BOOK DETAILS
| Pages | 144 |
| ISBN | 0-426-19967-7 |
| Publication Date | 11 April 1985 |
SYNOPSIS
The young Venetian Marco Polo is on his way to the Emperor’ court in Peking when he meets the intrepid time-travellers, for the TARDIS has landed on
Marco Polo recognises in the TARDIS a means of winning favour with the Emperor. But in the end
NOTES
CHAPTER TITLES
- The Ro of of the World
- The Emissary of Peace
- Down to Earth
- The Singing Sands
- The Desert of Death
- A Tale of Hashashins
- Five Hundred Eyes
- The Wall of Lies
- Too Many Kan-Chow
- Bamboozled
- Rider from Shang-Tu
- Runaway
- The Road to Karakorum
- Mighty Kublai Khan
- Gamblers
- Best-laid Schemes
- Key to the World
DEVIATIONS FROM THE TELEVISED STORY
- In the novelisation, Tegana seals the throne room, preventing anyone from entering to rescue Kublai Khan. Rather than being bested in a sword fight with Marco Polo and committing suicide in a final act of defiance, Tegana is slain with an arrow from Ling-Tau through a secret Judas-eye in the Khan’s gaming room.
- The Doctor and his companions’ departure is far less hurried in the novelisation. The Khan freely gifts Marco’s key as thanks for the saving of his life. On television, Marco hurriedly returns his key and urges the travellers inside the TARDIS. The Khan acquiesces in both instances, believing in the latter account that The Doctor would have eventually won it back in Backgammon.
- Rather than concluding on Polo’s speculations, the author notes that the Khan’s TARDIS key has survived the passage of time and now resides in a Peking museum as the “Key to the World”.
- The bandit Kuiju is not killed in the novel.