Doctor Who: Evil of the Daleks

by Frazer Hines, Mike Tucker, Steve Cole

After defending a space station from a Cyberman incursion, the Doctor and Jamie learn that young astrophysicist Zoe wishes to join them on their travels. To give her fair warning of the dangers she may face, the Doctor places the TARDIS outside time and space and uses a mind projector to share one of their most harrowing adventures...

And so, Jamie is forced to relive his encounter with the Daleks at their most evil and calculating. In a complex plot that dragged him from modern-day London to Victorian times and finally to the Dalek world of Skaro, he endured ordeals that tested his courage, strength - and his friendship with the Doctor - to the limit. He presents his own version of some of those events to Zoe; events that still anger him.

And while fact and fiction blur inside the TARDIS, a malevolent force watches from without. Soon, Jamie finds himself lured from the safety of the ship into dangers that could end Zoe's travels before they begin - and all their lives, as well.

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Fiction

218 pages, Paperback

First published October 26, 2023

Reviews

[Thibault Busschots · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second doctor and his companion Jamie can’t believe what they’re seeing as the Tardis is driven away from the airport, pretty much stranding them on earth until they can find it again.

Their investigation leads them to a Victorian antiques shop where they walk right into a trap that transports them to 1866. Awaiting them there are the notorious Daleks, the mechanical pepper pots who seek total extermination of all other life forms. And they need the doctor’s help to evolve into even deadlier killing machines.


It’s interesting to note that this is more of a retelling of the Evil of the Daleks story, rather than a true novelization. Because the second doctor actually shows his new companion Zoe what happened in that previous adventure of his and Jamie, so she knows what she’s getting herself into if she joins them. In terms of the plot, nothing is really changed from the original story. The real added value actually comes in the interludes between the actual chapters. They’re very small character-driven moments that are added to the story, but they do add up after a while and manage to benefit the book as a whole.


This story was written by Frazer Hines, the actor who plays Jamie in the original story, with the help of two experienced Doctor Who writers. The original story aired in 1967 and came out at a time when the creator of the Daleks wanted to have them written out of Doctor Who. This was intended as their great big send off story. So the story itself is definitely worth your time, even if one thing in particular hasn’t really aged well. Unfortunately, only one of the seven original episodes managed to stand the test of time as the BBC decided to wipe them from their archives. This does bring some added value to the book, aside from being written by Frazer Hines. But the animated reconstruction is also very much worth seeing if you want to experience this mostly lost story.


Overall, an epic and enjoyable classic Doctor Who story done justice. Though if you’ve already experienced this story, not much new is actually added to it.

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

This new version of the 1967 serial is novelising the in-universe repeat of the story after Zoe joined the TARDIS at the end of Season 5's The Wheel in Space (shown the following year) as The Doctor shows her a telepathic display on the scanner screen of a previous adventure.
It means both this and the 90's Peel version can sit on the shelves together.

I must admit that I was expecting a different retelling of the story from Jamie's perspective as the actor who played the character has penned (with the help of Steve Cole and Mike Tucker).

This is a slim down version of the adventure which makes for a quick read.
The epilogue even acknowledges that certain elements have been skipped over.
This abridged version is obviously pleasing to fit with other Target novels, but now seems obvious why it was included as a gift with Doctor Who Magazine more for completisim sake.

[Stephen Robert Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This may have Frazer Hines on the cover but it's also by Mike Tucker and Steve Cole too. This isn't much different from the series not much extra bits. When I first heard of this I hoped that Frazer had done an into about his time in the story.
I have met him few times in the past, I got photo with him and interviewed him in front of 500 people. In 1992.
This set with Zoe been told a story about the Daleks the whole book is a flash back.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating 3.5 (upgraded to 4 purely on nostalgia grounds)

Slightly surprised that the Nation Estate let this book be published in the first place as they are fairly notorious for the control they exert over all things Dalek.

As an adaptation it was okay, basic in its approach (nothing wrong with that) and nothing new added to the story.
Cannot see any other classic who stories being rewritten unless the bbc which to erase the target novelisations and replace them with a new version.
Personally would have preferred some way to have the original target book republished as it goes for a pretty penny these days on eBay.

Overall the book is good, nothing groundbreaking but for someone who wants to read the story without major expense then this is a good option.
Solid recommendation

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

To test the resolve of Zoe Heriot to become a travelling companion, the Doctor shows her the story of an earlier adventure. A dangerous encounter with the Daleks.

Hines has written a good novelisation of 'The Evil of the Daleks', tinged with hints of the happy times he had filming the series.

