The Genocide Machine

"You could acquire the wisdom of a million years from a billion worlds in the time it would take to read a bus ticket!"

Writer: Mike Tucker
Format: Audio
Released: May 2000
Series: Main Range 07

Featuring: Seventh Doctor, Ace

Synopsis

The library on Kar-Charrat is one of the wonders of the Universe. It is also hidden from all but a few select species. The Doctor and Ace discover that the librarians have found a new way of storing data - a wetworks facility - but the machine has attracted the unwanted attention, and the Doctor soon finds himself pitted against his oldest and deadliest enemies - the Daleks!

Verdict

A very good audio adventure is The Genocide Machine. A very strong audio debut for the Daleks and I really liked what they were up to here! The plot was excellent throughout and I really liked the Kar-Charrat setting. The mystery and hiddenness of the library was interesting, if it's a wonder of the universe then why is it so hidden and hard to find? Or did I just answer my own question? The cliffhangers were very good and I really liked how the Daleks duplicated Ace - but the Doctor always seems to know immediately if something has changed with his companion, as we've seen in New Earth and The Sontaran Stratagem. The Daleks' presence was fantastic throughout, but it wasn't just a generic Dalek story - we had the Dalek Supreme, who in this form, last appeared in the spectacular Planet of the Daleks, the sensational Special Weapons Dalek and the mightily good Dalek Emperor! The latter was really a highlight and I loved the fact that we got what was of extreme limitation during the Classic run, a Dalek Emperor story! The sub-story regarding Bev Tarrant was really good and she was a really great character. Chief Librarian Elgin was also a brilliant character and his relationship with the Doctor, past knowledge of him and the pride he took in the library were all marvellous. Cataloguer Prink was a uniquely weird character however, barely speaking - which is kind of important in audio stories! The Daleks' devious plan regarding the wetworks was all so Dalekly amazing - horrifyingly evil! The way the Doctor and Ace thwarted the plan was tremendous but I like how the Dalek Emperor remained safe and well, just delayed. With the Dalek Supreme obeying self destruction, the Emperor is sure to have another plan on his agenda, and I'm sure it won't be long until I hear that come into fruition.

Rating: 9/10