Who Reviews Target Zone: The Time Monster by DJ Forrest

Written by Terrance Dicks

Published in 1986 for

Target Books

‘Together we will become Masters of the Universe’

There’s something very quintessentially English about the Third Doctor era. It’s all very ‘pip pip’ and ‘jolly good show, eh, what?’. It’s very much a man’s world and women mustn’t even think of becoming a heroine, or lift a tyre iron, or the good old Brigadier will come over and patronise them – it’s amazing that he ever managed to marry and have children, what with that stiff upper lip and all.

However, the fictional world can often depict women in a much lesser light, and the Master who only really has eyes for himself, holds women in much the same regard as whatever he’s trodden in that day. Much like his likeness for Krasis, the High Priest of Atlantis, who suddenly finds himself zapped into the 20^th century grasping a crystal and feeling the might of Kronos – a creature that feeds on time itself as the crystal the High Priest is worshipping grows brighter.

Dr Ruth Ingram has been an instrumental factor in the scientific make up of the TOMTIT machine – I mean honestly, could they not have thought up a less ‘snicker behind the hands’ acronym? And when she begins to power up the machine before the big talk with the big wigs of the university it’s currently residing in, the Master can’t get there quick enough to pull the plug.

‘The meddling fools.’

By now we’ve come to realise that The ‘You Will Obey Me’ Master is a little too far up his own backside to notice the flaws in his machine. I guess when you’re that insane, you’re bound to miss a few key ingredients. Such as having the power to summon but not control the Chronivore.

Despite all it’s faults of the 20^th century, the actual story is a jolly good read, and in a way, it was fun journeying back to the 70s, the super speed ride in old Bessie, the Doctor recreating his TARDIS, the Master riding in his TARDIS cleverly disguised as a computer cupboard – of all the things to come up with. Might as well have been a Grandfather’s clock…oh wait…!

The Time Monster was a truly wonderful journey and I seem to remember scenes from the television episode that brought it all back to life for me.