempting to sabotage the Tardis. This is an interesting take, especially since the Doctor, in this incarnation, is actually a rather cranky and distrustful individual. He still hasn’t warmed to Barbara and Ian and distrusts them immensely. I guess this was the nature of this incarnation, something that the later ones didn’t inherit (which is a bit of a shame, though the rumour is that the actors that played the Doctor never talked to the previous ones so that they would make the character their own).

I can’t say that it is one of my favourite stories, though it is certainly different to a lot of the other ones. It was okay, but it certainly wasn’t as enjoyable as some of the other stories I’ve seen and read, probably because the Doctor is actually really annoying in this one.

[Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doctor Who – The Edge of Destruction, by Nigel Robinson. Target, 1988. Number 132 in the Doctor Who Library. 120 pages, paperback. ISBN: 0-426-20327-5. Original script by David Whitaker, BBC 1964.

This adventure features the 1st Doctor, Susan, Barbara Wright, and Ian Chesterton.

The crew of the TARDIS awakens to find themselves trapped inside the ship but none of them seems to remember what happened. Did they black out? Were they attacked? Did something happen to the TARDIS? Why are they trapped inside? The tension builds as they begin to suspect each other of sabotage.

Robinson does well to keep the tension high through most of his novelization of the television script. There's only a couple of places where it begins to slow down but those seem to be needed for the characters, and the reader, to breathe. The solution at the end is both simple and complicated and works so well for this Doctor. The lessons learned work well for this era of television story-telling.

The Edge of Destruction is a good book. Even though not one of my favorites, I'd still recommend it if only in reading through early Doctor Who for serialized continuity.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doctor Who and his companions face their first challenge of seemingly faulty TARDIS with a suspecting but 'impossible' infiltration by an unknown and invisible passenger and tensions rising with an accusatory finger being pointed at the 'alien' companions. The TARDIS has gone haywire and for once The Doctor is flummoxed, unable to come up with a reasonable solution to the problem or able to identify the cause.

I didn't think about it too much while reading the book, but afterwards realised that this could be the only Doctor Who story that is set entirely in the TARDIS, which gives the author more opportunity to create character development and focus on them instead of action-packed adventures on a regular outing into space and time with the addition of really making the TARDIS a character in itself. I'd love there to be a more recent adaptation of this story on screen (there may be some I am unaware of!)

Without revealing the ending, I felt it was very satisfying and very Doctor Who or even British, which dare I say are nearly synonymous in my eyes.

Naturally a worthy read for any Doctor Who fan that can be finished quite easily in a single sitting.

[Keith Tooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doctor Who: The Edge Of Destruction is a tv tie in for target books of the classic Doctor Who television serial featuring the first doctor, William Hartnell. The television serial is the third television serial of Doctor Who made. The book is written by Nigel Robinson.

The story only features the main cast Doctor Who, who was played by William Hartnell, Ian Chesterton who was played by William Russell, Barbara Wright who was played by Jacqueline Hill and the doctors granddaughter Susan who was played by Carole Ann Ford. The story centres completely aboard the Tardis and is regarding an issue with the Tardis causing lots of confusions and arguments to ensure.

I listened to the audiobook of this book as the book is out of print. The audiobook was narrated by William Russell who does a good job of narrating. The story sticks quite well to the television serial but does have extra scenes not in the television serial which was nice to listen to as it meant I felt that the story was expanded from seeing it on television. This was a good book however not my favourite Target Doctor Who adaptation

[Tom Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely one of the best Target Novelisation I've read.

I'm someone who very rarely reads novelisations, but this is a rare example I prefer the novelisation of a TV episode I actually really enjoy. I've got an underrated fondness for the TV episode. Sure, it's a filler story, it was essentially a story to bridge the gap between 'The Daleks' & 'Marco Polo' and very little production and money went into it; however, it proves high budget stories and big scale plots aren't the only way to provide a good story: Characters, ladies and gentleman. The Edge of Destruction is purely a character developmental story, and some don't seem to realise how important it was to the Hartnell era.

