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Doctor Who Target Books (Numerical Order) #92
Doctor Who: The Caves of Androzani
From the moment they land on the planet Androzani Minor, everything goes wrong for the Doctor and his new young companion, Peri.
They become involved in the struggle between brutal gun-runners, ruthless Federation troops, and the hideously mutilated Sharaz Jek, who lurks in the depths of the caves with his android army.
Key to the struggle is spectrox, the most valuable substance in the universe. Suitably processed, spectrox is an elixir of life, but in its raw state it is a deadly poison – a fact that will cost the Doctor another of his Time Lord lives . . .
They become involved in the struggle between brutal gun-runners, ruthless Federation troops, and the hideously mutilated Sharaz Jek, who lurks in the depths of the caves with his android army.
Key to the struggle is spectrox, the most valuable substance in the universe. Suitably processed, spectrox is an elixir of life, but in its raw state it is a deadly poison – a fact that will cost the Doctor another of his Time Lord lives . . .
144 pages, Paperback
First published March 14, 1985
About the author
Terrance Dicks
329 books220 followersTerrance Dicks was an English author, screenwriter, script editor, and producer best known for his extensive contributions to Doctor Who. Serving as the show's script editor from 1968 to 1974, he helped shape many core elements of the series, including the concept of regeneration, the development of the Time Lords, and the naming of the Doctor’s home planet, Gallifrey. His tenure coincided with major thematic expansions, and he worked closely with producer Barry Letts to bring a socially aware tone to the show. Dicks later wrote several Doctor Who serials, including Robot, Horror of Fang Rock, and The Five Doctors, the 20th-anniversary special.
In parallel with his television work, Dicks became one of the most prolific writers of Doctor Who novelisations for Target Books, authoring over 60 titles and serving as the de facto editor of the range. These adaptations introduced a generation of young readers to the franchise. Beyond Doctor Who, he also wrote original novels, including children’s horror and adventure series such as The Baker Street Irregulars, Star Quest, and The Adventures of Goliath.
Dicks also worked on other television programmes including The Avengers, Moonbase 3, and various BBC literary adaptations. His later work included audio dramas and novels tied to Doctor Who. Widely respected for his clarity, imagination, and dedication to storytelling, he remained a central figure in Doctor Who fandom until his death in 2019, leaving behind a vast legacy in television and children's literature.
In parallel with his television work, Dicks became one of the most prolific writers of Doctor Who novelisations for Target Books, authoring over 60 titles and serving as the de facto editor of the range. These adaptations introduced a generation of young readers to the franchise. Beyond Doctor Who, he also wrote original novels, including children’s horror and adventure series such as The Baker Street Irregulars, Star Quest, and The Adventures of Goliath.
Dicks also worked on other television programmes including The Avengers, Moonbase 3, and various BBC literary adaptations. His later work included audio dramas and novels tied to Doctor Who. Widely respected for his clarity, imagination, and dedication to storytelling, he remained a central figure in Doctor Who fandom until his death in 2019, leaving behind a vast legacy in television and children's literature.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
September 20, 2021
This is a novelization of the final, sixth, serial from the twenty-first season of Doctor, which was broadcast in March of 1984. The teleplay that Terrance Dicks adapted was written by Robert Holmes. The story features the fifth regeneration of The Doctor, accompanied by Perpugilliam (Peri) Brown, an American student and scientist. It's one of the better stories, a fast-paced story of corporate greed filled with action and robots and bats' milk (?!) as a key ingredient of an important healthful drug. The Doctor and Peri both become infected with Spectrox poisoning, but there's only one dose of the cure available... which leads to the final paragraph: "Change," said the Doctor- the new Doctor. "Change, my dear. And, it seems, not a moment too soon!" Dicks did his usual competent but not flashy job of presenting the keys points of the tale with clarity and craft.
August 22, 2020
Regarded as one of the best stories in the Doctor Who canon (classic or new), "The Caves of Androzani" gets a rather disappointing Target adaptation from Terrance Dicks.
