Doctor Who and the Genesis of the Daleks

Doctor Who Target Books (Numerical Order) #27

by Terrance Dicks

The place: Skaro

Time: The Birth of the Daleks

After a thousand years of futile war against the Thals, DAVROS has perfected the physical form that will carry his race into eternity – the dreaded DALEK. Without feeling, conscience or pity, the Dalek is programmed to EXTERMINATE. At the command of the Time Lords, DOCTOR WHO travels back through time in an effort to totally destroy this terrible menace of the future.

But even the Doctor cannot always win …

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Fiction, Time Travel, Audiobook, Space, Childrens

Paperback

First published July 22, 1976

About the author

Terrance Dicks was an English author, screenwriter, script editor, and producer best known for his extensive contributions to Doctor Who. Serving as the show's script editor from 1968 to 1974, he helped shape many core elements of the series, including the concept of regeneration, the development of the Time Lords, and the naming of the Doctor’s home planet, Gallifrey. His tenure coincided with major thematic expansions, and he worked closely with producer Barry Letts to bring a socially aware tone to the show. Dicks later wrote several Doctor Who serials, including Robot, Horror of Fang Rock, and The Five Doctors, the 20th-anniversary special.
In parallel with his television work, Dicks became one of the most prolific writers of Doctor Who novelisations for Target Books, authoring over 60 titles and serving as the de facto editor of the range. These adaptations introduced a generation of young readers to the franchise. Beyond Doctor Who, he also wrote original novels, including children’s horror and adventure series such as The Baker Street Irregulars, Star Quest, and The Adventures of Goliath.
Dicks also worked on other television programmes including The Avengers, Moonbase 3, and various BBC literary adaptations. His later work included audio dramas and novels tied to Doctor Who. Widely respected for his clarity, imagination, and dedication to storytelling, he remained a central figure in Doctor Who fandom until his death in 2019, leaving behind a vast legacy in television and children's literature.

Reviews

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Do I have the right?' said the Doctor simply.

Considered one of the best Doctor Who stories of all time, Dicks novelization of this brilliant Fourth Doctor adventure would have been the only way to enjoy this tale for fans back in the 1970's.

I was first enraptured by this serial during a repeat airing on BBC 2 in February 2000 and have enjoyed this story on many multiple occasions since, it's even had a blu-ray release!
But there's a wonderful charm about these target and hope more get republished.

But why is this story so great?
Well it has one of the best TARDIS teams in the Fourth Doctor, Sarah Jane and Harry whilst adds an extra layer of mythology to the Daleks by introducing their creator Davros to the series.

The story is a simple hypothetical dilemma of being asked to travel back to the birth of an evil child and killing them before they grew to wreck such evil.
That is the unethical question posed to The Doctor by the Time Lords as the transport him to the Daleks home planet of Skaro.

I know this story so well that I lapped up every page of Dicks perfect description, including my favourite scene of The Doctor recounting previous Dalek defeats in his earlier incarnations.
This was a joy to read and just as good as re-watching this story for the the hundredth time.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

When the Time Lords highjack the Doctor's transmat beam and send him back in time to stop Davros from creating the Daleks, he has no choice but to comply. Unfortunately, Skaro is a wasteland, torn apart by the war between the Thals and the Kaleds, and The Doctor and Harry are soon separated from Sarah Jane and fine themselves on opposite sides of the conflict. Can the Doctor prevent the creation of the Daleks and save his friends?

So what am I doing reading the novelization of a classic Doctor Who episode featuring the Fourth Doctor? Well, Joyland is taking the slow boat from Toledo so I needed something short to fill the void. Luckily, Kemper sent me this for Christmas.

The writing is what you'd expect in a media tie-in book, pretty spare and workmanlike. It's pretty light on description. I'd say Terrance Dicks captured the characters pretty well but since he had the TV script to work from, that probably didn't take much effort.

Since I've never seen this Tom Baker episode, I was pleasantly surprised by the twists. Once the Dalek action kicked off, I was entertained enough to keep reading. Since 30% of the Doctor Who stories after this one feature the Daleks, there was little doubt things wouldn't be all fish fingers and custard at the end of the story.

Genesis of the Daleks was a fun diversion for a couple hours but I'm more than ready for Joyland to arrive.

