Doctor Who: Blood of the Daleks, Part 2

The Eighth Doctor Adventures #1.2

by Steve Lyons

"The crashed ship. The one Tom Cardwell saw all those years ago. And you borrowed its technology, didn't you? Maybe even found a Dalek or two in the wreckage. Dead, but intact. And you began to turn human beings into creatures like them. You did that? I'm right, arent I?"

Chronological Placement

This story takes place after the 1996 Doctor Who TV Movie and after the Eight Doctor's adventures with Charley Pollard.

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Audiobook, Time Travel, Media Tie In, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

Radio Drama

First published February 1, 2007

About the author

Steve Lyons is a science fiction writer, best known for writing television tie-ins of Doctor Who for BBC Books, and previously, Virgin. The earliest of these was Conundrum in 1994, and his most recent was 2005's The Stealers of Dreams. He has also written material for Star Trek tie-ins, as well as original work.

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

When we left Lucie Miller she was walking away from this madman in a blue box and run straight into the hands of the saviours named Daleks.
Meanwhile the Doctor meets a manical scientist who uses the Dalek template for a human variety of a Dalek. This scientist has also contacted the Daleks and they came. The Daleks are very concerned with the purity of their Dalek blood and these new Dalek lookalikes are not to their satisfaction.
And then the Daleks learn that the Doctor is about and they want him.

This first installment is about Lucie meeting the Doctor and they are stuck with eachother for now.
The Daleks are always the most dangerous creatures and yet always get bested by the timelord. They often do not fail to be a dissapointment and do so this time.
This whole 2 part story has a chaotic feeling, and I do know that there are better stories coming along. Lucie is a diamond in the rough and well worth a pint of lager and a packet of crisps.

[The Post Monument · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Shawn Deal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, the eight doctor really begins. As Dr Who officianados know, the eight doctor is a bit of an anomaly. He had one single episode in the early nineties to try and restart the series. It wasn't the restart people were looking for and so just the one episode. However, he did have a life on radio and through audio books like this one. This is the first official audio series featuring the eight doctor and this is the first episode. As with all Big Finish audios, the story is well written, well produced and well acted. They are always a great car listen. Any kind of trip I like to put one of these in. If you are a Dr who fan, I recommend the entire catalog and if you want to know how Dr 8 lived, here is where you start.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Doctor vs. the Daleks! What could be better. This is classic Doctor Who stuff. It's a crime that Paul McGann only got the one revival TV-movie to portray the iconic character because if these audio adventures are any indication he would have been one of the best.

[Emilija · Rating 4 out of 5]

2024 52 Book Challenge - Summer Olympics Challenge - Individual - 3) Fencing: Dialogue With Witty Banter

I thought this was brilliant, but not as great as Part 1. The Doctor and Lucie were awesome, and I love their friendship. Lucie Miller is just fantastic.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part 2 of this series delivered and I my attention was focused almost the entire time on the Dalek invasion and 8's and Lucie's part in defeating them. Lucie is still antagonistic towards the Doctor, as she's attempting to remember why the Time Lords placed her with him in the first place, and is angry she is being manipulated. As it often does, the Dalek's downfall focuses heavily on their intent of being a pure race. Production quality is top notch, as is the acting, and I had a really good time listening to the conclusion of this story. There are tons of extras as well, including interviews with the cast, producers and directors, as well as a preview of the next story, Horror of Glam Rock. I'd highly recommend this audioplay to anyone who loves a good Dalek story, or wants to hear the story of Lucie's origin.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite enjoyable. The conclusion to a very well done story.

Paul McGann really is the 8th doctor so very much. He brought this production to life.

The plot was enjoyable. Very much a DW story.

Definitely kept me entertained while I was sewing some baby onesies.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think this is as good as part 1.
Still loving the 8th doctor theme much better than the tv movie theme imo

[Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

have i found a companion that gets on my nerves more than clara???? i guess i’ll have to carry on to find out.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun stuff.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still not warming up to Lucie, for now.


Quotes like,

He named a random dalek Fred, and tried to ask how his suicide mission made him feel?


“So you meant to kill us all?
That’s good that’s good.
Cause I’d Hate think that you done something so monumentally brainless, by accident.”


No sign of Fred.
What, Fred?
He must have gone to join his friends up there.

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good resolution to this two-parter, introducing the Doctor's newest companion, Lucie Miller, and creating an interesting premise for the Daleks.

[Melody Soundy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another chilling audio drama that truly showcases the terrifying nature of the Dalek perfectly.

Blood Of The Daleks Part 2! An absolute master piece of a sequel that uses the Daleks perfectly. Lyons nails the high stakes and intensity of being up against the Daleks. It also perfectly shows how much the events of Genesis Of The Daleks ways on the Doctor and why he's so desperate to prevent other Daleks from causing harm and destruction. If both parts were one whole story I'd definitely rate it five stars, it's masterful and perfectly well crafted.

