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 | Reviews for Legacy of the Daleks |
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There are 6 reviews so far. To add a review of your own for this item, visit the voting page.
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| Better, but still not great... |
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| By: | PJ Johnson, Hoddesdon, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Friday 18 February 2005 |
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| Rating: |   8 |
Legacy of the Daleks is certainly a marked improvement after War of the Daleks, but still suffers from John Peel's obsession with linking aspects of his stories with past Dalek stories, and trying to fill in any continuity gaps (Dalek related or otherwise) along the way. Thankfully, however, this book adds to established Who mythology, rather than shattering it. Another considerable point in favour of Legacy of the Daleks (in my opinion anyway) is that is the first Dalek story since Death to the Daleks way back in 1974 not to feature Davros!
The concept of a direct sequel to The Dalek Invasion of Earth is not inherently a bad one, and some aspects of it are very well-conceived. For example, it is fascinating to see how human civilisation developed following the Dalek invasion, and Peel's depiction of a pseudo-feudal society on the brink of civil war is highly engaging.
As in War of the Daleks, Peel's characterisation in this book is very inconsistent in quality. Again, the Doctor is fairly well written, and his growing concern both for his granddaughter Susan and his missing companion Sam is very believable. Susan herself however, is poorly written. While the problems faced by a Time Lord woman and her ageing human husband are addressed early on in the story, Susan's character seems almost unchanged from her days of travelling with the Doctor, and she shows very little of the maturity one would expect her to have found after living for thirty years in a shattered society amongst humans.
On a more positive note, Sam's 'replacement' in this story, Donna, is a fascinating character, and easily fills the role of temporary companion. There is some wonderful dialogue between her and the Doctor, and it seems a shame that she only features in this story. Donna also reminds me somewhat of Ayaka in War of the Daleks - the strong female character, constantly torn between morality and loyalty - in Ayaka's case, loyalty to the Thal war effort, in Donna's, loyalty to her father.
The inclusion of the Master provides an interesting twist to the proceedings, although even this is not an original idea, harking back to the 1973 TV story Frontier in Space. Peel portrays Roger Delgado's gentleman villain pretty well, although his use of a false identity is annoying to say the least - as in several TV stories from the 80s, the Master assumes a false identity when there is absolutely no need to so! And it seems even more pointless in the case of Legacy of the Daleks, considering that any reader with the slightest knowledge of 70s Doctor Who will guess the true identity of the mysterious Estro long before the 'shock' revelation halfway through the book.
The story’s ending provides a tidy, if rather uninspired account of the Master's degeneration from Delgado's final appearance in Frontier in Space to the mutilated husk we saw in The Deadly Assassin some four years later.
All in all, Legacy of the Daleks is another entertaining novel from John Peel, which unfortunately still relies too heavily on building on established mythology and past stories, which may alienate the casual reader. It is certainly worth reading though, as it provides a satisfying second chapter to the events of The Dalek Invasion of Earth.
John Peel's Doctor Who novels are always well worded and satisfying. They also have something not many newer Doctor Who writers are able to achieve: charm. This book is fun, this book is clever, and the Daleks actually do what they're supposed to do - they're nasty, they're ruthless, and they're realized as the great Doctor Who villains they are. Superb!
I think John Peel gets a bad rap because he writes traditional Doctor Who stories, even some in the Target range. This book should be judged by its own merits, which are many, not by repute. If you enjoy a good, old-fashioned romp with old friends, old enemies and a solid storyline, read this book.
| By: | Merlin, England |
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| Date: | Sunday 25 September 2005 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
Well done John peel for this fantastic well written novel. Becca does a good replacement for Sam and there is a good come back of Susan and the Daleks. Keep the them coming.
| By: | Trevor Smith, Nottingham, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Wednesday 2 April 2008 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
Its all here, The 8th doctor, Susan Forman, the Daleks & guests in a action pact, thrilling adventure. Recommended
| By: | a person, hayfield |
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| Date: | Sunday 21 February 2010 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
This was a very enjoyable, just as good as the previous dalek book war of the daleks, nice to see the master return and his appearance in the deadly assasin explained.
| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
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| Date: | Sunday 3 January 2016 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
This sequel to The Daleks' Invasion of Earth is one for the fans, with plenty of the things one would expect to have the fans going "wow." This is particularly true when The Master turns up. The novel's post-apocalyptic setting works well, with a society rebuilding and going through the typical political problems that seem unavoidable for humans. The novel has quite a bit of death at the end.