Read the book because it's basically an expansion on the original story, a more better representation of the development. Turned out quite a suspenseful late night read.

Magnificent.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing and at times unsettling novelisation of the television serial. I listened to the audiobook, skilfully narrated by William Russell and found myself fully captivated by the story.

Robinson’s writing really helped my immersion in the story, as I could almost believe I was there in the TARDIS with the Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Susan. The music and soundscape of the audiobook also helped with this.

The expansion on the televised story, such as the Doctor and Ian heading down into the depths of the TARDIS engine room, or when Barbara’s life is saved by flying books while exploring a laboratory.

The atmosphere of the book can be genuinely creepy in places especially when listening to the audiobook, and I have to admit to feeling unsettled occasionally.

I thought that the plot and characterisations were excellent, and to be honest gave me a real insight into the characters and their situation in a better way than the television serial.

[Adrian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot is really nonsensical, but it reveals the TARDIS as being not only self-aware but also a bit of a diva goth, showing some abstract imagery and generally buggering about with its passengers to get them to notice something - though it would have been better showing a picture of the stuck switch rather than the Malvern Hills.

The Doctor is only slightly more paranoid and potentially murderous than usual, thinking nothing of poisoning the others, or putting them off the ship in a vacuum, but things might have changed by the end when he has some grudging respect for Ian and Barbara. Susan meanwhile continues to show symptoms of PTSD and regresses more each week.

The writing's pretty good here, even if it's kicking the arse out of a thin story.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a retelling of an episode of Doctor Who I haven't actually seen. It was fun going into the story basically blind and having to just go along for the ride. I had forgotten how unlikeable the first Doctor could be in the earlier episodes before he became a bit friendlier. It was an interesting episode with the Doctor, Susan, Barbara, and Ian all being trapped in the TARDIS having been knocked out and woken up to find the time machine broken. Tensions rise and they are soon at each other's throats. I never like it when there is a lot of in fighting between Who characters but I did like the solution to this mystery. I wouldn't mind seeing this episode now so I could compare it to the book.

[Octavia Cade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Granted, this is only the third of the novelisations I've read thus far, but it's far and away the best of them, adding a lot of extra material that just wasn't in the episode. That extra material doesn't change the plot much, but provides extra creepy occurrences of the TARDIS trying to communicate with its inhabitants. It takes them a while to catch on - it's Barbara who does so first, and this is a particularly good story for her characterisation - and it's easy to picture the TARDIS shaking its big blue head, thinking "How much more do I have to do to spoonfeed you idiots?!"

So, quite entertaining. And the text zips along nicely and at pace, which is always enjoyable.

[Gareth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somewhere between a 3 and a 4 this one. An unusual Doctor Who story this one, both as a novel and as a TV story, with strange events and mystery in the TARDIS. It is good and expanding on the characters and their relationships with each other, helping solidify the original TARDIS team. The book adds a few extra scenes that help flesh out the story and TARDIS a bit more, though got a bit disjointed at the end for me for how much the characters seemed to know of what happened to the other characters, when there didn't seem to be time for them to tell each other of what occured.
But overall a good, interesting tale.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining novelisation of the Doctor Who serial 'The Edge of Destruction'. I really enjoyed this book, and was captivated by it.

Robinson's writing really helped me get into the story, and at times I felt as if I were in the TARDIS with the Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara.

The expansion on the actual serial such as Ian and the Doctor heading down into the TARDIS engine rooms, and the scene where Barbara finds a laboratory with books being thrown at her by an unknown force were excellent and really added to the story.

I thought the characterisation and plot development were great, and to be honest gave me as much if not more of an insight into the characters and their situation than the actual serial.