So many positives about this story but before we do that I'll get into my two main negatives.

Listen I really like the concept of flipping the Companion narrative from one of admiration and wonder to bitterness and frustration but it just doesn't work. As the side characters ironically point out it in the story it just turns to senless arguing and doesn't make me route for Lucie and The Doctors reluctant partnership. We only got a hint of Lucie respecting the Doctor but half of the time both were just sour and unempathetic to each other. I'm hoping and praying this improves the more stories I listen too.

Secondly like I mentioned as a full story Blood Of The Daleks is amazing with Part 1 being the build up and Part 2 being the twisty conclusion but on its own it feels like tropes we've seen before. I also think the ending was a bit too rushed for my liking just like the beginning of Part 1 was. I get this audio dramas want to match the average length of a TV episode but I feel like that's wasted potential. I like my endings slowly and nicely wrapped up not speeded through.

Other than that though I enjoyed this story so so much. Doctor Who expanded media just perfectly slaps at Dalek Stories. I've enjoyed some of the Dalek novels a bit more but this was still great. I was absolutely in awe as I listened to the story, it was a perfect mix of suspense and hope. The performances were once again out of this world and peak. Paul MacGann is thriving clearly after being given the chance he never got on TV. There's so many things I could rave about but to keep it short I'm gonna pick out my highlights.

The Daleks are actually scary! It's a miracle and brilliant that the Daleks are getting good treatment in other places like Big Finish and the novels. Lyons writes the Daleks exactly as they are suppose to be cold, merciless and prideful. Nicholas Briggs is wonderful as usual adding to the threat of the Daleks by performing them perfectly. He also performances both types of Daleks differently to shows us the difference between them. Regardless Lyons writing really elevates the Daleks level of threat and how full of themselves they are. The eugenic supremacist nature of The Daleks is portrayed at his best here and how they only serve to destroy. If Big Finish keep portraying the Daleks as well as they have in this story I'm all for large box sets of Dalek Stories.

Secondly the development and complexity of The Doctors character here. Paul MacGann does a great job of portraying a Doctor who's not only tired of The Daleks and in a sense The Timelords destruction and meddling in his life but also guilty, the events of Genesis Of The Daleks weighing on his mind. I haven't seen that episode but through Paul's performance and Steve Lyons writing I can still feel the incredible weight that decision has on The Doctor. You can feel the High Stakes as The Doctor tries to protect the people of Red Rocket Rising but also prevent another set of Daleks causing destruction. There's also tiny specs of The Doctor that will willingly turn into The Warrior. You can already feel the weight dealing with the Daleks chaos has on the timelord. They really do genuis foreshadowing to The War Doctor with Eight here and it adds to the story so much.

Finally I'd have to say the themes of the story. After listening I'm left thinking about the ethics of eugenics and genocide in our own world. Media can be good for escape but I think its main purpose is to not only teach us but also let us think and reflect. The themes and questions posed in this story do this perfectly. We are left questioning the ethics of even The Doctor and thinking about how important it is to fight back against The Daleks we know in our lives. Like Doctor Who is suppose to do the story teaches the listener important lessons.

Overall another brilliant, mind blowing, reflective and perfectly immerse audio drama. I'm excited to listen to what else Big Finish has to offer from The 8th Doctor and other Doctors too.

Highly recommend, some of Big Finishes work has become free on Spotify if you can't afford to buy anything off their website.

[Leila Anani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following directly on from part one, we learn that Martez isn't dead and has transferred his consciousness into the body of his assistant Asha Gryvern (Hayley Atwell) - Not only was he experimenting first with corpses and then live human subjects, but also a crashed Dalek ship and its deceased crew. He's created a new hybrid race of Daleks and summoned the Dalek rescue vessel to marvel at his ingenuity and we presume embrace their new brothers. However The Daleks, like the Nazis are all about racial purity and see this new race as an abomination. So begins a Dalek civil war with the Doctor and companion Lucie Miller (Sheridan Smith) caught in the crossfire!

There's very little I can criticise. Sheridan Smith is an amazing companion, McGann is on top form and the rest of the cast are fantastic (Anita Dobson, Kenneth Cranham, Hayley Atwell) Nicholas Briggs does the Daleks and while he's always awesome I have to give extra credit to this one because there are two types of Dalek and we only have his voice talent to tell them apart and he manages to pull it off.

Great story as well. Dalek civil war! This two parter gives a real treat for Who fans - It's got all the classic Who elements and top notch production values.

Recommended.