[Jan-Maat]

Good grief I read a lot of these Doctor Who novelizations when I was a lad. I am not convinced that hindsight was necessary to sense that none of them were particularly good. The TV series was strongly formulaic and I don't recall any of the book versions pushing at the bounds in any way. My preference was for Second Doctor Stories, there was one with Yeti and fog in Northern line tube stations that had a nice mix of shabby London reality and science fiction (by lucky raiding of electrical shops on Tottenham Court Road the Doctor managed to save the day of course). The main virtue of this novelization over the TV series is that you can imagine Davos to be alive rather than an unconvincing BBC prop, otherwise there is a nice grim feeling as to how far the sides have devolved in their ongoing war which comes off slightly richer in print than on-screen.

Best enjoyed at a certain age, possibly between nine and twelve. The basic premise is that the Time Lords are vexed at the Doctor for being the Doctor and so have punished him by removing the unreliable Tardis and giving him the dreary Time Ring instead and obliged him and his companions to carry out pointless missions on their behalf, rather than using their time travelling powers to send an early intervention team to the household of the young Doctor and helping him to grow up to be a more socially acceptable if less media friendly Time Lord. So in this case they banish him to war torn Skaros to prevent the Genesis of the Daleks, obviously he is going to fail otherwise various 'previous' Dalek adventures would have to unhappen so the question as per usual is not if the Doctor and the Daleks survive but how.

Perhaps the formula here is actually good for young readers. There is no risk, so the reader is safe, they can cope with the challenges of words and sentences and paragraphs without worrying about whether the hero survives, it's not like throwing a child into Blood Meridian or the Iliad and assuming they will swim out a reader, or indeed alive. Perhaps these books for me functioned as a gateway drug leading me into bigger, fatter science fiction novels, its hard to say so many years on. They are popcorn or crisp books (depending on your choice of unhealthy low nutrition snack) you can chomp these things down but they don't have much to offer.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a novelization of the fourth serial of the twelfth season of Doctor Who, which was broadcast in March and April of 1975. It is one of the most popular episodes of the classic run of the series, and this novelization is the top-selling title from the entire Target series. Terrance Dicks, the most prolific and popular of the shows' adapters, wrote the book based on the teleplay of one of the most popular and famous scriptwriters, Terry Nation, creator of the Daleks in 1963. It stars the most popular (yes, it's a theme) Doctor, the fourth, and his companions journalist Sarah Jane Smith and Harry Sullivan (who was also a doctor, but not a The Doctor if you follow.) It's a story in which the Time Lords set The Doctor the task of returning in time to prevent the creation of the Daleks (yes, the most popular antagonists) to forestall a future in which they conquer the universe. It's a variation of the classic "Should we kill baby Hitler?" time travel question, with The Doctor introspectively questioning his rights and motivations frequently. The ending is left a little ambiguous, so the watcher (and reader) can draw their own conclusion. It's one of the best adaptations and stories from the era, and is still most enjoyable. To exterminate or not to exterminate...that is the question! This edition is the fourth in a series of ten that Pinnacle Books released to introduce the character and show to the North American audience. Prior exposure had been low and intermittent. They commissioned Harlan Ellison to write an introduction, which he did with considerable verve and enthusiasm.

[Roger Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a firm fan favourite. One of the classic Who stories of the era.
Terrance Dicks delivers an exciting tale of morality. If you have the chance to wipe out the most evil species in the universe, should you, and do you have the right. An important question faced by the Doctor.
Played by Tom Baker when televised and acted to perfection.
Most fans will already know everything there is to know about Genesis of the Daleks and if you don't, then read the book. If you don't you will be EXTERMINATED.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had these books when they were published, wonderful to re-visit this classic tale and picture the action in my mind. The Dr, Harry and Sarah-Jane. Quite a combination against Davros and the Daleks.

[Thibault Busschots · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most beloved Doctor Who stories for a reason. Stays very loyal to the original script.

[Terence · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this and the other two Dr. Who novels I recently added to my shelves in an SFBC 3-in-1 edition (Doctor Who: Revenge of the Cybermen and Doctor Who and the Loch Ness Monster) soon after my local PBS station in St. Louis began showing "Doctor Who" episodes. It was the late '70s so I'm a Tom Baker Whovian - like your first love, all the other Doctor Whos are just never the same (though, I did like Christopher Eccleston in the reanimated series; I wish he had stayed more than 1 season).

[Ashly Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Synopsis

The Doctor, along with his companions Sarah and Harry, are trapped on the planet Skaro where a war has torn the surroundings as well as many of the inhabitants to absolute shreds. But, something is happening, something that changed the world forever: This is when and where the daleks were born. Will everyone make it off Skaro alive?

This novel is based on a Doctor Who story which was originally broadcast from 8 March–12 April 1975.

