In the world ofDoctor Who, Nicholas Briggs is the man.
Yet even the most astuteDoctor Whofans might be challenged to identify him in a lineup.
And yet, he is a rockstar for Whovians.
He is the voice behind the Daleks and the Cybermen.
Only the two longest running and most infamousDoctor Whovillains.
So who better to write a novel about Daleks than the man himself!
Oh, did we mention he also happens to be an incredible writer?
More on that below.
It turns out that the Daleks threatened to board the physicists ship.
And while this is tragic enough, The Doctor realizes he isnt alone on this ship.
The kids in this story are great.
Sometimes children in stories seem forced and take away from the plot.
But these three are wonderful, clever and interesting.
Especially Ollus, with his ever present spaceship toy.
A toy used a few times by The Doctor to get them out of trouble.
Of course, this is the Eleventh Doctor.
And he adores children.
Sure, she said it about a starwhale but really, she said it about The Doctor.
So very much in character, he musters all of his paternal instinct to care for these children.
He learns that they live on one of the many Sunlight planets created and run by the Daleks.
And they view the Daleks as saviors.
Not a word generally used for these power and murder hungry aliens.
Ad content continues below
Of course this peaks The Doctors interest.
So he speaks out against the Daleks.
Which only leads to allegations of hate crimes, a kangaroo court and the children being taken away.
But these Daleks seem…strange.
They arent exterminating people.
So The Doctor manages to get the children and escape custody.
He then really begins to investigate this strange world where the people think the Daleks are nice.
And what The Doctor discovers is that, on this world, the Daleks ARE nice.
At least as nice as Daleks can be.
The people arent brainwashed and they seem genuinely happy with their lives.
Of course this isnt to say that the Daleks arent up to no good.
It turns out there is great power on this planet that the childrens parents died to protect.
And it seems to be activated by the children.
But how will The Doctor convince this reality show obsessed culture that evil is lurking in their very midst?
Were not going to give the whole thing away.
This was a really fun read.
We had a hard time putting the book down.
And dont worry Whovians.
Nicholas Briggs is very faithful to the character of The Doctor.
Right down to his quirky habits and the way he readjusts his bowtie before kicking ass.
And his gentle, yet tough, approach to handling problems.
And of course, GERONIMO!
The Doctors paternal instincts really shine in this novel in a way that is very genuine to his character.
This is a man who values the miracle of life and it shines throughout the novel.
He may make an awkward guardian, but it is clear he is a caring one.
Nicholas Briggs does an amazing job of capturing the complexity of this very ancient, yet very young man.
It doesnt hurt that Briggs is a Doctor Who insider.
But still, we must give credit where credit is due.
And Briggs is certainly due credit.
The three young children in this book are delightful and add positively to the story.
But we bet youre wondering how well the King of the Daleks wrote the Daleks?
We were very impressed by the Daleks.
We imagine it is very easy and tempting to make them flat characters.
Yet despite acting very out of character, they were still very much Daleks.
And you know how we feel about our Daleks…
So would we recommend this novel?
Its a very fun adventure and an easy read that you will find yourself unable to put down.
It would be a fun read for Whovians and non-Whovians alike.
It is just a really fun adventure novel that doesnt pretend to take itself too seriously.
We tip our fezzes to you sir.
Rating:
4 out of 5
