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Doctor Who: New Series Adventures #50
Doctor Who: The Dalek Generation
Sunlight 349 is one of countless Dalek Foundation worlds, planets created to house billions of humanoids suffering from economic hardship. The Doctor arrives at Sunlight 349, suspicious of any world where the Daleks are apparently a force for good — and determined to find out the truth. He soon finds himself in court, facing the 'Dalek Litigator'. But do his arch enemies really have nothing more to threaten than legal action? The Doctor knows they have a far more sinister plan — but how can he convince those who have lived under the benevolence of the Daleks for a generation? But convince them he must, and soon. For on another Foundation planet, archaeologists have unearthed the most dangerous technology in the universe...
256 pages, Paperback
First published April 2, 2013
39 people are currently reading
1884 people want to read
About the author
Nicholas Briggs
363 books132 followersNicholas Briggs is a British actor and writer, predominantly associated with the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who and its various spin-offs. Some of Briggs' earliest Doctor Who-related work was as host of The Myth Makers, a series of made-for-video documentaries produced in the 1980s and 1990s by Reeltime Pictures in which Briggs interviews many of the actors and writers involved in the series. When Reeltime expanded into producing original dramas, Briggs wrote some stories and acted in others, beginning with War Time, the first unofficial Doctor Who spin-off, and Myth Runner, a parody of Blade Runner showcasing bloopers from the Myth Makers series built around a loose storyline featuring Briggs as a down on his luck private detective in the near future.
He wrote and appeared in several made-for-video dramas by BBV, including the third of the Stranger stories, In Memory Alone opposite former Doctor Who stars Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant. He also wrote and appeared in a non-Stranger BBV production called The Airzone Solution (1993) and directed a documentary film, Stranger than Fiction (1994).
Briggs has directed many of the Big Finish Productions audio plays, and has provided Dalek, Cybermen, and other alien voices in several of those as well. He has also written and directed the Dalek Empire and Cyberman audio plays for Big Finish. In 2006, Briggs took over from Gary Russell as executive producer of the Big Finish Doctor Who audio range.
Briggs co-wrote a Doctor Who book called The Dalek Survival Guide.
Since Doctor Who returned to television in 2005, Briggs has provided the voices for several monsters, most notably the Daleks and the Cybermen. Briggs also voiced the Nestene Consciousness in the 2005 episode "Rose", and recorded a voice for the Jagrafess in the 2005 episode "The Long Game"; however, this was not used in the final episode because it was too similar to the voice of the Nestene Consciousness. He also provided the voices for the Judoon in both the 2007 and 2008 series. On 9 July 2009, Briggs made his first appearance in the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood in the serial Children of Earth, playing Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary Rick Yates.
He wrote and appeared in several made-for-video dramas by BBV, including the third of the Stranger stories, In Memory Alone opposite former Doctor Who stars Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant. He also wrote and appeared in a non-Stranger BBV production called The Airzone Solution (1993) and directed a documentary film, Stranger than Fiction (1994).
Briggs has directed many of the Big Finish Productions audio plays, and has provided Dalek, Cybermen, and other alien voices in several of those as well. He has also written and directed the Dalek Empire and Cyberman audio plays for Big Finish. In 2006, Briggs took over from Gary Russell as executive producer of the Big Finish Doctor Who audio range.
Briggs co-wrote a Doctor Who book called The Dalek Survival Guide.
Since Doctor Who returned to television in 2005, Briggs has provided the voices for several monsters, most notably the Daleks and the Cybermen. Briggs also voiced the Nestene Consciousness in the 2005 episode "Rose", and recorded a voice for the Jagrafess in the 2005 episode "The Long Game"; however, this was not used in the final episode because it was too similar to the voice of the Nestene Consciousness. He also provided the voices for the Judoon in both the 2007 and 2008 series. On 9 July 2009, Briggs made his first appearance in the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood in the serial Children of Earth, playing Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary Rick Yates.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
March 26, 2020
There's something that really appeals to me when The Doctor is the only one to know the true evil of the Daleks, his pleas are unnoticed as the inhabitants of Sunlight 349 have only seen them as a force of good having built foundation worlds for those who have suffered economical hardships.
But surely The Doctor's evil enemies must have a darker sinister plan?
Briggs best known for playing the Daleks on screen and writer of numerous Big Finish audio plays is a perfect choice to contribute to the range.
His portrayal of Matt Smith's Doctor is perfectly captured with both his mannerisms and young appearance.
Whilst the varied descriptions of the TARDIS dematerialising felt like a throw back to the target books.
It's also Elevens ability to team up with three orphaned children adds a nice layer to this adventure too.
The scene where the Time Lord tries to explain why he can't save their parents was practically brilliant.
Theres not that many original Dalek novels, thankfully this one was worth the wait!
But surely The Doctor's evil enemies must have a darker sinister plan?
Briggs best known for playing the Daleks on screen and writer of numerous Big Finish audio plays is a perfect choice to contribute to the range.
His portrayal of Matt Smith's Doctor is perfectly captured with both his mannerisms and young appearance.
Whilst the varied descriptions of the TARDIS dematerialising felt like a throw back to the target books.
It's also Elevens ability to team up with three orphaned children adds a nice layer to this adventure too.
The scene where the Time Lord tries to explain why he can't save their parents was practically brilliant.
Theres not that many original Dalek novels, thankfully this one was worth the wait!
May 9, 2018
This is a book my child had been insisting I read as the major antagonists were the Daleks! I found the story to be fast-paced, and a little tense as we find out about a number of planets, managed by the Daleks, in a region of space where Daleks are seen as benign and caring by a large number of humans settled on these worlds.
