Doctor Who and the Zarbi @ The TARDIS Library (Doctor Who books, DVDs, videos & audios)


Doctor Who and the Zarbi
 

No. 73 of 156 in the Target novelisations series
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By:Bill Strutton
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Editions:  UK (1st hardback) | UK (1st paperback) | Netherlands (paperback) | UK (2nd paperback) | UK (2nd hardback) | UK (3rd paperback) | Portugal (paperback) | UK (4th paperback) | UK (5th paperback) | UK (3rd hardback)
Description:  Novelisation of the 1965 Doctor Who TV story The Web Planet. Also available as an audio reading, as part of the Travels in Time and Space box set.

Cover image for Doctor Who and the Zarbi
Edition: UK (1st hardback)
Released:  September 1965
Publisher:  Frederick Muller
ISBN:0-584-62012-8
Format: hardback
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Note:  The ISBN above only appeared in subsequent reprints — since the original publication was prior to the introduction of ISBNs in 1967.

Cover blurb:
The Zarbi, huge ant-like creatures with metallic bodies and pincer claws, are waiting for Tardis [sic] when its police-box shape materializes on the cold and craggy planet Vortis. They capture Doctor Who, Ian and Vicki and take them to their weird Headquarters, a city of web-like organic matter.

But the Zarbi are not the only beings on Vortis. Barbara has fallen into the hands of the butterfly-like creatures with soft voices and iridescent wings, whose civilisation has been destroyed by the Zarbi. She learns that her captors are only the advance party of Menoptera in exile who plan to win back their planet by an invasion from outer space. For the Zarbi ‘have brought the dark age to Vortis’.

In the final thrilling chapters, Doctor Who and the crew of Tardis encounter the power which controls both the Zarbi and the living Web City. How can they defeat this strange bladder of blazing light which draws in and absorbs all who come into its presence?

Cover image for Doctor Who and the Zarbi
Edition: UK (1st paperback)
Released:  May 1973
Publisher:  Target
ISBN:0-426-10129-4
Format: paperback
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Cover blurb:
DOCTOR WHO lands his space-time machine Tardis on the cold, craggy planet of Vortis. The Doctor and his companions, Ian and Vicki, are soon captured by the ZARBI, huge ant-like creatures with metallic bodies and pincer claws; meanwhile Barbara falls into the hands of the friendly MENOPTERA who have come to rid Vortis of the malevolent power of the ZARBI...

Cover image for Doctor Who en de Zarbi's
Edition: Netherlands (paperback)
Title:  Doctor Who en de Zarbi's
Released:  December 1974
Publisher:  Unieboek B.V. Bussum
ISBN:90-269-8103-1
Format: paperback
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Note:  One of 8 Dutch paperback novelisations, all published in 1974 — the others were: The Auton Invasion, The Cave-Monsters, The Crusaders, The Daemons, The Daleks, The Day of the Daleks and The Doomsday Weapon. (The only other Dutch novelisation ever published was a hardcover version of The Daleks in 1966.)

Cover blurb:
DOCTOR WHO landt met zijn ruimte-tijdmachine de Tardis op de ijskoude, rotsachtige planet Vortis. De Doctor en zijn metgezellen Ian en Vicki, worden gevangen door de ZARBI’s, grote, mierachtige wezens met stalen pantsers en klauwen als tangen.

Barbara valt ondertussen in handen van de zachtaardige MENOPTERA’s die teruggekomen zijn om Vortis te bevrijden van de kwaadaardige ZARBI’s...

Cover image for Doctor Who and the Zarbi
Edition: UK (2nd paperback)
Released:  January 1975
Publisher:  Target
ISBN:0-426-11324-1
Format: paperback
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Note:  One printing of this edition also displays the ISBN 0-426-10663-6.

Cover blurb:
Same as first UK paperback edition, with the following extra paragraph at the end:

‘They’re well-written books — adventure stories, of course, but with some thought... the creation of the character of the Doctor had a touch of genius about it.’
Westminster Press

Cover image for Doctor Who and the Zarbi
Edition: UK (2nd hardback)
Released:  September 1975
Publisher:  White Lion
ISBN:0-85686-167-7
Format: hardback
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Note:  Yes, that really is Tom Baker on the cover! White Lion reprinted the 3 original Doctor Who novels in 1975 (the others were The Daleks and The Crusaders) but chose to use a cover illustration of the then-current Doctor to boost their appeal — although the original internal illustrations (featuring the First Doctor) still remain.

