The Healers

"Find me the Daleks."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs
Format: Audio
Released: June 2004
Series: Dalek Empire 3.02

Featuring: Galanar, Tarkov, Saxton

Synopsis

Siy Tarkov must convince a doubting Galactic Union that a Dalek invasion is imminent. Agent Galanar is on a covert mission to find a definitive proof of menace of the Daleks. But the Border Worlds are being ravaged by a deadly plague infection. An infection the Daleks are offering to cure.

Verdict

The Healers was a great audio adventure and an immediate improvement for the third series of the Dalek Empire spinoff series! I really was quite sceptical going into this audio and the rest of the series after a pretty poor start with The Exterminators, but I was delighted with how this one went. We had much more of the Daleks which is obviously what I wanted from this spinoff and I loved the idea that they were the ones that had the cure for the NFS plague. It was quite an intriguing idea throughout and I really was fascinated by the prospect of the Daleks showing compassion. That's such an alien concept for them so seeing the effects of Dalek War – Chapter Four seeing through is terrific. I am really happy with that continuity and even though it has been four years since I listened to that second series, things are starting to come back to me now and I'm liking it a lot. My thoughts on this whole series and spinoff have changed instantly. I find it quite intriguing how separate Galanar's part of the story is from the rest of things concerning Saxton and the Daleks on Graxis Major. His feigning of being Dennis was something that interested me and I'm keen to know more about him and what connection he will end up having with the overall story arc of the series. My favourite character in this one was definitely Carneill with how he was trying to convince everyone that the Daleks were all good and knowing and would do right with the cure for the plague. Of course, that didn't quite end up being the case as they obliterated the base and took the primates along with those wardens that didn't quite manage to escape. I really liked Saxton once again and I am definitely still liking Kaymee as expected. I get the feeling that she is going to have a bigger role as this series progresses and if the Doctor was around, I would think that she would be the one who would be most likely to take on the role as companion. She's just really likeable and that's good because she hasn't really done an awful lot yet. She's asking all the right questions and her defence of the primates and their evolution in aiding her with the bandages was very good. The Daleks planning on geoforming all of the planets within the system was quite shocking. Saxton and co's reaction to that was fantastic and even though there was supposedly no sentient life on any of the planets, there was still life and that led to a defiant defence. The Daleks didn't welcome that though and even though they believed Saxton and her closest comrades to be dead, Carneill failed to tell them the truth that they had escaped. I guess he may actually not know that they were alive as there was no sign of them, but of course that didn't mean they were dead. The inclusion of the Dalek Supreme is something I am always a big fan of, and I really loved the ending to this one. This is where the continuity came around greatly with the emergence of Susan Mendes combining with the Dalek Supreme in a somewhat modulated form. I am very much looking forward to seeing this expanded upon and how it has an impact on the Daleks as a whole. Overall, a strong and much improved showing!

Rating: 8/10