[Reggie A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dalek stories have a tendency to retread the same themes over and over, and while this story doesn’t break the pattern it absolutely delivers a strong story within the expected parameters.

That makes this thing sound formulaic, which it wasn’t, not really. As a concluding part this worked as a genuinely interesting and fun installment with some great tension between the Daleks and the experiments of Doctor Martez. Eight and Lucie are delightful here with their mutual animosity, and I really enjoyed the supporting cast.

I put down the audios for a few months and relistened to this two parter to get me back into the swing of things, and I was instantly entertained. More than anything, that should stand as a testament to how effective these episodes are and getting the ball rolling.

Super fun, super engaging. 7.5/10

[Trin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad but sort of boring/standard Doctor Who Dalek story in which an evil/misguided human teams up with Daleks and oh no curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal, etc. Hayley Atwell (!) is fairly wasted as a cookie cutter version of this character; they don't let her be nearly camp enough.

The Eighth Doctor also has a new companion who sort of feels like a mix of Rose and Donna (she's also dropped into the TARDIS suddenly), but with some potential interest in that she's been sent to the Doctor by the Time Lords, who, this being a pre-War adventure, aren't dead for the thousandth time yet. That's not really developed here though so...we'll see.

Except I won't right away because I'm switching to some Two stories. Sorry, Eight!

[Brooke A Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

"So...what you saying? You want me to stay with ya?"
"I wouldn't go that far. But, maybe I could drop you off somewhere else. Somewhere more-"
"Nah, you're alright, mate."

This was an entertaining part 2. Also, I'm a huge fan of the outro music. Like, wow.

This was a completely satisfactory ending, especially for how typical the story was. There was some strain of Bad Wolf/Parting of Ways in there on top of Genesis of the Daleks. And I'm curious to know where the Doctor's adventures with Lucy Miller take them.

And it really is a crying shame that Eight never got more screen time. Travesty, that is.

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

Every bit as good as Part 1. 8 and Lucie's forced pairing turns into companionship, man-made Daleks fight actual Daleks and there's constant action going on.

My only gripe is that it's not really explained how exactly Martez "birthed" the human Daleks, but apart from that, this rounded out the opening two-parter to 8 and Lucie's first series nicely.

And that little tease in Clint's broadcast at the end? Marvellous! Plus the ending scenes? Icing on the cake.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not quite an audiobook but still entertaining. This is the second of two parts. Doctor Who fans will recognize Paul McGann and Nicholas Briggs. Marvel fans should appreciate Hayley Atwell’s performance. This is the conclusion of a solid story involving The Doctor and some of his most well known enemies.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

アッシャーの中で生き延びていたマルテツ博士が作り出したダーレクのミュータントを消滅させるために奇しくもミュータントダーレクの存在を許すことができないダーレクと気があってしまうドクター。ダーレク・ミュータントを全滅させるためにとる手段を大量虐殺とエイリーンに責められる。
ダーレク＝ファシズムということなんだろうか。
ダーレクを一匹でも放置すれば勝者のない泥沼の戦争に突入することとなるという。その仕組みがわかっていても止められないところが恐ろしい。

ルーシーミラーはタイムロードによりドクターの元に保護してもらうよう送られたということだけれども、ルーシを追う者もいるようでこの謎がどう解けていくのかすごく楽しみ。

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as part 1. It reminds me of a plot from the later TV series but I can't remember which one. Basically, it's a Dalek civil war with the doctor and friends trying to save humanity. The link to 2024 is that the actress playing Eileen, Anita Dobson, shows up as a side character in 2024, not the same character though.

[TheGeekProblem · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed this audio way more than the first one. Since it had already stablished most of the characters and plot in the first part, this second part felt well paced and entertaining, the plot developed smoothly, and even the characters were more likable than in the first part. I'm now exited to keep listening to the 8th Doctor audio dramas and getting to know Lucie as a companion!

[Kristopher Pistole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part 2! So it's basically like a remake of Genesis of the Daleks but in audio form with the 8th doctor. Not bad, not as good as the first part that had a lot of great build up, and has a great villain. But a fairly run of the mill dalek story.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good wrap-up for the story. I liked the way the author tied all of the plot points together. Also, I felt really bad for the people of Red Rocket Rising, they got the short end of the stick for sure.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent conclusion to the two part story introduction of the 8th Doctor audio drama's

[Hasselhh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Continues the great style from part 1 :)

[H.K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haley Atwell as a villain? Need I saw more? I love Lucie already.

[Steven Shinder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great continuation from Part 1. Together, both parts make for a good start to this particular Eighth Doctor audio series and make me wanna know more about Lucie.

[Vincent Darlage · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! Top notch adventure!

[Aline Leal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked, but I it could have been better