Doctor Who: The Dalek Handbook

by Steve Tribe

The ultimate guide to the Doctor's deadliest enemies

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Fiction, Reference

160 pages, Hardcover

First published June 28, 2011

Reviews

[Rodolphus · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a recap of pivotal moments from the almost sixty years since they were introduced, this book is very informative. What gets it more than a middling rating is the information concerning behind the scenes facts and games created as tie-in material or original stories. For any fan of the series past or present who wants to learn about the greatest enemies of The Doctor, would definitely recommend.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED IT!!

I am a total Doctor Who nerd, and a Dalek fan to boot. At first I thought it was weird that I had such a liking for an enemy creature, but as it turns out, I'm not alone. The Dalek Handbook is everything and anything about Daleks, going all the way back to the classic Who (which, sadly, I have never gotten into). This book traces their wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey history from their home planet, into the Time War with the Time Lords, and their rebirth after falling through the void. Any questions you've ever had about Daleks will be answered in this book.

I also learned all kinds of interesting Dalek trivia -- for example, there are Dalek children's books (sadly only in the UK), and Doctor Who/Dalek stage shows. Different colored Daleks have different ranks. All very cool.

Also, the entire book is in color! Lots of fun Dalek pictures and graphics to check out.

I definitely recommend this book to Who fans!!

[Matthew Kresal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covering up to the end of the 2010 season, The Dalek Handbook is an interesting guide book to the most famous monsters seen in Doctor Who. Covering all of their major TV appearances, the book explores the many different facets of the Daleks from their tangled history (which the book actually does a good job of making sense of!) to the evolution of them both on screen and behind the scenes. While the book does sadly skip over some stories briefly (Power Of The Daleks is literally summed up in one paragraph), it’s a fun read nevertheless. In short, it’s exactly what the title says it is: “The Dalek Handbook.”

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1867622...

As guides to Who go, this is one of the better ones I have come across, with a main core narrative recounting the televised Dalek stories of Doctor Who (shamefully little space goven to The Power of the Daleks, but otherwise decent enough) and lots of brilliant little sidebars about how and why the Daleks have been brought to the screen, and also going through the non-televised Dalek material in great detail - particularly the comic strips and computer games, of which I must say I knew very little.

[rené lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great resource for understanding the history of the greatest enemy of The Doctor! As I haven't gotten around to watching Classic Who yet, this helped me understand the back story that makes the Dalek/Doctor interactions that much richer.

The only part that bothered me was that it was somewhat difficult to follow at times because of the set-up of the book. It felt flighty and took a bit of time to get into the rhythm of the book.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 5 out of 5]

As wonderful as Mr. Tribe's previous TARDIS handbook. There's enough in here to keep young children glued to each and every page...and enough fictional & historical analysis to keep everyone else fascinated. Extra bonus points for addressing the popular theme of "two" Dalek histories, and some more tantalizing glimpses of the Time War.

[Michael Towers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Similar style to the TARDIS handbook, this book is pages and pages of everything dalek!

While I personally found the TARDIS handbook boring and kind of pointless, I can't say enough good about this one. Possibly the best Doctor Who companion book there is (other than 'The Legend')

Well worth whatever they're charging.

[Readersaurus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yum yum yum yum yum! A whole book about daleks!

To paraphrase the astute Anne Elk, The Dalek Handbook is thrilling at the beginning, tedious in the middle and, (hopefully), thrilling towards the end. This is my theory.

My curiosity about daleks has been sated.

[Daria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A guide to Daleks, just what it says. Pretty comprehensive for a small-looking book, and easy on the eye, too.

[Kurt Criscione · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it in one afternoon... such fun, the entire history of the Daleks.

[ani · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good reference

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read about the history of the Daleks. Both the fictional history from the show and the real history of the creation and design of the Daleks, as well as their impact on pop culture.

[Heinz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good reference for all those Whovians out there (and you know who you are).

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great handbook on the The Doctor's greatest enemies - the Daleks! Filled with pictures, interesting facts, and a comprehensive history of the Dalek race. A great guide for fans of Dr. Who.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice interweaving of fictional and factual history-- a must-read for the Dalek fan!

[Addie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yay! Can't believe I waited two years to read the last 20 pages of this book! It was so good, though! at least if you're as big a Doctor Who fan as I am...

[Norman Styers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dalek enthusiasts will love it. Sometimes repeats things - perhaps because it's a "handbook" and not really designed for reading straight through.

[Darth Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is pretty epic and is stuffed with cool dalek facts!!!!