Customer Reviews

The Invasion (Doctor Who #98)

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I must admit this book did not excite me like many of the other novelizations I have read recently. Yes, the Doctor once again saves the world, this time aided by Jamie and Zoe. But the enemy is not particularly well portrayed. The immediate enemy is the Tobias Vaughn, who runs the company International Electromatics. But the real enemy is the largely unseen cybermen. The Doctor's interactions with Vaughn feel somewhat formulatic and the cybermen are lacking in definition. Took me a few days to get through this one as I did not feel the urge to pick it up when I got distracted by something else. Typically theses novelizations can be read in one sitting or are interesting enough that you want to pick them up again as soon as you get the chance.

Ian Marter adapts the Cybermen epic, 'The Invasion'. Probably the second best Cybermen story ever made (beaten by 'Tomb of the Cybermen' and only rivaled by 'Earthshock'). This novelisation has the benefit of an increased page- and word-count.

The TARDIS arrives on contemporary Earth with a problem, so the Doctor decides to enlist the aid of friend Professor Travers in repairing it. They quickly get drawn into what appears to be some kind of commercial espionage, but turns out to be an official investigation of the activities of the company, International Electromatics.

The story is notable for the introduction of Doctor Who's mainstay organisation, UNIT, and features the return of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. The Doctor, Jamie and Zoe assist UNIT in their investigation and infiltration of IE. But they soon encounter their old enemies, the Cybermen.

The only problem with this story is the Cybermen: they are essentially a nondescript opponent. It is their human ally, Tobias Vaughn, who is the real villain of the piece.

While it isn't complete (two of the eight episodes have been lost), watching the video is preferable to reading the book as Kevin Stoney's portrayal of Tobias Vaughn really makes the story, adding to great performances by the regulars.