Published: November 1989

Edition read: Target first, 1989

Coolest Cover: It’s not exactly bad, but too many of the elements in Alistair Pearson’s cover get lost in the dark background- the swastika isn’t immediately apparent, the Cyberleader isn’t gold (and his face is dull) and Ace’s nose is wrong. And there appears to be an overcooked baked potato on the cover as well.

The BBC Budget Wouldn’t Run To: Setting the climax on a partially-constructed housing estate, which then becomes a partially-unconstructed housing estate.

Childhood Recollections: In the case of this book, suprisingly clear- I’d bought it in the old Odyssey shop in Leeds and read it on the way home from visiting my friend John.

Ramblings: For Doctor Who’s twentieth anniversary, the series was given a ninety-minute special with a host of previous Doctors, companions and monsters. Given that for its twenty-fifth, it was allocated a three-part story as part of the regular season with only the Cybermen representing the series’ past, ‘Silver Nemesis’ could only ever disappoint as an anniversary story, however what it lacks in substance, the televised story made up for by cramming so many ingredients into the mixture and cutting between them so frequently that at any one point the viewer doesn’t have half a chance of following what’s going on and just has to enjoy the ride. A book is a different proposition, however, and while Kevin Clarke’s sole contribution to Doctor Who and indeed to Target is a similar thrill ride of a book, it’s also written in the knowledge that a book needs more substance, and characters need to be fleshed out and developed in a way which the televised story studiously avoided.

Having said that, Clarke is very selective about which characters he develops- we know no more about Lady Peinforte at the end of the book than we do at the beginning- but there’s more of an effort to get under the skin of De Flores for one. There’s probably an unwritten rule against using words like "dignity" and "integrity" when discussing a Nazi, but what comes out of the book which wasn’t in the televised story is that De Flores is a man of conviction who believes totally in what he’s doing, and has waited fifty years for its fulfilment. On the other hand, Clarke evidently has a great affection for the character of Richard, and in one of several alterations to the conclusion of the story, has him present with the Doctor and Ace at the riverside inn for the tag scene. I’ve already mentioned that Clarke has Ace’s climatic battle with the Cybermen taking place on a partially-built housing estate rather than on waste ground, which was presumably the writer’s original conception, but other elements which didn’t make it into the televised story include De Flores and Karl being partially converted into Cybermen and more overt allusions to the first use of the Nemesis, as well as some of the scenes taking place at night, which gives the arrival of the Nemesis comet a much-needed sense of atmosphere if nothing else.

The book is far from immune to the faults of the story as transmitted, however, and it’s still not difficult to become very confused indeed as to what’s going on and who has the statue, the bow and the arrow at any one point- it might have been helpful if the book could have been printed with little reminders at the bottom of each page to enable the reader to keep track- and the sight gag of the Doctor failing to recognise the Queen is laboured, but ultimately ‘Silver Nemesis’ was made in an era of Doctor Who which majored in serious contemporary issues but, as the anniversary story, seems to have been designed to be fast-paced and accessible rather than earnest and introspective. Clarke’s adaptation achieves this- it’s a slick read with the emphasis on action rather than ideas or atmosphere- but at the same time, as the Target range had for a couple of years emphasised a more complex approach to storytelling and a greater emphasis on atmosphere and differing approaches, ‘Silver Nemesis’ comes across as comparatively insubstantial and disposable given its place in both the television and Target series.