Cover blurb:
‘Your instruments, Doctor! They’ve all gone mad! Why? What can be doing all that to them?’
Doctor Who was shaking his head grimly.
He muttered slowly. ‘I don’t know. I...suppose we could have materialised for a split second of time, and been caught in the...influence...’
‘Influence? What influence?’
Doctor Who raised his head and looked at both Ian and Barbara.
‘We seem to have been imprisoned by some kind of...force. I can’t break the hold at all.’ He paused. ‘Something, somewhere, is slowly pulling us — plucking us down...’

Doctor Who lands his space-time machine Tardis on the cold, craggy planet of Vortis. The Doctor and his companions, Ian and Vicki are soon captured by the Zarbi, huge ant-like creatures with metallic bodies and pincer claws; meanwhile Barbara falls into the hands of the friendly MENOPTERA who have come to rid Vortis of the malevolent power of the ZARBI...

Cover image for Doctor Who and the Zarbi
Edition: UK (3rd paperback)
Released:  January 1976
Publisher:  Target
ISBN:0-426-11324-1
Format: paperback
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Note:  Same ISBN as second UK paperback edition.

Cover blurb:
Same as first UK paperback edition.

Cover image for Doutor Who e os Zarbi
Edition: Portugal (paperback)
Title:  Doutor Who e os Zarbi
Released:  January 1983
Publisher:  Editorial Presença
ISBN:None
Format: paperback
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Note:  One of 10 Portuguese novelisations, all published in 1983 — the others were: The Auton Invasion, The Cave-Monsters, The Daemons, The Doomsday Weapon, The Sea-Devils, The Day of the Daleks, The Daleks, The Crusaders and The Abominable Snowmen.

Cover blurb:
As extraordinárias aventuras de Doutor Who, Senhor do Tempo, viajando no seu veículo espácio-temporal, o TARDIS, através de toda a galáxia, da imensa variedade dos seus mundos. Histórias plenas de imaginação, suspense e acção. Um grande êxito mundial.

Dr. Who viaja no seu veículo espacial Tardis para o planeta Skaro, onde se desenrola uma luta para salvar os pacíficos Thals do domínio dos Daleks. Conseguirá o Doutor Who os seus intentos? Ou, o que e mais importante, conseguirá ele regressar ao seu planeta nativo, a Terra?

Cover image for The Web Planet
Edition: UK (4th paperback)
Title:  The Web Planet
Released:  January 1991
Publisher:  Target
ISBN:0-426-20356-9
Format: paperback
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Note:  Retitled Doctor Who: The Web Planet.

Cover blurb:
The Doctor stared about him and passed a trembling hand over his brow. ‘The ship!’ he muttered. ‘It’s gone!’

Drawn to the planet Vortis by some unknown force, the Doctor and his companions find themselves in a barren, cold world dominated by the Zarbi, monstrous metallic ant-like creatures at war with the delicate Menoptra. Searching for the lost TARDIS, the Doctor must struggle with the Animus — seemingly a creature of evil and light...

Cover image for Doctor Who and the Zarbi
Edition: UK (5th paperback)
Released:  April 2016
Publisher:  BBC Books
ISBN:978-1-78594-035-4
Format: paperback
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Cover blurb:
Doctor Who stared around him and passed a trembling hand over his brow. ‘The ship!’ he muttered. ‘It’s...gone!’


Affected by a strange force, the TARDIS is dragged down to the desolate planet of Vortis. Until they can discover what is holding them there, the Doctor and his friends are trapped on the planet...

The Doctor, Ian and Vicki are soon captured by the Zarbi — huge ant-like creatures controlled by the parasitic alien Animus. Meanwhile, Barbara runs into a group of Menoptera, butterfly-like creatures that have been driven from their home planet by the Animus, and plan to return with an invasion force. But the Zarbi know their plans and are waiting for the Menoptera...


THIS NOVEL IS BASED ON A DOCTOR WHO STORY WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY BROADCAST FROM 13 FEBRUARY—20 MARCH 1965.

Featuring the First Doctor as played by William Hartnell with his companions Barbara, Ian and Vicki

Cover image for Doctor Who and the Zarbi
Edition: UK (3rd hardback)
Released:  November 2016
Publisher:  BBC Books
ISBN:978-1-78594-054-5
Format: hardback
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Note:  One of a trio of “retro” hardback reprints of the first three Doctor Who novelisations, replicating the original design of the first 1960s editions. The other two were Doctor Who and the Daleks and Doctor Who and the Crusaders.

Cover blurb:
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