Doctor Who and the Genesis of the Daleks by Terrance Dicks

★★★
Genre: Science Fiction
Release Date: 1976
Source: Barnes & Noble – Bought
On My Shelf: Yes

I originally picked up this book because I’m a huge fan of the 4th doctor without even realizing that this was based off an actual episode of Doctor Who. I should have known better, since many of the old books are simply novelizations of the episodes, but I didn’t even think about it until I was about 1/3 of the way through this. I will say that it’s kind of nice that the most (if not all?) of the DW episodes have been novelized since it can often be hard (at least here in America) to get ahold of the episodes, but I’m not a huge fan of reading novelizations of TV shows unless they’re really well done, and that affected my reading of this.

I’m not saying that this was bad or that I didn’t enjoy it completely, it’s just that it weighted my experience. I found this satisfying to read, but I didn’t find myself wanting to pick this up without a bit of a struggle. I enjoyed the story and always do enjoy those extra tidbits you get from being more inside the characters head, but I don’t always feel like this adds much since, if the actors and writers of the show do their job, there shouldn’t be much extra that is going on past what the watcher of the show already perceives/understands. And so, even though Dicks was a writer on the show (and on this specific episode), I didn’t feel like the novelization added anything extra.

Now, I haven’t actually watched (despite owning a DVD copy of) this episode. I don’t know if that also affected my reading of this, but I’m nearly positive that I will enjoy watching this more than I did reading this. This might, though, be a personal thing as I often only read books based off shows when they give us new story lines and fresh adventures, and this book didn’t give me that.

Also, the writing wasn’t awesome. It was alright, but nothing that I was mesmerized by. I’m not bashing Dicks (okay…I’m actually 12 and yes I totally know what I just wrote there so shut up about it I died laughing too…), but his writing just didn’t really do much for me. It was satisfactory, but not novel-worthy. I think that he did an absolute awesome job writing for the show, but I think his talents really cater to screenwriting and not novel-writing.

Overall, I didn’t think this was terrible or anything and I’d still recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading novelizations, but it just wasn’t great for me.

Review originally published on my Wordpress blog Ashly Reads.

[stormhawk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Novelization of what I think is the best Dalek episode. The mix of action and tension is just right as the Doctor is ordered by the Time Lords to thwart their development at the time of their beginnings.

[Leo H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good, something about Dick's straightforward, no-nonsense style fits the grim, gun metal fascism of this story perfectly.

[Paul Barnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

[Target] (1976). SB. 140 Pages. Purchased from Zardoz Books.

An entertaining adaptation of the well regarded, six part (March/April 1975) Tom Baker series.

Clumsily written in places by the prolific Terrance Dicks (67 Target novelisations).

Explores some heavyweight themes in the course of a cartoonish adventure.

[Matthew Kresal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genesis of the Daleks stands tall among Doctor Who stories. No matter what the media, from its original TV incarnation to its soundtrack and even this novelization, the word iconic can be used to describe it. Frequently repeated and re-released, it’s a striking piece of work. Not to mention that its combination of Tom Baker’s Doctor and its telling the origins of the series greatest villains helped to push its novelization into being the bestselling Doctor Who book of its time. Yet, beyond nostalgia, how does this prose version of Genesis of the Daleks hold up?

Like so many of the best novelizations, some of what made the TV version work so well as present here. The cast of characters that Terry Nation created most of all, from Davros and Nyder to Sevrin and Bettan, with minor bits of expansion for many of them. The atmosphere is present and correct, particularly in the early chapters set in the wasteland that took up much of the opening installment of the televised serial. The description from Dicks of the trenches lined with bodies (seen through the eyes of Sarah) goes farther than the TV version could have dared gone. There’s moments of slight alteration, revealing perhaps original intentions, including having Tom Baker’s Doctor employing Venusian aikido in an effort to ward off Thal attackers later in the same sequence and a linking scene between the part three cliffhanger and the opening scene of part four. Indeed, for someone who counts the TV version as a favorite but wondered about those journeys back and forth between domes and bunkers, Dicks offers some nicely executed linking sections between on-screen sequences. Dicks doesn’t go as far on expansions as either a number of his fellow authors or indeed his own earlier (or even much later) novelizations, but those moments help make (re)reading this a worthwhile experience.

Which is a positive because, otherwise, this is very much a standard Target novelization from Dicks. It’s fast paced, to be sure, and clicks along nicely at 140 odd pages. But it’s that same pace and the tendency towards pulp prose that also lets the novelization down in places. Moments that lose the emphasis they had on-screen, say, where Dicks is more focused on a need to get readers of all ages to flip. It’s something which leaves a number of supporting characters such as Gharman and Ronson feeling like fodder for the Daleks instead of sympathetic characters. The final scenes with Davros, the Kaled Scientific Elite, and the Daleks in the bunker are further examples of this with the Daleks mowing down characters left and right without much impact. It’s a shame given the strength of what Dicks had to work from even just off of Nation’s original script.

