The Creature From the Pit

Target novelisation Doctor Who and the Creature From the Pit

Author	David Fisher
Published	1981
ISBN	0 426 20123 X
First Edition Cover	Steve Kyte

Back cover blurb: The planet Chloris is very fertile, but metal is in short supply, and has therefore become extremely valuable. A huge creature, with most unusual physical properties, arrives from an alien planet which can provide Chloris with metal from its own unlimited supplies, in exchange for chlorophyll. However, the ruthless Lady Adrasta has been able to exploit the shortage of metal to her own advantage, and has no wish to see the situation change. The Doctor and Romana land on Chloris just as the creature's alien masters begin to lose patience over their ambassador's long absence. The action the aliens decide to take will have devastating consequences for Chloris, unless something is done to prevent it...

• He forgot the penis by Tim Roll-Pickering

He forgot the penis by Tim Roll-Pickering 1/6/09

When this book originally came out, novelisations by the original authors were extremely rare so it is a breath of fresh air to see David Fisher adapting his own scripts. On television, The Creature from the Pit is a reasonably simplistic tale of exploitation and monopolistic control of resources, and that translates well to the book. Fisher has taken the opportunity to tighten up a lot of things. Gone are all the scenes after the neutron star has been dealt with, whilst also missing are the gags of the Doctor have to learn Tibetan so he can learn about mountaineering. Also lost are some of the weaker points of the production, including Erato's infamous appendage.

There are many little touchs throughout the book, most notably the footnotes that explain words such as "puka" (a rodent that inhabits hollow trees) or "fondel" (a wild turkey native to Chloris). We even get a correction to Romana's thoughts that tells us the real weight of Erato. In another strong move, Fisher has shifted some of the exposition from dialogue to characters' thought patterns, thus making the work feel more like a novel. The humour is far more subtle here than on television and it helps strengthen the story, whilst the characters are enhanced through descriptions of their background such as a brief summary of how Karela has worked her way through the court and harbours ambitions for power herself. This works wonders for many, particularly Torvin and his thieves who no longer seem so cliched.

Since much of the plot of the story involves unravelling a mystery about the basic existance and resources of Chloris, it's not easy for the book to devote lengthy sections to background exposition before the revelations come. Similarly, restructuring the plot heavily to cut elements, particularly the neutron star epilogue, may not have been an option available under the-then editorial policies. However, Fisher manages to maintain the pace and remembers that he is writing a short novel, not merely translating camera scripts. The result is a book that flows well in the reading and offers a good alternative perspective on a much-maligned adventure. 7/10