Part of Series
The TARDIS materialises on board the Vipod Mor, a galactic survey ship captained by the repulsive Orlous Moston Slarn. Things are not going too well on board the spacecraft: a mysterious killer stalks the ship's infrastructure; a junior officer, whose body is four years older than his brain, commands its bridge; the craft's computer seems to be developing its own distinctive personality; and Slarn threatens to vent his vindictive anger on his crew. Soon the Doctor and Peri stumble upon a shocking secret, a secret upon which depends the fate of the entire Universe... The novelisation of the Radio 4 Doctor Who story.
Author
Eric Saward worked as a writer and later script editor for Doctor Who during the 1980s. Saward had a particular fondness for the Cybermen. He wrote stories with good action throughout them and stories that connected the Doctor to important events in Earth's history. He also wrote the short story Birth of a Renegade and the radio play Slipback. He served as script editor from Time-Flight, the last episode of season 19, to the penultimate episode of season 23 (The Ultimate Foe episode 1). He resigned his position due to a disagreement with producer John Nathan-Turner over the storyline (and particularly the ending) of episode 2 of The Ultimate Foe. Afterwards, he gave a notably scathing interview to Starburst magazine over his falling out with Nathan-Turner, and he became vocal in his criticism of Colin Baker's appointment as the Sixth Doctor. Target Books failed to secure an agreement that would have seen Saward's two Daleks serials novelised either by Saward himself or by others. They remain two of only a handful of stories never officially adapted. The 1989 publication of Saward's adaptation of Attack of the Cybermen actually post-dated his falling out with the Doctor Who production team by several years. His favourite snack is a chocolate hobnob