[Nathan Edgy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very early TV serial retold in novelisation form in this Target series book. Edge of Destruction tells a tale of suspicion and fear as the TARDiS breaks down with the Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara all trapped inside. With only moments until their destruction, the crew of the TARDIS fight against each other, and time, to find out what is causing the TARDIS to go wrong or die!

Edge of Destruction is a faithful retelling of the serial and recreated the tension and suspense very well. It kept me hooked on the book til the very end.

[AJay · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the more enjoyable Target novelisations. Well paced, psychological, an unseen foe, the Tardis as a character in its own right and who-dunnit atmosphere this story lays down a lot of markers for the future, right through to New Who. Different to many DW stories, being internalised in the Tardis allows this for a tightly paced plot that unique in the series. Worth a read if you’re new to the Doctor or an old hand looking for a solid Target experience. Thumbs up Nigel Robinson.

[Julian White · Rating 4 out of 5]

pdf; 109 pages

Late novelisation of a very early (number 3) story that fills out the allocated 13 episodes. A short (two parts) set entirely within a malfunctioning TARDIS and with only the regular cast. Various events set the crew against each other; some exploration of the TARDIS we don't normally see...

Not entirely without merit - and there's a synopsis of The Story So Far for those who missed it earlier which helps to bulk out the page count somewhat for an otherwise rather thin story.

[Rianna *Hermione* B · Rating 3 out of 5]

well.. the beginning was confusing. I couldn't tell if they were in a school or what.
Then the weird things started happening.. but at the end, it didn't fully explain the seeming other entity that made the characters act violently out of character, particularly Ian and the Doctor.

It felt like that episode of being trapped on that plane.. "Midnight." internal chaos.. or an invisible enemy.

And the arrogance of the Doctor.. It wasn't cute. It was mean. :/

[Pete · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Edge of Destruction : Doctor Who (1988) by Nigel Robinson is the book of the third TV serial of Doctor Who. It’s set entirely within the TARDIS and features Susan, Ian and Barbara as companions.

The Edge of Destruction was apparently set inside the TARDIS due to financial constraints. Much like The Goodies Earthanasia episode one location is used.

As a story the Edge of Destruction is pretty fun. The Doctor is very suspicious of his companions. The Edge of Destruction is worth a read.

[Alberto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creo que en la primera temporada era necesaria esta historia para establecer mejor las motivaciones de los personajes y sus relaciones a pesar de sus orígenes tan divergentes. Además que conocemos una faceta de la TARDIS que luego iremos a explorar más a detalle. La novelización no es fantástica pero sí que agrega más trasfondo a la historia. Muy recomendable para los fans de los doctores clásicos.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicely adapted by Nigel Robinson. Working from a slim 2 episode oddball story Robinson manages to expand the tale into 120 pages without making it feel forced. He keeps all the best bits of the script intact. And adds some nice spooky moments it would have been lovely to see on the show. The sequence with Ian and the Doctor in the power room being a highlight.

[ANB]

The Edge of Destruction is one of my favorite stories of the First Doctor era and this novelization of it... was fine. I do prefer Target novelizations that add to and fill out stories a bit more, like the modern series ones do. This was a pretty beat for beat transcription with maybe an extra scene or so of exploring the TARDIS but nothing that added materially to the narrative.

[Nicholas Seders · Rating 5 out of 5]

While Not a Sci-F Masterpiece…
I think the story deserves high marks. As someone who enjoys Doctor Who, and started with the 21st Century reboot, this story felt so fundamental to later character development - his relationship with travel companions, his interaction with the TARDIS, and even his view of himself. Fun read for Whovians!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Might be a bit biased because the televised version is one of my favourite season one stories, but I really liked this. There were a few bits that I think were awkwardly phrased, but I thought on the whole it was written well and the bits that expanded the story were very interesting.

[Justin Partridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a truly wonderful adaptation of a truly wonderful serial. This even manages to wring MORE tension from the whole plot because it is fleshed out with prose and giving us the whole perspective of everyone instead of just following them.

Really happy this one is as good as it was.