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Book Details

Doctor Who and the Keeper of Traken

71.4% complete
1982
1984
1 time
See 12
1 - Escape to Danger
2 - Melkur Awakes
3 - Intruders
4 - The Voice of Melkur
5 - Melkur's Secret
6 - The Net
7 - Prisoners of Melkur
8 - A Place to Hide
9 - Death of a Keepers
10 - The Rule of Melkur
11 - The Last Resort
12 - The Enemy
Book Cover
Has a genre Has a year read Has a rating In my library In a series 
1090
 Doctor Who - Novelizations (UK)*
#37 of 157
Doctor Who - Novelizations (UK)*     See series as if on a bookshelf
The original Target novelizations for the television show Doctor Who.

1) Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen
2) Doctor Who and the Android Invasion
3) Doctor Who and the Androids of Tara
4) Doctor Who and the Ark in Space
5) Doctor Who and the Armageddon Factor
6) Doctor Who and the Auton Invasion
7) Doctor Who and the Brain of Morbius
8) Doctor Who and the Carnival of Monsters
9) Doctor Who and the Cave Monsters
10) Doctor Who and the Claws of Axos
11) Doctor Who and the Creature from the Pit
12) Doctor Who and the Crusaders
13) Doctor Who and the Curse of Peladon
14) Doctor Who and the Cybermen
15) Doctor Who and the Daemons
16) Doctor Who and the Daleks
17) Doctor Who and the Dalek Invasion of Earth
18) Doctor Who and the Day of the Daleks
19) Doctor Who and the Deadly Assassin
20) Doctor Who - Death to the Daleks
21) Doctor Who and the Destiny of the Daleks
22) Doctor Who and the Dinosaur Invasion
23) Doctor Who and the Doomsday Weapon
24) Doctor Who and the Enemy of the World
25) Doctor Who and the Face of Evil
26) Doctor Who - Full Circle
27) Doctor Who and the Genesis of the Daleks
28) Doctor Who and the Giant Robot
29) Doctor Who and the Green Death
30) Doctor Who and the Hand of Fear
31) Doctor Who and the Horns of Nimon
32) Doctor Who and the Horror of Fang Rock
33) Doctor Who and the Ice Warriors
34) Doctor Who and the Image of the Fendahl
35) Doctor Who and the Invasion of Time
36) Doctor Who and the Invisible Enemy
37) Doctor Who and the Keeper of Traken
38) Doctor Who and the Keys of Marinus
39) Doctor Who and the Leisure Hive
40) Doctor Who and the Loch Ness Monster
41) Doctor Who - Logopolis
42) Doctor Who and the Masque of Mandragora
43) Doctor Who and the Monster of Peladon
44) Doctor Who and the Mutants
45) Doctor Who and the Nightmare of Eden
46) Doctor Who and the Planet of the Daleks
47) Doctor Who and the Planet of Evil
48) Doctor Who and the Planet of the Spiders
49) Doctor Who and the Power of Kroll
50) Doctor Who and the Pyramids of Mars
51) Doctor Who and the Revenge of the Cybermen
52) Doctor Who and the Ribos Operation
53) Doctor Who and the Robots of Death
54) Doctor Who and the Sea-Devils
55) Doctor Who and the Seeds of Doom
56) Doctor Who and the Sontaran Experiment
57) Doctor Who and the Space War
58) Doctor Who and the State of Decay
59) Doctor Who and the Stones of Blood
60) Doctor Who and the Sunmakers
61) Doctor Who and the Talons of Weng-Chiang
62) Doctor Who and the Tenth Planet
63) Doctor Who and the Terror of the Autons
64) Doctor Who - The Three Doctors
65) Doctor Who and the Time Warrior
66) Doctor Who and the Tomb of the Cybermen
67) Doctor Who and the Underworld
68) Doctor Who and an Unearthly Child
69) Doctor Who and the Visitation
70) Doctor Who and the War Games
71) Doctor Who and Warriors' Gate
72) Doctor Who and the Web of Fear
73) Doctor Who and the Zarbi
74) Doctor Who - Time-Flight
75) Doctor Who - Meglos
76) Doctor Who - Castrovalva
77) Doctor Who - Four to Doomsday
78) Doctor Who - Earthshock
79) Doctor Who - Terminus
80) Doctor Who - Arc of Infinity
81) Doctor Who - The Five Doctors
82) Doctor Who - Mawdryn Undead
83) Doctor Who - Snakedance
84) Doctor Who - Kinda
85) Doctor Who - Enlightenment
86) Doctor Who - The Dominators
87) Doctor Who - Warriors of the Deep
88) Doctor Who - The Aztecs
89) Doctor Who - Inferno
90) Doctor Who - The Highlanders
91) Doctor Who - Frontios
92) Doctor Who - The Caves of Androzani
93) Doctor Who - Planet of Fire
94) Doctor Who - Marco Polo
95) Doctor Who - The Awakening
96) Doctor Who - The Mind of Evil
97) Doctor Who - The Myth Makers
98) Doctor Who - The Invasion
99) Doctor Who - The Krotons
100) Doctor Who - The Two Doctors
101) Doctor Who - The Gunfighters
102) Doctor Who - The Time Monster
103) Doctor Who - The Twin Dilemma
104) Doctor Who - Galaxy Four
105) Doctor Who - Timelash
106) Doctor Who - Vengeance on Varos
107) Doctor Who - The Mark of the Rani
108) Doctor Who - The King's Demons
109) Doctor Who - The Savages
110) Doctor Who - Fury from the Deep
111) Doctor Who - The Celestial Toymaker
112) Doctor Who - The Seeds of Death
113) Doctor Who - Black Orchid
114) Doctor Who - The Ark
115) Doctor Who - The Mind Robber
116) Doctor Who - The Faceless Ones
117) Doctor Who - The Space Museum
118) Doctor Who - The Sensorites
119) Doctor Who - The Reign of Terror
120) Doctor Who - The Romans
121) Doctor Who - The Ambassadors of Death
122) Doctor Who - The Massacre
123) Doctor Who - The Macra Terror
124) Doctor Who - The Rescue
125) Doctor Who - Terror of the Vervoids
126) Doctor Who - The Time Meddler
127) Doctor Who - The Mysterious Planet
128) Doctor Who - Time and the Rani
129) Doctor Who - The Underwater Menace
130) Doctor Who - The Wheel in Space
131) Doctor Who - The Ultimate Foe
132) Doctor Who - The Edge of Destruction
133) Doctor Who - The Smugglers
134) Doctor Who - Paradise Towers
135) Doctor Who - Delta and the Bannermen
136) Doctor Who - The War Machines
137) Doctor Who - Dragonfire
138) Doctor Who - Attack of the Cybermen
139) Doctor Who - Mindwarp
140) Doctor Who - The Chase
141) Doctor Who - Mission to the Unknown
142) Doctor Who - The Mutation of Time
143) Doctor Who - Silver Nemesis
144) Doctor Who - The Greatest Show in the Galaxy
145) Doctor Who - Planet of Giants
146) Doctor Who - The Happiness Patrol
147) Doctor Who - The Space Pirates
148) Doctor Who - Remembrance of the Daleks
149) Doctor Who - Ghost Light
150) Doctor Who - Survival
151) Doctor Who - The Curse of Fenric
152) Doctor Who - Battlefield
153) Doctor Who - The Pescatons
154) Doctor Who - The Power of the Daleks
155) Doctor Who - The Evil of the Daleks
156) Doctor Who - The Paradise of Death
157) Doctor Who
Copyright © Terrance Dicks 1982
No dedication.
The Doctor had escaped.
May contain spoilers
She seemed to hear the distant echo of mocking laughter.
No comments on file
Extract not on file

