Target: 2026

By downthetubes Guests on April 10, 2026 • ( 0 )

Russell Cook brings us his reviews of the latest Doctor Who novelisations: Aliens of London, The Satan Pit and The Time of the Angels, out now, featuring covers by Dan Liles…

Back in the long distant years of the last century, when Doctor Who television wise was on hiatus for eighteen months, Target books, courtesy of their parent company WH Allen, had begun to publish more novelisations from the black and white era of the show. At long last, the William Hartnell and Patrick Troughton eras were having the large gaps filled in their adventures that had been largely ignored by the various editors of the range over the previous decade, thinking that the Target readership were more keen to read a novelisation of a story that had been shown on television in the past year or so. How true is this? Answers on a Doctor Who Target Bonanza competition leaflet sent to your nearest Police Telephone Box. It was a seminal moment in Target book history to see freshly printed adaptations of The Sensorites, The Space Museum and The Dominators sitting proudly on the bookshelves next to Timelash and The Mark of the Rani. Happy times and places.

The Sensorites was transmitted in 1964, back in the mid 1980s that would initiate a response of “how long ago?” A story shown back in the days of when books were surely the intellectual property of William Caxton and his printing press? Time plays funny tricks with the subconscious.

Move forward to 2026 and three new titles have just been added to the Target book range. Stories from the recent past. Hang on, surely we all watched Aliens of London just a year or so back? Actually, 2005. Step forward The Satan Pit, 2006. The Time of the Angels. Now we are talking, oh, 2010. The most recent sixteen years ago! Time has been training hard, moving from a slow amble towards the future to the constantly moving cross trainer of the modern world.

With Doctor Who now back on air for 21 years, there is quite a back catalogue of stories ripe for novelisation and, oh to be a fly on the when the next batch of Targets are chosen in that in preparation meeting. ‘How about Let’s Kill Hitler?’ um…‘perhaps The Rings of Akhaten?’ Not sure. ‘Love and Monsters?’ Okay stop; we want to actually sell some books!”

As for book sales, the future of the range should be assured with these three newly published novelisations. Joseph Lister does a fine job with his take on Russell T. Davies’ Aliens of London. The two parter from 2005 has an opening scene of the Doctor running down a corridor chasing a rather frightened pig! Turning the pages and we’ve got some farting aliens the Slitheen who, in between bouts of flatulence, are intent on destroying the Earth. Christopher Eccleston’s all to brief Ninth Doctor is well realised, as are Rose and her immediate family especially her Mum. This retelling is abreath of fresh air in all the right ways.

Matt Jones tackles his own 2006 two part story The Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit, and keeps the horror element of the original episodes very much to the fore in this gripping tale of an evil presence that dominates and manipulates the inhabitants of Krop Tor which is orbiting a black hole and doing its best to defy the laws of physics. Engineer Scotty would be proud. (Sorry, wrong franchise). This is a dark tale for the Tenth Doctor about a malevolent force imprisoned in the eternity that is time. Maybe the Devil is real.

If an alien proves to be a resounding success then let’s bring it back and with added menace and scares! Without blinking, step forward the two part 2010 story The Time of the Angels/ Flesh and Stone. The Weeping Angels are, without exception, in the top tier of adversaries that the Doctor has faced. Join the Eleventh and his companions as they along with River Song tackle a maze of the stoney faced baddies on the planet Alfava Metraxis. Jenny Colgan turns the suspense of Steven Moffat’s television episodes into a page turning tale that never lets up with the overriding fear of what the predatory Angels want to accomplish.

Close your eyes and enjoy this gothic scarefest. Superb.

Russell Cook

Aliens of London, The Satan Pit and The Time of the Angels are published by BBC Books at £10.99. (AmazonUK Affiliate Links)

• Russell Cook’s memoir, Castles in the Sky. A story of love, loss and learning to live again is available from Amazon

• Follow cover artist by Dan Liles on Instagram