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Doctor Who: War of the Daleks [Paperback]

John Peel
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

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Book Description

6 Oct 1997 Doctor Who
Doctor Who is repairing the Tardis systems when it is swept up by the Quetzel, a garbage ship roving space. When another ship takes the Quetzel by force, the Doctor discovers that he and Sam are not the only unwitting travellers abroad - there is a strangely familiar survival pod in the hold.

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Product details

  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: BBC Books (6 Oct 1997)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0563405732
  • ISBN-13: 978-0563405733
  • Product Dimensions: 17.4 x 11 x 2.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 222,296 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Juvenile, flawed but still fun 5 Dec 2012
Format:Paperback
I have seriously mixed feelings about "War of the Daleks". Despite it being clunky, juvenile and containing the most pointless continuity rewrite in the history of science fiction, it's still the only BBC Doctor Who novel (with the exception of "The Infinity Doctors") that I've read more than once. It's a guilty pleasure, like Godzilla movies. Reading it, you know that it's dumb, but you just can't stop. At least, I can't.

Throughout the novel, John Peel does a great job of showing us how good it could have been, as he breaks up the main plot with small vignettes from the greater galaxy as it grapples with the Dalek threat. These are gripping stuff indeed, epic adventures against an implacable and ruthless foe. The opening scene, a vast battle between the Daleks and Thal special forces, is equally gripping and for some reason reminds me of many of the scenes in Heinlein's "Starship Troopers". If the book had continued along those lines, it would have been superb; miltary SF in the Doctor Who universe is something we really haven't seen before, and Peel infuses the battle scenes with great tension and drama, whether they be between the Daleks and lone security agents, custodial robots or Draconian starships. He proves that he certainly has the ability to write this kind of stuff well, which is why the direction he takes with the rest of the novel is so irritating.

In between the battle scenes, Peel manages to create some very interesting characters and then gives them very little to do. The Doctor, supposedly the hero of the story, literally does nothing to affect the plot at all throughout the entire book. Yes, he gets to solve problems, but it is plain that those problems are largely of no consequence and that most of the events of the novel would have occurred in exactly the same way were he present or not. Given that Peel's characterisation of the Doctor is extremely generic, I'm convinced the book would have been far better had it been written as a standalone book without the Doctor in it at all.

The biggest problem with the book occurs when the plot moves to Skaro, the Dalek homeworld. Since the Doctor blew it up in the TV episode "Remembrance of the Daleks", the fact that it still exists drives what is left of the plot. It's at this point that pretty much all the characters switch their brains off and Peel reveals the real reason the book was written in the first place; to undo the destruction of Skaro as seen on TV. Apparently the creator of the Daleks, Terry Nation, objected to the destruction of the Dalek homeworld, despite okaying it for broadcast (he had script approval and the ability to veto anything he didn't like), and Peel took it upon himself to "undo" that event. To do so, he concocts the most bizarre, convoluted, risky and ultimately pointless conspiracy I've ever come across, rewrites over a decade of Doctor Who history and makes both the Doctor and Davros (the mad scientist who first engineered the Daleks) look like complete idiots. When the book was first published, the sound of Dalek fans all over the world going "huh?" was almost deafening. After waiting years for a new Dalek adventure, to be presented with something so mediocre that showed the skeleton of the classic it could have been was almost too much to take.

And yet I keep re-reading it, almost as if I keep hoping that since the last time it'll have metamorphosed into the book it should have been. It's the literary equivalent of a dumb popcorn movie, complete with spectacular set pieces, implausible plot and dodgy acting. If I can keep my brain stunned into silence for the duration, I enjoy it. It's only when I start asking questions that I realise how bad this thing is. Still, if you - like me - love the Daleks and have been starved of new adventures for years, you could do worse than pick this up. Just don't say I didn't warn you.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Dalek victory 11 Jan 2008
By T?M
Format:Paperback
This book was a great read. The Doctor and Davros are well written by John Peel who seems to be really enjoying writing for them. It is so easy to picture davros screaming in anger and the description of the war between the Daleks and the Thals is fantastic. The only slight criticism of this book was that Davros is pretty firmly killed off at the end. However all in all this book comes highly recommended
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars A complex disappointment 30 Dec 1998
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Being the first original Dalek story since the TV series ended, John Peel's "War of the Daleks" has a lot to live up to. Unfortunately the result is a rather complex story which does not seem to present the Daleks terribly well. The characterisations of the Doctor and his companions is carried out rather well but the book attempts to explain various events in Dalek history as seen on TV. The result is the Doctor explaining everything at length on several occasions and the 'War' when it comes seems somewhat left out. Good but not a Dalek classic.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars War of the Daleks
War of the Daleks was the first novel to feature the infamous foes since the TV show was cancelled in 1987. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Steve White
5.0 out of 5 stars War of the Worlds
A great story which continues on from the last classic dalek story, remembrance of the daleks, so it's helpful if you have watched remembrance of the daleks. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Andrew50
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read
An excellent read! It was interesting from start to finish.It continues the Dalek civil war and I was pleased to see the return of Davros.Reccommended
Published on 19 Feb 2009 by Mrs. Ann Miller
4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, but so complex...
John Peel's War of the Daleks is undeniably a fascinating and entertaining read, but it is far from easy going, and the finer complexities of the plot will no doubt be lost on... Read more
Published on 21 Nov 2004 by P. J. Johnson
4.0 out of 5 stars The great War
This was one of the first original Doctor Who books that I bought. I thought that it was pure fun but also had some very serious elements that kept the pace fresh. Read more
Published on 18 Aug 2004 by "mez1985"
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read and a solid story
I have about 20 pages left of this book to read and I have enjoyed every minute of it. I personally think this is a solid Dr Who story which connects many Dalek stories together to... Read more
Published on 24 Jan 2003 by C. Price
2.0 out of 5 stars Why make it so complicated?
A new Dalek adventure should have been great, but there's very little to get excited about here. It's slow, slow, slow all the way. Read more
Published on 22 Sep 2001 by finna
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent rationalisation of Dalek history.
Ever since 'Destiny of the Daleks' was broadcast in 1979, there have been a whole series of unanswered questions about the Doctor's oldest foes. Read more
Published on 29 Aug 2001
3.0 out of 5 stars Nice to see the Daleks again
It's nice to see the Daleks and Davros once more. However, it's not the best DW novel that I have read and it's all quite samey. Lots of battles and all that. Read more
Published on 17 May 2001
5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Excellent
An excellent read if you enjoy DALEK stories. Well thought out with a nice twist or two. Davros - creator of Evil & now it's naunting him
Published on 3 Nov 2000 by Gaz
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