Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks

Doctor Who Target Books (Numerical Order) #154

by John Peel

Disoriented after his regeneration, the Doctor takes the TARDIS to the Earth colony Vulcan. Ben and Polly are disturbed — the Doctor isn't the man he used to be.

The Doctor too is worried. The colonists have found the remains of two Daleks - which they plan to revive.

Once revived, the Daleks claim that they are content to serve humanity. Can it really be true? Or do they have their own, more sinister plans?

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Fiction, Ebooks, Novels, Time Travel

256 pages, Paperback

First published July 15, 1993

About the author

John 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..

Reviews

[Alejandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second Doctor’s first adventure!


WHO

The Doctor:

The Second Doctor

Companions:

Ben Jackson

Polly Wright


WHERE & WHEN

Planet Vulcan. Non-disclosured date, set in the future.


WHAT

This is a novelization of the first serial introducing The Second Doctor, and this serial was totally lost by BBC, and while there is a crude animated reconstruction of this serial, honestly, I prefer (in my personal taste) to enjoy the story in this prose format, especially that John Peel did a great job, not limiting himself of just doing a cold narration of the events but actually adding stylish description and inner depth as you can usually find in a regular prose novel, along with deeper backgrounds from characters of the TV serial and even creating a new character for the prose novelization.

I’m truly glad that I decided to read this particular book, right after The Tenth Planet novelization,...

...since not only Power of the Daleks is the following serial in the TV series, but also, in this novelization you’ll begin reading about an aftermath of the events in The Tenth Planet, even using in a cool and creative way, characters that they would be introduced in future serials, explaining how the events of The Tenth Planet were crucial to help humanking to reach space and the need of organizing a proper task team to deal with alien menaces. Moreover, the first three chapters of the book are dedicaded to the uncertainity of Ben and Polly about the regeneration of The Doctor, provoking them of not trusting in this “new” character, with a different face, different voice, different body, different age, claiming still being The Doctor.

Therefore, if you aren’t familiarized with the events of The Tenth Planet, you’ll be kinda lost in the beginning of this book.

In this first adventure for The Second Doctor, he receives a “baptism of fire” facing none other than The Daleks! No time for taking it slowly in his very first regeneration but dealing with his deadliest villains once more.

The Doctor takes Ben and Polly to Planet Vulcan (Nope! No, that planet Vulcan!), colonized by Earth, establishing a huge mining facility there (cleverly using the name of a known commercial organization that it wouldn’t be mentioned in Doctor Who until a later serial in the franchise), where an Examiner from Earth is being expected and after a mysterious character has killed the real one, then The Doctor replaces the identity of The Examiner as a useful way to access the mining colony, which it will putting him right in the middle of inner political power conflict, at the same time than the menace of three deactivated Daleks found in a space capsule which fell on that planet.

It’s interesting, that Ben and Polly hadn’t visited an alien planet until this time, and also it’s their first time dealing with the infamous Daleks, that they had heard so much about from The First Doctor.

The Daleks are the number one favorite villains in the Doctor Who franchise. They are xenophobic murderers, with the clear goal of exterminating any other life form different from them in the universe; and it’s depressingly amusing how the prejudices of the Daleks are kinda justified in this story, when they can’t understand why humans kill other humans, along with petty disputes for political power. Moreover, the Daleks show in this story, how cunning they can become, when they’re found in a disadvantageous situation, so without weapons and numbers in an initial stage, they need to become creative to be able of achieving their insidious goals, hidding them in plain sight from the unwary humans.

No time to rest after the first regeneration! The Second Doctor needs to deal with his deadliest enemies!

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only is Power one of the best Dalek stories in the history of the show, it’s arguably the most important.
Patrick Troughton debuts as The Second Doctor, it’s he’s brilliant portrayal that allowed the series to continue.

This story was one of the last to be novelised and with Virgin Books only publishing full length novels, this allows Peel to really focus on the change in The Doctor’s appearance during the first half of the book.
With Ben’s scepticism perfectly captures what the audience must have been feeling at the time.

When the TARDIS arrives on the Earths Colony Vulcan, The Doctor is distressed to learn that the colonists have found two remaining Daleks - which they plan to revive.
It’s not at all surprising that there’s been homage to this story numerous times throughout the years, the Dalek’s really are at their menacing best!

[Nicholas Whyte]

http://nhw.livejournal.com/1027063.html[return][return]John Peel continues his run of excellent Who books with this, the. first story of Patrick Troughton's incarnation of Doctor Who. It is a favourite of mine anyway - I cannot understand why fannish opinion generally prefers the later Evil of the Daleks - but Peel, equipped with David Whitaker's original scripts (retrieved, apparently, from his ex-wife's attic) and benefiting from some editorial decision to give him 250 rather than 125 pages to tell the story, has done an excellent job.[return][return]On reflection, it's also because this is a relatively unusual Dalek story, presenting them not as a rival galactic empire to us humans but as in some way a dark reflection of our own desires about ourselves. The only other televised story that comes close to doing that is Robert Shearman's Ninth Doctor story.[return][return]Anyway, Peel turns a good TV story (as far as we can judge, since it is one of the lost ones) into a good novel.

[Jon Arnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

The novelisation of Patrick Troughton’s first story is a longer affair than usual, as it came out in the era where Virgin were only publishing full length novels and were therefore willing to allow the story more space. As such it’s a period piece, with Peel adding continuity flourishes to retroactively fit the story into the Doctor Who universe. Sometimes this works, such as having the Vulcan colony become an IMC one (explaining the mixture of high and ultra low tech). Often it doesn’t, such as in the continuity heavy prologue which simply sets up a few later lines about space travel being founded on Cyberman technology. The extra space does allow the characters to be more fully realised and allows the appropriate slow burn to the story with tension gradually rising until the situation explodes. It’s probably the best of Peel’s Dalek novelisations, but that might be as much to do with the strength of the original story as much as his talents.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not the world's greatest fan of Power by any means so I definitely wasn't the target audience for this novelisation - but more than that, I think I've finally gotten sick of the amount of times Peel feels the need to comment on female characters' attractiveness, which always manifests itself in a way that makes me feel slightly uncomfortable!

[▫️Ron S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Power of the Daleks feels like it shouldn't be a great story. It is stretched beyond breaking point in places, and dawdles in jail cells that are escaped from and promptly returned to. You get corridor walking images galore, and the entire colony is represented by about a half dozen rooms and fewer characters. However - these limitations are nothing new to Doctor Who, and this episode has something that was about as new as you could get at the time: the first regeneration.

The book also has one of the Target collection's best authors, who cared enough to seek out the original screenplay changes (hastily adapted to Troughton having been cast) and incorporate material beyond what made it to the screen. Another huge point in its favor is that it was virtually the last Target adaptation - and amazing fan Easter eggs are placed throughout.

We start with a nice lengthy scene from the end of The Tenth Planet. Hartnell's Doctor is dying. There are corpses of cybermen everywhere, and their organic components are starting to stink. I can't remember any other references to the stink of dead cybermen, in my 35-odd years as a Doctor Who fan, and it makes perfect sense and is a great atmospheric bit of horror. Later on you get a whiff of dead daleks, too - Peel apparently believes in engaging your senses.

Ben is pretty great throughout the book. His mistrust that the Troughton Doctor is actually The Doctor is a plot element that never got old, for me. It's played with all the way to the last pages, and it was a great way to make the phenomenon of the regeneration last throughout the whole story.

I am still in search of Polly's character or identity... so far, we know she's pretty (this forms the basis of most of her interactions, sadly), and that she seems to have a social acuity that allows her to identify who is trustworthy (which is something, at least).

I love the references to UNIT personnel, and the reporting of Sarah Jane Smith, following the Tenth Planet conclusion - and the fact that the remaining cyber-technology is credited with humanity's biggest leaps toward colonizing other worlds.

The dalek story itself strikes me as having inspired the 2005 new series episode "Dalek" very strongly. Not bad for a story televised in 1966. While a good deal of the story was predictable, and the initial red herring designed to frame Quinn was, unless I'm wrong, never explained. How the Doctor managed to grab his button, w/o it being his button... surely I couldn't have overlooked that resolution, could I? I must have. Anyway - the first third of the book hinged on it.

While ID badges have been, and would continue to be, plot devices - the use of the badge in this story loong predates the new series "psychic paper", but feels very much like a prediction of its future incorporation. I think Power may have been one of the touchstone stories that new series writers returned to in order to define elements that are "pure Doctor Who" that they wanted to carry forward.

Peel also constructs a scene with a shadowy figure who leads "the rebels" who are in control of the daleks. He lets us sit across the room from the mystery figure for a page or so - the figure is in the dark, seated, with only his right arm shown. The teasing reference to Davros rang loud and clear, though we knew it couldn't be him. Belief was suspended for a moment of confusion or two.

I rated Power of the Daleks 4 (of 5) stars, for how good it is as a Doctor Who novel (Target or otherwise). If you broaden the scope - the book may only be a 2 or 3... but the scope is right where it belongs, with the long-time fans of Doctor Who. A fantastic first outing for the second Doctor. The book even made me a fan of his recorder, a prop I had little interest or understanding of in the past.

[Jacob Licklider · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Peel is an author that I find myself at odds with. He enjoys a very specific slice of Doctor Who and his original fiction at its best is still very problematic. Yet, he got his start with several Dalek novelizations from The Chase, to Mission to the Unknown and The Mutation of Time, and ending with the two expanded novelizations for The Power of the Daleks and The Evil of the Daleks as a prelude to the Virgin Missing Adventures to see if novels featuring past Doctors would sell. These two stories were also among the final seven television serials to be novelized, the final five publishing over two decades later by BBC Books. As such they are fairly rare in the second hand market, often with inflating prices, but The Power of the Daleks was recently released in an unabridged audiobook read by Nicholas Briggs. Emphasis on being a prelude, as this serves very much as a full novel length, double the length of the standard Target novelization yet Peel doesn’t actually add extra plot points to the script. This helps take the already brilliant side characters from David Whitaker’s original script and expand them to fit in a novelization more than just the actor’s performances.

Lesterson’s neurosis and eventual downfall upon giving the Daleks power is especially sinister in Peel’s novelization as the nervousness and lack of confidence that underlined the performance on television is brought to the forefront. Janley is more overtly manipulative and more attention is brought to the rebel cause in general, there’s a new medic character that essentially combines some of the nameless assistant characters into one. Interestingly there is more of a reflection on The Tenth Planet in the novelization, primarily through extending Ben and Polly’s skepticism on whether the Doctor is the Doctor, something that comes up when both characters are briefly written out of the plot reflecting the weeks that Michael Craze and Anneke Wills had vacations. Ben’s fear especially comes to the forefront more often and scenes are told from his perspective. It also helps that the minor additions to the plot are recapping the ending of The Tenth Planet, showing the First Doctor’s regeneration and describing the fear of Ben and Polly as they see the man they thought they knew physically disappear. There’s also some added files about UNIT cleaning up The Tenth Planet and implying that this eventually leads to the establishment of the Vulcan colony, IMC which is in control of the colony, and eventually stopping the Dalek invasion of Earth. These are all additions that somehow Peel make more than just simple fanwank as knowledge of these stories really isn’t required. IMC is explained in the plot so you don’t have to be familiar with Colony in Space and the UNIT characters mentioned (Benton and Sarah Jane Smith primarily) are explained enough to the reader.

Overall, while I wouldn’t say that The Power of the Daleks is a novelization that can replace either listening to the soundtrack of the story or watching the reconstructions (animated or telesnaps), it is a genuinely fascinating take on the story as a whole and explores a lot of David Whitaker’s ideas and characters incredibly well to deserve its longer word count. 10/10.

[Jason Bleckly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Based on a script David Whitaker with uncredited rewrites from Dennis Spooner. This in 154 in the Target catalogue. The first of 3 non-Target, Targets. They have Target numbers, but are much longer than traditional Targets. I’m guessing they didn’t want to go the 2-volume route they had to do with the Daleks Masterplan, and not cut out large chunks to get the 6 parts into a traditional Target size.

I loved this book. It brings back the bits of David’s script that had to be chopped for TV reasons, but it also provides a lot more introspection from all the characters about what’s going on. There’s just so much more depth to the story than can normally be squeezed into the shorter traditional Target novelisations. It makes me wish they’d do new novelisations of all the Classic Who stories, but with this expanded and detailed length.

I also like the tie-ins to other episodes by having Lieutenant Benton, Professor Alison Williams, and Sarah Jane in the prologue coming to sort out the Snowcap base in the aftermath of the Cyberman. And the inclusion of IMC as the people running Vulcan. Tying the Whoniverse together. Although it does overlook that the Daleks were the first to leave their tech behind.

Another thing I really loved in this book is the regeneration is given decent coverage. I was disappointed in how abruptly it was covered at the end of The Tenth Planet. The first regeneration is a critical milestone in Doctor Who history. It was great to see it get proper treatment in this novelisation.

I feel for anyone who doesn’t have a copy. I gather these are quite rare and expensive now. And to think I used to have 2 copies of both the Dalek books. I picked up a couple of spares in bulk lots back when I was completing my collection. At least I know I sold them to a good home.

This is a magnificent version of a classic story. I can see myself reading this regularly.

[Gareth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A straight 5 star this one for me - a great novelisation of a great Dalek story, and the Second Doctor's debut story to boot.
Similar to other John Peel ones, this fleshes the story out more using bits from the original script that were dropped out, and unusually for a Target novel this is a lot longer, really allowing the story to shine, it is a shame that prior Target novels couldn't also have this sort of length, especially the likes of the Dalek Invasion of Earth or the War Games.
The Daleks are at their manipulative and cunning best in this story, and the story really has a nice slow building tension to it, culminating in quite a powerful, if bleak for most part, finale.
Quite a varied cast of characters here as well, both protagonists and antagonists, with a lot of uncertainty for periods of time about where some of the characters lay on that spectrum.
The Doctor is great here, getting to terms with himself, and Ben and Polly are also very good and very real in how they are dealing with the Doctor's regeneration. Compared to the last two stories as well, more varied cast in terms of gender, with a varied cast of male and female characters, both good, bad and in between.
All round a very good read.

[Michel Siskoid Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

While John Peel did good work with his Hartnell-era Dalek adaptations, The Power of the Daleks is a much better book. Expanded to the size of a full novel - in part thanks to the original scripts which were curtailed to allow for Troughton's introduction and character moments - Power includes a lot of expansion, in particular some post-regenerative moments where we're in the Doctor's head. Indeed, Peel makes us spend time in MOST characters' heads at one point or other, sometimes making sense of odd character beats and giving fuller, more consistent motivations to the guest cast and the world they inhabit. I'm not a big Terry Nation fan - old-fashioned SF concepts, padded matinee serial plotting - so I like The Power of the Daleks because David Whitaker wrote it as a grand political story. As per Peel's usual talents, he makes some nice connections between this serial and others, as well. The television version is lost, and animated replacement or not, this still stands as a more complete and rich way to experience the story.

[Pete · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doctor Who : The Power of the Daleks (1993) by John Peel is the novelisation of the third serial of the fourth season of Doctor Who. It is the first serial for the Second Doctor. Polly and Ben are the Doctor’s companions.

The TARDIS lands on Vulcan, a human mining colony. The Doctor finds a murdered man and the gets knocked unconscious himself. He winds up being mistaken for the examiner who was expected to come and inspect the colony. Meanwhile Ben doesn’t accept that the Doctor with his new face is in fact who he says he is. The colony has discovered an incredibly durable space capsule that they only just manage to get open. The capsule contains inert Daleks.

The Powre of the Daleks is quite good, there are interesting power struggles on the planet between various people who believe they can control the initially docile Daleks. The story is notable for being the first second Doctor serial and is worth a read.

[Daniel 🌈🎭😻 · Rating 5 out of 5]

As you can probably tell, this novelisation is quite different to nearly all the other books printed in Target's original run. Which makes sense, since it was a few years after the last book that Target had published. However, the increased length was actually a really pleasant change to this particular story. It was able to expand on a lot of aspects in the original story which the other shorter books weren't able to do due to the restrictions of the shorter format. This wasn't the first John Peel novelisation, but it was one of the last, and at this point he had certainly mastered his craft.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

If John Peel's novelisation of "The Evil of the Daleks" didn't quite capture its dark, epic nature, then his novelisation of "Power of the Daleks" is working hard to raise a story that I believe (and I seem to be in the minority) is over-long and over-rated. Using multiple drafts and versions of the script, he works hard to make the characters and situations much more dynamic and exciting, but I think he can only do so much with the material. But he tries his best, and I'll certainly take this over the 6 episodes as originally broadcast.

[Matthew Kresal · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Power Of The Daleks, as a TV story, is one that holds many places in the pantheon of Doctor Who stories. It was the first story to feature Patrick Troughton as the Doctor and the penultimate Dalek story of the 1960's to name a couple. It is also one of the many 1960's Doctor Who stories missing from the BBC's archives due to a BBC policy of the time. In 1993 it would become the penultimate Doctor Who novelization published for the Target book range. John Peel's novelization takes a lost classic TV story and turns it into a classic Who book.

The novelization is helped by the fact that this was one of a handful of novelizations that was given the page count of an actual novel. At nearly double the length of the average Target novelization that preceded it, The Power Of The Daleks allows the six part serial to be fully fleshed out and even expanded in places. For example, Peel gives us a look at the workings of the colony where the story is set and shows us the tensions that threaten to boil over into a revolution as the story goes on. To do this Peel gives us not only access to the inner thoughts of the colony's leaders (such as Governor Hensell and security chief Bragen) but also the average person in the colony via the physician Thane, a character created exclusively for this novelization whose appearances help personalize the events that were (apparently) very much off screen in the TV version A perfect example of the use of characters inner thoughts is in Chapter 21 as we read Lesterson's thoughts as the realization that he's not only been wrong about the very nature of the Daleks but, worse, he has been manipulated by them as well happens slowly but surely. As a result the characters in the novelization feel like literary characters in their own right.

The novel is also full of wonderful visual moments as well. This is ironic since the TV version no longer exists in the BBC archives but the novel, in its own way makes up for this. There's the sunrises and sunsets seen through the window in the Governor's office which are beautifully described for example. But perhaps the single best section of the novel comes in Chapter 21 when Lesterson enters the Dalek ship and discovers the Dalek assembly line where a whole Dalek army is being built. There is a sheer richness to the details down to the sights and sounds of it all. Peel takes a lost visual story and gives it visuals all over again.

Perhaps the most successful element of this novelization is the fact that it doesn't feel like one. The expanded page count makes sure that this novelization is really a novel in its own right. That means that we have not only a lot more internal thoughts and motivations and visual descriptions but also in the novelization an equivalent of what the TV story was: a political thriller with science fiction elements. Peel lets the story unfold like a thriller as the TARDIS crew, led by a newly regenerated Doctor, arrive on the Earth colony world of Vulcan where they soon become embroiled not just in Lesterson's attempts to revive the Daleks but the political situation as well. The TV version, and the novelization as well, give a story with characters who are far from what they seem with some that are seeking political power to end the supposed tyranny of Hensell, some who seek it for personal gain and manipulate others to do so and, in the form of Lesterson a man wrapped up in the the thrill of scientific discovery that he becomes a victim of those seeking power around him. Throw into the mix the Daleks who are simply at their most manipulative and frightening as they slowly begin to gain the ability to take over the colony themselves. The result is a very fleshed out novelization that is practically a novel in its own right.

There is one thing I do take Peel to task on. In a few places in the novelization there are some rather unnecessary references to Doctor Who stories made years after the TV version of this story first aired. There's the Prologue for example which is full of references to things such as the UNIT organization, its Sargent Benton (now a Lieutenant apparently), Professor Alison Williams from 1988's Remembrance Of The Daleks and Sarah Jane Smith in the space of less then a page and a half. All that while tying into the end of the story that proceeded The Powers Of The Daleks to boot! These references are rather unnecessary though Peel does make some good ones too. For example he ties the Vulcan colony to the Interplanetary Mining Corporation from the later story Colony In Space or the fact that the Doctor's journal is written in ancient High Gallifreyan. For the most part though the references are a distraction from an otherwise good book.

To call this book a novelization is to do it an injustice. The expanded page count gives this book a chance to explore things deeper then many of the Target novelizations of the past had done with its characterizations, expansions of plot points, and successfully bring the political thriller plot to the printed page as well. While its not perfect of course, due in large part to some distracting references to other Who stories, John Peel novelization of this lost Who story is very much the same kind of story that made its TV counterpart a classic Who story.

[Ian Banks · Rating 3 out of 5]

After taking what feels like an eternity to get there, this has a really exciting climax. The characters are nicely fleshed-out and the idea of the Daleks acting like servants is terrific. It just feels a lot longer than its 250 pages. A bit of a slog but worth it.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pivotal story in the arc that is Doctor Who, dealing with the regeneration of the Doctor for the first time. Also features that archetypal baddie - the Daleks. Who could ask for more?

[Ivana Richards · Rating 4 out of 5]

A highly enjoyable adaptation of Troughton's first story.

[John Desmarais · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first story featuring the second Doctor. The basic story, but it drags in places.

[Tempus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Far too long. The writing of female characters was off-putting. I liked the expanded exploration in the companions' feelings towards the Doctor's regeneration.

[Julian White]

pdf 273 pages

[Jennifer Baratta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you everyone who contributed to this Phenomenal book.

[Steve Matthewman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent novel of the great, lost Patrick Troughton story 👏

[Tom Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the greatest pieces of television ever produced in my opinion. It kills me the fact the BBC destroyed the film and the possibility of finding one of the 16mm film prints of any of the episodes from this Six part story is incredibly slim. However, it's nice the BBC animated the adventure along side the audio that exists.

Anyway, everyone knows I adore the story and the book does it justice. I prefer the actual TV story but the book does supply more extended detail to some scenes and events that transpire in the story.

This is a Dalek story done differently. We know the Daleks as all powerful and ruthless. Here, they start out with no Power, no offensive capabilities or threat in the eyes of the supporting characters. Besides the Doctor of course and the viewers or readers. The colony see's them as a useful resource and will put the Colony in a better state and even deal with the revolution from gaining any major level of support and activity.

All the characters are great. Bragen and Lesterson being favourites. Bragen is very two faced ,devious and cunning in his actions. The book portrays that correctly just like in the story. lesterson again is brilliant. When Lesterson realises he made a big mistake of given the Daleks Power, The character becomes a real stand out in the story. Lesterson completely loses his mind and develops a very neurotic behaviour because he knew the Doctor was right in the whole situation and now, when this happened, he can't stop it and the other supporting characters think he's unstable and don't believe him.

The best thing about Power are the Daleks themselves. never have they been utilised better in any other Dalek story. I don't only mean TV. But of all time.

The Daleks are incredibly sly, manipulative, cunning and clever in this story. They start with no offensive capabilities so they end up manipulating Lesterson and the entire colony to get their power and in return "help" the colony. The build up of the Daleks gaining their Power is done to perfection. All hell breaks loose when the Daleks attack in full force.

Power is my 3rd favourite Doctor Who story of all time and in TV history. With number 02 being Horror of Fang Rock and Number 01 The War Games.

The book is brilliant.
I do complain about John Peel quite a lot with his Original fiction (Timewyrm: Genesys) but he shines with his novelisations. I would pick the original story over the book any day but it was still a fantastic read.

Book: 9/10
TV Story: 10/10

[Andy Simmons]

First off, this is an excellent story. It's probably the best Dalek story I've read since Terry Nation's original 'The Daleks' and 'The Dalek Invasion of the Earth'. The plot is very well conceived and has some good characters. It's a real shame that the BBC have lost some of the episodes, as I would love to see the actual show.

Power of the Daleks is the first story to feature Patrick Troughon as the 2nd Doctor. I guess the BBC thought that introducing him with a dalek story would help boost popularity and acceptance of the new Doctor.

It is set on the planet Vulcan (no Spock though) and the fledgling human mining colony there. The‎ chief scientist had discovered an alien space capsule and when it was opened they discovered de-activated daleks. Of course, the humans gave them power...

In the book, John Peel did a good job of linking this story to the previous one, the Tenth Planet, and to the dalek timeline. He also wrote a nice postscript about how he had used additional material from David Whitaker's original script, that had been cut from the original broadcast.

All in all, an excellent read for Doctor Who fans.

[stormhawk · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first story of the Second Doctor is a rollicking tale of adventure and intrigue, as he yet again faces the Daleks in a mining colony far from Earth. The tale of the innocence of scientific inquiry is wound about with plots and revolution, vanity, and the quest for power, regardless of potential costs. Suspicion runs high, both amongst the conspirators, and the Doctor's two companions, Ben and Polly, who are not yet accepting of the identity of the New Doctor.

The story is based on the original and shooting scripts for the episode, which are all that remains as this is one of the "lost" episodes.

Overall, it was enjoyable to read and to see the differences in the Doctor's personality which would become a hallmark of each Regeneration.

[N. Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a lost adventure. The tapes of it were wiped and lost (as was the majority of 1960s Doctor Who), so it is great to read a story you can't see. However, it is LOOOOOONG. The reason is that it was a six-part story, but the story is not able to support it, so there are plenty of filler scenes everywhere.

This would have been better as a shorter book, like the old Target novelizations. They were limited to about 180 pages, and so a long drawn out story needs to be trimmed. This makes a story like this so much better paced. A good example of this is "Invasion of the Dinosaurs," "Colony In Space (the book titled "The Doomsday Weapon"), and "The Armageddon Factor." All have good core stories, but are just too long and lead to boredom, but the short novels are breezy and exciting.

[Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A big event of Doctor Who history, the very first adventure of the just regenerated second Doctor.
Plus, it's also a good story.

The first half of the book deals with the fact that the Doctor's companions, Ben and Polly, are completely knocked for a loop by the regeneration and don't trust this new Doctor or don't believe he is the Doctor at all.
So, when they land on an earth colony that has just recently found three stranded Daleks, you know things aren't going to go well.

This is how you do a good regeneration story. Familiar monster, interesting setting and nicely written bits where the companions deal with a really bizarre situation.

[Iain Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

In many ways the prototype for everything that came after it (as well as being Troughton's first adventure).

With no Terry Nation this adopts a darker tone for the Daleks, without the need for bizarre master plans. To be fair, this tone is one that the earlier Hartnell era stories (during Dalekmania) couldn't really have adopted so you might be surprised by just how bloody/bleak this is.

As always, it's a shame the episodes are missing, but John Peel does an excellent job of counterpointing the Human and Dalek atrocities in this well structured (David Whitaker/Donald Cotton) story.

A good introduction to a very different Doctor.

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good base-under-siege story :)
This book had the potential problem of being that template story of which many a Doctor Who tale has sprung from, and was therefore in danger of being been-there-and-done-that many times over. Fortunately it was irrefutably redeemed by Peel's brilliant writing.

Although the story was naive in places (in that anyone would implicitly trust and utilise an alien A.I. upon its discovery) I found it interesting that at a time when a lot of science fiction was looking to a progressive future, Power of the Daleks carries a grim, dystopian feel to it. The play on 'Power' in the title was clever, also.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's wonderful to see this 2nd Doctor regeneration story, which has been missing for so long and was only novelized at the very end of the Target run. It was also pleasant to discover that it's actually a good story. Though Troughton's characterization hasn't really gelled, we get a fun murder mystery, an interesting cast of characters, and a terrific use of the Daleks that actually treats them as scary. In some way Peel's writing isn't that great — he's too matter of fact and not colorful enough — but despite that the story shines through.