 

Added: 01-Jan-2001
Last Updated: 31-Oct-2024

Publications

 20-May-1982
Target
Mass Market Paperback
Order from amazon.comHas a cover imageBook Edition Cover
Date Issued:
20-May-1982
Format:
Mass Market Paperback
Cover Link(s):
Internal ID:
1064
Publisher:
ISBN:
0-426-20148-5
ISBN-13:
978-0-426-20148-9
Country:
United Kingdom
Language:
English
Credits:
Andrew Skilleter  - Cover Artist
For ages past, the Union of Traken has lived in peace and harmony thanks to the power of the Source, controlled by generations of Keepers.

But the current Keeper, his power waning, senses some all-pervading evil about to invade his world. He summons the Doctor to his aid.

To save Traken the Doctor fights the terrifying Melkur - only to find that this new enemy conceals an older and even deadlier foe - one the Doctor has encountered before...
Cover:
Book Cover
Notes and Comments:
 01-Sep-1982
Target
Mass Market Paperback
In my libraryI read this editionOrder from amazon.comHas a cover imageBook Edition Cover
Date Issued:
Cir 01-Sep-1982
Format:
Mass Market Paperback
Cover Price:
£1.35
Pages*:
124
Read:
Once
Internal ID:
2017
Publisher:
ISBN:
0-426-20148-5
ISBN-13:
978-0-426-20148-9
Printing:
3
Country:
United Kingdom
Language:
English
Credits:
Andrew Skilleter  - Cover Artist
For ages past, the Union of Traken has lived in peace and harmony thanks to the power of the Source, controlled by generations of Keepers.

