As many of you know, @JohnnyRockets is experiencing the Whoniverse through novels only. I’m putting together a chronological timeline for him to follow and will post it here as I do. So here you are Johnny, a hub for all your Doctor Who reading. Feel free to post in range-specific threads too if you want. But this is your new timeline hub. How much do you care about spoilers (mostly if you want me to add companion arrivals and departures or which TARDIS teams feature in a particular novel)?
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Here’s the first batch, Johnny!
Frayed by Tara Samms[1] (Telos Novella - 2003)
Time and Relative by Kim Newman (Telos Novella - 2001)
Doctor Who and the Invasion from Space by J. L. Morrissey (This is a unique little novel. It’s only 46 pages and was published by World Distributors (Manchester), Ltd in 1966. It’s considered the first original Doctor Who novel that wasn’t an adaptation of an existing story.)
Doctor Who and an Unearthly Child by Terrance Dicks (Target Novelization - 1981)
Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks[2] by David Whitaker (Target Novelization - 1964)
The Edge of Destruction by Nigel Robinson (Target Novelization - 1988)
Marco Polo by John Lucarotti[3] (Target Novelization - 1985)
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Christopher Bulis (Virgin Missing Adventure {VMA} - 1995) (Set immediately after the end of Marco Polo.)
Doctor Who and the Keys of Marinus by Philip Hinchcliffe (Target Novelization - 1980)
The Aztecs by John Lucarotti[4] (Target Novelization - 1984)
The Sensorites by Nigel Robinson (Target Novelization - 1987)
The Reign of Terror by Ian Marter (Target Novelization - 1987)
City at World’s End by Christopher Bulis (BBC Past Doctor Adventure {PDA} - 1999)
The Witch Hunters by Steve Lyons (PDA - 1998)
Planet of Giants by Terrance Dicks (Target Novelization - 1990)
The Time Travellers by Simon Guerrier (PDA - 2005)
Doctor Who and the Dalek Invasion of Earth by Terrance Dicks (Target Novelization - 1990)
There you go. That gets you to where you are at the moment with the Targets. I’ll try to post more tomorrow. Be aware that there are a lot of short stories that fit in and around these, but the short story colloections are sometimes harder to find than the novels. Good luck in your quest.
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Thank you so much for this amazing help! I’m very excited to work through this chronological timeline!
I would avoid spoilers, if at all possible, but it cannot always be avoided.
Chronologically, I have some gaps to fill in from my “current reading so far” to get on-track with this list, but I’ll do that as I go through the list!
Again, thank you greatly! 
Today I’ll start on “Frayed”. 
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First off, I’d like to invite ANYONE that wants to read through DW chronologically to join this thread, post, etc, if you’d like!
The more the merrier! 
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I have listened to the Target audiobooks until mid-season 3. I like that it provides a mix of writing styles and offers new perspectives on the episodes.
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Last night I finished “Planet of the Giants” and it was amazing! Short but amazing!
I have always been fascinated about shrinking down to the size of an insect and all that struggles that are associated with it.
I thought the author avoided the constant “fighting” with insects by making them all dead already was ingenius! And the insecticide itself was scary enough!
This one was as I said, a short read, but very fun and had a good ecological message as well!
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That’s good to hear, and I’m looking forward the these “new perspectives” as well from different authors and different “times” of publishing.
Like life was different in the 60’s, 80’s, 00’s, etc. And I think it reflects in the characters behavior, etc. Really cool!
You’re way ahead of me, but I’m coming for ya! 
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I find this to be really interesting, and the ones that were written later incorporate more lore than the early ones, mostly because the lore was not yet established when they were written.
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Yeah, everything just builds and builds… pretty cool!
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How interesting - so, @JohnnyRockets, have you ever engaged with Doctor Who before? Or are you literally only doing it through prose? What a splendid idea.
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Ho-ho! I’m good at this.
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I have only had an extremely limited exposure to DW prior to the Tardis Guide and becoming part of this group!
So now, I’m starting my official “journey” with a “books-only” focus.
It’s very exciting to me!
I LOVE the lofty goal of “reading all the books in order”, but I understand what an epic journey that is! 
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This was originally a four-part serial that was condensed to a three-part serial. I think I saw on the wiki that the novelization restores some of the cut scenes.
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It was such a great concept, it really could have been a longer book and still have been exciting, etc.
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Here’s the next batch that finishes out Season 2 of the original show.
Venusian Lullaby by Paul Leonard (VMA - 1994)
The Rescue by Ian Marter (Target Novelization - 1988)
Byzantium! by Keith Topping (PDA - 2001)
The Romans by Donald Cotton (Target Novelization - 1987) (Rather than write a straightforward narrative, Cotton chose to write this novelisation in the form of letters and journal entries.)
The Eleventh Tiger by David A. McIntee (PDA - 2004)
Doctor Who and the Zarbi[1] by Bill Strutton[2] (Target Novelization - 1965)
Doctor Who and the Crusaders by David Whitaker[3] (Target Novelization - 1966)
The Space Museum by Glyn Jones[4] (Target Novelization - 1987)
The Plotters by Gareth Roberts (VMA - 1996)
The Chase by John Peel (Target Novelization - 1989)
The Time Meddler by Nigel Robinson (Target Novelization - 1988)
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Season 1[1] aired from November 23, 1963-September 12, 1964. Season 2[2] aired from October 31, 1964-July 24, 1965. Most of the Hartnell era Target Novels were published in the late 1980s towards the end of the Classic series run. The bulk of the expanded universe novels (VMAs and PDAs) were published between 1994 and 2005 in what is termed “The Wilderness Years”. Hope that helps put various inconsistancies and variations between authors into a bit of perspective.
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Btw this is one of the best things that has ever come out of Doctor Who, so anybody who has yet to read this, ought to.
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Thank you!!!
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You’re welcome. Next chance I get, I’ll finish off Hartnell.
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