[Erin Curran · Rating 4 out of 5]

*This review is of the Target Paperback version of this book

I definitely enjoyed this novelisation a lot better than The Wheel in Space. In my opinion, Mr Hines' writing style offers more detail and personality to the story. It makes sense since he played such an active role as Jamie on the show. He was quite literally in the thick of it and could probably recall details that other potential authors couldn't dream of. And The Evil of the Daleks is a very Jamie centric story. This comes in handy considering the lost aspect of the majority of the story as well (even though it's been animated, it's not the same as watching the real thing imo). I would love it if Mr Hines novelised more of the lost stories, particularly ones that he took part in. That kind of insight is invaluable.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Been many years since I've troubled myself with a novelisation of a classic Doctor Who story (as a child of the 70s the Target novels were one of the things which made me fall in love with reading), but hey, a free gift isn't to be sneezed at.

A story which closed the fourth (and Patrick Troughton's first) season of the show, and one which was supposed to be the final end of his mortal enemies, Evil of the Daleks is a fun story which displays the pepperpots from Skaro in all their mischievous glory. Sadly only one of the original seven episodes remain in the BBC archives but several attempts have been made to bring it back to life. The audio still exists so we've had that released with linking narration (twice!), fan reconstructions with surviving photos, an animated version, a novelisation by John Peel and now this, written (at least in part) by Frazer Hines, who played The Doctor's companion from 1966-69.

Distilling two and a half hours of television into 218 pages, it's a fast-paced affair, capturing all the main beats of the story and written well enough. As with the tv version, it does drag a bit in the middle, but overall, it's rollicking good fun. The daleks have hatched a plan to discover the human factor, what it is that separates mankind from daleks, so they can discover why they keep losing to them. Individuality, curiosity, empathy, the desire to question...all things anathema to those mutants cased within a war machine. The Doctor works against them, there's double crossing, subterfuge, adventure, betrayal and hi-jinks. Everything you'd want from classic Who. The book does a fine, if perfunctory job at retelling the story, and is a nice addition to the range. Let's hope that one day the episodes themselves might be found, but in the meantime this helps keeps them alive.

[Jason Arbuckle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 343 - Frazer Hines - The Evil of the Daleks

This was different… another nerdy explanation coming. When the Second Doctor gained a new companion called Zoe… he wanted to show her some of the evils he faced in the universe… so she knew what she was getting herself in to. At the end of her first story ‘The Wheel in Space’, the Doctor shows her a visualisation of his memories of an earlier adventure ‘The Evil of the Daleks’. Allowing the BBC to show a repeat of a well regarded story that had introduced another companion, Victoria Waterfield.

Where this book differs is that it is retold from the Doctor’s other companion, Jamie McCrimmon and written by the actor that played Jamie… Frazer Hines with a little help from the veteran Doctor Who writers Mike Tucker and Steve Cole based on the original works of David Whitaker.

After all that…it is brilliant and terrifying. The story begins with the TARDIS being stolen and as the Doctor and Jamie track it down…they are whisked away to the 19th century… 100 years earlier and to be pawns of the Daleks. The Daleks at their most ruthless sees them experiment on humans to try and add the ‘human factor’ to themselves so that they can finally defeat the human race… and the only person who can help them do this is the Doctor himself.

The Daleks in the 1960s were horrific, inhuman Nazi type creatures…hellbent on destroying mankind. This story tees up a wonderful game of cat and mouse and has the Doctor truly betrayed Jamie ? Of course not… but how he wins out… is both inventive and heartbreaking… the Daleks will never be the same again and neither will his erstwhile companion Victoria.

Astonishing writing brought to life by the wonderful Mr Hines… well played Jamie…well played indeed.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid retelling of the Second Doctor tale that could have seen the end of the Daleks in Doctor Who, with additional TARDIS scenes that build upon the relationship between the Doctor and Jamie as seen through the story medium of Zoe Herriot's arrival as a companion.

Frazer Hines is credited as the author, but both Mike Tucker and Stephen Cole have had a hand in the text - as evidenced by the continuity references and snippets from other stories that are scattered throughout the book.

It's a straightforward read that for the most part follows the television screenplay more rigourously than the earlier version by John Peel. Characters are painted in broad brushstrokes that make them both immediately familiar but also somewhat two dimensional. Theodore Maxtible is an almost pantomimesque villian, Edward Waterfield his agonised foil. Others drift into scenes to deliver expositional dialogue and then disappear almost as quickly. Arthur Terrall, for example, is enslaved by the Daleks and then vanishes from the story with Maxtible's daughter almost as an aside; this was probably acceptable given the episodic structure of the original story but becomes glaringly obvious on the written page. Loose ends need to be tied.