Listening to the audiobook, ably read by Peter Davison, I couldn't help but wish that the Dicks who adapted "Spearhead From Space" into "The Auton Invasion" was on-hand and could work that same magic on another solid script from Robert Holmes. Maybe Dicks didn't have the time or the inclination to do that here and it's a shame because there is so much that could or should be expanded upon on the printed page.
Imagine expanding or delving into the history of Morgus and Jek a bit deeper or giving a deeper dive into Chelak's career before being saddled with this losing campaign on Androzani minor. I'm not talking about expanding "Caves" to three-hundred plus pages like we've seen with recent adaptations of "City of Death" or "The Pirate Planet." But there's just so much more lurking beneath the surface of this story that it's a huge disappointment that the Target novel isn't any more than a standard retelling of the televised story.
This tragic story to end the fifth Doctor's era is one of the most unique and compelling in the Doctor Who canon -- one of those perfect coming together of acting, directing, and scripting to create something that transcends the genre and material. The only letdown is the forced inclusion of the Magma creature, which stands out a bit like a sore thumb on the screen. I will give Dicks some credit that he tries to make the creature a bit more threatening than the budget allowed for on our screens.
Alas, this is still a big missed opportunity for a Target novel to take one of the undisputed classics of Doctor Who and make it into one of the undisputed classics of the Target range.
Listening to the audiobook, ably read by Peter Davison, I couldn't help but wish that the Dicks who adapted "Spearhead From Space" into "The Auton Invasion" was on-hand and could work that same magic on another solid script from Robert Holmes. Maybe Dicks didn't have the time or the inclination to do that here and it's a shame because there is so much that could or should be expanded upon on the printed page.
Imagine expanding or delving into the history of Morgus and Jek a bit deeper or giving a deeper dive into Chelak's career before being saddled with this losing campaign on Androzani minor. I'm not talking about expanding "Caves" to three-hundred plus pages like we've seen with recent adaptations of "City of Death" or "The Pirate Planet." But there's just so much more lurking beneath the surface of this story that it's a huge disappointment that the Target novel isn't any more than a standard retelling of the televised story.
This tragic story to end the fifth Doctor's era is one of the most unique and compelling in the Doctor Who canon -- one of those perfect coming together of acting, directing, and scripting to create something that transcends the genre and material. The only letdown is the forced inclusion of the Magma creature, which stands out a bit like a sore thumb on the screen. I will give Dicks some credit that he tries to make the creature a bit more threatening than the budget allowed for on our screens.
Alas, this is still a big missed opportunity for a Target novel to take one of the undisputed classics of Doctor Who and make it into one of the undisputed classics of the Target range.
February 6, 2011
Sometimes, Terrance Dicks can puzzle me. Capable of amazing goodness AND bland assembly-line transcripts, he seems personally confused at the time of this publication, when Target's novelizations were broadening their scope considerably. Mere months before, he takes the worst story of 1984 ("Warriors of the Deep") and novelizes it with far more flair and attention-to-detail than it possibly deserves. Meanwhile, "The Caves of Androzani" -- perhaps the single greatest Doctor Who story of all time -- gets nothing more than a dull, standardized treatment, with a few flourishes. The sheer power of the original script helps to paper over the disappointment...a bit. But there's no getting around one simple fact: Robert Holmes' greatest masterpiece deserved so much better than one will find on these printed pages.
November 27, 2015
This loses one star because given the source material, and Dicks's skill at eking something amazing from even the worst Doctor Who scripts, one's expectations are pretty high of a story that is regarded by many as the greatest Doctor Who ever committed to television.
As it is, while he captures the relentless and unforgiving doom-around-every-corner feel of Robert Holmes' original script, this feels rushed. There is one place where he uses the same descriptive simile twice in one paragraph. My suspicion is that reliable workhorse that Dicks was when it came to these novelisations, they were flogging him a bit hard at the point where this one came out and it suffers from the workload he was under.
