Doctor Who and the Daleks

"Those machines aren't half as bad as they look, you know."

Writer: David Whittaker

Format: Novel

Released: November 1964

Series: Target 01

 

Featuring: First Doctor, Susan, Ian, Barbara 

Synopsis

'The voice was all on one level, without any expression at all, a dull monotone that sill managed to convey a terrible sense of evil...'

The mysterious Doctor and his granddaughter Susan are joined by unwilling adventurers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright in an epic struggle for survival on an alien planet.

In a vast metal city they discover the survivors of a terrible nuclear war – the Daleks. Held captive in the deepest levels of the city, can the Doctor and his new companions stop the Daleks' plan to totally exterminate their mortal enemies, the peace-loving Thals? More importantly, even if they can escape from the Daleks, will Ian and Barbara ever see their home planet Earth again?

Verdict

Doctor Who and the Daleks was a really great and intriguing read! I have always been fascinated by this book's reputation and I've actually had it in my collection for a least six years so it was finally time to give it a read and I wasn't disappointed. Considering this is the first ever Doctor Who novelisation, it's certainly bold and a brave way to present the series from the start. Basing an adventure from The Daleks is not a unique thing considering we had a whole cinematic movie come shortly after this novelisation, but presenting the events of this story as the first meeting between the first TARDIS quartet was terrific if not wildly crazy. I really wasn't expecting what we got at the start with an alternative introduction to the Doctor and the TARDIS for Ian and Barbara. The meeting on the Common with a car crash involving Susan and Barbara was a very different way to introduce Ian to them and ultimately the Doctor, but I did really like how the mystery of the Doctor that was present in An Unearthly Child was depicted here. The characterisation of the early First Doctor was fantastic throughout and it really does jump off the page when he just wants to get back to the TARDIS and leave the Thals to be ambushed. The way the book told the story from Ian's perspective was magnificent in the way that it made the story feel somewhat new as we saw things through his eyes. I'm not usually a fan of this approach but considering this was Ian and it was presented as his first encounter with the Doctor and his first venture into Space, I loved it and the uniqueness is what makes Doctor Who novelisations so good. This is a terrific start to kick things off. Of course, my only major issue with this presentation was that we only saw what Ian saw and that denied us that famous first appearance of a Dalek in the form of a shadow enclosing on Barbara. I thought that could have been written well, but it wasn't to be. That's not to say the approach was bad though as I actually really liked getting to read Ian's opinions on how quickly his life changed. I thought it was good to know that he suspected the Doctor from the start about the fluid link not really being drained. The Doctor just wanted to explore the city. It was also a little strange when it came to moments where the TARDIS crew were split up and we didn't get to see what occurred to the other party that didn't join Ian. The description of the petrified jungle was fantastic and I liked how angry the Doctor was when being questioned about the TARDIS and what he knew was scientific fact. The way he came around to seeing things through Ian's eyes was marvellous though because he realised how new everything would be for him. A whole new world opened up for Ian and Barbara and the Doctor realised that now which was lovely. The Daleks themselves were actually something of a back burner for the adventure which was something I didn't expect because the story is named after them after all! It's also their first appearance so for them to not be present for a large chunk of the novel was not what I expected, but that's not a bad thing because the Daleks here are not exactly what we know them to be. They're reliant on static electricity and the presentation of the aftermath of the atomic bomb on Skaro and the war between them and the Thals was magnificent. I really did like that. Another clever element of the book was the subtle way that The Dalek Invasion of Earth and Planet of the Daleks were foreshadowed with Ian wondering what would happen if Susan ever met a man and also the Doctor mentioning visiting grandchildren of the Thals in his future. The deaths of some of the Thals en route to the Dalek city ambush were very good and powerful and I loved the way Ian tried to explain to the Thals why they should fight against the Daleks rather than accept death. Overall, a really great and mightily intriguing read! 

Rating: 8/10