Yet when Dicks wanted to, he could deliver those powerful moments. The iconic scene of the Doctor holding the wires, realizing the moral dilemma literally in his hands, is every bit as powerful in prose as on-screen. The Daleks, too, are wonderfully presented with the final sequence of them turning on their creator likewise well-realized on the page (and with Dicks coming up with a neat in-universe reason for why we witness that final Dalek speech). Perhaps it was a case of Dicks having to choose what to focus on with the limited page and word count of the Target novelizations, but the realization of those moments highlight how insufficient other parts of it weren’t.

A classic novelization, one worthy of its bestseller status? Not quite as the quality of Dicks prose proves, separated from nostalgia at least. What remains is an immensely readable novelization, one that captures some of its source material’s strengths and its iconic moments in prose. Even if it doesn’t quite reach those heights often enough.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to a myriad of media releases and repeats, "Genesis of the Daleks" is a story that's never been very far from the zeitgeist of Doctor Who fans. Regarded as one of the finest installments in the series long run (classic or new), it's one that many fans (including this one) can recite key moments from (especially those on the abridged LP released in the '70s and re-released on every possible format since).

Knowing the key dialogue from these moments only makes the differences between what we saw on-screen and what Terrance Dicks adapts to the page stand out a bit more. It's clear that Dicks is working from an earlier draft of the script since the cliffhangers are moved about and fall in different places than we see on-screen. (The lore has it that the cliffhanger to episode five was supposed to be the famous "Do I have the right?" speech and not the Doctor battling an uncased Dalek mutant). But while minor moments are different, Dicks is still able to do justice to this undisputed classic when it comes to translating it to the printed page.

Dicks is able to condense a bit of the running back and forth between the Kaled and Thal cities (it's a six-parter, so there's a lot of running about) and he even makes the three corridors sets that double as both cities seem more expansive than they are on-screen. And while Dicks can't quite capture how great Michael Wisher is in creating Davros, he is still able to convey the menace and tragedy of the character here.

While this script is Terry Nation's finest hour for Doctor Who, it isn't necessarily Terrance Dicks' finest hour in the Target line. But you can still tell that Dicks has put some care and time into crafting this story for the printed page. It's certainly miles better than many of the adaptations to come during the fourth Doctor's tenure.

The audiobook of this one is quite good. Jon Culshaw does his usual great work at imitating Tom Baker. Wisely, Culshaw doesn't try to sound exactly like the screen versions of each character and his performance here continues to cement him as one of the better readers in this range. And, of course, Nick Briggs is on-hand to give us authentic Dalek voices.

All-in-all, this is another solid audiobook in this range and I find myself beginning to become nostalgic as the end of the range looms nearer.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genesis of the Daleks does scoop it up big for me in the nostalgia stakes but this Target novelisation just didn't figure in the jamboree. I loved the 6 part tv story. I've stil got associated memories of watching the first episode aged 9. I read the novelisation way back in that other plane of existence known as the 70s but barring its occupation of a line in an ancient diary it passed me by. Collector of the Genesis of the Daleks nostalgia jackpot was a vinyl LP of the condensed soundtrack which I won from a competition in Doctor Who weekly in 1979. I played that LP to death. My sister would often announce herself with a plaintive 'Doctaa....Haaarry'. I've still got that LP. Genesis also got repeated quite often so the pre-VCR enjoyment of the show wasn't nearly so reliant on the Target novelisation. Which is probably just as well as Terrance Dicks turns in as mechanical a rendition of the script to page as possible. He almost sparks into action describing the war torn landscape of Skaro in the first pages but as soon as he's got some dialogue to transcribe the fire leaves him and he gets down to the grind. His other big chance for me would be the scariest segments of the story in the Kaled mutant incubation room. But he doesn't make any effort beyond what the original notes in the script asked for. With Daleks popular again in the modern series it's amazing to think that there was a time when the little pepperpots became unloved and that a writer like Dicks could devote so little creative effort to his novelisation. After Genesis they would only appear properly in four more stories before the show felt the axe in 1989.

[evie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmm. Where to start.