Despite all that, the remorseless, unremitting brilliance of the original shines through. I'd love to see what it could have been with some more time for polishing.
As it is, while he captures the relentless and unforgiving doom-around-every-corner feel of Robert Holmes' original script, this feels rushed. There is one place where he uses the same descriptive simile twice in one paragraph. My suspicion is that reliable workhorse that Dicks was when it came to these novelisations, they were flogging him a bit hard at the point where this one came out and it suffers from the workload he was under.
Despite all that, the remorseless, unremitting brilliance of the original shines through. I'd love to see what it could have been with some more time for polishing.
August 20, 2023
With the shock of Tom Baker leaving Doctor Who i never really got on with Peter Davidson's Doctor which was a shame because i deprived my younger self of some really good stories, oh the passion of youth😂
Anyhoo this is an absolutely corking story but goodness me its bleak, the whole story follows both the Doctor & companion slowly succumbing to illness and eventual death (well at least for one of them), against a backdrop of a bloody and heartless feud which the Doctor has no influence over, plus there is a weird sexual obsession thing going on between one of the antagonists and the companion lifted from the phantom of the opera.
Its definitely one of the more mature DW stories.
Anyhoo this is an absolutely corking story but goodness me its bleak, the whole story follows both the Doctor & companion slowly succumbing to illness and eventual death (well at least for one of them), against a backdrop of a bloody and heartless feud which the Doctor has no influence over, plus there is a weird sexual obsession thing going on between one of the antagonists and the companion lifted from the phantom of the opera.
Its definitely one of the more mature DW stories.
December 27, 2018
"The Caves of Androzani" is considered a classic of classic Doctor Who. This mostly comes down to the fantastic directing of Graeme Harper, who made probably the most knuckle-bightingly tense episode of all time. In Terrance Dicks' novelization, we get the story without the visual content, and this serves to highlight, unfortunately, many flaws in Robert Holmes's script. That one mad genius with an indeterminate number of androids could hold off an entire army in a culture that has routine space travel just does not make much sense. The man-eating cave creature is a plot complication that does not really go anywhere. Despite this and some other flaws in plausibility, the story is still fairly interesting, with all the competing egos out to destroy each other. Dicks this time makes some effort at truly novelizing the script rather than simply transcribing it. This makes the reading more enjoyable than it probably otherwise would have been.
June 21, 2021
A good novelisation of a great TV story - considered one of the classics and I have to agree.
The overall storyline / plot is quite an interesting one, shades of Dune and the like, quite a few intricacies and threads to it, that weave together well, especially towards the end building towards quite a strong climax, though the book doesn't quite capture it as well as the TV story.
The Doctor is very good in this story, and yes shows some of this issues with being captured / helpless more than other incarnations, but is still quite proactive and shows an immense strength of will here, as well as his normal intelligence and wit.
Peri is a bit more mixed here, due to the nature of what her role becomes in this story - being quite ill at times, and otherwise being somewhat fought over by others, so quite strongly Damsel in Distress, but still manages to show her own independence and strength when the opportunity arises.
The various one off characters are quite a varied cast, some of them being as prominent as the Doctor in the story, though don't detract from him at the same time, but all help contribute to making this story as good as it is.
A memorable regeneration scene at the end as well, calling back to all the companions of the Fifth Doctor's era, as well as the Master, and some interesting new lines for the Sixth, though they help set the stage for what I disliked about the Sixth Doctor.
All round though, a great read.
The overall storyline / plot is quite an interesting one, shades of Dune and the like, quite a few intricacies and threads to it, that weave together well, especially towards the end building towards quite a strong climax, though the book doesn't quite capture it as well as the TV story.
The Doctor is very good in this story, and yes shows some of this issues with being captured / helpless more than other incarnations, but is still quite proactive and shows an immense strength of will here, as well as his normal intelligence and wit.
