Dalek Empire II: Dalek War - Chapter One

Doctor Who: Dalek Empire #5

by Nicholas Briggs

Dalek Empire II: Dalek War is a four part mini-series that continues the story begun in Dalek Empire and features the Daleks from the world of BBC TV's Doctor Who.

The galaxy is in the grip of a terrible war. Kalendorf and his alliance forces are fighting alongside Daleks from another dimension. Their common cause? The defeat of the Dalek Supreme's mighty army.

But where is the evil Emperor of the Daleks? And can it be that the legendary Angel of Mercy, Susan Mendes, has already been exterminated?

With civilisation on the brink of destruction, it may now be impossible to tell friend from foe.

Genres: Doctor Who, Audiobook, Science Fiction, Dystopia, War, Aliens, Robots

1 pages, Audio CD

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Nicholas Briggs is a British actor and writer, predominantly associated with the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and its various spin-offs. Some of Briggs' earliest Doctor Who-related work was as host of The Myth Makers, a series of made-for-video documentaries produced in the 1980s and 1990s by Reeltime Pictures in which Briggs interviews many of the actors and writers involved in the series. When Reeltime expanded into producing original dramas, Briggs wrote some stories and acted in others, beginning with War Time, the first unofficial Doctor Who spin-off, and Myth Runner, a parody of Blade Runner showcasing bloopers from the Myth Makers series built around a loose storyline featuring Briggs as a down on his luck private detective in the near future.

He wrote and appeared in several made-for-video dramas by BBV, including the third of the Stranger stories, In Memory Alone opposite former Doctor Who stars Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant. He also wrote and appeared in a non-Stranger BBV production called The Airzone Solution (1993) and directed a documentary film, Stranger than Fiction (1994).

Briggs has directed many of the Big Finish Productions audio plays, and has provided Dalek, Cybermen, and other alien voices in several of those as well. He has also written and directed the Dalek Empire and Cyberman audio plays for Big Finish. In 2006, Briggs took over from Gary Russell as executive producer of the Big Finish Doctor Who audio range.

Briggs co-wrote a Doctor Who book called The Dalek Survival Guide.

Since Doctor Who returned to television in 2005, Briggs has provided the voices for several monsters, most notably the Daleks and the Cybermen. Briggs also voiced the Nestene Consciousness in the 2005 episode "Rose", and recorded a voice for the Jagrafess in the 2005 episode "The Long Game"; however, this was not used in the final episode because it was too similar to the voice of the Nestene Consciousness. He also provided the voices for the Judoon in both the 2007 and 2008 series. On 9 July 2009, Briggs made his first appearance in the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood in the serial Children of Earth, playing Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary Rick Yates.

Reviews

[Paulo "paper books only" · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will make a combine review because honestly I can't rate this audiodrama without the rest becuase they are one big story...

Some spoilers ahead...

The Second series of Dalek Empire the main characters pass from Susan Mendes to Kalendorf. Here this story is focus of the battle betweeen the humankind and the new daleks against the old evil daleks. From the very beginning we get the feeling that the new good daleks are not that evil but at the same their goodness is by total control of everything. I think this 4 audiodramas should be only 2. What's interesting is that finally Alby Brook mets with Susan Mendes. In the end Kalendorff is succefull in breaking the deal with the good daleks making them return to their own universe (since the war will be ever going) and with the un-wanted help of Susan Mendes, now link to every Dalek, send a shockwaves killing every dalek. We later understand that one Dalek Survived. IT was very interesting to see how Susan Mendes evolved and had to choose between the love of her life (Alby) and Kalendorf - not in a romatic way.
The ending is quite good.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Off to an interesting start.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much better! This is the third or fourth time I've heard this series and I still love it. The back and forth in time, how you never know who is good or evil, how everything is doomed, how there's a good mixture of men and women. Definitely one of big finish's best.

[morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit convoluted, I'm not totally sure how Suz Mendez comes back from the dead (?) I guess her consciousness transferred or beamed up somewhere by the Daleks to another body (?) I do like a lot of it though. Interesting interfada with Daleks from the other universe, who are more like policemen and democratic. A bit of a satire I guess of the USA at that time invading Afghanistan and Iraq when this was recorded, a softer, gentler imperial force than the Soviets or something, attempting to spread democracy, but still a lot of ego and bravado and making decisions for others. Way I interpret it. The Mentor character I quite like, the feminine motherly Dalek. Gareth Thomas is brilliant. Great actor in audio.

[Kelly McCubbin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The beginning of this sequel launches directly from the "Project Infinity" McGuffin that came at the end of Dalek Empire I. In other words, the weakest element of the first (otherwise excellent) series is now the entirety of this one. And you might think that shifting the focus to Gareth Thomas' Kalendorf might be a good sign. I would've. It isn't.
Oddly, there is a whole other plot that seems to have happened interstitial at the end of the first story and between the two and that plot seems actually compelling. It is rendered mostly as an expository monologue at the beginning of this. So very strange.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

ダーレクに殺されたと思っていたカーランド、アルビーが生きていた。しかもプロジェクト・インフィニティによって別時空に進出したダーレクがあちらの世界のダーレクと抗戦状態となる。
メンターがクリエイターのダーレク側にカーランドはつきダーレクと戦っていたがひそかにスーザンを探していた。


殺されたのではなく全員冷凍睡眠状態にされていて、スーザンもようやく目覚めたのにダーレクはまだスーザンに拘っているとは...。アルビーと再会できそうだったけれどどうなるのか。またまた先が見えない😅

[Zach · Rating 3 out of 5]

This feels as though this is just any old Dalek event just without the Doctor to auto solve the problem. It's just not that entertaining when the characters are not that developed and we don't have a lot of time to get to know them.

[Stephen Theaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five or six years after the events of the previous series, the rebels work with daleks from another universe to battle their own oppressors.

[Dione Basseri · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the Dalek Empire I series, we end with the Daleks discovering a universe where other Daleks have complete dominion, inviting them over to subjugate their own dimension. And the Daleks come. And battle against the murderous native Daleks.

We start this volume to see that the new Daleks, the Alliance, are more peacekeepers, and they are determined to destroy the Dalek Empire for its crimes. We see the return of Kalendorf, Alby, and even Suz.

Bot loyalties aren't all aligned, and even the Alliance is not what they seem. This story sets the stage for the greater war to come.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent Doctor Who spin-off series featuring the mighty and ruthless Daleks at their worst.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am glad that this picks up from the plot thread of the previous series. It would have been a story with no reference to the previous one.

[Gregory Rothbard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its fun... just there was a few problenms in the recording ... but I enjoyed it all the same... Victory....