Nicholas Briggs captures Doctor #11's (or #12's if you include the War Doctor in your count) twitchy energy well. He even has the Doctor acknowledge to himself, at least a little, Eleven's tendency to run into situations and be witty , "fix things" then run off, leaving disasters in his wake. I wish Eleven could have retained more of this realization, knowing fully well that tv Eleven was going to continue acting in that way. So, a superficially enjoyable Dalek story, with me feeling frustration over Eleven's mostly blithe unconcern for the outcomes of his actions.
Nicholas Briggs captures Doctor #11's (or #12's if you include the War Doctor in your count) twitchy energy well. He even has the Doctor acknowledge to himself, at least a little, Eleven's tendency to run into situations and be witty , "fix things" then run off, leaving disasters in his wake. I wish Eleven could have retained more of this realization, knowing fully well that tv Eleven was going to continue acting in that way. So, a superficially enjoyable Dalek story, with me feeling frustration over Eleven's mostly blithe unconcern for the outcomes of his actions.
March 1, 2015
Jedenáctka se tu vážně chovala jako Jedenáctka... a já Dáleky miluju. Takže není co řešit. Úplně si umím představit tenhle příběh zfilmovaný. Umím. Trochu mi to místy sice připomínalo Pandoricu, ale koho to zajímá. Prostě EXTERMINATE!
4/5*
4/5*
April 23, 2013
When I saw that the author's name on the cover, I was intrigued. Nick Briggs is known better as the voice of the Daleks and the Cybermen, or as half of the men behind the Big Finish audio releases of Doctor Who.
I was pleasantly surprised to find this story superbly crafted. It had numerous twists that I didn't see coming, and kept me interested from beginning to end.
My only quibble with the entire book is that the epic ending was a little too far-fetched, even for the Doctor Who universe, otherwise I'd have given this full-marks.
A truly enjoyable read, and I hope Nick will do some more books, I'll certainly be reading them if he does...
I was pleasantly surprised to find this story superbly crafted. It had numerous twists that I didn't see coming, and kept me interested from beginning to end.
My only quibble with the entire book is that the epic ending was a little too far-fetched, even for the Doctor Who universe, otherwise I'd have given this full-marks.
A truly enjoyable read, and I hope Nick will do some more books, I'll certainly be reading them if he does...
August 4, 2016
Pretty much as it says on the 2-star rating packet, I thought this book was okay. The writing style was very simple, but I understand that's because it has a wide readership range (in fact, my 8-year old is halfway through it and says it's "good").
The Doctor, having received a mysterious message, goes to the source of a distress call and finds three children on a ship. They've had some Dalek-related dramas , and the Doctor manages to get them back to the planet they originally came from. This was an excellent start and very promising. But from there they just sort of meander across a range of planets, and things happen around them that they react to, but sometimes they don't even really bother doing that - , which felt SUPER out of character, especially for the Matt Smith incarnation. The best parts where the dystopian bureaucracy bits - the courts, the custody discussions - but nothing too much came of it all in the end.
I didn't like the ending, and that's coloured a lot of how I perceived the whole book.
So all in all, it was an okay read, and I felt the story had a lot of potential, I just was a bit disappointed with how it all played out.
The Doctor, having received a mysterious message, goes to the source of a distress call and finds three children on a ship. They've had some Dalek-related dramas , and the Doctor manages to get them back to the planet they originally came from. This was an excellent start and very promising. But from there they just sort of meander across a range of planets, and things happen around them that they react to, but sometimes they don't even really bother doing that - , which felt SUPER out of character, especially for the Matt Smith incarnation. The best parts where the dystopian bureaucracy bits - the courts, the custody discussions - but nothing too much came of it all in the end.
I didn't like the ending, and that's coloured a lot of how I perceived the whole book.
So all in all, it was an okay read, and I felt the story had a lot of potential, I just was a bit disappointed with how it all played out.
October 4, 2014
This is just... bad. I don't even know where to begin with this mess of a novel.
Firstly, the Doctor's dialogue is extremely hard to read in Matt Smiths voice and tone. It's really as if it was written by someone who had never actually watched an Eleventh Doctor episode. The things he would say and characterisation was all completely wrong.
Secondly, the whole book involves The Doctor babysitting children the entire time and honestly, it's just cringe-worthy and the children are written as if the author has never actually spoken or been one himself.
Thirdly, The Daleks are just weak as anything in this book. Their plan is about as ridiculous as anything we've ever seen in Doctor Who and really in the end this book is just one of those times the author is trying so hard to come across as clever, but falls flat on it's face.
It's around page 185 that anything actually starts to happen but even then, it's not good enough. Save yourself time and sanity and please don't bother with this junk.
Firstly, the Doctor's dialogue is extremely hard to read in Matt Smiths voice and tone. It's really as if it was written by someone who had never actually watched an Eleventh Doctor episode. The things he would say and characterisation was all completely wrong.
Secondly, the whole book involves The Doctor babysitting children the entire time and honestly, it's just cringe-worthy and the children are written as if the author has never actually spoken or been one himself.
Thirdly, The Daleks are just weak as anything in this book. Their plan is about as ridiculous as anything we've ever seen in Doctor Who and really in the end this book is just one of those times the author is trying so hard to come across as clever, but falls flat on it's face.
It's around page 185 that anything actually starts to happen but even then, it's not good enough. Save yourself time and sanity and please don't bother with this junk.
January 22, 2014
Nicholas Brigg's first book 'The Dalek Generation' is a intelligent read that nicely slots into 'The Snowmen'. The idea of the Daleks being seen as a force of good is a interesting one that makes way for some great ideas. One of these being how it's illegal on these sunlight worlds to show hatred towards the Daleks. The book also plays with the limitations for the Daleks of being nice pretty well too, detailing their inability to exterminate anyone in public and using logic instead, such as the scene where the Daleks shoot three men and a woman underground, then later bring them out seemingly alive to humiliate the Doctor in front of a audience of shoppers.
