The Demons

"Have you never wondered what you are?"

Writer: Nicholas Briggs
Format: Audio
Released: August 2004
Series: Dalek Empire 3.04

Featuring: Galanar, Tarkov

Synopsis 

The Galactic Union now knows of Galanar's covert mission to find the Daleks. But what exactly has Galanar discovered?

The Daleks seem poised to eradicate the deadly NFS plague. The Graxis Wardens are adrift in Dalek territory, hopeless outnumbered. It would seem that the future belongs to the Dalek Supreme.

Verdict

The Demons was an interesting continuation of the third series of Dalek Empire audio adventures, but I just felt like some parts of it were lacking in a coherent direction. I was all for exploring the truth about Galanar and how he was actually created by the Daleks, but I was left a little frustrated that we got the answers straight away. Everything just came so quickly and I felt there was far from enough with the wardens from Graxis. Don't get me wrong, I am happy for there to be a story where Galanar takes centre stage, but either have the Graxis Wardens in it properly or not at all. I wasn't a big fan of their use in this adventure. Something I was a fan of was the Dalek Supreme and how it continues to command from afar given the obvious issue it has with the mind and body of Susan Mendes. The start of the story dealing with that merging of the minds was very good and I was glad to get some lengthy involvement in this story. I thought David Tennant was excellent once again and even though I shouldn't really mention it as it has no bearing on the audio at all, I couldn't help but find the irony and coincidence in some of his lines pertaining to doctors. It's obviously just something good to look back on with hindsight. Amur actually being revealed as Elaria wasn't exactly a surprise once it was known that there were more than just Galanar as the supposed demons. Why they were referred to as that seemed a little off and just inaccurate, and despite learning more about their abilities and background, my mind has yet to change regarding that. I think it's great that they can live for a very long time, something I would be incredibly envious of, as well as having the ability to change their features. Their utilisation of that was good after they infiltrated, but that in itself just seemed such a quick development after a well-paced and methodical opening three stories of the series. I fully accept that Galanar had his memory back and learnt of his origin, but it was just a little too quick for my liking. It wasn't bad though, I may sound like that is the case but that's not the case. The development I did enjoy was how Kalendorf fits into things and how his knowledge of the Daleks being stored on Velyshaa will play a part in the series ending. I am very excited for that to come into fruition and I do hope that he features at some point. A reunion between him and what Susan Mendes now is would be quite something. The revelation that the supposed demons were created by The Daleks, the enemy Daleks from another universe we saw in Dalek War that is, to fight the Daleks was definitely unexpected and something that sounds a little complex, and it is, but I like the potential of where it can go and the questioning of loyalties and just who or what is the rightful Dalek cause. The Great Catastrophe keeps getting mentioned which is good but it is surprising that when this series is set is so far removed from that event. It does show how different of a universe this series lives in to what we are used to, and that is a good and unique thing. I am all for the unknown, but for now this one had its moments but I think some more clarity was needed in terms of direction.

Rating: 6/10