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Doctor Who Target Books (Numerical Order) #55
Doctor Who and the Seeds of Doom
When a mysterious pod unearthed in the Antarctic begins to grow into a giant man-eating plant, Doctor Who is summoned to stop the creature
128 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1977
1 person is currently reading
352 people want to read
About the author
Philip Hinchcliffe
19 books15 followersPhilip Hinchcliffe was producer of Doctor Who from 1975 to 1977. He also novelised stories.
He appeared on camera only once in the series, as one of the faces that appears in the Doctor's mental battle with Morbius.
He appeared on camera only once in the series, as one of the faces that appears in the Doctor's mental battle with Morbius.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
March 29, 2021
Hinchcliffe presided over arguably the best era of Doctor Who, with so many horror influences on the early Tom Baker series it's easy to see why so many a fondly remember - including this gem!
So it's somewhat disappointing that the former producer take on this iconic tale
turns it more akin to a Wikipedia plot synopsis.
As I mentioned, the story is great but owes a debt to John W. Campbell's novella Who Goes There? - more commonly known as The Thing.
This homage feels closer to the original (makes sense as this aired during 1976) as two seed pods are discovered in the antarctic ice, the original 1950's movie sees The Thing into a more planet like alien.
The additional fun aspect of this story moves into a more Avengers (The 60's U.K. TV version) as the stories original writer had also written a couple of episodes of that show too.
It's hard to really understand how vital these were before stories were so easily accessible on DVD/streaming etc...
Having been novilised within a year of broadcast highlights yet again how brilliant the more prolific Terrance Dicks was to the series.
I like it when the Target range has a variety of writers, but I can't help but feel that we would have had a much better book if Dicks had completed all of Season 13.
So it's somewhat disappointing that the former producer take on this iconic tale
turns it more akin to a Wikipedia plot synopsis.
As I mentioned, the story is great but owes a debt to John W. Campbell's novella Who Goes There? - more commonly known as The Thing.
This homage feels closer to the original (makes sense as this aired during 1976) as two seed pods are discovered in the antarctic ice, the original 1950's movie sees The Thing into a more planet like alien.
The additional fun aspect of this story moves into a more Avengers (The 60's U.K. TV version) as the stories original writer had also written a couple of episodes of that show too.
It's hard to really understand how vital these were before stories were so easily accessible on DVD/streaming etc...
Having been novilised within a year of broadcast highlights yet again how brilliant the more prolific Terrance Dicks was to the series.
I like it when the Target range has a variety of writers, but I can't help but feel that we would have had a much better book if Dicks had completed all of Season 13.
December 9, 2021
This is a novelization of the sixth and last adventure of the thirteenth season of Doctor Who, one of the longest from the Tom Baker era, which was broadcast in six segments from January through March of 1976. It stars the fourth version of The Doctor in his last outing as an official member of UNIT, along with companion Sarah Jane Smith. The adaptation was written by Philip Hinchcliffe, the producer of the show, and was based on the original teleplay of Robert Banks Stewart. It's a very good story which seems to owe a lot to popular films The Thing and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and maybe a pinch of Lovecraft, too. It starts in Antarctica with the discovery of a pod that has been frozen for twenty thousand years and quickly shifts to England, where vegetable violence quickly gets out of control. It's one of the better horror stories from the classic years, and though Hinchcliffe's version condenses the action a little too much, in my opinion (and he didn't seem to have the facility with prose that other adapters like Ian Marter and, of course Terrance Dicks did), it is still a fun read. This is the tenth and final Doctor Who novel that was reprinted by Pinnacle Books to introduce the character to North American audiences; they got Harlan Ellison to write an enthusiastic introduction that was printed at the opening of all ten. It was a successful attempt; within a year you couldn't go to a sf convention without seeing young people wearing slouch hats and tripping over scarves.
June 29, 2023
I basically read this book adaption of a 4th Gen Dr Who series story because of the bit in the tv version where one character cries out the name of another character in a most dramatic fashion. "SCORBY!!!" It's glorious.