This is literally an (almost) word-for-word adaptation of the episode. It isn't a good one. The prose is basic and simplistic, bringing moments that were incredible to watch on screen (I'm talking about Davros' power speech) into very flat and missable moments. I suppose that happens to any screen-to-page adaptation, especially when the episodes like this one have a lot of action, but still. There is little thought put into the writing, and overall, if this was an adaptation of a lesser episode there would be no point in reading. However, Genesis of the Daleks is one of the best episodes of Classic Who, so the plot was strong. Literally, just go watch the episode instead, you're not missing much.

HOWEVER, in reading this I have finally paid off the sins of 8-year-old me who accidentally stole this from my primary school's library yonks ago. So that's nice.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the classics. The setting is grim and the situation for our heroes looks hopeless as the they are sent back to witness and hopefully prevent the birth of the Daleks.
and it's a great read.

Davros is a great creation that after a couple appearances the writers couldn't figure out what to do with, but in this story, he is in all his scary meglomaniacy glory. you really feel the Doctor may have met his match, or at least his equal.


The Daleks = nazi subtext wears thin, as you really get hit over the head with it, but otherwise a great Who story.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genesis of the dalek is my favourite episode of Doctor Who. It's the one I always watch when I am in need of comfort. I don't have comfort food, I have comfort daleks. I think it's one of Terry Nations best scripts. Introducing Davros, the endless post apocalyptic war, the Doctor's moral deliemas. The fact that ultimately they can't stop the daleks, just delay them a little. It's a very good episode. Because of that I enjoyed the book, it's not got any great details or extra description but reading it makes it easy to picture in your mind and therefore is a very nice way to go to sleep.

[Enikő · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent story. I really liked it! It was great to spend time with the Doctor again, and I think that Terrance Dicks writes really well.

"Do I have the right?" Gotta love the Doctor!

[Jacob Licklider · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s honestly surprising that I would be taking a look at Doctor Who and the Genesis of the Daleks now, about a month after Big Finish Productions releases their ‘adaptation’ of Terry Nation’s original drafts in Daleks: Genesis of Terror!, so the story itself has been on my mind. This is not a review of the Big Finish adaptation, but it is interesting that in novelizing the story Terrance Dicks does make an attempt to incorporate some of Nation’s original ideas. The Kaled and Thal armies are portrayed as quite young which adds this very melancholic air to the story that wasn’t there in the television story, Dicks really understanding what makes the script work and adapting it in this way is a fascinating way to get the story out on home media. This novelization was released in 1976, only a year after the television serial broadcast, and the original serial was commissioned under Terrance Dicks and Barry Letts’ last batch of stories. While it would go under the pen of Robert Holmes for script editing and Hinchcliffe producing, Dicks still had a strong connection by nature of being there for early pre-production and that shines through in this novelization.

The prose somehow manages to accurately capture the direction of David Maloney, especially in the way that it portrays the scenes set in no man’s land, Dicks being incredibly vivid and frank about presenting the deaths of the soldiers. While this is clearly a book aimed at children, as are the rest of the novelizations, Dicks isn’t compromising the darker aspects of the serial, attempting to amplify the horror of radiation and Davros’ genetic experiments. Nyder and Davros’ scheming and betrayals of the rest of the Kaleds still hits the difficult beats to portray and the Doctor’s dilemma is nicely portrayed. The issues come in the fact that Doctor Who and the Genesis of the Daleks has to almost compress things in places, as due to the popularity of Genesis of the Daleks means that Dicks attempts to keep every event while adding more moments, such as an extension to Davros’ death where it is made explicit that there, his body is completely destroyed which made sense as it was clear that the character wasn’t intended to come back. There are also just these added extra moments that means the pace has to almost rush to get to the ending without expanding the page count, when it’s so clear Dicks is having fun writing the novelization.

Overall, Doctor Who and the Genesis of the Daleks while being a step down from the televised version of the story still maintains the artistic integrity and purpose of the story unlike other versions made to capitalize on its popularity. It was the only way to experience the story for at least five years until the first LP release, and is helped by Terrance Dicks’ mastery of prose. 8/10.

[Jason Bleckly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Based on a script by Terry Nation this is number 27 in the Target catalogue. The first cover is by Chris Achilleos. The second is by Alister Pearson. The third cover is by David Mann and is number 4 in the Pinnacle series.

I don’t normally say much about the covers, but on this occasion, I’ve got to say I absolutely love the Alister Pearson one. All of them are good, even the Pinnacle has the Daleks reasonable accurate. But Alister’s Davros is a cut above. The way he’s angled and the use of shadow, with the muted foggy colour palette. Davros is just so sinister looking, in comparison to the Chris Achilleos cover in which Davros is brightly lit in a yellow wash.

