The Rescue
by Ian Marter
The latest Target Novelisation to get the audiobook treatment by AudioGo is the William Hartnell story The Rescue.
The TARDIS arrives on the planet Dido where the Doctor, Ian and Barbara find the wreck of the crashed space-liner Astra. The locals appear to have brutally massacred the crew, with the exception of Bennett and the orphan girl Vicki. Can the Doctor solve the mystery? Will Vicki and Bennett survive until the rescue ship arrives? And who is the mysterious Koquillion?
Ian Marter does a decent job of elaborating and improving upon the original 1965 two-parter by David Whitaker. The audiobook works well to flesh out the story that introduced the companion Vicki and stays fairly true to the original with the addition of some scenes set aboard the ship on the way to rescue Vicki and Bennett.
Maureen O’Brien, who originally played Vicki, reads the audiobook lending gravitas and a bone-fide quality to an unfortunately rather thin story. The Rescue was the last Target Novelisation that writer, and Who companion Ian Marter, worked on before he died and certainly acts as proof that he could make even the blandest of stories enjoyable.
BLOGTOR RATING 6/10
Thanks to AudioGo