But the current Keeper, his power waning, senses some all-pervading evil about to invade his world. He summons the Doctor to his aid.

To save Traken the Doctor fights the terrifying Melkur - only to find that this new enemy conceals an older and even deadlier foe - one the Doctor has encountered before...
Cover:
Book CoverBook Back Cover
Notes and Comments:
Reprinted 1982 (twice)
Other prices: Australia $3.95, Malta £M1.40c
 17-Jun-1993
Doctor Who Books
Has a cover imageBook Edition Cover
Date Issued:
17-Jun-1993
Internal ID:
1063
Publisher:
ISBN:
0-426-20148-5
ISBN-13:
978-0-426-20148-9
Country:
United Kingdom
Language:
English
Credits:
Andrew Skilleter  - Cover Artist
'THE KEEPER IS DYING...NOTHING CAN BE NORMAL AT SUCH A TIME.'

Under the watchful control of generations of guardians known as Keepers, the harmonious power of the bioelectric Source has enabled the planet of Traken to exist in peace for numerous millenia. The current Keeper's millennium is about to end; but before his powers wane completely, he senses the approach of an all-pervading force of evil about to inhabit the world of Traken. He calls on the Doctor to help save the future generations from an impending disaster, but the new Keeper is already staking his claim to the Source. As Melkur becomes the new keeper of Traken, the Doctor realises that his new enemy is an even deadlier foe - one he has met before!
Cover:
Book Cover
Notes and Comments:
Image File
20-May-1982
Target
Mass Market Paperback

Image File
01-Sep-1982
Target
Mass Market Paperback

Image File
17-Jun-1993
Doctor Who Books


On Target

Publication Information
Author: Terrance Dicks
Cover artist: Andrew Skilleter / Alister Pearson (1993)
Publishing date: 20th May 1982
Episode Information
TV serial: The Keeper of Traken
Writer: Johnny Byrne
Transmission Dates: 31st January - 21st February 1981 (4 episodes)
Fact and Findings
Dicks spends the first page of the novelisation explaining the Doctor and Adric's recent escape from E-space and remarking on the departure of Romana and K-9. Nice continuity although neither events have any real relevance to the plot of Keeper.

First edition cover price - £1.25

Classic chapter title: Escape to Danger

Later editions were numbered 37 in the Doctor Who library.

The hardback was released simultaneously by W. H. Allen, ISBN 0 491 02717 6, £4.95.

The novel was included in The Second Doctor Who Gift Set, released later in 1982. The four novels were The Leisure Hive, Full Circle, The Keeper of Traken and The Visitation. It was also included in another, later, unnumbered set.

Originally publishd in 1982 by W. H. Allen, ISBN 0 426 20148 5, reprinted the same year with a cover price increase to £1.35. The novel was released for a final time on the 17th of June 1993, published by Virgin under their Target label. It was priced £3.50 and the ISBN was retained.

Christine Donougher was Target editor for this release and Dicks' manuscript was proofread by Martin Noble on the 5th of February 1982. (Noble was an author in his own right who would later do some non-Who novelisations for Target and Star, including one based on the Glen A. Larson show Automan).
Cover Data
Skilleter's artwork is dominated by Sarah Sutton as Nyssa, the companion introduced in The Keeper of Traken.

A larger version of Skilleter's artwork can be found in the Doctor Who book Blacklight - The Art of Andrew Skilleter (Virgin Publishing, 1995).

Pearson's cover replaced that of Skilleter in June 1993. Alongside Tom Baker as the fourth Doctor, it shows Denis Carey as the original Keeper and Geoffrey Beevers as the Master. The artwork was released as a postcard, free with 'Doctor Who Magazine' (number 209), February 1994.
Reviews
"Terrance Dicks to begin with caught the mood of the story wonderfully, when the Keeper came from across the universe right into the Doctor's TARDIS asking for help. Reading this part of the book, it seems that when Terrance is given time he can turn out something really worthwhile. That is why I always judge each of his novels on their own and not against one another. Lots of fans neglect to do this as they seem to have forgotten that Mr Dicks has at times worked eight days a week to improve Doctor Who and to make it what it is today...
One aspect which was sadly missing and could have added greater depth to this testament of Traken would have been to explain why Traken needed her Keepers and how she obtained her first."
- 'Definitie Gaze' (number 2), late 1982
UK Editions
YEARDATEPUBLISHERCOVER ARTISTLOGOSPINE COLOURSPINE NUMBERTARGET LOGOISBNPRICENOTESOWNED
198220th MayW. H. AllenSkilleterblue neonred-colour0 426 20148 5£1.25first editionY
1982-W. H. AllenSkilleterblue neonred-colour0 426 20148 5£1.25"reprinted"Y
1982-W. H. AllenSkilleterblue neonred-colour0 426 20148 5£1.35-Y
1983-W. H. AllenSkilleterblue neonred37colour0 426 20148 5£1.35-Y
1984-W. H. AllenSkilleterblue neonred37outlineNo ISBN on back cover£1.35-Y
1987-W. H. AllenSkilleterblue neonred37outline0 426 20148 5£1.95re-jacketed using 1984 contentsY
199317th JuneVirginPearsonMcCoy bannerdark blue37outline0 426 20148 5£3.50retitled Doctor Who - The Keeper of TrakenY
Miscellaneous
Author


Terrence Dicks

Gift Set


Formed part of The First Dr Who Gift Set released in 1982. These sets comprised four recently released (or re-released) novelisations in a cardboard slip case. Three of the four books that made up this boxed set were An Unearthly Child, The Enemy of the World and State of Decay. There were variations on the fourth book between The Power of Kroll, The Keeper of Traken and Warriors' Gate. The box cover utilised the Bill Donohoe artwork from The Programme Guide. The gift set had ISBN 0 426 19270 2. In all there were nine gift sets released in the 1980s.

Gift Set


The novel was included in an unnumbered Doctor Who Gift Set, released in 1986. This was the final set in a run of gift sets comprising four recently released (or re-released) novelisations in a cardboard slip case. The novels in the boxed set were The Keys of Marinus, Meglos, The Keeper of Traken and The Mind of Evil or Terror of the Autons (depending on stock). The box featured a photo of Colin Baker(!) on both sides (identical to the fifth set), and had ISBN 0 426 32410 8. In all there were nine gift sets released between 1982 and 1986 (the first eight were numbered).
  • On Target was a website dedicated to the Target Novelizations of Doctor Who and had a lot of information on each book.
  • I cannot find it anywhere on the web now so I have used the Wayback Machine to get information for these books.
  • I originally had permission to use covers from On Target, for books that I do not own, on this site.
  • Anything that idicates that a book is owned within the "On Target" section is referring to the owner of that site and not to my library.
  • This is currently unfinished, but a work in progress...

Related

Author(s)

 Terrance Dicks
Birth: 10 May 1935 East Ham, London, England, UK
Death: 29 Aug 2019

Notes:
From the back of the book Warmonger.

Terrance Dicks joined Doctor Who as junior assistant trainee script editor in 1968, when they were making The Web of Fear and desperately trying to  make a roaring Yeti sound less like a flushing lavatory.  He worked on the show during the end of the Patrick Troughton years, and co-wrote The War Games, Troughton's last show, with Malcolm Hulke.  He stayed on as a script editor for the whole of the Jon Pertwee period, and left to write Robot, the first Tom Baker story.  (This was in accordance with an ancient Who tradition, which he'd just invented, that the departing script editor writes the first show of the next season.)

In the years that followed he wrote a handful of Doctor Who scripts, finishing in 1983 with The Five Doctors, the programmes twentieth anniversary special.

In the early 1970s he was in at the very beginning of the Doctor Who novelisation programme and ended up, more by luck than judgment, writing most of them - seventy something in all.  He has since written a number of Doctor Who 'originals', including Exodus, part of the opening Timewyrm sequence published by Virgin, and The Eight Doctors, the first original novel published by BBC Worldwide.

He has written two Doctor Who stage plays, one a flop d'éstime (great reviews, poor audiences), the other a bit of a pantomime but a modest touring success.  He has also written about a hundred non-Who books, fiction and non-fiction for young adults, but nobody ever asks about them.

In over thirty years with the Doctor he has grown older, fatter, greyer and grumpier.  But not noticeably wiser.

Awards

No awards found
*
  • I try to maintain page numbers for audiobooks even though obviously there aren't any. I do this to keep track of pages read and I try to use the Kindle version page numbers for this.
  • Synopses marked with an asterisk (*) were generated by an AI. There aren't a lot since this is an iffy way to do it - AI seems to make stuff up.
  • When specific publication dates are unknown (ie prefixed with a "Cir"), I try to get the publication date that is closest to the specific printing that I can.
  • When listing chapters, I only list chapters relevant to the story. I will usually leave off Author Notes, Indices, Acknowledgements, etc unless they are relevant to the story or the book is non-fiction.
  • Page numbers on this site are for the end of the main story. I normally do not include appendices, extra material, and other miscellaneous stuff at the end of the book in the page count.






See my goodreads icon goodreads page. I almost never do reviews, but I use this site to catalogue books.
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