The story is solid. The Doctor and Sarah become embroiled in the discovery of an alien seed pod found in an icepack after thousands of years. Once thawed it turns into a plant monster that attacks and possesses the first human it encounters. It has a very The Thing kind of feel. I'll stop before claiming it to be an out and out rip-off...but it's close.
Action-packed almost from cover to cover. Includes some of the more colorful side characters you'll find in a Dr Who story.
The first edition printing of this is PACKED with typos and editing errors.
The story is solid. The Doctor and Sarah become embroiled in the discovery of an alien seed pod found in an icepack after thousands of years. Once thawed it turns into a plant monster that attacks and possesses the first human it encounters. It has a very The Thing kind of feel. I'll stop before claiming it to be an out and out rip-off...but it's close.
Action-packed almost from cover to cover. Includes some of the more colorful side characters you'll find in a Dr Who story.
The first edition printing of this is PACKED with typos and editing errors.
May 20, 2019
A novelization of the identically named TV 6 part Episode staring Tom Baker from 1975. I suspect this was based on the script rather than final video, as most novelizations are, because there were several places in the TV version that had changed (generally for the better). A good example is a scene in the book where the antagonist is hot on the heals of the Doctor who jumps in a car that then takes several attempts before starting just in the nick of time. They wisely removed that overdone trope from the TV version.
It was fun reading several chapters in the book and then watching the same part of the TV episode for comparison.
The book has the distinct advantage of describing things far more realistically than the BBC's budget for Doctor Who could ever produce.
If you can overcome the shortcomings of a hastily written story line common to the Doctor Who series, this is pure adventurous fun and a truly enjoyable read. If you've seen and loved all the old Tom Baker episodes as much as I have, this book won't hold any surprises for you, but is still thoroughly enjoyable.
It was fun reading several chapters in the book and then watching the same part of the TV episode for comparison.
The book has the distinct advantage of describing things far more realistically than the BBC's budget for Doctor Who could ever produce.
If you can overcome the shortcomings of a hastily written story line common to the Doctor Who series, this is pure adventurous fun and a truly enjoyable read. If you've seen and loved all the old Tom Baker episodes as much as I have, this book won't hold any surprises for you, but is still thoroughly enjoyable.
March 13, 2022
A very 'ok' novel. There wasn't really anything that really lit up my attention, and when I hit the last page all I felt was just 'eh' which doesn't happen often for me. This is by no means a bad book, just a slightly lacking one. I would typically go into more depth but I keep forgetting most the details that occurred (That's not great, is it?).
For a book this short there was also a weird amount of filler? The first 4 chapters are wasted with running about in Antarctica which is just... whatever, I guess. It does improve after this, and instead of a number of characters wondering around Antarctica we have the same bunch of characters stumbling about a big fuck-off mansion which is quite entertaining despite not much actually happening when you think about it. The big camp plant monsters satisfied my demands enough anyways, who gives a toss about anything that happened.
For a book this short there was also a weird amount of filler? The first 4 chapters are wasted with running about in Antarctica which is just... whatever, I guess. It does improve after this, and instead of a number of characters wondering around Antarctica we have the same bunch of characters stumbling about a big fuck-off mansion which is quite entertaining despite not much actually happening when you think about it. The big camp plant monsters satisfied my demands enough anyways, who gives a toss about anything that happened.
February 9, 2019
Whenever I get to a story that I enjoyed as a kid, I am always curious to see how well it holds up. In the case of The Seeds of Doom, it still holds up. Compared to other stories of this time, the structure works well for the length.
Generally with a 6 part story, the middle part starts to drag. With The Seeds of Doom this is avoided, because it feels as if it is two separate stories tied together.
The first part takes place in Antarctica and is reminiscent of "Who Goes There" by John Campbell aka the 1951 film The Thing from Another Planet, aka 1981's The Thing. The last part takes place back in England.
The plot involves the discovery of two pods that can infect a human and thus allow the planet to be overran by the Kyrnoids, a living plant. The suspense of the infection and the growth of the Kyrnoid helps to bring the suspense to the story.
