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Doctor Who Target Books (Numerical Order) #155
Doctor Who: The Evil of the Daleks
'The Daleks tell me I'm going to do something for them — something I would rather die than do.'
Stranded in Victorian London, separated from his TARDIS and forced to cooperate with the Daleks, it seems that the Doctor's luck has finally run out.
The Daleks are searching for the elusive Human Factor, and want the Doctor to help them find it. With Victoria and Jamie held captive, the Doctor has no choice.
An army of Daleks stands poised to conquer the universe. Will the Human Factor be their ultimate weapon?
This is a brand new novelization of a classic Dalek story, and is the first story to feature Victoria as a companion.
Stranded in Victorian London, separated from his TARDIS and forced to cooperate with the Daleks, it seems that the Doctor's luck has finally run out.
The Daleks are searching for the elusive Human Factor, and want the Doctor to help them find it. With Victoria and Jamie held captive, the Doctor has no choice.
An army of Daleks stands poised to conquer the universe. Will the Human Factor be their ultimate weapon?
This is a brand new novelization of a classic Dalek story, and is the first story to feature Victoria as a companion.
288 pages, Paperback
First published August 19, 1993
1 person is currently reading
269 people want to read
About the author
John Peel
421 books167 followersJohn Peel is the author of Doctor Who books and comic strips. Notably, he wrote the first original Doctor Who novel, Timewyrm: Genesys, to launch the Virgin New Adventures line. In the early 1990s he was commissioned by Target Books to write novelisations of several key Terry Nation Dalek stories of the 1960s after the rights were finally worked out. He later wrote several more original Daleks novels.
He has the distinction of being one of only three authors credited on a Target novelisation who had not either written a story for the TV series or been a part of the production team (the others were Nigel Robinson and Alison Bingeman).
Outside of Doctor Who, Peel has also written novels for the Star Trek franchise. Under the pseudonym "John Vincent", he wrote novelisations based upon episodes of the 1990s TV series James Bond Jr..
He has the distinction of being one of only three authors credited on a Target novelisation who had not either written a story for the TV series or been a part of the production team (the others were Nigel Robinson and Alison Bingeman).
Outside of Doctor Who, Peel has also written novels for the Star Trek franchise. Under the pseudonym "John Vincent", he wrote novelisations based upon episodes of the 1990s TV series James Bond Jr..
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
May 15, 2022
http://nhw.livejournal.com/1028958.html?#cutid1
This was the last official Target/Virgin adaptatation (a few remaining stories were produced in book form by fans subsequently) and therefore also the last Second Doctor novelisation and the last in the impressive series of five Dalek novelisation by John Peel. I have to say that I am among that heretical minority who regard the original story here as of less than top quality: the plot is absurdly convoluted, requiring both the Doctor and the Daleks to behave out of character, and Victoria as a new companion is awfully wet. But having said that, Peel improves on the original in a number of ways, giving the characters more comprehensible motivations, and embedding the narrative in the Dalek continuity he has been developing. I still preferred his others, but this is a good effort.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-evil-of-the-daleks-by-simon-guerrier-and-john-peel/
Oddly enough I met John Peel the night before last, in the bar at the Marriott; he chortled with delight when I told him I had just been reading this – it had been great fun to write, he said. It shows.
I would add to the points made above that Peel resolves a number of points left hanging by the original TV plot – in particular, the situation of Arthur Terrell, who is not semi-robotic as I had thought, but a victim of Dalek experiments on mind control.
This was the last official Target/Virgin adaptatation (a few remaining stories were produced in book form by fans subsequently) and therefore also the last Second Doctor novelisation and the last in the impressive series of five Dalek novelisation by John Peel. I have to say that I am among that heretical minority who regard the original story here as of less than top quality: the plot is absurdly convoluted, requiring both the Doctor and the Daleks to behave out of character, and Victoria as a new companion is awfully wet. But having said that, Peel improves on the original in a number of ways, giving the characters more comprehensible motivations, and embedding the narrative in the Dalek continuity he has been developing. I still preferred his others, but this is a good effort.
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-evil-of-the-daleks-by-simon-guerrier-and-john-peel/
Oddly enough I met John Peel the night before last, in the bar at the Marriott; he chortled with delight when I told him I had just been reading this – it had been great fun to write, he said. It shows.
I would add to the points made above that Peel resolves a number of points left hanging by the original TV plot – in particular, the situation of Arthur Terrell, who is not semi-robotic as I had thought, but a victim of Dalek experiments on mind control.
July 7, 2023
I raced through this book!
I love Doctor Who and I'm excited to start reading the series.
I loved the interactions between Jamie and the Doctor, and the way he cared about Victoria too.
I loved that there was lots of action, and a few twists thought the book for good measure.
I'm excited to read more Doctor Who novels.
I love Doctor Who and I'm excited to start reading the series.
I loved the interactions between Jamie and the Doctor, and the way he cared about Victoria too.
I loved that there was lots of action, and a few twists thought the book for good measure.
I'm excited to read more Doctor Who novels.
June 14, 2020
Maybe I'm biased because this is a serial that's very near and dear to my heart, but I loved this novelization. I think the combination of the serial being really good and the serial being missing makes it perfect for a novelization, and this one did really well filling in imagery and characters' internal narration.
I feel like the characters were all written well, and I love the plot. The Victorian setting, which is part of what draws me so much to this story in the first place, was really apparent atmospherically, so that was awesome. Also I think this novelization did well giving some depth to Kemel, who's like. a lowkey one-time favourite of mine, so I was excited to see that.
I feel like the characters were all written well, and I love the plot. The Victorian setting, which is part of what draws me so much to this story in the first place, was really apparent atmospherically, so that was awesome. Also I think this novelization did well giving some depth to Kemel, who's like. a lowkey one-time favourite of mine, so I was excited to see that.
November 8, 2017
Thought how the story divided up into Present/Past/Future worked really well, Dalek scheme one of the better ones.
October 18, 2020
The Evil of the Daleks is one of those stories held up high in the pantheon of Doctor Who. Meant to be the story that would kill the Daleks off in the series permanently, so that their creator Terry Nation could start a new series with them in the United States, it is one of those stories that stand out as "important," with a quite possibly mythic status within fandom. It's also a story lost, for the most part, thanks to the lack of a BBC archiving policy, which means only one of its episodes still survives. Lost, but not forgotten. For in 1993, in time for Doctor Who's 30th-anniversary, it was at last given the novelization treatment, and thank the stars that it was.
John Peel, who had previously novelized the other Second Doctor Dalek story The Power of the Daleks as well as several other sixties Dalek serials, returned once again to give Skaro's deadliest the literary treatment. Plus, as in the case of Power, Peel's efforts were bolstered by a larger page-count, meaning that the story could breathe across nearly 300 pages (versus the 224 listed on Amazon). All of which aided this re-telling of the story.
Because Peel used the extra space to his, and the original scripts, full advantage. The characters richly drawn by David Whittaker in the TV story are given new life, including how the Waterfield's came to be with Theodore Maxtiable, for example. The novelist's ability to get inside the mind of characters is also in Peel's favor, exploring Maxtiable's motivations and especially exploring Victoria Waterfield. Even Kemel, a walking and mute cliche who served as a weak point in the original story, feels more like a human being on the page. It's an embarrassment of riches, just on a character level.
Also, for a missing story, Peel brings an utter richness to the details. It's there in the sights and sounds Peel describes, from the coffee bar in 1966 to a Victorian house and, finally, to the Dalek city on Skaro. The sense of menace and atmosphere, especially in the long middle section in the Maxtiable mansion, all carry over, as well. Combined with a flowing Prose style that keeps the reader thoroughly engrossed, Evil of the Daleks has Peel taking a lost visual serial and gives it visuals all over again.
Peel also brought a sense of the series' history along with him. From referencing other Dalek serials, not to mention Second Doctor serials that proceeded this one, it all feels in service to the story from the Doctor recalling Dalek mind-control techniques to his time on Skaro during the first Dalek story. There's even a couple of knowing references to the events of Genesis of the Daleks, Peel's way of bringing things full circle. Add on a veiled Star Trek reference (Peel being one of the few authors who has written for both franchises spin-off media), and it's an utter joy to read.
The Evil of the Daleks was to be one of the final Target novelizations, with only the radio drama The Paradise of Death receiving the treatment before the range at last closed down. As both a standalone piece of work and as part of a two-decade run, Peel's novelization of Evil remains a standout release, showcasing many of the strengths of the Target range between its covers. And, while the audio of the TV story exists and can be enjoyed (as my 2017 review will attest), there's still a thrill in reading this classic serial on the page that the audio can't quite match.
A testament, one thinks, to the strengths of not just the original story but the power of literary Doctor Who.
John Peel, who had previously novelized the other Second Doctor Dalek story The Power of the Daleks as well as several other sixties Dalek serials, returned once again to give Skaro's deadliest the literary treatment. Plus, as in the case of Power, Peel's efforts were bolstered by a larger page-count, meaning that the story could breathe across nearly 300 pages (versus the 224 listed on Amazon). All of which aided this re-telling of the story.
Because Peel used the extra space to his, and the original scripts, full advantage. The characters richly drawn by David Whittaker in the TV story are given new life, including how the Waterfield's came to be with Theodore Maxtiable, for example. The novelist's ability to get inside the mind of characters is also in Peel's favor, exploring Maxtiable's motivations and especially exploring Victoria Waterfield. Even Kemel, a walking and mute cliche who served as a weak point in the original story, feels more like a human being on the page. It's an embarrassment of riches, just on a character level.
Also, for a missing story, Peel brings an utter richness to the details. It's there in the sights and sounds Peel describes, from the coffee bar in 1966 to a Victorian house and, finally, to the Dalek city on Skaro. The sense of menace and atmosphere, especially in the long middle section in the Maxtiable mansion, all carry over, as well. Combined with a flowing Prose style that keeps the reader thoroughly engrossed, Evil of the Daleks has Peel taking a lost visual serial and gives it visuals all over again.
Peel also brought a sense of the series' history along with him. From referencing other Dalek serials, not to mention Second Doctor serials that proceeded this one, it all feels in service to the story from the Doctor recalling Dalek mind-control techniques to his time on Skaro during the first Dalek story. There's even a couple of knowing references to the events of Genesis of the Daleks, Peel's way of bringing things full circle. Add on a veiled Star Trek reference (Peel being one of the few authors who has written for both franchises spin-off media), and it's an utter joy to read.
The Evil of the Daleks was to be one of the final Target novelizations, with only the radio drama The Paradise of Death receiving the treatment before the range at last closed down. As both a standalone piece of work and as part of a two-decade run, Peel's novelization of Evil remains a standout release, showcasing many of the strengths of the Target range between its covers. And, while the audio of the TV story exists and can be enjoyed (as my 2017 review will attest), there's still a thrill in reading this classic serial on the page that the audio can't quite match.
A testament, one thinks, to the strengths of not just the original story but the power of literary Doctor Who.
July 4, 2020
Because this is a lost story, 'Evil of the Daleks' has acquired a legendary status among Dr Who fans. Having just read the book, I wonder why now. The new companion, Victoria, does very little other be a captive of the Daleks for most of the story, and even the Doctor doesn't do a great deal . Jamie gets the lion's share of the action for a change. Whether it's just me or something to do with the televised story, I'm not sure but I found the Daleks to be lacking the menace they had throughout 'Power of the Daleks'. Anyway, that's all criticism of the tv story - the adaptation is very well written ( other than having 2 chapters with the title of 'The Net Tightens' that is) and John peel's style is a joy to read as usual. There's even a mention of the sonic screwdriver - presumably for continuity with Dicks' adaptation of the preceding story as it didn't actually appear onscreen until 'Fury From the Deep' nearly a year later. It's a real shame Target didn't give other authors the chance to do full-length novels - i can only imagine what fun Dicks and Marter etc would have had.
July 31, 2018
Like with the last two Target novelisations I've read, it's nice to get all the details of a missing episode where I knew the gist of it but not the moment to moment progress of the plot.
The prose is workman-like, with a distinct heavy-handedness to the continuity references (although thank goodness none of the hammer-blow foreshadowing of Terrance Dicks in The Faceless Ones. It's also a little pretentious here and there, so a solid read but nothing really special.
The prose is workman-like, with a distinct heavy-handedness to the continuity references (although thank goodness none of the hammer-blow foreshadowing of Terrance Dicks in The Faceless Ones. It's also a little pretentious here and there, so a solid read but nothing really special.
October 26, 2024
Based on a script by David Whitaker this is number 155 in the Target catalogue. The second to last of the numbered Targets. The cover is by Alister Pearson.
I’m in two minds about this book. It’s an excellent novelisation and superb partner to John’s Power of the Daleks, but it’s a mediocre story which is unnecessarily long.
The writing is great and John has added a lot of internal thoughts and motivations from all the characters, including some of the daleks. There’s also extended scenes providing greater explanation than in the broadcast version. He also ties in other Doctor Who stories such as mentioning the War Machinces which his early self had just defeated when this story is kicking off.
As an adaptation of the TV episodes I can’t fault the book, however the story feels padded and this is because the TV version feels padded. It’s 7 episodes, which is one more than Power of the Daleks. I think it should have been edited down to 6, possibly less. The whole Terrall sub-plot was just padding and could easily have been removed. I liked how John linked him back to the Robomen, but he served no real purpose to the story. And Kemel is also a somewhat random inclusion, although he did serve a slight purpose as a foil to trigger Jamie’s reactions for the daleks tests.
And that’s another thing I’ve never understood in this story, Jamie’s antagonism towards the Doctor. This is the 6th adventure Jamie has been on with the Doctor and he’s only now taking issue with the Doctor’s attitude? I just don’t find that credible.
It’s a good book of a mediocre story. I’d love to see all of Doctor Who get longer more detailed novilisations like this, and Power of the Daleks. The traditional Targets are fun, but at 100-150 pages they can be read in the same time it takes to watch the TV version. I like the richer depth of storytelling that can be achieved by doubling the number of pages.
I’m in two minds about this book. It’s an excellent novelisation and superb partner to John’s Power of the Daleks, but it’s a mediocre story which is unnecessarily long.
The writing is great and John has added a lot of internal thoughts and motivations from all the characters, including some of the daleks. There’s also extended scenes providing greater explanation than in the broadcast version. He also ties in other Doctor Who stories such as mentioning the War Machinces which his early self had just defeated when this story is kicking off.
As an adaptation of the TV episodes I can’t fault the book, however the story feels padded and this is because the TV version feels padded. It’s 7 episodes, which is one more than Power of the Daleks. I think it should have been edited down to 6, possibly less. The whole Terrall sub-plot was just padding and could easily have been removed. I liked how John linked him back to the Robomen, but he served no real purpose to the story. And Kemel is also a somewhat random inclusion, although he did serve a slight purpose as a foil to trigger Jamie’s reactions for the daleks tests.
And that’s another thing I’ve never understood in this story, Jamie’s antagonism towards the Doctor. This is the 6th adventure Jamie has been on with the Doctor and he’s only now taking issue with the Doctor’s attitude? I just don’t find that credible.
It’s a good book of a mediocre story. I’d love to see all of Doctor Who get longer more detailed novilisations like this, and Power of the Daleks. The traditional Targets are fun, but at 100-150 pages they can be read in the same time it takes to watch the TV version. I like the richer depth of storytelling that can be achieved by doubling the number of pages.
June 12, 2019
OK, silly kid's stuff.
But for kids from a certain generation (or two) Dr Who holds a special place in our hearts. It was very bizarre! And darn scary. We literally used to cower behind the sofa. There were some very adult themes, murders, anger, and very dark monsters. This was horror more than it was Sci-Fi.
And few Dr Who stories were as frightening as the original Daleks.
This particular 6 part story is lost, except for one episode. So the book remains the only way to access it. But if you know the characters of Patrick Troughton's Dr Who, and the companions, it is easy to visualize, reading the text.
This was supposed to be the final Dalek story, as the Daleks were owned by Terry Nation, rather than the BBC. He was trying to sell them to the US, without Dr Who. He was also writing Dalek annuals, trying to establish the franchise. Nation went on to resurrect the Daleks in more Dr Who stories, including the Planet of the Daleks, which remains one of my favourite Dr Who stories.
The Dr Who books closely followed the TV series, and were originally limited to 120 pages - considered long enough for teenagers to read. Restrictions were later lifted, but most of the novelizations come from this era, under the publishing house Target. I loved these books. Periodically at the time, I was taken to the library by mother. I'd dash directly to the Dr Who section and take out every book I'd not read. Unfortunately she did not take me often, but echoes of that thrill remain, and so I still pick up one of these Target books for fun: funny how things stay with you!
But for kids from a certain generation (or two) Dr Who holds a special place in our hearts. It was very bizarre! And darn scary. We literally used to cower behind the sofa. There were some very adult themes, murders, anger, and very dark monsters. This was horror more than it was Sci-Fi.
And few Dr Who stories were as frightening as the original Daleks.
This particular 6 part story is lost, except for one episode. So the book remains the only way to access it. But if you know the characters of Patrick Troughton's Dr Who, and the companions, it is easy to visualize, reading the text.
This was supposed to be the final Dalek story, as the Daleks were owned by Terry Nation, rather than the BBC. He was trying to sell them to the US, without Dr Who. He was also writing Dalek annuals, trying to establish the franchise. Nation went on to resurrect the Daleks in more Dr Who stories, including the Planet of the Daleks, which remains one of my favourite Dr Who stories.
The Dr Who books closely followed the TV series, and were originally limited to 120 pages - considered long enough for teenagers to read. Restrictions were later lifted, but most of the novelizations come from this era, under the publishing house Target. I loved these books. Periodically at the time, I was taken to the library by mother. I'd dash directly to the Dr Who section and take out every book I'd not read. Unfortunately she did not take me often, but echoes of that thrill remain, and so I still pick up one of these Target books for fun: funny how things stay with you!
February 14, 2021
Another strong novelisation of another great Dalek story. The last Dalek story for some years, as originally intended as the final story, and unfortunately from memory at least, the Dalek stories after this one for the most part seemed to lose their way, the Dalek's not as cunning / menacing as they are in the First and Second Doctor stories, and a bit more robotic at times as well, when in these early stories at least can see they definitely have emotions.
Story itself is an interesting one, full of intrigue, suspense and some good Dalek trickery, and a number of one off characters that are quite varied and intriguing in their own right.
Sort of a Jamie and Second Doctor only story, though also serves as an introduction to new companion Victoria. As it stands though, gives Jamie plenty of time to shine, compared to previous stories when also sharing the spotlight with Ben and Polly.
I mentioned previously about character arcs, and in the novel at least there seems to be plenty of hints towards romantic feelings from Jamie for Victoria, but never really built on in future stories as it reverts to normal sort of companions and doctor relationships.
The Daleks are good in this, not quite as menacing as in Power for me, but still pretty menacing and cunning, and their general intelligence also shows through.
The Doctor himself is a bit more secretive in this one, and manipulative himself, similar in some respects to how the Seventh Doctor later would be.
All the above makes for a great read.
Story itself is an interesting one, full of intrigue, suspense and some good Dalek trickery, and a number of one off characters that are quite varied and intriguing in their own right.
Sort of a Jamie and Second Doctor only story, though also serves as an introduction to new companion Victoria. As it stands though, gives Jamie plenty of time to shine, compared to previous stories when also sharing the spotlight with Ben and Polly.
I mentioned previously about character arcs, and in the novel at least there seems to be plenty of hints towards romantic feelings from Jamie for Victoria, but never really built on in future stories as it reverts to normal sort of companions and doctor relationships.
The Daleks are good in this, not quite as menacing as in Power for me, but still pretty menacing and cunning, and their general intelligence also shows through.
The Doctor himself is a bit more secretive in this one, and manipulative himself, similar in some respects to how the Seventh Doctor later would be.
All the above makes for a great read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 6, 2025
The last adaptation of a televised story in the original Target range, and John Peel's last Dalek story adaptation, The Evil of the Daleks, is a proper novel. Like Power of the Daleks, it's longer than than most Targets, and feels fleshed out with thoughts, backstories, and expanded scenes. It's almost my first speed bump in the complete read-through of the Target range. I just couldn't make myself care about the 1966 mystery despite an unclear memory of that part of the lost serial. Once we get to the Victorian era, the train starts chugging along, however, with the Turkish Kemel coming out of the novelistic approach most improved. And then it's a bullet train once we're on Skaro and the Dalek Civil War. We're introduced to Victoria whose onscreen blubbering has been etched into my mind, so I couldn't NOT imagine it while reading even if Peel gives her a little more agency. No surprise, I'm more interested in David Whitaker's plots and characters than I am Terry Nation's, so it's a crying shame his stories don't exist in the canon (at least we have animated versions now). Peel turning them into prose, fitting them into later Dalek lore, but also not really changing the dialog, makes this one of the better ways to experience his stories.
March 7, 2023
Doctor Who : The Evil of the Daleks (1993) by John Peel is the novelisation of the 9th serial of the fourth season of Doctor Who.
The Second Doctor and Jamie have the TARDIS stolen from the airport and as they chase it in 1966 they encounter a mysterious antiques dealer who has new looking but apparently genuine antiques from a century before.
Following that the plot gets even more twisted. Given the name of the story the predictable villains show up.
It’s all pretty bats. But if you like Doctor Who you’ll find it’s not too bad.
The Second Doctor and Jamie have the TARDIS stolen from the airport and as they chase it in 1966 they encounter a mysterious antiques dealer who has new looking but apparently genuine antiques from a century before.
Following that the plot gets even more twisted. Given the name of the story the predictable villains show up.
It’s all pretty bats. But if you like Doctor Who you’ll find it’s not too bad.
August 10, 2019
Classic Doctor who on a budget with a tight story line that would have been cheap for the BBC to produce. At this point I don't think they were convinced how much of a winner they had on their hands so the finances were kept under tight rein and locations limited.
Daleks along with cybermen are probably my favourite baddies in the Doctor Who Universe. That being said it wasn't a great read but definitely not a terrible one.
Daleks along with cybermen are probably my favourite baddies in the Doctor Who Universe. That being said it wasn't a great read but definitely not a terrible one.
April 15, 2020
Not the greatest Dr Who / Dalek story and it dragged on a bit. Still, characterisation is good although Victoria is a bit of a drip, not unexpected for the storyline I suppose. Another quite rushed ending given the length of the build up. I believe it may be the only way to experience this story though so worth a read if you're in to DW.
October 6, 2019
Not sure if this is a "lost" episode or just one that I happened to miss, but I enjoyed this novelization. It was hard to get my hands on. If you like Two's companion, Victoria, and you haven't seen this episode, then go for it.
December 10, 2021
2.5/5
Is it really worth the double length? I mean, I guess, if you like Dalek lore. I don't know, there were bits I liked and bits I really didn't but overall I just felt kinda disengaged from the entire thing.
Is it really worth the double length? I mean, I guess, if you like Dalek lore. I don't know, there were bits I liked and bits I really didn't but overall I just felt kinda disengaged from the entire thing.
October 8, 2023
Peel’s portrayal of the characters and settings is terrific but the story is an almost never-ending spiral of bluff and counter-bluff that feels almost like it was put in to pad out an extra episode or two, which I can’t believe would ever happen in Doctor Who
February 14, 2019
A faithful and suitably epic retelling of a lost classic, The Evil of the Daleks is the next best thing to finding the missing episodes (which I, like many others, still hope will one day be found).
July 11, 2019
Felt like a bit of a grind in the middle but picked up when they got to Skaro.
January 29, 2021
If any missing story could be found, this is my choice. Constantly intriguing and interesting, showing a side of the Daleks not seen before or since.
June 1, 2021
Excellent adaptation of one of t the missing stories of Doctor Who. I enjoyed every minute of reading it!
August 6, 2021
An enjoyable story, and as always John Peel does a good job of novelising anything involving the Daleks.
December 5, 2022
This is a good one! So good!
August 29, 2024
If you have the physical copy of the animated episodes:
The audiobook edition narrated Tom Baker, including audio clips from the episodes taking over relevant parts are in the special features!
The audiobook edition narrated Tom Baker, including audio clips from the episodes taking over relevant parts are in the special features!
November 1, 2008
Second Doctor. The TARDIS is stolen. Looking for it, the Doctor and Jamie encounter some humans who are up to no good, meddling in time travel, selling genuine new Victorian antiques, and what not. Behind it all we find the Daleks, who have devised a scheme to disover the "human factor," the inner asset that allows future humans to resisit the Daleks.
The underlying implication is that the Daleks can time travel back to 1966 and Victorian England. Even though their technology is relatively primitive, I figured this should have been more disturbing to the Doctor than it was. I mean, come on, Doctor, TIME TRAVELLING DALEKS!!! Shouldn't the Doctor be a little concerned about this trespassing onto his patch?
As always, the Daleks' arrogance and monomania prove to be their undoing. When the Doctor gives them exactly what they demand, they assume their strongarm tactics have worked. (I know, Daleks don't have arms, as such, just tentacles and those toilet plunger things.) They never imagine that the Doctor might be using their desires against them. More importantly, they are incapable of understanding that what they perceive as human weaknesses might prove to be human strengths.
I'll leave it at three words: Dalek play group.
This is yet another of the Target novelizations of the television serial. Competently done, but nothing too startling. A fun read, but nothing that will change your life.
The underlying implication is that the Daleks can time travel back to 1966 and Victorian England. Even though their technology is relatively primitive, I figured this should have been more disturbing to the Doctor than it was. I mean, come on, Doctor, TIME TRAVELLING DALEKS!!! Shouldn't the Doctor be a little concerned about this trespassing onto his patch?
As always, the Daleks' arrogance and monomania prove to be their undoing. When the Doctor gives them exactly what they demand, they assume their strongarm tactics have worked. (I know, Daleks don't have arms, as such, just tentacles and those toilet plunger things.) They never imagine that the Doctor might be using their desires against them. More importantly, they are incapable of understanding that what they perceive as human weaknesses might prove to be human strengths.
I'll leave it at three words: Dalek play group.
This is yet another of the Target novelizations of the television serial. Competently done, but nothing too startling. A fun read, but nothing that will change your life.
May 31, 2017
What means having the human factor? What does it mean to have the Dalek factor? This tale takes back to the nineteen century where the daleks are trying to figure what makes humans... human. As they test on Jamie the Doctor uses three daleks as subject as per accord of the other daleks. As they are transported to the Dalek homeworld the Doctor meets the Dalek Emperor where he says that the daleks are doomed since some of them are now "human". The emperor reveals that all of that research was to have a dalek factor and put the doctor working for them as he would travel through time and infect the dalek factor in all human race.
Of course nothing of this happens since now some of the daleks are human they have free will and start question the emperor orders and it result in full civil war.
Quite a critic on humankind Mr directors of Doctor Who.
One of the best Dr Who novels,scripts. It's unfortunate that only 1 episode of 7 survives...
This is also the first episode with Victoria. What a charming beautiful girl. It will be a pleasure seeing her in the adventures with Jamie and the Doctor.
Of course nothing of this happens since now some of the daleks are human they have free will and start question the emperor orders and it result in full civil war.
Quite a critic on humankind Mr directors of Doctor Who.
One of the best Dr Who novels,scripts. It's unfortunate that only 1 episode of 7 survives...
This is also the first episode with Victoria. What a charming beautiful girl. It will be a pleasure seeing her in the adventures with Jamie and the Doctor.
November 3, 2008
One of the classic Dalek stories, I was looking forward to finally reading this.
I can see why it's considered a classic, but it's also a wildly uneven jumble of ideas.
The characterization of Jamie and the second Doctor is good and you get the feeling that there are an army of Daleks roaming around ( as opposed to the four you'd generally see in the TV episode with the rest being mentioned)
Victoria was one of those companions that was written well in her first couple appearances, then no one knew what to do with her. Here she gets a nice introduction.
The book really takes off in the second half when we get to the Dalek home base, meet the emperor and the civil war begins. The second half of the book is when you begin to understand why this story is considered a big deal in Who history.
I can see why it's considered a classic, but it's also a wildly uneven jumble of ideas.
The characterization of Jamie and the second Doctor is good and you get the feeling that there are an army of Daleks roaming around ( as opposed to the four you'd generally see in the TV episode with the rest being mentioned)
Victoria was one of those companions that was written well in her first couple appearances, then no one knew what to do with her. Here she gets a nice introduction.
The book really takes off in the second half when we get to the Dalek home base, meet the emperor and the civil war begins. The second half of the book is when you begin to understand why this story is considered a big deal in Who history.
February 25, 2016
A fun story. Well worth the read but suffers from the constraints of its origins in serialized television.
I've always wanted to read this. The story of what was supposed to be the final end for the Daleks. I think maybe after reading what it was about I had built it up on my Mind as something quite epic but really this is a very small story. 90% of it pretty much takes place in a house. The exciting parts are all pushed and crammed into what would have been the final television episode.
So you get a book that drags on and goes in circles for about 240 pages and then gets really good for the last 50.
It's a solid read and we'll worth picking up but definitely not for the prices you find them for on eBay. Slow and a little too long but in general a great book and a very satisfying finish.
I've always wanted to read this. The story of what was supposed to be the final end for the Daleks. I think maybe after reading what it was about I had built it up on my Mind as something quite epic but really this is a very small story. 90% of it pretty much takes place in a house. The exciting parts are all pushed and crammed into what would have been the final television episode.
So you get a book that drags on and goes in circles for about 240 pages and then gets really good for the last 50.
It's a solid read and we'll worth picking up but definitely not for the prices you find them for on eBay. Slow and a little too long but in general a great book and a very satisfying finish.
July 3, 2016
Most Doctor Who novelizations are breezy retreads of the original broadcast. With Virgin taking the reigns of the Target library, they called upon DW stalwart John Peel to novelize both Troughton Dalek stories - and the result is outstanding. Stretching the narrative to a more substantial 200+ pages, Peel expands the scope of the story as well as the emotional motivations of our stock 1960's characters. The Doctor becomes far more manipulative and reflective. Jamie becomes more thoughtful and distrusting of the Doctor. Kemel the Turk becomes...well...slightly less than an embarrassing stereotype.
Considering that "Evil of the Daleks" doesn't exist on-screen any longer (besides the entertaining second episode), John Peel's adaptation is especially necessary for all serious Who fans.
Considering that "Evil of the Daleks" doesn't exist on-screen any longer (besides the entertaining second episode), John Peel's adaptation is especially necessary for all serious Who fans.
December 14, 2009
Second Doctor, Jamie. Novelisation of a season 4 story of which only one part out of seven has been recovered. A proper novel, albeit by a rather poor writer and not really intended for readers not already a little familiar with Doctor Who. For a novelisation, the Doctor and companion are unusually strong in character. A story in three parts; unfortunately the author doesn't prep us for the middle part, which just didn't interest me much, as very little developed, motivations were either monotonous or nonsensical and too many things were ever-so-convenient.
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