The Doctor's companions in the book are three kids called Ollus, Sabel and Jennibeth. This is one aspect of the book that works incredibly well. All three kids come across as very likeable characters and you really find yourself caring for them during your time reading the book. I particularly liked how you got to see them progress from children to elderly people. The ending is a well-suited one for these characters and neatly ties the book together. As for the Doctor, I've seen some people say he's badly written but I disagree completely. The Doctor is fantastically written and is exactly how you'd imagine he'd react to the situation. His attitude towards the kids is a lot like how this Doctor talks to children in the show.
So overall, this is a fantastic book which neatly fits inbetween the Angels Take Manhattan and The Snowmen. Think of it as a extra long prequel for the latter because that's essentially what it is.
The Doctor's companions in the book are three kids called Ollus, Sabel and Jennibeth. This is one aspect of the book that works incredibly well. All three kids come across as very likeable characters and you really find yourself caring for them during your time reading the book. I particularly liked how you got to see them progress from children to elderly people. The ending is a well-suited one for these characters and neatly ties the book together. As for the Doctor, I've seen some people say he's badly written but I disagree completely. The Doctor is fantastically written and is exactly how you'd imagine he'd react to the situation. His attitude towards the kids is a lot like how this Doctor talks to children in the show.
So overall, this is a fantastic book which neatly fits inbetween the Angels Take Manhattan and The Snowmen. Think of it as a extra long prequel for the latter because that's essentially what it is.
August 25, 2013
A very fun adventure, detailing the first plans of the Dalek Time Controller - who also shows up in the Big Finish audios as an opponent to the Sixth and Eighth Doctors, after this book from the Time Controller's perspective and before this book from the Doctor's perspective. Nick Briggs's prose flows very well and he really manages to capture the Eleventh Doctor's personality. The Doctor gets to spend the entire book around three young children, and since Eleven is (as usual) amazing with kids, it adds a lot of fun to the character dynamics. The plot itself is quite nice and comparable to the classic Nick Briggs story "The Mutant Phase". The writing style is suited for both adults and kids, although the book does contain some nightmare fuel that may not be suited for younger children. Overall, a very engaging story, written with a lot of love and care. And there's Dalek courtroom drama. You just can't go wrong with Dalek courtroom drama.
December 16, 2013
GOODREADS FIRST READS REVIEW
The Doctor Who adventure, The Dalek Generation, featuring the Eleventh Doctor is an enjoyable, quick read that any fan will enjoy. Nicholas Briggs unquestionably succeeded in capturing Matt Smith’s portrayal of the Doctor, which any Eleven-fan will appreciate. The overall story is fine especially the use of time travel and the Doctor’s interaction with the Blakely siblings, however Briggs did make some head scratching miscues. These miscues are essentially story details that hurt Briggs narrative because they open up obvious alternative ways the Doctor could have attempted to stop the Daleks then how Briggs wrote the conclusion. Putting aside the miscues, as a first time reader of a Doctor Who book this was a treat and recommended to anyone else looking to read a Doctor Who book for the first time.
The Doctor Who adventure, The Dalek Generation, featuring the Eleventh Doctor is an enjoyable, quick read that any fan will enjoy. Nicholas Briggs unquestionably succeeded in capturing Matt Smith’s portrayal of the Doctor, which any Eleven-fan will appreciate. The overall story is fine especially the use of time travel and the Doctor’s interaction with the Blakely siblings, however Briggs did make some head scratching miscues. These miscues are essentially story details that hurt Briggs narrative because they open up obvious alternative ways the Doctor could have attempted to stop the Daleks then how Briggs wrote the conclusion. Putting aside the miscues, as a first time reader of a Doctor Who book this was a treat and recommended to anyone else looking to read a Doctor Who book for the first time.
May 5, 2013
An interesting take on Dalek supremacy, with some genuine edge-of-seat moments, although the presence of three children in the Doctor's care does veer towards the cutesy in places. Interestingly, Briggs' Doctor is an excellent prediction of the toned down Matt Smith we are seeing in series 7.2 - as compared to the manic irritant of his earlier series.
February 20, 2015
Ne tak dobrý rozjezd jako Závoj smutku, zato mnohem chytlavější a lepší závěr. Doktor nehýří tolik vtipem, ale co vím z těch pár dílů, co jsem viděla, ne vždy je Doctor Who jen komedie. Mimo žánr by asi příběh ani styl neobstály... ale je to prostě Doktor, co by se na tom dalo generalizovat?! :D
November 13, 2016
The Dalek time controller is trying to manipulate the Doctor, so that he helps find a super weapon. This is an interesting story technique, it jumps about a bit but does work. The idea of Daleks being good has been done before, but this time has a different spin. A good read.
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June 13, 2016
Read this review, and many more on my blog October Tune!
Sunlight 349 is only one of at least 400 worlds, created to house billions of people. Worlds created by the Daleks. The Doctor arrives on Sunlight 349, suspicious of these planets and above all suspicious of the Daleks. Since when are the Daleks ‘nice’? What he finds out is that the Daleks have a plan. A plan that might not be so nice after all. Together with a journalist and three orphaned children, the Doctor tries to find out the Daleks’ plan. But not without the usual trouble.
What I liked:
So a Dalek book written by Mr. Dalek himself, Nicholas Briggs. When I saw this book I got very excited because I am a huge fan of the Daleks (though I actually also hate them with a burning passion). So I took it with me and started it as soon as I could.
I was intrigued by the whole ‘The Daleks are nice’ storyline. I’d read about it before in the Ripple Effect, a short story featuring the Seventh Doctor and Ace, and though that wasn’t really one of my favourite stories after all, I did like the nice Daleks. Of course, like in TRE, the Doctor tries to show everyone (who believes in the nice Dalek story) how horrible and hostile the Daleks really are. But that’s not made easy, because these Daleks are very good actors. After a while, it really made me think ‘are these Daleks really nice after all?’.
In this book, the Doctor is companionless. I figured this probably happened after The Angels Take Manhattan and before The Snowmen (or quite possibly after this?). But, he isn’t really companionless after all. In fact, in this story he has four companions. Three little ones, called Sabel, Jesibeth and Ollus; and a journalist called Lillian Belle. I really loved the kids, they were talented and smart like their parents, and even though the oldest was only twelve (the youngest being five) they helped the Doctor as much as they could, they even helped him save the worlds at the end of the story.
Though sometimes I was a bit confused (which I will talk about in the ‘what I didn’t like’ section), I found it a very easy and thrilling book to read. The writing was simple but very intriguing and at some points I just couldn’t stop myself from reading til the end of the chapter!
What I didn’t like:
I have to admit, I found it a bit predictable. Of course, I knew right away that the Daleks weren’t nice after all, that there was something going on with those Sunlight planets. Then, there was a part with the Cradle of the Gods (you’ll find out what it is when you read the book), and something happened there that I had predicted long before it actually happened. Then there was the ‘resistance’, I told myself that what/who they were before it was announced in the story.
It was also quite confusing at some points. In the beginning, there were some tiny chapters, one from the point of view of a little girl, which made me question a lot; who was the little girl, what happened to her, why was she where she was? In the end, these questions were answered, but I kind of found that small chapter unnecessary. Near the end of the story, during the whole ‘is the world going to end or is the Doctor going to save everyone (of course, it’s always the latter)’, there was quite some confusion. I had to reread the whole part twice before I finally understood what happened.
In the end, I really really liked The Dalek Generation, and that is why I gave it four Daleks (hehe). If you are looking for some nice Doctor Who books to read, and you don’t know where to start, I definitely recommend this book to you (I am thinking about making a list of my favourite Doctor Who books soon).
Sunlight 349 is only one of at least 400 worlds, created to house billions of people. Worlds created by the Daleks. The Doctor arrives on Sunlight 349, suspicious of these planets and above all suspicious of the Daleks. Since when are the Daleks ‘nice’? What he finds out is that the Daleks have a plan. A plan that might not be so nice after all. Together with a journalist and three orphaned children, the Doctor tries to find out the Daleks’ plan. But not without the usual trouble.
What I liked:
So a Dalek book written by Mr. Dalek himself, Nicholas Briggs. When I saw this book I got very excited because I am a huge fan of the Daleks (though I actually also hate them with a burning passion). So I took it with me and started it as soon as I could.
I was intrigued by the whole ‘The Daleks are nice’ storyline. I’d read about it before in the Ripple Effect, a short story featuring the Seventh Doctor and Ace, and though that wasn’t really one of my favourite stories after all, I did like the nice Daleks. Of course, like in TRE, the Doctor tries to show everyone (who believes in the nice Dalek story) how horrible and hostile the Daleks really are. But that’s not made easy, because these Daleks are very good actors. After a while, it really made me think ‘are these Daleks really nice after all?’.
In this book, the Doctor is companionless. I figured this probably happened after The Angels Take Manhattan and before The Snowmen (or quite possibly after this?). But, he isn’t really companionless after all. In fact, in this story he has four companions. Three little ones, called Sabel, Jesibeth and Ollus; and a journalist called Lillian Belle. I really loved the kids, they were talented and smart like their parents, and even though the oldest was only twelve (the youngest being five) they helped the Doctor as much as they could, they even helped him save the worlds at the end of the story.
Though sometimes I was a bit confused (which I will talk about in the ‘what I didn’t like’ section), I found it a very easy and thrilling book to read. The writing was simple but very intriguing and at some points I just couldn’t stop myself from reading til the end of the chapter!
What I didn’t like:
I have to admit, I found it a bit predictable. Of course, I knew right away that the Daleks weren’t nice after all, that there was something going on with those Sunlight planets. Then, there was a part with the Cradle of the Gods (you’ll find out what it is when you read the book), and something happened there that I had predicted long before it actually happened. Then there was the ‘resistance’, I told myself that what/who they were before it was announced in the story.
It was also quite confusing at some points. In the beginning, there were some tiny chapters, one from the point of view of a little girl, which made me question a lot; who was the little girl, what happened to her, why was she where she was? In the end, these questions were answered, but I kind of found that small chapter unnecessary. Near the end of the story, during the whole ‘is the world going to end or is the Doctor going to save everyone (of course, it’s always the latter)’, there was quite some confusion. I had to reread the whole part twice before I finally understood what happened.
In the end, I really really liked The Dalek Generation, and that is why I gave it four Daleks (hehe). If you are looking for some nice Doctor Who books to read, and you don’t know where to start, I definitely recommend this book to you (I am thinking about making a list of my favourite Doctor Who books soon).
May 6, 2013
This is the first Doctor Who novel that I've listened to (through Audible), rather than having read it myself, and as of the day of this review (6th May 2013), Nicholas Briggs' story is far superior to any of the current onscreen season's offerings (so far...), and in my mind would make an absolutely fantastic 2 part story.
The plot, on the whole, feels like a classic series Doctor Who Dalek story, peppered nicely with the racy pace, and emotional depth (yes, I even shed a tear...) of the current generation of Doctor Who, it's twists and turns leaving you guessing to the end - FANTASTIC!
Nicholas Briggs narrates his story superbly, relaying a real sense of depth to the main players (this can especially be said of his narrated portrayal of the Doctor himself), and as you would expect his Daleks (via his voice box) sound as effectively menacing as his Daleks do in the current TV show.
I personally liked the use of the minimal ambient music that is played occasionally, and felt it was an effective tool to highlight the contrasting atmospheres presented throughout the story without distracting you from Briggs' heart felt narration.
I would recommend this book to fans of Doctor Who (classic and new alike), especially the unabridged audio book version, where Briggs' familiarity of the TV show that he's worked on really shines through in his story and his narration of it.
The plot, on the whole, feels like a classic series Doctor Who Dalek story, peppered nicely with the racy pace, and emotional depth (yes, I even shed a tear...) of the current generation of Doctor Who, it's twists and turns leaving you guessing to the end - FANTASTIC!
Nicholas Briggs narrates his story superbly, relaying a real sense of depth to the main players (this can especially be said of his narrated portrayal of the Doctor himself), and as you would expect his Daleks (via his voice box) sound as effectively menacing as his Daleks do in the current TV show.
I personally liked the use of the minimal ambient music that is played occasionally, and felt it was an effective tool to highlight the contrasting atmospheres presented throughout the story without distracting you from Briggs' heart felt narration.
I would recommend this book to fans of Doctor Who (classic and new alike), especially the unabridged audio book version, where Briggs' familiarity of the TV show that he's worked on really shines through in his story and his narration of it.
May 19, 2013
This is the second book in the Doctor Who series that i have read, the first being touched by an angel. I enjoyed the first, but this one seemed anticlimactic. It builds tension from the beginning and seems to lose its way about 3/4ths of the way through. Caution Spoilers Ahead.
All in all it just felt like one person started writing the book, and someone else finished it without really reading the first half. Little disappointed in this one, hopefully the next one I pick up will bring back my faith.
All in all it just felt like one person started writing the book, and someone else finished it without really reading the first half. Little disappointed in this one, hopefully the next one I pick up will bring back my faith.
November 20, 2014
Briggs has a good handle on describing the 11th Doctor in prose. That was a strong point.
The weak point was the Daleks' villainous plot, which was a bit vague and finger-waggling-hand-wavy.
Fun and quick to pass the time as long as you don't analyze it too much.
The weak point was the Daleks' villainous plot, which was a bit vague and finger-waggling-hand-wavy.
Fun and quick to pass the time as long as you don't analyze it too much.
August 3, 2017
Better than the last Doctor Who book I read. I struggled a bit to make sense of all of it as I was nearing the end, but that might be just because I didn't read the whole book in one go. It was a nice story though, I liked it :)
July 5, 2013
I really, really wanted to like this book, however I found it to be.....off. I can't exactly put my finger on it, but it barely felt like DW to me.
January 22, 2025
This was certainly better than the last two Doctor Who books I read, but not enough to raise the rating. After all, at least this one has a recognizable villain in the form of the Daleks. And just like Snowglobe 7 it has a really cool sounding premise. The Doctor comes face to face with a civilization of humans who view the Daleks as benevolent benefactors for humanity, saving them from polluted worlds and bringing them to paradisiacal Sunlight Worlds where they can live in peace and safety.
The problem is that just like Snowglobe 7, the book then mostly fails to really take advantage of its premise. The story opens with a reporter on one of the Sunlight Worlds who has basically nothing to do because nothing ever happens. She's excited that there's been a train crash because something interesting has happened, and when unbeknownst to her the Daleks show up and murder the train drivers, it sets a nice sinister tone for the story. I was excited. This is a solo Doctor story and those often rise or fall on the strength of the temporary companion. A reporter wanting to investigate her society's dark side seemed perfect, especially since I was sure the story would involve revealing the truth of the Daleks.
Of course none of that really happened. Instead Eleven stumbles across a spaceship that was attacked by the Daleks where the husband and wife onboard jumped out the airlock to prevent the Daleks from getting some secret. Still cool, but then the escape pod full of kiddies showed up and suddenly this turns into Eleventh Doctor As Babysitter. And that never goes well. Look, I don't completely hate the Doctor hanging out with kids - Nine and the street urchins was fun, and one of the few good parts of Kill the Moon was Twelve with the teen girl and her Tumblr. But the kids here don't really do anything and playing them against Eleven who himself is just a big kid much of the time doesn't really help things. Plus some of the tension gets sucked away when you know that the author isn't going to kill off children in a Doctor Who book.
So the story basically turns into a bit of Eleven and tots running around doing not very much, and in the long run the whole Sunlight Worlds thing doesn't matter all that much. The Dalek plan is actually all about some random ancient piece of terraforming technology on some random other world and the planets are just fuel to make more Skaros for whatever reason. The stuff where the Dalek Time Controller keeps moving the Doctor around time to manipulate him into fulfilling the plan was cool.
The part where the Doctor keeps trying to convince everybody the Daleks suck by just yelling that the Daleks suck with absolutely no proof was deeply stupid. Especially when he tries to go on TV and all he does is just say "yeah the Daleks suck" with no proof. Even the Eleventh Doctor isn't this dumb or naive. Especially not after dealing with other hidden conspiracy stories like The Beast Below or all the stuff with the Silence.
Really, I think if I knew what this story would actually be going in I might've liked it a bit more. But just like Snowglobe 7 I was looking forward to a really interesting bit of sci-fi premise and instead got some dumb retread generic Doctor Who plot that wouldn't even make for a very fun episode of the show. I have some more Doctor Who novels out from the library and I might try one or two but I get the feeling I need to take a break from these because they're not doing much to stand out in a positive way.
The problem is that just like Snowglobe 7, the book then mostly fails to really take advantage of its premise. The story opens with a reporter on one of the Sunlight Worlds who has basically nothing to do because nothing ever happens. She's excited that there's been a train crash because something interesting has happened, and when unbeknownst to her the Daleks show up and murder the train drivers, it sets a nice sinister tone for the story. I was excited. This is a solo Doctor story and those often rise or fall on the strength of the temporary companion. A reporter wanting to investigate her society's dark side seemed perfect, especially since I was sure the story would involve revealing the truth of the Daleks.
Of course none of that really happened. Instead Eleven stumbles across a spaceship that was attacked by the Daleks where the husband and wife onboard jumped out the airlock to prevent the Daleks from getting some secret. Still cool, but then the escape pod full of kiddies showed up and suddenly this turns into Eleventh Doctor As Babysitter. And that never goes well. Look, I don't completely hate the Doctor hanging out with kids - Nine and the street urchins was fun, and one of the few good parts of Kill the Moon was Twelve with the teen girl and her Tumblr. But the kids here don't really do anything and playing them against Eleven who himself is just a big kid much of the time doesn't really help things. Plus some of the tension gets sucked away when you know that the author isn't going to kill off children in a Doctor Who book.
So the story basically turns into a bit of Eleven and tots running around doing not very much, and in the long run the whole Sunlight Worlds thing doesn't matter all that much. The Dalek plan is actually all about some random ancient piece of terraforming technology on some random other world and the planets are just fuel to make more Skaros for whatever reason. The stuff where the Dalek Time Controller keeps moving the Doctor around time to manipulate him into fulfilling the plan was cool.
The part where the Doctor keeps trying to convince everybody the Daleks suck by just yelling that the Daleks suck with absolutely no proof was deeply stupid. Especially when he tries to go on TV and all he does is just say "yeah the Daleks suck" with no proof. Even the Eleventh Doctor isn't this dumb or naive. Especially not after dealing with other hidden conspiracy stories like The Beast Below or all the stuff with the Silence.
Really, I think if I knew what this story would actually be going in I might've liked it a bit more. But just like Snowglobe 7 I was looking forward to a really interesting bit of sci-fi premise and instead got some dumb retread generic Doctor Who plot that wouldn't even make for a very fun episode of the show. I have some more Doctor Who novels out from the library and I might try one or two but I get the feeling I need to take a break from these because they're not doing much to stand out in a positive way.
June 24, 2022
I believe this deserves 4 stars for the exciting final third of the novel. Overall it's great and certainly a different adventure especially with 11 alone which we don't get to see all that often. The final third and climax in my opinion just edged it over from a 3 star or 3.5 into a 4 star zone. From the Doctor having to "abandon" the children to having everything tie together to a moment from near the start of the novel. It was a worthwhile conclusion.
July 22, 2025
An okay story, but the pacing didn't feel right to me. Long build up and a rushed ending.
April 30, 2013
For almost as long as Doctor Who has been on television screens, his adventures in space and time have seen him facing, time and again, his enemies from Skaro: the Daleks. Yet the Daleks have rarely featured in the Doctor’s paperbound adventures, appearing in a mere three novels outside of the Target novelizations of their appearance in the old series (and even then, two of the TV stories were never novelized). 2013 though has seen a new addition to those adventures with The Dalek Generation, an eleventh Doctor written by none other than Nicholas Briggs, the man behind the Dalek voices heard in the new series. How does his tale stand up then?
For those who might be in the dark as to who Briggs is, he is far more than just the voice of the Daleks on TV. Through his work on the Doctor Who audio adventures produced by Big Finish Productions, Briggs is also a writer, producer and director with many Who stories under his belt as well as voicing the Daleks, Cybermen, Ice Warriors and other aliens both for Big Finish and on TV. So this isn’t the case of an actor being turned lose to write a tie-in novel simply because he’s an actor on the series. He’s a writer in his own right.
Briggs obviously knows his Daleks well and he puts them to effective use. Fans are used to seeing the Daleks as an invading and destructive force, exterminating all those who stand in their path. But what happens when the Doctor lands on a world where the Daleks aren’t a force of evil, but instead quite the reverse? It’s a premise that has been touched upon only a handful of times by the series (notably in the lost second Doctor story Power Of The Daleks as well as the recent new series episode Victory Of The Daleks) and Briggs puts it to fine use here as the Doctor finds himself on one of the 400 Sunlight Worlds, set up by The Dalek Foundation, and trying to convince people of their being evil. Briggs also brings some new elements for the Daleks, including a Dalek type originally introduced for the Big Finish audios that becomes pivotal to the plot here. The novel then features both classic Who monsters and a classic Who premise put to excellent use.
The Dalek Generation also captures a lot of the feel of the new series as well. Briggs’ plot has a “wibbly wobbly, timey wimey” element to it that becomes more and more apparent as the novel heads towards the end. The novel features the Doctor traveling on his own (judging from both the cover art and his attitude at various moments, it would appear to be set in the gap between the recent episode The Angels Take Manhattan and The Snowmen) and Briggs does an effective job of capturing the various, often contradictory, character traits of this Doctor. The book features a group of children effectively becoming the Doctor’s temporary companions, something else that we’ve seen in the eleventh Doctor’s TV stories as well as his excellent rapport with them, with some of the books best moments being the scenes the Doctor has with them. That it captures the feel of the show has a downside though.
The novel has one very sizeable flaw, one that it shares with some recent episodes of the new series: it’s rushed. Briggs pacing keeps it moving and it is certainly never dull. The problem is that the reader rarely gets a grasp on where they are and what’s going on. The Sunlight Worlds, the Cradle Of The Gods and indeed the Daleks plan are all highly intriguing concepts but are never fleshed out. For that matter, neither are most of the characters for that matter with the exceptions of the Doctor and the children, many seem like caricatures rather than fleshed out. The result is the Daleks plan ends up feeling more abstract that concrete. The ending itself is very rushed and feels oddly derivative of some of the episode endings that we’ve seen recently and as a result feels quite hollow. The book might well capture the spirit of the new series a bit too well then.
The Dalek Generation then is a good Doctor Who adventure, if a flawed one. It puts the Daleks to good use in a new way, captures the feel of the televised series quite well and features a strong characterization of the eleventh Doctor that could easily come straight out off of the TV. Yet it’s rushed pace causes its settings and supporting characters to come across as intriguing at best and at worst as caricatures. The results are enjoyable but one can’t help but yearn for more.
For those who might be in the dark as to who Briggs is, he is far more than just the voice of the Daleks on TV. Through his work on the Doctor Who audio adventures produced by Big Finish Productions, Briggs is also a writer, producer and director with many Who stories under his belt as well as voicing the Daleks, Cybermen, Ice Warriors and other aliens both for Big Finish and on TV. So this isn’t the case of an actor being turned lose to write a tie-in novel simply because he’s an actor on the series. He’s a writer in his own right.
Briggs obviously knows his Daleks well and he puts them to effective use. Fans are used to seeing the Daleks as an invading and destructive force, exterminating all those who stand in their path. But what happens when the Doctor lands on a world where the Daleks aren’t a force of evil, but instead quite the reverse? It’s a premise that has been touched upon only a handful of times by the series (notably in the lost second Doctor story Power Of The Daleks as well as the recent new series episode Victory Of The Daleks) and Briggs puts it to fine use here as the Doctor finds himself on one of the 400 Sunlight Worlds, set up by The Dalek Foundation, and trying to convince people of their being evil. Briggs also brings some new elements for the Daleks, including a Dalek type originally introduced for the Big Finish audios that becomes pivotal to the plot here. The novel then features both classic Who monsters and a classic Who premise put to excellent use.
The Dalek Generation also captures a lot of the feel of the new series as well. Briggs’ plot has a “wibbly wobbly, timey wimey” element to it that becomes more and more apparent as the novel heads towards the end. The novel features the Doctor traveling on his own (judging from both the cover art and his attitude at various moments, it would appear to be set in the gap between the recent episode The Angels Take Manhattan and The Snowmen) and Briggs does an effective job of capturing the various, often contradictory, character traits of this Doctor. The book features a group of children effectively becoming the Doctor’s temporary companions, something else that we’ve seen in the eleventh Doctor’s TV stories as well as his excellent rapport with them, with some of the books best moments being the scenes the Doctor has with them. That it captures the feel of the show has a downside though.
The novel has one very sizeable flaw, one that it shares with some recent episodes of the new series: it’s rushed. Briggs pacing keeps it moving and it is certainly never dull. The problem is that the reader rarely gets a grasp on where they are and what’s going on. The Sunlight Worlds, the Cradle Of The Gods and indeed the Daleks plan are all highly intriguing concepts but are never fleshed out. For that matter, neither are most of the characters for that matter with the exceptions of the Doctor and the children, many seem like caricatures rather than fleshed out. The result is the Daleks plan ends up feeling more abstract that concrete. The ending itself is very rushed and feels oddly derivative of some of the episode endings that we’ve seen recently and as a result feels quite hollow. The book might well capture the spirit of the new series a bit too well then.
The Dalek Generation then is a good Doctor Who adventure, if a flawed one. It puts the Daleks to good use in a new way, captures the feel of the televised series quite well and features a strong characterization of the eleventh Doctor that could easily come straight out off of the TV. Yet it’s rushed pace causes its settings and supporting characters to come across as intriguing at best and at worst as caricatures. The results are enjoyable but one can’t help but yearn for more.
July 14, 2013
In full disclosure I won three Doctor Who books in a giveaway on Facebook.
I initially thought the Doctor’s personality was really off. He lacks energy and excitement; he is also lot less caring. While it seems likely this is set during one of his darker periods, prior to the TV episode "the Snowmen" before his revelation abut Clara and at a time when he had decided to do no more meddling. While his personality may be correct for the period it is really trying to see him like this for the entire book, and it just doesn’t seem right.
There are also things that don’t seem right even for a dark period, he is mean to the children, even at his unhappiest of times the Doctor always seems to help and care for children. He is also doesn’t have any of the ‘alien’ feel about him, apart from a couple of times that he mentions he is not human, a reader really couldn’t tell that there was something ‘different’ about him.
He is also very passive and pretty much useless, it is left to the other characters to solve the problems. While again the Doctor is in one of his darker periods, it just isn’t enjoyable to see him like this.
There were also a couple of specific things he did that really weren’t right for him. First he causes a train to crash, then later puts himself of television and broadcasts himself over the world. The Doctor even as the best of times hides away from the public and putting his image out like this seemed really wrong.
I did enjoy the idea of the Dalek’s pretending to help humans, something that’s only been done a couple of times before.
The pacing was slow and the story really dragged. There were times when things took too long to resolve or repeated too much.
I did enjoy the ending and it did do something to save the book.
Overall this was on okay book, the Doctor is in one of his darker periods and his personality may be right for this timeframe, it isn’t enjoyable to see him like this, especially as it lasts for the entire book and he doesn’t turn around near the end as he normally does during his dark periods on a TV show. The slow pacing reflected the Doctors lathergic attitude and made the story less enjoyable.
I initially thought the Doctor’s personality was really off. He lacks energy and excitement; he is also lot less caring. While it seems likely this is set during one of his darker periods, prior to the TV episode "the Snowmen" before his revelation abut Clara and at a time when he had decided to do no more meddling. While his personality may be correct for the period it is really trying to see him like this for the entire book, and it just doesn’t seem right.
There are also things that don’t seem right even for a dark period, he is mean to the children, even at his unhappiest of times the Doctor always seems to help and care for children. He is also doesn’t have any of the ‘alien’ feel about him, apart from a couple of times that he mentions he is not human, a reader really couldn’t tell that there was something ‘different’ about him.
He is also very passive and pretty much useless, it is left to the other characters to solve the problems. While again the Doctor is in one of his darker periods, it just isn’t enjoyable to see him like this.
There were also a couple of specific things he did that really weren’t right for him. First he causes a train to crash, then later puts himself of television and broadcasts himself over the world. The Doctor even as the best of times hides away from the public and putting his image out like this seemed really wrong.
I did enjoy the idea of the Dalek’s pretending to help humans, something that’s only been done a couple of times before.
The pacing was slow and the story really dragged. There were times when things took too long to resolve or repeated too much.
I did enjoy the ending and it did do something to save the book.
Overall this was on okay book, the Doctor is in one of his darker periods and his personality may be right for this timeframe, it isn’t enjoyable to see him like this, especially as it lasts for the entire book and he doesn’t turn around near the end as he normally does during his dark periods on a TV show. The slow pacing reflected the Doctors lathergic attitude and made the story less enjoyable.