The story moves fast in the novelization, as some subplots are dropped. This helps to flesh out the characters a tad more. You will still encounter the similar Target limitations, but it is enough to capture the spirit of the story.
A good adaptation of a longer Doctor Who story. Even though it would be nice with some more meat added to it, it still holds up as one of the better 4th Doctor stories.
Generally with a 6 part story, the middle part starts to drag. With The Seeds of Doom this is avoided, because it feels as if it is two separate stories tied together.
The first part takes place in Antarctica and is reminiscent of "Who Goes There" by John Campbell aka the 1951 film The Thing from Another Planet, aka 1981's The Thing. The last part takes place back in England.
The plot involves the discovery of two pods that can infect a human and thus allow the planet to be overran by the Kyrnoids, a living plant. The suspense of the infection and the growth of the Kyrnoid helps to bring the suspense to the story.
The story moves fast in the novelization, as some subplots are dropped. This helps to flesh out the characters a tad more. You will still encounter the similar Target limitations, but it is enough to capture the spirit of the story.
A good adaptation of a longer Doctor Who story. Even though it would be nice with some more meat added to it, it still holds up as one of the better 4th Doctor stories.
January 14, 2020
These books are always captivating and it makes you feel like you are in an episode of Doctor Who.
July 4, 2016
This novelization is up there with the 5th Doctor story "Kinda" as one of those rare Target novelizations that fails in every way to translate a particular story's exceptional quality from the television screen to the printed page. Considering how exciting, witty, grim, and fabulous "The Seeds of Doom" was on television, you would hope that the producer of that superb spectacle would put some extra effort into capturing its special qualities for the novelization. But Philip Hinchliffe, brilliant producer though he is, simply engages in a mundane, uninspired transcribing process that can only be described in one word: disappointing.
October 4, 2011
As a TV story, The Seeds Of Doom stands out as one of Doctor Who's best TV stories with its mix of action/adventure and excellent characterizations. The novelization, written by the TV story's producer Philip Hinchcliffe, captures the action/adventure side of the story brilliantly. Unfortunately that's at the expense of losing virtually all of the characterizations that helped to make the TV story so memorable. Hinchcliffe also makes some sizable edits to the story as well that cut whole sequences from the TV version. The overall result is a good read but a disappointing novelization overall.
April 20, 2021
One of my all time favourite stories this one, I really like the style of horror here, reminiscent of many other alien in the Antarctic type horror stories, but meshed well within the Doctor Who universe.
It is unfortunate that Target page count does impact on the story a bit I think, with the first third of the TV story fitting into roughly the first half of the book, which is definitely the strongest, leading to the second half of the book feeling a bit more abbreviated, and losing some of the tension.
All the various one off characters are interesting in here I think, with their own motivations and drives, and the Doctor and Sarah are pretty good here too, getting into and out of lots of trouble.
UNIT features for the last time for a long time, though none of the regulars feature, and does raise the question of how readily the Doctor seemed to be contactable here, given the challenges in getting his attention in the Loch Ness Monster.
Overall though, a great read for me, and one of the strong points of the 'horror' period for Doctor Who.
It is unfortunate that Target page count does impact on the story a bit I think, with the first third of the TV story fitting into roughly the first half of the book, which is definitely the strongest, leading to the second half of the book feeling a bit more abbreviated, and losing some of the tension.
All the various one off characters are interesting in here I think, with their own motivations and drives, and the Doctor and Sarah are pretty good here too, getting into and out of lots of trouble.
UNIT features for the last time for a long time, though none of the regulars feature, and does raise the question of how readily the Doctor seemed to be contactable here, given the challenges in getting his attention in the Loch Ness Monster.
Overall though, a great read for me, and one of the strong points of the 'horror' period for Doctor Who.
September 16, 2025
This is in my Top 10 favourite stories. I’ll often re-watch it in summer for the psychological cooling effect of all the Antarctic scenes. 😊
This is a good adaptation. It would have been great except for the limitations on length. In order to keep the page count in the normal Target range there had to be sacrifices. Almost every scene has been truncated. Only by a sentence or 2 of dialogue, and some of those could well be adlibs that weren’t scripted. But everything is just a little shorter than the broadcast version. This is what happens when you cram 6 episodes of well paced plot into a length suited to 4 episodes.