Peri is a bit more mixed here, due to the nature of what her role becomes in this story - being quite ill at times, and otherwise being somewhat fought over by others, so quite strongly Damsel in Distress, but still manages to show her own independence and strength when the opportunity arises.
The various one off characters are quite a varied cast, some of them being as prominent as the Doctor in the story, though don't detract from him at the same time, but all help contribute to making this story as good as it is.
A memorable regeneration scene at the end as well, calling back to all the companions of the Fifth Doctor's era, as well as the Master, and some interesting new lines for the Sixth, though they help set the stage for what I disliked about the Sixth Doctor.
All round though, a great read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 26, 2021
A wild ride of a fast paced adventure where The Doctor has about as much control over the outcome of events as a cracked passenger, bound and gagged in the trunk. It falls back on the Doctor Who trope of survive the adventure and get back to the Tardis. The Doctor manages that and somehow saves his companion Peri from dying of a lethal toxin see
despite having no help or allies. Everyone else in this story is fighting over Spectrox, a drug capable of prolonging life, but also ironically the cause of the illness effecting both Peri and The Doctor. While everyone else is fighting over control of the Spectrox, The Doctor is struggling to find a cure for Peri. Other than The Doctor and Peri there's nobody else you'd want to cheer for. The rest of the characters are a mix of corrupt business owners and fun running mercenaries. The ending is satisfying, as most of the characters get their just desserts and The Doctor and Peri make a narrow escape, even if it costs The Doctor say too much.
despite having no help or allies. Everyone else in this story is fighting over Spectrox, a drug capable of prolonging life, but also ironically the cause of the illness effecting both Peri and The Doctor. While everyone else is fighting over control of the Spectrox, The Doctor is struggling to find a cure for Peri. Other than The Doctor and Peri there's nobody else you'd want to cheer for. The rest of the characters are a mix of corrupt business owners and fun running mercenaries. The ending is satisfying, as most of the characters get their just desserts and The Doctor and Peri make a narrow escape, even if it costs The Doctor say too much.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2023
The Caves of Adrozani as a book...is not great. Maybe it's because I'm not quite a big fan of the Fifth Doctor. Maybe there was just too much running around. Maybe this works better as a television serial as opposed to a short novel. The main thing this story is known for is the regeneration of the Fifth Doctor. But man, what a way to go.
This is your classic instance of the Doctor and his Companion (in this case, Peri) wandering into a conflict that doesn't involve them. And they don't even get to properly resolve things (as is often the case), but instead are struggling to survive almost the entire time regardless of which side of the conflict they end up at. And there's literally a lot of back and forth as the Doctor or Peri or both of them get dragged from one side to another in a story that involves a proxy for Dune's spice, androids replacing various characters and some very strange intrigues.
Oh well.
This is your classic instance of the Doctor and his Companion (in this case, Peri) wandering into a conflict that doesn't involve them. And they don't even get to properly resolve things (as is often the case), but instead are struggling to survive almost the entire time regardless of which side of the conflict they end up at. And there's literally a lot of back and forth as the Doctor or Peri or both of them get dragged from one side to another in a story that involves a proxy for Dune's spice, androids replacing various characters and some very strange intrigues.
Oh well.
May 25, 2017
This is the first screen to book I have ever read and the only thing by Terrance Dicks. Overall, not impressed at all. Looking at the reviews, this is apparently not the norm; this book is just exceptionally not well done. Maybe I will try another at some later point in time then.
This book was the reverse example of books to films. Whenever you make a book into a film it loses so much and the whole story feels like it is unnaturally progressing because these hidden motivations are not being properly shown. This screen to book has the same problem. The characters are not developed and their motivations and personality, which would normally be shown in the actors expressions and body language, were just entirely ignored. It made the story feel more like a report. An interesting report since it was about an alien war and androids, but a report nonetheless.
This book was the reverse example of books to films. Whenever you make a book into a film it loses so much and the whole story feels like it is unnaturally progressing because these hidden motivations are not being properly shown. This screen to book has the same problem. The characters are not developed and their motivations and personality, which would normally be shown in the actors expressions and body language, were just entirely ignored. It made the story feel more like a report. An interesting report since it was about an alien war and androids, but a report nonetheless.
September 13, 2017
This took me ages to read. Honestly, I usually finish a book in less than a week, reading for an hour before bed. That this took me two months to slog through really says something about Dicks' state of mind at the time of adaptation.
Dicks' adaptations are usually worthy of ratings anywhere above a 4 and never below. Sadly with this, one of the all time greatest Doctor Who episodes, Dicks heart just wasn't in it. Perhaps if Dicks had two hearts this would have been a more half-hearted adaptation (rather than this heartless rendition).
Full of lacklustre imagery, an almost bulletpoint transcription of events from the original episode. This one leaves me as cold as Yellow Level 26 after a gun fight in the dark.
My rating: 3.5 fatal mud bursts out of 5.
Dicks' adaptations are usually worthy of ratings anywhere above a 4 and never below. Sadly with this, one of the all time greatest Doctor Who episodes, Dicks heart just wasn't in it. Perhaps if Dicks had two hearts this would have been a more half-hearted adaptation (rather than this heartless rendition).
Full of lacklustre imagery, an almost bulletpoint transcription of events from the original episode. This one leaves me as cold as Yellow Level 26 after a gun fight in the dark.
My rating: 3.5 fatal mud bursts out of 5.
November 27, 2024
Holmes's witty, inventive, funny, observational script is excellently brought to life in Terrance Dicks's novelisation of this TV story. 7/10
Scoring: 0 bad; 1-3 poor; 4-6 average; 7-9 good; 10 excellent.
Scoring: 0 bad; 1-3 poor; 4-6 average; 7-9 good; 10 excellent.
August 23, 2025
Dicks takes a brilliant, grim script from old friend Robert Holmes and turns it into something almost superb. His economical prose is brilliantly suited for a tale of gunrunners and corporate intrigue. One of his best works in this series.
June 26, 2017
This was nowhere near as good as the actual episode. The caves of androzani is one of my favorite episodes from one of my favorite doctors and this just did not live up to the actual episode for me.
December 8, 2017
I love a good regeneration story, however, the writing in this one was so bland and matter-of-fact. There was no emotion in it. It was more like reading an article than a novel.
July 28, 2021
A straightforward retelling of the TV story from Dicks, but the quality of the original scripts – some of the best written for Doctor Who's original run – shines through.
January 5, 2026
I loved the TV story so much that I decided to read the novelisation as I had it from my Dads old collection (which he had given me) I don’t know why I decided to read it. I just picked it up and read the first page not intending to finish it. But I once I started it, I couldn’t stop reading. Before this I was never really into reading but this book not only gave me a bigger appreciation for the story itself but it got me into reading books and I haven’t been able to stop reading since!
October 5, 2023
The Caves of Androzani (1985) by Terrance Dicks is the novelisation of the final Peter Davison Dr Who serial. The Caves of Androzani TV serial is regarded by many as one of the best serials of the original run of Dr Who.
The story has the doctor and Peri land on Androzani minor and rapidly get into trouble and get poisoned. Then the fun really begins with disfigured master of android Sharaz Jek, gunrunners, the businessman Morgus, an army and a fantastic substance called Spectrox that extends lives.
What’s great about the Caves of Androzani is the multiple factions and leaders battling, betraying and fighting each other. None are all powerful evil groups or leaders.
The book itself isn’t as good as the TV serial. But it also lacks the pretty laughable effects from the TV serial which helps.
The Caves of Androzani is worth a read for Dr Who fans. It’s probably better to watch but it’s still worth a read.
The story has the doctor and Peri land on Androzani minor and rapidly get into trouble and get poisoned. Then the fun really begins with disfigured master of android Sharaz Jek, gunrunners, the businessman Morgus, an army and a fantastic substance called Spectrox that extends lives.
