It’s the end, but the moment has been prepared for… The final two novelizations of stories from the original 1963-1989 series are finally on the horizon.
Fifty-four years and two days after the publication of the very first Doctor Who novelization (Dr. Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks by David Whitaker), the range will finally be completed by the last. Or at least, the last to novelize a story from the 20th century version of the show. In a time before Blu-Ray, DVD or even VHS, the novelizations were the only way to experience episodes. For many, the final completion of the entire range on their shelves will be a lifelong dream come true.
Eric Saward, served as Script Editor on Doctor Who from 1982 to 1986, as well as writing numerous episodes. Now has adapted his own scripts in the form of two new novels. Each sees a different incarnation of the Doctor face off against the dreaded Daleks and their insane creator, Davros.
Two classic 1980s stories are reborn as Eric Saward novelizes Resurrection of the Daleks and Revelation of the Daleks
Resurrection of the Daleks is based on the Fifth Doctor serial that first aired in 1984 and was noted for its downbeat tone and great use of the then borderline derelict docklands area of London as a filming location. The plot involves one menace unfolding in two parallel timezones. In the far future, as the Daleks launch a full scale assault on an Earth prison ship. And in the present day deadly as Dalek bombs are unearthed buried in the heart of London. The stakes have rarely been higher in a storyline that arguably wound continue to impact Doctor Who for decades to come. Because for the first time the Daleks set their sights on a new target: Gallifrey, planet of the Time Lords.
Meanwhile, Revelation of the Daleks adapts the 1985 adventure for the Sixth Doctor and Peri. The unnerving story lands the pair in a world reminiscent of Evelyn Waugh’s The Loved One. The Doctor is invited to the massive planetary necropolis of Tranquil Repose. Here the bodies of the great and good of the galaxy are suspended near death awaiting cures. But the mysterious new owner, the Great Healer, is an ancient foe of the Doctor and his secret plan involves using Tranquil Repose for the genesis of a new breed of Daleks.
Resurrection of the Daleks will be published in hardback form on July 18th, 2019. Revelation of the Daleks will then follow on the 14th of November, 2019. Both are priced at £12.99 and are available for pre-order now. An audiobook of Resurrection of the Daleks has also been listed by BBC Books (reader to be announced, RRP £22.50). The audiobook has a publication date of the 4th of July.
UPDATED INFORMATION FROM BBC BOOKS:
BBC Books have now confirmed that Paperback editions in the traditional Target format will follow in 2020. They also revealed that Albert DePetrillo, Publishing Director at BBC Books, acquired world rights in both titles from the author directly.
Writer Eric Saward has now publicly commented that “’Resurrecting’ these tales may turn out to be a greater ‘Revelation’ than you’d expect!” Blogtor Who notes that his previous novelizations (The Visitation, The Twin Dilemma, and Attack of the Cybermen) are widely regarded as having expanded and improved on the original scripts. So Saward’s comment could be read as hinting readers should expect a similarly thorough process this time.
Resurrection of the Daleks by Eric Saward
The universe is at war. Action takes courage.
The TARDIS is ensnared in a time corridor, catapulting it into derelict docklands on 20th century Earth. The Doctor and his companions, Tegan and Turlough, stumble on a warehouse harbouring fugitives from the future at the far end of the corridor – and are soon under attack from a Dalek assault force.
The Doctor’s oldest enemies have set in motion an intricate and sinister plot to resurrect their race from the ashes of an interstellar war. For the Daleks’ plans to succeed, they must set free their creator, Davros, from a galactic prison – and force the Doctor to help them achieve total control over time and space. But the embittered Davros has ideas of his own…
35 years after its first TV transmission, Doctor Who fan-favourite Resurrection of the Daleks is novelised at last, by the author of the original script, Eric Saward.
Revelation of the Daleks by Eric Saward
Beware the hands that heal.
The Doctor and Peri land on the planet Necros to visit the funerary home Tranquil Repose – where the dead are interred and the near-dead placed in suspended animation until such time as their conditions can be cured.
But the Great Healer of Tranquil Repose is far from benign. Under his command, Daleks guard the catacombs where sickening experiments are conducted on human bodies. The new life he offers the dying comes at a terrible cost – and the Doctor and Peri are being lured into a trap that will change them forever.
At last, the only classic-era Doctor Who adventure never to be novelised is here, and by the author of the original script, Eric Saward.
