Customer Reviews

The Dalek Survival Guide (Dr Who)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book reveals the long-suspected truth that "Dr Who" is the dramatised biography of the mysterious time traveller known only as, "The Doctor" and that the Daleks really exist. True this book has its faults: it's aimed at the dedicated Dalek scholar rather than members of the lay public, there are no photographs among the illustrations and its cover price is a little high...

...But I can assure you that when I read the account of Miss Francine Mole - trapped with a Dalek in a mine on Kemble and forced to ride her "so unyielding and proud" companion to freedom - I was quite overcome. In fact it was several minutes before I could compose myself, wipe the tears from my eyes and continue reading.

Did you know that the Post Office can supply form DS-159/G-1 which should be filled out should you ever spot a Dalek? (Though if you do be prepared to fill in how many previous sightings you've filed turned out to be false alarms!)

Such is the content of this great little book. It covers subjects such as a "know your enemy" spotters guide, through what one should do if faced with a Dalek, and finally a section devoted to facts, figures and FAQs.

Peppered throughout are a wealth of amusing illustrations ranging from palaeolithic cave paintings depicting flint-speared battles against Daleks, through to detailed diagrams describing which appendages are best avoided...

The overall tone of this book is that of typical quirky British humour. It may jar with some hardcore Who fans due to the light hearted approach it takes to the subject, but that only helps to make it accessible to everyone else!

The target audience is undoubtably 30 and 40-somethings who have grown up with Dalek stories, and hence have the right mix of nostalgic affection for the jokes to find their mark.

If Dr.Who elicits childhood memories of hiding behind the sofa at your grandparent's house on Saturday evenings, then you NEED this book.

However, for a small book with 158 pages in a fairly large and well spaced font, a four star rating simply has to be the maximum given its price...

Well done, somebody has finally written something about Doctor Who that means something to rest of us - I'm not a Doctor Who fan, and somebody bought me the book after I said that the Daleks were the scarriest monsters I could remember from my childhood. But I'm really glad they did 'cos it's a very funny read with some lovely little illustrations and a good mix between humour and TV based fact.

Lovely little book, and great fun to read. I particularly liked the descriptions and more specifically the drawing of Dalek patrols (and the alien life form involved), the way to survive an encounter, or even get carried by a Dalek (in fact this made me need to wipe my eyes as well, just like another reviewer). Although in black and white the drawings were good too. Too bad though that it is somewhat out of date, but the observations on the source material are still valid. The BBC documentary series on the Daleks was a nice finding. Credit is given where it is due, although the format leaves no space to also credit designers. If there is a thing I missed, it was the Dalek mission that was mentioned in a documentary on one of the Classic Dalek DVD's (I think it was on The Chase) with the thrice mentioned supreme being mission statement. But that is a small issue on the whole. Well worth buying.

In the slightly unlikely circumstances of a Dalek invasion, this little black book may be the only thing between you and painful EX-TER-MIN-ATION! Detailing the often conflicting background information about the Daleks along with a spotter's guide to all types of known Dalek.

The content is peppered with black-and-white illustrations (some very funny, like Daleks carefully watching the dodgems at a fairground... well, you had to be there) and the discussion varies from geek facts to humourous asides. Find out how to survive if you get trapped in a collapsed mine with a lone Dalek for company.

I was a bit disappointed I have to admit...I wanted the book to be written as 'factual' material, much in the same way the Dalek annuals in the 1970s were, featuring the ADF (Anti Dalek Force).

Instead it's a comedy book, with Francine Mole's kama sutra positions with a Dalek, and Ogrons on Tricycles, and Dalek detection devices being tripped by butterflies. I mean, I love the book purely for the subject material it addresses, because I love the Daleks. I've given it five stars. But if I wanted a laugh I'd watch The Royle Family.

I was quite looking forward to this book, then I bought it.
Quite how the BBC could expect to charge...[the price] for this 15 minute read is....amazing. No photographic content, just a few black and white drawings (and as for the charactures of Terry Nation and Doctor 4, words fail me), the laughs I thought would be forthcoming didn't, and the casual reader would probably be lost with the references to non-television stuff. On the whole, a sadly wasted opportunity. Hire from the local library. I just hope this is not a taste of the special releases for next year.