Overall its a reasonable, if unchallenging, read and a welcome addition to the growing list of modern Doctor Who novelisations.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this one, in part because I'm not a fan of the original novelisation, in part because I like the original story and think there's some interesting themes you can tease out of it. But ultimately...I found it kind of a dull adaptation. The most it's got going for it is the Wheel in Space framing device at the beginning and end and that's not exactly a justification for an entire novel that feels pretty much just like a blow by blow for a story which is, admittedly, missing, but which has an existing animated version as well as fan reconstructions so isn't exactly inaccessible in the way a lot of missing television is. I'd've honestly loved for the whole thing to be from Jamie's point of view, not just epilogue and prologue, especially as it's a story that centres on him a lot and really solidifies his relationship with the Doctor, but I suspect that even that would be too radical a take for this book. Terrance Dicks could get away with this style of writing because he began work on the novelisations at a time when reruns were rare and home media non-existent so they effectively were the only way you could experience an episode if you missed it; I don't think it's unreasonable to expect more from a book published now, especially since some genuinely excellent work has come out of this range in the past.

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/doctor-who-the-evil-of-the-daleks-by-frazer-hines/

Frazer Hines, who starred as Jamie in the original show, has produced an alternative novelisation, assisted by Mike Tucker and Steve Cole. The authors have taken the step of the framing narrative of the second (and last) showing the the TV story in 1968, when newly acquired companion Zoe was invited to watch it as an example of the Doctor’s previous adventures.

Is there a point? Yes, I think so; John Peel in his novelisation was trying to make sense of Dalek mythology in the context of the show as a whole, whereas here we have Hines and co-writers humanising the experiences of both Jamie and Victoria, giving a lot more back-story to the companions and indeed to the other characters.

One of the problems I have with The Evil of the Daleks is that quite a lot of the plot doesn’t really make sense. But the TV story keeps you entertained with the pace of events, and this novelisation does the same, from a slightly different direction to John Peel’s.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, and as I haven't read the John peel novel, and only saw the animation and surviving episode. This novel was a good read. The added content was a nice touch and the interludes where a nice break between the chapters. The fight scenes felt more engaging in novel form than what we have now with the animation, and the ending was good and I loved the tweaks without them tho i feel maybe not much would have been added to the story, but i still would have loved this novel regardless. All we need now is a highlanders novel from Jamie's POV, the main complaint I see from that story is there isn't enough Jamie in his first episode, so I think that would greatly improve how people see it with the added scenes, and added pov like this novel had. Although I don't know if it would work as well as it has done in this novel, as this book highlighted that Two/Jamie relationship the two had on the show. But if a novel did get made on that episode I would love to read it!! All in all 5/5 adventure with my favourite doctor and my favourite companion.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comparing this to John Peel's original novelization is interesting. In spite of the first book being a precursor to the full length New Adventures of the 90s, it's length seemed more interested in fanwank than storytelling. This version is breezier, yet I find it emotionally deeper. Using the framing device of the TV repeat post-"The Wheel in Space" results in a novel where Jamie is forced to deal with unresolved feelings regarding his friendship with the Doctor...and more importantly, his complicated feelings with the departure of Victoria from the TARDIS. This is a concise straightforward book that manages to enhance the original tale without out-staying its welcome...and possible confirm that Jamie was in love with Victoria. A fascinating read.

[Jefferson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I seem to be in the minority here, but I lost all interest in this book about halfway through. The Evil of the Daleks is actually a meandering story that doesn't really make sense, and while this is a serviceable novelization, it does very little to evoke the charisma of the two leads that would have made the screen version watchable.

In spite of what the cover blurb says, this "retelling" doesn't add any new insight into the story or characters beyond a series of interludes that add (and presumably expand upon) the introductory scenes that were added to the TV version when it was repeated during the following season. All this extra material does is make Jamie seem more whiny and angst-ridden than we ever saw on screen.

[Chris Browning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the recent Target novelisations of the new Doctor Who episodes haven’t really worked, mainly because the new show is so different from the original show and the Uncle Terrance approach doesn’t really work. But Hines - and his co-writers - completely manage to evoke that childhood thrill of a Target book, pacy and fun and perhaps most impressively, quietly showing how prescient Evil has been as an influence on so many later Dalek stories. I don’t really care how much Hines did or didn’t write, because it’s clearly a labour of love and evidence of how much Hines still loves the series and particularly Troughton. One of the greatest companion/ Doctor relationships is here at its very best - it’s a joy of a book

[Andrew Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes it felt like the Daleks were just wheeled out for the sake of it but this story, which apparently was designed as a departure for the pepper pots so Terry Nation could flog them elsewhere, is quite well-constructed. It's also one of the rare stories in which an early companion gets some decent characterisation, as Jamie chafes against the Second Doctor's manipulations. It's fitting that the story is told by Frazer Hines, who played Jamie, and that it's framed as a reflective flashback introducing Zoe, a later companion, to the TARDIS. The whole 'human factor / Dalek factor' premise plays a bit like a Star Trek TOS episode, but has retained its naive charm. The writing is never flashy but does the job.

