Well, this is unexpected: BBC Books is releasing two Doctor Who novels based on Terrance Dicks’ treatments for The Five Doctors and State of Decay.
The Six Doctors and The Vampire Mutation are written by Simon Guerrier and Steve Cole respectively, and will be published in January and March 2027.
Two Fourth Doctor novels coming in 2027? Wonderful news. Here’s what they’re about…
The Six Doctors
The Six Doctors is a ‘lost classic’ by Terrance Dicks, revealing the original conception of The Five Doctors. Based on newly discovered scripts and treatments by Terrance Dicks – perhaps the most beloved Doctor Who author of all – Simon Guerrier’s novelisation of The Six Doctors reveals the original conception of The Five Doctors, a radically different take on one of the most celebrated Who adventures ever told.
‘Play the game, Doctor. Destroy your other selves!’
Fireballs tear through time and space. Each one hunts down a different incarnation of the Doctor… ready to erase them in an instant. But one Doctor is offered a terrible alternative. He can not only survive but live forever – if he agrees to help destroy his other selves. One Doctor. One timeline. One victor.
The Fourth Doctor would usually refuse without hesitation. But after escaping E-Space he feels his life running out and knows he is nearing the end of his time. With nothing to lose, he accepts his role in the deadliest game of all…
The Vampire Mutation
Terrance Dicks’ The Vampire Mutation was intended to open Doctor Who’s 15th season in 1977. Cancelled at the last moment, its secrets were believed lost forever. Now, working from never-before seen scripts and synopses, Steve Cole’s novelisation brings this ‘lost’ adventure from a much-loved writer into the light.
‘The conjunctions of the stars at last permit the awakening of the Dead One…’
Summoned by the White Guardian to a domain outside time and space, the Doctor learns that the lynchpin of the cosmos – the Time Key – has been stolen. He must recover its six components before a great darkness smothers the universe.
The first fragment draws the TARDIS to a remote, mist-choked planet. Captured by terrified locals, Leela hears tell of night-creatures that drink the blood of their victims… while the Doctor falls prey to the sinister Council of Seven.
Who are the Witch Lords? What is the terrible significance of the Thousand Year Sabbath? With the world on the brink of catastrophe, will the vampire mutation thwart the Doctor’s quest for the Time Key before it’s even begun?
The Six Doctors and The Vampire Mutation will be released in early 2027, and are available to pre-order now.