Anyhow, the story. I think everyone would agree this in one of the most significant stories in Classic Who. It’s not my personal favourite, that’s Pyramids of Mars, but its importance is without question.

Terrance handles this novelisation beautifully in my opinion. All of the key plot elements are there. This is a 6-episode story that I never feel drag when I watch it. And because all of the plot is crammed into the normal Target length the book absolutely rips along,

There is just so much going on in this story. There’s the conflict between the Thals and the Kaleds. The conflict between the mutos and the norms. The conflict between Davros’ supporters and those with a conscience within the Kaled Elite forces. And the birth of the Dalek’s with their conflict with everything not Dalek. This story has so many layers. The Nazi parallel is a little to obvious, and was from day one of the broadcast, but I think it works for how Daleks could come about.

One thing I was slightly disappointed in is the scene with Davros interrogating the Doctor. Terrance syies away from actually torturing Sarah and Harry. It’s just threatened, whereas the broadcast actually has them mildly tortured before the Doctor relents and talks. And the thought experiments the Doctor puts to Davros at the end of the scene is there in the book, but slightly reworded. I think the way it’s delivered in the broadcast version is slightly better organised with Davros insane megalomania slowly escalating as he ponders the question.

But this is a must have book for any Whovian. I will re-visit it many times.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

あらすじ

トランスマットでターディスを停めている宇宙ステーションに移動中、ドクターとサラとハリーはタイムロードによってダーレク誕生前夜スカロに送り込まれ、ダーレク誕生を阻止するかもしくは今のように攻撃的にならないようになんらかの手を打つという任務を言い渡される。ドクター達はカレド族とサール族の戦場の真っ只中で攻撃に巻き込まれ、ドクターとハリーはカレド族の捕虜に、サラはサール族の捕虜に。ドクターはカレド族の科学者の一人ローランドからダブロスのダーレク開発実験に対する懸念をきかされ、ダブロスの研究をとめるべきだとカレド族の政府に伝えて欲しいと頼まれる。一方、サラはサール族がカレド族を滅ぼすために建造している爆弾の製造に駆り出される。そこでダブロスのダーレク実験の失敗作として野に捨てられたミュータントのサブリンと同じく捕虜となっていたカレド族の兵士と共謀し脱走を試みる。

感想

不干渉をルールとしながらドクターにダーレク誕生を阻止する任務を押し付けるタイムロードのお偉いさん。ダーレクが巻き起こす悲劇を熟知しているからこそ引き受けてしまうドクター。とはいえ、スカロに無理やり送り込まれているし、ターディスからは引き離されているし、大変な任務なのにバックアップも送らずドクターに一人にやらせるなんて、タイムロードのお偉いさんたちって本当に非情で無責任と初っ端から腹が立ってしまう。サール族も、1000年以上続いた戦争で荒んでいたとはいえ、やることかんらいエグい。前に８thドクターがサール族の生存者に自分たちが戦闘に特化していく種族になったのがドクターのせいだと責めるシーンがあったけれど、この時のことを言っているなら、言いがかりもいいところな気がする。ダブロスの暴走を許してしまう下地はあったとはいえ、カレド族もダーレク誕生を懸命に止めようとしていたというくだりは、はっとさせられたというか、なかなかショッキングだった。そういう動きがカレド族にあったとそれまで考えもしなかった。ダブロスも結局のところしっぺ返しをくらうわけだけれども、その後々に起こることを思えば素直に喜べないし。

ダーレクの誕生を完全に阻止する機会は何度か訪れるけれども、そのたびにドクターが「自分にそんな権利があるのか」とひどく悩むので、結局その機会は流れていってしまう。サラ・ジェーン・スミスさえドクターのためらいにショックを受け、なぜダーレクを滅ぼすのをためらうのか苛立ちさえする。これは読みながら、確かにどうするべきなのか悩まずにはいられない。”ダーレクが存在することよって生まれた良いこともたくさんある。ダーレクを消すことはそこから生まれた良いことも消し去ることになる”というドクターの言葉は重い。確かにダーレクがもたらした悲劇によって生まれた愛や友情、モラルの再確認もあっただろう。”最悪”に立ち向かうこと、省みることで生まれた"