The biggest omission is Amelia Ducat. Her scene with the Doctor and Sarah getting Chase’s name is in the book. That was too important a plot point to be left out, but the rest of her scenes are missing.
Philip has done a great job within the limitations he had, but I’d love to read an expanded version with all the missing bits added in.
This is a good adaptation. It would have been great except for the limitations on length. In order to keep the page count in the normal Target range there had to be sacrifices. Almost every scene has been truncated. Only by a sentence or 2 of dialogue, and some of those could well be adlibs that weren’t scripted. But everything is just a little shorter than the broadcast version. This is what happens when you cram 6 episodes of well paced plot into a length suited to 4 episodes.
The biggest omission is Amelia Ducat. Her scene with the Doctor and Sarah getting Chase’s name is in the book. That was too important a plot point to be left out, but the rest of her scenes are missing.
Philip has done a great job within the limitations he had, but I’d love to read an expanded version with all the missing bits added in.
October 17, 2025
One of the very best tv stories written by one of the very best producers. While the story is a more stright forward, quick paced rettelling of that story, one thing is it? Fun. It's pure fun. Everything that makes that orginal tv story work so well is done here. Sure we don't get the Indepth look at just why Chase is obsessed with plants. But Phillip hinichcliff does a good job at dropping hints throughout the book and making the characters fun to read. It is a shame the story is so short that we lose a little of the stunning cast moments but the story is just so damn fun to read it just gets away with it. The monster moments of the kyronids are expanded really well, allowing the monster to really be a frightening creature, especially as it grows towards the end. I'd say that If you love the tv story and want to re read that great story you'll be satisfied. Just don't go into this expending more depth and new answers.
July 7, 2023
Doctor Who and the Seeds of Doom (1977) by Phillip Hinchcliffe is the novelisation of the sixth and final serial of season thirteen of Doctor Who.
The Doctor and Sarah find out about mysterious pods that have been found in Antarctica. The Doctor and Sarah travel there to find that someone has been near one of the pods and they are turning into a Krynoid. Krynoids are moving weeds that take over planets and kill all the animals. Meanwhile a mysterious, strange and plant loving millionaire wants to obtain the other pod and will do whatever it takes to do so.
Doctor Who and the Seeds of Doom was better as a TV serial but the novel is still quite fun.
The Doctor and Sarah find out about mysterious pods that have been found in Antarctica. The Doctor and Sarah travel there to find that someone has been near one of the pods and they are turning into a Krynoid. Krynoids are moving weeds that take over planets and kill all the animals. Meanwhile a mysterious, strange and plant loving millionaire wants to obtain the other pod and will do whatever it takes to do so.
Doctor Who and the Seeds of Doom was better as a TV serial but the novel is still quite fun.
June 26, 2017
Slightly more than the usual retelling of the script, this seems to have a bit of an edge to it. The plot, a conflation of 'The Thing' and one of the Quatermass stories reverses the usual 4 + 2 episode division of the six parters and has a two episode opener set in Antractica where the Krynoid pods are found before returning to England for the rest of the story. Quite a fun romp...
May 3, 2025
There are two types of Doctor Who TV story novelisations, in my experience.
One expands on the story, fills in with extra character moments and so on.
The other simply gives you what was on screen in a book format. This was what you used to get in the days before we had videos or DVDs much less iPlayer and streaming.
This is one of the latter.
I liked this but then I liked the TV story version.
One expands on the story, fills in with extra character moments and so on.
The other simply gives you what was on screen in a book format. This was what you used to get in the days before we had videos or DVDs much less iPlayer and streaming.
This is one of the latter.
I liked this but then I liked the TV story version.