[Trae Stratton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t familiar with the original story so that was no doubt a plus. Naturally every good story requires characterization, but this one drags a bit with a heavy helping of internal wrangling and worrying over uncertain outcomes. Still, the traits and personas of D-2 and Jamie leap off the page and there is a real feel of D-2 walking in the footsteps of D-1 on Skaro making this a solid Doctor Who entry.

It should be noted that there is an inscription on the back cover of this edition identifying it as part of a giveaway with Doctor Who Magazine #609- making it a fun one to have in your Target Doctor Who Collection. I imagine that future fans will have a very hard time tracking this particular edition down- and that’s if they even know it exists.

[Sean]

A very strong retelling of the repeat of the story. It gives greater insight into Jamie's thoughts and feelings as the Doctor tests him for the human factor, as well as a look into the Doctor's perspective during his manipulative actions. Evil Of The Daleks also ends with a beautifully poignant moment where Jamie suggests the Doctor showed Zoe the adventure because he still misses Victoria, showing that the companions never truly go away for the Doctor.

[Clare · Rating 2 out of 5]

A cut down version of the original tale and novelisation, told from Jamie's perspective as the Doctor shows Zoe the kind of thing she is letting herself in for. Various characters are removed - I didn't miss Terrall and his odd behaviour, but at least this is acknowledged at the end. The novelisation is a bit of a curate's egg- it had the opportunity to delve deeper into Jamie's experiences and thoughts but it only skimmed the surface.

[Connor Hansford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this! I admit that when I see an actor has written a novel, I get a bit tetchy, but how much Frazer was helped by his two co-writers is irrelevant, I think. This was excellent, atmospheric and pacey; character voices were clear and well-defined. Overall a very good and satisfying novelisation.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have the audiobook version which is fun, but I actually read a Doctor Who magazine target version.

This version trims out a lot of the episode 1 runaround in 1966, it also trims out all the occupants of Edward Maxtibles house.

This does make the story rattle along quickly, but it's as if removing the odd plot shape and extraneous characters makes it a bit thin?

[Toby Sutton-Long · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I wasn't planning on buying this book, but I wasn't too displeased when a free Target paperback came as a gift with DWM. An enjoyable enough read, but not special. An awful lot was left out, exacerbated by this free copy being abridged, and I'm not convinced Frazer Hines read much of it all, but I'm glad I have it.

[Richard Birt-Wiggins · Rating 3 out of 5]

A comforting retelling of a familiar story that hits all the right beats. The additional framing device at the beginning and end is as sweet as it is niche, referencing a similar framing device for the stories’ second transmission!

Frazer Hines and co do enough to give this story a new life without revolutionising it. But sometimes that’s exactly what you want.

[Finlay O'Riordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good and straightforward novelisation of the televised story. Nothing especially stellar or exciting about it, but it's still framed in a fun way as being the Doctor telling Zoe about the Daleks. A good read, but very basic, much prefer the original Target novel which expanded on the Daleks and the setting a bit more.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadn’t been planning to read any of the direct novelisations of episodes but I was intrigued by the premise of showing the adventure to Zoe and the fact that Jamie’s actor Frazer Hines was the author and I have to say I enjoyed it! It was fun getting to see the inner thoughts of the characters and some added details while also getting to relive the episode in a new form!

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a well-done retelling of the Doctor Who story Evil of the Daleks. I liked getting Jamie's pov of a very difficult time in his and the Doctor's time together. I am glad I gave it a chance.

[kendalthejewler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the audio version read by Frazer Hines. Very much enjoyed Jamie's accent. This book also does a great job of reiterating the mostly lost serial :)

"To remind me what we've been through...and to make me think what we might do next...you know,...together" the girlbosses are so back

[Jo Chorlton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jamie McCrimmon is my favourite companion and I really enjoyed this book, written by the actor who played him. An exciting adventure which captures the complexity of the 2nd Doctor as well as his playfulness, the strength and chivalry of Jamie and the all round dreadfulness of the daleks.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Using the premise that this is the novelisation of the repeat run of the story when they tell Zoe about the Daleks, they technically get away with a new version. This is well written, some nice character touches, and way more readable than the first novelisation. A light okay read.

[John Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's fine. But if you already have the John Peel novelization there's no need to get this very obvious cash grab .