Customer Reviews

Doctor Who and the Zarbi

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Originally written in 1965 (the same year the story, "The Web Planet", was broadcast), this was selected amongst the first three novelisations of Doctor Who probably because the author Bill Strutton (who wrote both the script and this book) and the BBC hoped to have a second Dalek success story. They didn't. What they did get with this book is a fairly interesting story of a quite alien world.

The Menoptera, who once ruled the world of Vortis, have been driven off when the previously docile Zarbi mysteriously become both organised and aggressive. At the time when the Menoptera are re-invading, the TARDIS arrives and the Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Vicki find themselves split up and under threat from the various sides in the conflict.

Whereas the TV story looks rather clunky, as the special effect technology wasn't able to cope with the demands of the story, the novel allows for the reader to make the Zarbi, the Menoptera, the venom grubs, the Optera and even the Animus far better than they appeared on TV. One does question, however, how useful the line illustrations in this novel are. Their quality is variable, but not that good.

What we have here is an interesting concept, better realised in this book than on video, but if this kind of story was written these days it would have been even better (I suggest you read "Venusian Lullaby" instead).

As you can do more with a book with characters and action then you can on TV in the 60s - the printed word is cheaper when you wish to do explosions and massive armies. On the other hand, some scenes from the episodes were removed or changed. Also, the television episodes have a weird, wild, twisted feel to them that the book does not have. I did like the illustrations by John Wood, even if they did look a tad strange.
I would suggest this book for any fans of the earlier Doctors, people interested in weird alien worlds, or people who like ants.