Target: The Two Doctors

The 100th Target to be published, and with an introduction by JNT. This says nothing of interest other than the (probably polite) suggestion that Robert Holmes was reluctant to novelise his own script.

The Space Station is named J7, not Camera (325 search hits) or Chimera (207 search hits) as on screen. Jamie recalls the meeting with the Time Lords (in a purple-grassed garden) which brought them here. Interestingly there's no reference to Victoria; I wondered if RH was trying to fit the story into continuity between Fury and Wheel.

Shockeye is a huge, obviously strong being. Although he's pretty frightening on screen that's largely due to his aggression and handiness with knives, and to John Stratton, and he certainly doesn't appear to be physically strong, although they all talk about him as if he is. Anyway, my point is that on the page, he definitely does look as though he could break people in half with one hand.

Chessene has 'a smile from which smoke might have issued.' Marvellous.

In these comparisons I've often noted Saward and Marter's bloodlust: it seems Holmes is keen to prove himself their equal, with a description of the computer technician's bones dissolving after Chessene attacks him. And that's just a curtain-raiser: the scientist who shouts 'Professor!' gets the full treatment, as his corpse dances into the room under the impact of the bullets.

The Doctor's fishing planet has a brassy sky which reminds Peri of Kansas before a storm. Gumblejacks don't exist - he made them up. He's still on the river bank when he faints.

The Sontarans are referred to as 'potato-heads' on several occasions, usually by Jamie. Their landing on Earth blacks out radar worldwide for several minutes, and causes an escalation in the arms race. Very apt.

Peri punches Jamie (in the infrastructure...) with muscles 'honed by years as a campus sports star.' I didn't know moaning was a big college sport in the US.

While the Doctor's in his trance, a fire breaks out and Peri and Jamie have to move him to safety. His soliloquy about the collapse of time is thought rather than spoken, and goes on for longer, but it still doesn't make it any more convincing as a threat.

During the journey to Earth, the Doctor recalls that the Sontarans already have a primitive time ability (presumably a reference to Linx's osmic projector).

Doctor Two calls Stike a 'slimy obscenity'.

Oscar tells Peri that he toured the US in (Congreve's) Way of the World. Anita privately reflects that he's been 'between roles' and managing the restaurant for the last three years. The name of the establishment is La Piranella.

Shockeye dresses up in the frock coat earlier in the story, while the Doctor's peering through the window of the house. Shockeye sings an grisly Androgum lullaby to himself as he does so.

The Doctor warns Jamie that Dastari used to be a champion wrestler. Jamie's describes Chessene's dress as a 'coathardie'.

Doctor (Six) mocks Stike's title of rank - 'I've never met a Sontaran private yet.'

Stike doesn't pull Jamie's dagger out of his leg, thus allowing Doctor Two to spot it and realise that Jamie's about.

Doctor Six and Jamie don't throw water over the unconscious Peri.

Chessene explains that coronic acid was used by the Rutans at Vullotha to decimate the Sontarans. (10% success?) It certainly works on Varl, causing him to burst into green flames.

Doctor Two doesn't tell Shockeye to get dressed up for the restaurant (he's wearing the frock coat he put on earlier). The 'shepherd's pie' joke is not used.

Shockeye thinks, rather than says, the line about the 20-narg note being accepted in the Nine Planets. Doctor Two chips in with an assortment of paper money: Oscar says that the only recognisable item among it is a Confederate $5 bill, and even that's no longer legal tender.

The killing of Oscar isn't treated so casually by the diners on the page: they flee the restaurant in terror. And approaching sirens are heard.

Chessene licks the blood directly off the step, not off her hand. I think the latter version is the more 'actable'.

Jamie's family are hereditary pipers to 'the Macleod of Dunvegan'. Just in case you missed the vegetarian message in this story. And he learnt to use a dagger from 'Wee Fulton MacKay, the greatest knife-fighter in the whole of Scotland.'

After some remarks about how the locals never found out what happened to Dona Arana or who killed Oscar, the book just trails off with 'Meanwhile, the Doctor and Peri... ' - as if Holmes, after giving us 150+ pages of anti-meat propaganda, still can't quite bring himself to use the 'healthy vegetarian diet' conclusion.

As with its predecessor, this novelisation should have credit for managing to make the story work a bit more smoothly. But the author's vegetarian hectoring is very intrusive. Even if you basically agree with him you feel that he isn't being entirely honest by putting all the pro-meat arguments in the mouth of a warty alien psychopath.