善”、一瞬の改心など無数のドラマが生じたはずでそれらも消し去っていいのか、と。簡単には答えはだせない。短絡的に考えてはいけない。短絡的な解決法にとびついてはいけない。そもそも短絡的にならなけらば”自分の種族以外は悪だから滅ぼす”という発想もないはずだからダーレクも違った存在になれていたかもしれない。カレド族はダーレクの研究は良い目的のためというダブロスの言葉を信じていたが、DNA実験や実験の結果生まれた"命”を失敗作する姿勢は命を軽んじていて、そこの倫理感から判断すればダブロスのいう”善”とは何か疑う機会はいくらでもあったかもしれない。はたして実際に自分が直面した時、そこを疑えるか、後に後悔することのないモラルを守り続けることができるか、謝った知識に踊らされてはいないか、フェイク・ニュースなどの話を聞いているとやはりその難しさを思い知る。そういったことをいろいろと考えさせられるお話で、今後ダーレクの見方も変わりそうだ。結局のところドクターは任務に失敗したと思えるのだが、ラストシーンでドクターがサラに語る言葉に、もしやこの任務は無駄ではなかったのだろうかと思わせてくれるくだりがある。

いろいろと深いなぁ、Doctor Who。

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unquestionable classic in the vast realms of the Whoniverse, I am possibly more familiar with this story than any other in the whole series. In fact the quartet of "Ark In Space, Sontaran Experiment, Genesis of the Daleks, Revenge of the Cybermen" remain my comfort watches. It seems astounding that this is Tom Baker's FIRST series as the Doctor.

But, to this telling of it. Again we have Terrance Dick's faithful novelisation of Terry Nation's scripts, so we're in good hands. Dick's own mark on the story, the thoughts and feelings of the characters, enhance the tale subtly. It's my familiarity with the television version that makes me realise how excellent John Culshaw is at his telling of it; certain nuances in his characterisations suggest to me that he has studied the broadcast version very closely. He's no slave to it, of course and his Fourth Doctor being spot-on goes without saying, but on hearing his interpretation of supporting characters such as Sevrin, for example, IT brought to my mind the actual actors from the screen. And he has absolutely nailed Michael Wisher as Davros; the sibilance, the switch from whisper to stridance. Spine chilling.

I'd forgotten how neatly this ties into the original Dalek story so well, for all its controversy at the time. The Thals will reject any form of war to become the peace-loving simple folk living off the land (though that soon changes thanks... er ... to the Doctor) and the Daleks will leave their creator and creation far behind to become the evil menace we're all familiar with. Over the millenia the name Kaled will be forgotten. Best draw a veil over the Mutos.

Thoroughly recommend.

[Thomas Radigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first Doctor Who episode novelization that I read, and the best one written by author Terrance Dicks. This is the story of how the Time Lords send the Doctor and his companions to Skaro at the time of the Daleks' creation, hoping to stop them from existing, or at least making them a less dangerous race.

Skaro has already survived a total war between two nations, the Kaleds and the Thals, each nation confined to two supercities shooting at each other, with both on the point of collapse. At the story's beginning, the Doctor and Harry Sullivan end up being captured and taken to the laboratory of Davros, the mutated scientist whose idea is to create travelling machines that mutated Kaleds could survive in, while Sarah Jane Smith is captured by the Thals and taken to their city to forcibly work on a rocket which the Thals intend to use on the other city to hopefully end the war forever.

Davros's plans are enough to frighten even his masters, and they try to stop him-but Davros is without a conscience and willingly betrays both his own people and the Thals to carry them out. Even with that complication, can the Doctor and his companions still carry out their mission against the Daleks, or is their cause hopeless? Time will tell...

This novelization follows the TV episode with little embellishment, and it works beautifully. Strongly recommended to Dr. Who fans.

[Gareth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somewhere between a 4 and a 5 - a good novelisation of a great TV story. Often considered one of the best Classic Doctor Who stories, and after some somewhat repetitive Dalek stories on Terry Nation's part, this is quite an original story, showing the origins of the Daleks.
Introduces Davros, who is quite an interesting character, and very good in this story at least, (can be a mixed bag in some stories), and some great dialogue between the Doctor and Davros. Due to the nature of the tale, the Daleks aren't front and center, but are quite menacing all the same, similar in some respects to how they were in Power of the Daleks.
Also quite well shows both sides of the war going on on Skaro, with neither painted as the good guys as such, though one side portrayed more sympathetically than the other.
A lot of tension, and parallels to Nazi Germany, and host of interesting one off characters on all sides.
As well as the Doctor having some great and powerful scenes, Harry and Sarah also get plenty to do, Harry calling to mind the likes of Ian, Steven and Jamie with some of his more action hero style scenes, though tends to be a bit more on the clumsy side than them :)
Only drawback from the book is the constraint of the page length, leading to some scenes being little more than recaps of action, but at least it allows some quite important scenes to still be fleshed out.