May 18, 2020
The end of the latest Target series novel featuring my personal favourite,the 4th Doctor and Sarah Jane,in an earth based adventure attempting to stop the spread of a vegetative alien lifeform helped by the Machiavellian plot of a collaborator based on earth. Of particular interest to fellow Fighting Fantasy fans might be the fine cover artwork by one Mr Christos Achilleos .
September 11, 2024
A delightful retelling of the classic story. Despite being overly fond of the word “quip” Hinchcliffe pens a gripping yarn that keeps the pages turning. My only problem would be that he glosses over some details that a novelisation would have been a perfect place to expand upon. Damn you, Target’s word limit!
November 16, 2025
I really wanted to like this one as it's the rare example of a Hinchcliffe-era story I genuinely adore - plus the rare example of a novelisation of this era written by someone other than Terrance Dicks. Unfortunately I found it fairly barebones and unexciting, something I wouldn't really consider worth it now that we're past the point of these books being replacement for home media.
June 9, 2022
This is a really good, condensed adaptation of a hefty six-parter from the mid 1970s. At no point did it drag, and the only criticism would be that the sentences were a bit too short, but that doesn't detract from the experience too much.
December 3, 2024
This being the 10th book of the serial set I own - this was my favorite. It reminded me so much of a few different classic horror movies bundled together with classic 4th Doctor antics. If you only read one Doctor Who serial - let it be this one💖
May 2, 2018
Another fun Doctor Who book.
May 27, 2020
The last Doctor Who novel my son and I read together (at least for now). It's a very good Earth-based DW tale.
January 17, 2021
A good read quite dark in places for Doctor Who better than the TV version.
July 13, 2021
A very good classic TV serial but a lackluster novelization littered with typos.
March 26, 2025
Growing up, this was one of my favorite episodes of DW. I have always enjoyed SJ and the 4th Doctor's relationship, and I think it works especially well in this story.
October 19, 2025
This could get monotonous at times, but the story was solid and gripping.
December 10, 2012
This book on the other hand was not so good! Season 12 of Doctor Who is one of my favourites. I really love all the episodes. With the exception of Loch Ness I think season 13 is much less impressive! I hadn't actually seen this episode when I started reading the book. I thought it started well, Artic exhibition discovers terrifying new plant. But the idea of an EVIL multi-millionaire plant fantatic was just so odd. I think this wins the award for most comical death attempt on the Doctor - Death by organic fertiliser machine!!! The novelisation was ok, but as it was a 6 parter fitting it into 120 pages meant that it was very short and quite a bit got cut. I've started watching the serial now I've finished the novel. It is quite absurd. But the house and grounds they shot in are Gorgeous! Makes me wonder if it's a national trust property and is open to visitors...
May 30, 2013
One of my favorite old-Who books. I'm trying to get my youngest more interested in reading and since he loves Doctor Who, I thought we'd start with this book. I'm reading a chapter ahead of him as he goes so I can ask the right questions and not get off-topic. I haven't read the book since the mid-1980s (1st time) and then the 1990s (multiple times). I hope he enjoys it as much as I did. When he's finished I think I'll reward the both of us with the DVD.
One of the nicest things about most Doctor Who books is that they are spot on with the TV show. I imagine that the novelization happened after the broadcast in most cases so this would make complete sense. I wish that the new Who would do books for their broadcast episodes so I could read them too. I know they have books, but I want to read books on the broadcast shows.
One of the nicest things about most Doctor Who books is that they are spot on with the TV show. I imagine that the novelization happened after the broadcast in most cases so this would make complete sense. I wish that the new Who would do books for their broadcast episodes so I could read them too. I know they have books, but I want to read books on the broadcast shows.
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April 8, 2009http://nhw.livejournal.com/1046178.html#cutid5[return][return]Hinchcliffe was the producer of Doctor Who in arguably its greatest days, and his two novelisations of stories from that time give us an insight into what he thought he was doing. His Fourth Doctor is much closer to the Tom Baker screen version than the somewhat more overtly clownish character of the Dicks books; he sticks closely to the script but concentrates perhaps a bit more on the horror elements of the story, and the villainous Harrison Chase is memorably evil.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews