New Series Target Novelisations Are Coming!

[StCoop]

Rose by RTD
Day of the Doctor by Moffat
Twice Upon a Time by Moffat
The Christmas Invasion by Jenny Colgan

https://www.penguin.com.au/search/?q=target collection&type=all

Bizarely they're also doing a cut-down version of the already existing City of Death novelisation.

 

[The Wormhole]

Even though I'm usually against novelizations, I have read the other Target novelizations that were reprinted in recent years, and there is a certain charm to them. I might actually check these out mostly for curiosity sake.

 

[Nightowl1701]

Well, it's about time!!! Hopefully these'll be available on Amazon Kindle.

 

[C.E. Evans]

Sold!


I've got nearly seventy of the old Target novelizations, and they're still something of a fun read as they are a different kind of immersion into the particular episodes/stories. But I also value them a bit as collectables too these days.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I've long wanted to read a novel based on "The Day of the Doctor," as I think there's a lot that can be done there (fleshing out some parts, smoothing out some others), but I'm not sure I want to read a Target-scale novelization written by Moffat. I just don't see that being my Platonic ideal of a "Day of the Doctor" novelization.

 

[ClayinCA]

I'll get these (well, probably not "City of Death"). Especially from these authors, I'm sure we'll get writing the quality of the higher-end Target books and not the mid-period Terrance Dicks rush jobs.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

It appears that Paul Cornell is writing or co-writing Twice Upon a Time. No complaints from me.

It does amuse me, though, that Cornell says after each project that he's done with Doctor Who, then a year or two later he'd pulled back in for another project.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Oh, damn, I didn't realize what thread I was in (multiple tabs and I can't immediately see the thread title thanks to this board's stupid software) and I thought you meant it was revealed that Cornell co-wrote the episode itself. I was very confused for a moment.

 

[ClayinCA]

It does amuse me, though, that Cornell says after each project that he's done with Doctor Who, then a year or two later he'd pulled back in for another project.

If memory serves, he's been saying that since Happy Endings.

 

[Timewalker]

Even though I'm usually against novelizations, I have read the other Target novelizations that were reprinted in recent years, and there is a certain charm to them. I might actually check these out mostly for curiosity sake.

Why are you against novelizations?

Thank goodness for them; they're what saved me from years of frustration, knowing how many years' worth of Doctor Who existed that I couldn't see because of the then-policy my PBS station had of only running the 4th and 5th Doctor stories.

 

[Mr Soak]

Why are you against novelizations?

The novelisation of The Lord of the Rings was excessive. The Novelisation of The Hobbit cut out too much.

 

[Timewalker]

The novelisation of The Lord of the Rings was excessive. The Novelisation of The Hobbit cut out too much.

And these have what, exactly, to do with Doctor Who?

 

[Mr Soak]

A joke about novelisations. There's no such thing as a bad time for comedy.

Except when it is, obviously.

 

[The Wormhole]

Why are you against novelizations?

Well, these days there really isn't much need for them, given movies and TV shows are available for home media services within six months of release/airdate. Also, studios these days are actually instructing authors not to embellish the narrative with details not provided in the movie's script despite the fact this is the only thing left which could make novelizations relevant. So, I really don't have much interest in a prose version of a show or movie that adds nothing to the story. The fact that the old Doctor Who Targets do embellish and add details is the main reason I make an exception there, and I'm hoping is something that will be done with these novelizations.

 

[Mark_Nguyen]

Indeed, if a poor or hackneyed novelisation adds nothing, I'd much rather simply have a script of the best episodes. I for one enjoy comparing to the script as written to the product as delivered, to see how they made certain decisions and compromises between the original vision and what we see.

Mark

 

[Timewalker]

Well, these days there really isn't much need for them, given movies and TV shows are available for home media services within six months of release/airdate. Also, studios these days are actually instructing authors not to embellish the narrative with details not provided in the movie's script despite the fact this is the only thing left which could make novelizations relevant. So, I really don't have much interest in a prose version of a show or movie that adds nothing to the story. The fact that the old Doctor Who Targets do embellish and add details is the main reason I make an exception there, and I'm hoping is something that will be done with these novelizations.

I was damn grateful for the Target novelizations. There are a lot of First and Second Doctor stories I've never been able to see in any form, so at least I've got the novels.

It was certainly an eye-opener at the independent bookstore where I bought most of my new books back in 1982 and onward... to have me coming in and asking for Doctor Who books and them saying they couldn't get in orders of fewer than 25 titles and I'd tell them, "Yes, and that will not be a problem." At this point I'm missing maybe half a dozen out of the whole Classic Who lot.

My book collection grew very quickly back in those days.