[Gabriel Benitez]

El Doctor Misterio y la génesis de los Daleks fue uno de los capítulos de esta serie inglesa que más me impresionó de niño. Los Daleks, criaturas ciborg —robóticos por fuera, biológicos por dentro — siempre me dieron miedo, pese a su forma de bote de basura, que al primer momento puede darte risa pero cuando los oigas hablar puedes apostar que dejarás de reír. Los daleks son el enemigo # 1 del Doctor, este señor del tiempo que viaja por el universo acompañado siempre por una humana o un grupo de humanos que lo acompañan en sus aventuras.
La serie, producida por la BBC de Londres, es muy longeva y no solo cuenta con los programas de televisión sino con material multimedia: libros, audiolibros, videojuegos, historietas y mil cosas más.
Genesis of the Daleks adapta en formato de libro, la aventura televisiva donde el el Doctor y sus amigos son enviados por los Señores del Tiempo al planeta Sakaro, donde se libra una guerra de exterminio brutal. Y es ahí donde se están desarrollando las máquinas que se convertirán en el futuro en la más grande amenaza del universo. El Doctor deberá detener la amenaza antes de que esta se haga real y para ello deberá detener a Davros, un genio loco y monstruoso que ha diseñado a los Daleks con una agenda secreta: perpetuar a su raza por la eternidad.

[Calvin Saxby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I write this review as an English Literature graduate and an English teacher. The opening chapter (specifically the first four pages) is an absolute masterpiece in how to write an opening. There are four ways to open a story and hook your audience: description of setting ("It was a battlefield."), description of character (the description of the Doctor is perfect.), action (the description of the weary soldiers and their movements is excellent.) and speech (the sudden appearance of the Time Lord and his dialogue with the Doctor to set the story's premise is, again, brilliant.). This opening covers all four and is a masterclass in how to do so.
I could have used any novel from any genre from any year and yet I stand by this novelisation as the perfect example, especially for children and/or prospective authors.
As for the rest of the novelisation, I first came across the story as an LP - a 6 part story (150 minutes) edited down to 60ish minutes - which I maintain is the best version. The full length television version is a little long and drawn out. This novelisation trims it down and keeps the story going at a tremendous pace. One of Dicks' best ever and it deserves to be held in higher esteem and shared with a wider audience.

[Andrew Foxley · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Doctor Who and the Genesis of the Daleks’ is a novelisation of the 1975 TV serial starring Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor, who travels back to the planet Skaro at the time of the Daleks’ creation at the behest of the Time Lords in order to interfere with their development. In the process, he has his first encounter with one of his arch enemies, the maniacal scientist and creator of the Daleks - Davros.

This was one of the very first ‘Doctor Who’ books I read, back in the early 1990s, and revisiting it now I was surprised at how much of it I remembered vividly. That’s a testament to the writing of Terrance Dicks - the king of the Target novelisations, whose knack for translating the TV scripts into thrilling books for the young (and young at heart). This is a particularly strong one - atmospheric and packed with incident, although TV scriptwriter Terry Nation deserves some credit for the source material. This story has been released in various forms down the years, but this for me is the next best thing to watching the original, and has a lot to recommend it in its own right.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doctor Who and the Genesis of the Daleks (1976) by Terrance Dicks is one of the most highly regarded Doctor Who stories. It’s the fourth serial of the twelfth season of Doctor Who and the seventy ninth serial overall.

The Doctor, Harry and Sarah are hijacked when trying to return from the earth of the future by the Time Lords and are sent to Skaro where a war has been going on between the Thals and the Kaleds for a millenium. A brilliant but mad scientist Davros is working on weapons for the Kaleds. Davros has been gravely injured and works from a wheelchair with a base that looks half Dalek.

The reimagining of the Dalek origin story from the first one with the first Doctor works very well. The Doctor has some moments when he has to consider actions that he might find unconscionable.

Doctor Who and the Genesis of the Daleks is one of the stories any fan of Doctor Who should read or watch.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the exception of one scene, I always found this story fascinating. That scene is the one in which The Doctor dithers about morality in an odd way, when the real issue is whether he should change the course of history to suit Time Lords who really haven't thought it through. The problem with altering or preventing the past actions creating the Daleks is one of the ones he thinks through while dithering, but ignores the possibility that the creation is a "fixed point" that has to happen to keep history going on track. That bothered me in the episode, and it bothered me in the book.
Otherwise, this was a treat. It was a few pages longer than a lot of the early novelizations, and I think that helped keep it from feeling rushed.
Overall, this was a good adaptation of a good Tom Baker episode, but which had a bad version of the Time Lords getting in the way at the start of the story.