What’s great about the Caves of Androzani is the multiple factions and leaders battling, betraying and fighting each other. None are all powerful evil groups or leaders.
The book itself isn’t as good as the TV serial. But it also lacks the pretty laughable effects from the TV serial which helps.
The Caves of Androzani is worth a read for Dr Who fans. It’s probably better to watch but it’s still worth a read.
April 5, 2026
The Target range of books can be bad or they can be good. Only a select few could rate 5 stars, this is one of them. The main reason for this being rated 5 stars is that out of Classic Who, this is the best story. Robert Holmes' script was a great way to cap off the 5th Doctor's time.
Terrance Dicks does the usual Target writing. There are some extra details, and other areas are glossed over. So why does it still rate 5 stars? While reading it I still could imagine all the details from the televised story. I could clearly visualize it my head.
With stating that, if you are not a fan, or if you are not familiar with this episode the book could be down to a 3.5 to 4 stars. For anyone interested in Classic Who, this story is highly recommended.
Terrance Dicks does the usual Target writing. There are some extra details, and other areas are glossed over. So why does it still rate 5 stars? While reading it I still could imagine all the details from the televised story. I could clearly visualize it my head.
With stating that, if you are not a fan, or if you are not familiar with this episode the book could be down to a 3.5 to 4 stars. For anyone interested in Classic Who, this story is highly recommended.
April 18, 2008
This is one of the darker Doctor Who novels. The Doctor and Peri land on Androzani Mino, a planet torn by warring factions. Everyone wants Spectrox, a chemical that extends the human lifespan, and an ugly civil war has broken out. The time-travelers' only ally is the unstable rebel leader Sharez Jek, who is besotted with Peri. Unfortunately, both the Doctor and Peri have been poisoned, and the Doctor embarks on an exhausting quest to get the antidote. I still to this day remember bits of this book: the fumes of the caves, the black leather glove as it caresses Peri's unconscious face, the spilling of the antidote...so upsetting!
March 5, 2009
The fifth Doctor's finale story is a fairly dark story, where the Doctor and Peri are caught between two sides where there is no no set 'good guy'.
They are forced to figure out which side has the least chance of killing them while trying to juggle the two.
No saving the world here, they are more concerned with just getting away without getting killed.
Nice relationship between the Fifth Doctor and Peri. Shame the two didn't get more stories together on the TV series before the Fifth Doctor's regeneration.
They are forced to figure out which side has the least chance of killing them while trying to juggle the two.
No saving the world here, they are more concerned with just getting away without getting killed.
Nice relationship between the Fifth Doctor and Peri. Shame the two didn't get more stories together on the TV series before the Fifth Doctor's regeneration.
January 17, 2021
The 5th Doctor valiantly battles to save Peri's life and put things right. It's quite incredible how much the Doctor goes through before he 'dies'. He saves Peri and as he's lying on the floor of the TARDIS dying from injuries sustained in his efforts as well as suffering from spectrox toxaemia he begins to see the faces of his friends and companions. With a final taunt from his old enemy the Master the Doctor regenerates....
November 22, 2013
The final adventure of the Fifth Doctor is one of the better novelizations in terms of action, with the Doctor being the action hero this incarnation always seemed to strive to be. The story itself is a little stodgy and predictable. Good writing by Terrence Dicks as always. though.
December 30, 2020
[I'm reading these as I rewatch the episodes.}
This was a solid story on TV. But Dicks, who rarely seems engaged beyond writing a matter-of-fact translation to the page, must have been particularly bored with this one. A below-average novelization of an above-average episode.
This was a solid story on TV. But Dicks, who rarely seems engaged beyond writing a matter-of-fact translation to the page, must have been particularly bored with this one. A below-average novelization of an above-average episode.
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October 21, 2007http://nhw.livejournal.com/896496.html[return][return]A good Robert Holmes script, turned into an average Terrance Dicks novel.
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August 23, 2008isbn,original
December 2, 2016
I can see why this story was voted as the greatest single adventure of Classic Doctor Who.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews