A review by ayavandenbussche
Doctor Who and the Brain of Morbius by Terrance Dicks
4.0
Much like the spaceships on the planet Karn, this book was crumbling in my hands as I read it. I think the novelisation is somewhat better than the TV story, which is amongst my favourite from Tom Baker. The opening description of the alien trying to escape the ruins and getting caught by Condo is chilling. Sarah's blindness feels like it lasts longer and is quite disturbing. The battle between the Doctor and the Morbious monster reads a lot more challenging and difficult than on TV and the Doctor's interaction with the Sisterhood, which comes across as incredibly sinister in the book, is better, more complex and interesting. Also, the characters of Sarah and the Doctor read better, and some of the things that annoy me on the TV show do not stand out as much in the book.
I have minor irritations with the fact that Sarah just falls asleep suddenly in the middle of the action. This could have been actually quite funny, in a Harpo Marx kinda way, but alas it is not written like that, instead she comes across as someone who can't handle things and is a bit useless and therfore benched. I'm also not a great fan of this Doctor's constant joking about and his being somewhat disrespectful, an attitude that often characterises Tom Baker's Doctor, but admittedly is relatively mild in this novelisation and is less irritating as a one off story. I would have also liked more description and world building of the ruined Karn to give it more of an atmosphere. But these are all minor things, and the book is a great little gem.
I have minor irritations with the fact that Sarah just falls asleep suddenly in the middle of the action. This could have been actually quite funny, in a Harpo Marx kinda way, but alas it is not written like that, instead she comes across as someone who can't handle things and is a bit useless and therfore benched. I'm also not a great fan of this Doctor's constant joking about and his being somewhat disrespectful, an attitude that often characterises Tom Baker's Doctor, but admittedly is relatively mild in this novelisation and is less irritating as a one off story. I would have also liked more description and world building of the ruined Karn to give it more of an atmosphere. But these are all minor things, and the book is a great little gem.