The Jeopardy of Solar Proximity

"Daleks... Even the fearsome warriors of Mars feared these creatures."

Writer: Richard Dinnick
Format: Short Story
Released: June 2017
Printed in: Myths & Legends 11

Featuring: Ice Warriors, Daleks

Synopsis

There is conflict in the Solar Proximity. Two deadly races battle against each other with anyone or anything caught in the middle instantly regretting it. The Daleks and the Ice Warriors are at war. The might of these two fearsome races battling each is too much for one system to hold.

Verdict

The Jeopardy of Solar Proximity was another very good story to continue along my reading of the Myths & Legends short story collection! This was definitely one of the better stories so far and I really enjoyed that we got see a battle between two of the Doctor's most feared enemies, something that has never occurred before. That's always a big bonus and I liked the prospect of them doing battle very much. What I wasn't expecting was that this also served as a prequel to Cold War! That was a delightful surprise and worked really well which was just marvellous. The appearance of Grand Marshall Skaldak was fantastic and even though this was set before the aforementioned Eleventh Doctor episode, it provided us with a sense of familiarity and the way it actually fed into the episode was fantastic. It provided a great explanation as to how he ended up frozen in the ice and the little line about him hoping where he went was cold was appreciated. The inclusion of Iclar, his daughter, was very intriguing and I thought it was nice to see how much they cared for each other. The other ranks of Ice Warriors could see it too and they seemed to admire it. That fascinated me but I think it also spoke volumes of how respected Skaldak was. I thought it was also good that he acknowledged fearing the Daleks and refused to believe that was a weakness. Fear made you sharper and it was actually useful in bringing about the defeat of the Daleks. However, the Daleks were also cunning but didn't show the Ice Warriors the same sort of respect. They spoke defiantly in their presence and were keen to show that it was they who were the supreme beings in the universe. One thing I would have liked more of in this story was knowing precisely why the Daleks and Ice Warriors were doing battle, but the very fact that they were facing off against each other was enough enjoyment for me. With the short format, I didn't mind much. Iclar perishing at the hands of the Daleks and their hacking of the Martian system was quite sudden and shocking and the reaction of Skaldak was telling. He would make the Daleks pay and his ability to outmanoeuvre them despite the emotions he must be feeling was commendable. It was brilliant to see the Ice Warrior in action. His acceptance of having the same fate as his daughter as long as it meant the Daleks losing, not necessarily a victory for him, was very good indeed. The descriptions of the Daleks being gold but of a Classic nature was intriguing and I liked the imagery of a clash of eras with the modern Ice Warrior design that we would be introduced to in Skaldak. It was a nice thought. The action-packed conclusion was good and the shock of the Daleks when they failed to anticipate the move of the Ice Warriors was superb! Skaldak ridding the Daleks from existence was good and I liked how he initially had no problem accepting death, but when a chance of escape presented itself he took it willingly. Overall, a terrific little story!

Rating: 8/10