October 13, 2014
This caught my attention because of the author. I mean how can a Doctor Who book written by Nicholas Briggs fail?!
The book started off well with some fun action and an interesting plot that kept me guessing. However, the middle lulled and, frankly, I got bored. I set it aside for a while and read some other books that seemed much more interesting to me at the time. But I decided to come back to this before I lost all of my memories of what had happened in the first half. I was happily surprised to find that the end picked up again and kept my attention. The ending had a twist that I did not see coming and I ended up being pretty pleased with it.
There were some characters introduced who were ultimately pointless I thought. The woman who gets the introduction all to herself is not seen again for the majority of the book and when she does show up again it is for a very short time and she does not do much.
The writing style seemed a bit rough which is understandable as this his first novel attempt.
Hopefully he will be able to clean up his style and produce some great books in the future!
The book started off well with some fun action and an interesting plot that kept me guessing. However, the middle lulled and, frankly, I got bored. I set it aside for a while and read some other books that seemed much more interesting to me at the time. But I decided to come back to this before I lost all of my memories of what had happened in the first half. I was happily surprised to find that the end picked up again and kept my attention. The ending had a twist that I did not see coming and I ended up being pretty pleased with it.
There were some characters introduced who were ultimately pointless I thought. The woman who gets the introduction all to herself is not seen again for the majority of the book and when she does show up again it is for a very short time and she does not do much.
The writing style seemed a bit rough which is understandable as this his first novel attempt.
Hopefully he will be able to clean up his style and produce some great books in the future!
March 28, 2023
This is one of the worst Doctor Who novels I've ever read, and I regret buying and reading it. Fortunately, I wasted only a dollar--it was on sale at Goodwill. Why someone would get rid of it...I can't imagine.
The current series of Doctor Who novels are poorly written and embarrassingly lightweight in content. So different from the old Doctor Who New Adventures and BBC Eighth Doctor novels. All the three previous titles therein which I've read--The Blood Cell, Tales of Trenzalore, and Engines of War--were similarly uninteresting.
If it were just that the book is boring, I might have given it away like the previous owner. But it was something else that made me mad. In trying to unravel and expose the Dalek plan in this story, the Eleventh Doctor tries to convince a populace that the Daleks are evil, and is then arrested and charged with...hate crimes. Inciting hate. The Daleks have turned crybully. Whether satiric or in earnest, this intrusion of a shameful aspect of contemporary society as a plot element was not entertaining, only offensive; and for that, this book dropped into my recycling bin where it belongs.
An unpleasant waste of my time.
The current series of Doctor Who novels are poorly written and embarrassingly lightweight in content. So different from the old Doctor Who New Adventures and BBC Eighth Doctor novels. All the three previous titles therein which I've read--The Blood Cell, Tales of Trenzalore, and Engines of War--were similarly uninteresting.
If it were just that the book is boring, I might have given it away like the previous owner. But it was something else that made me mad. In trying to unravel and expose the Dalek plan in this story, the Eleventh Doctor tries to convince a populace that the Daleks are evil, and is then arrested and charged with...hate crimes. Inciting hate. The Daleks have turned crybully. Whether satiric or in earnest, this intrusion of a shameful aspect of contemporary society as a plot element was not entertaining, only offensive; and for that, this book dropped into my recycling bin where it belongs.
An unpleasant waste of my time.
June 11, 2017
This book is based on the television series and has Matt Smith's Doctor as the main character. He has no companion along for the ride. In this one, the Daleks have rescued humans and created a living society for them to dwell. The Doctor knows there must be more to it than meets the eye.
I enjoyed the premise of this story. I liked the idea of one person knowing the truth while the rest of society respects and reveres these false saviors. How do you get people to realize the truth? The execution of the story wasn't the best though. For most of the story the Doctor had three young children for companions. I didn't have a problem with them and they were there to show the Doctor as a caring being. I believe too much of the book was spent on this aspect and not enough with the Doctor and the Daleks. As for the characters, nothing really stood out. The portrayal of the eleventh Doctor and the Daleks were fine.
This was a decent read for this universe. The finale was the best part even though it was a little of a cop out. I enjoy anytime spent with the Doctor and his greatest enemy, the Daleks.
I enjoyed the premise of this story. I liked the idea of one person knowing the truth while the rest of society respects and reveres these false saviors. How do you get people to realize the truth? The execution of the story wasn't the best though. For most of the story the Doctor had three young children for companions. I didn't have a problem with them and they were there to show the Doctor as a caring being. I believe too much of the book was spent on this aspect and not enough with the Doctor and the Daleks. As for the characters, nothing really stood out. The portrayal of the eleventh Doctor and the Daleks were fine.
This was a decent read for this universe. The finale was the best part even though it was a little of a cop out. I enjoy anytime spent with the Doctor and his greatest enemy, the Daleks.
December 20, 2014
The fact that the back cover summary failed to mention that there were three children permanently clinging to the Doctor throughout the book makes me think that even the publisher thought they were a useless plot device and didn't want to acknowledge their existence and discourage potential buyers. Personally, I think the Doctor + child combination doesn't work very well unless it is an extremely interesting child. And these three siblings were anything but. Had I known that the Doctor would be babysitting, I wouldn't have bought the book.
It had a good start. The first description of the TARDIS is lovely... And that's all. You can't build suspense around little kids because, unless this is The Walking Dead or Game of Thrones, kids never die, and kids are never really hurt. And the first part of this story is just that, kids in peril but not really, and the Doctor trying to save them just because.
It had a good start. The first description of the TARDIS is lovely... And that's all. You can't build suspense around little kids because, unless this is The Walking Dead or Game of Thrones, kids never die, and kids are never really hurt. And the first part of this story is just that, kids in peril but not really, and the Doctor trying to save them just because.
July 1, 2018
Having just finished watching Matt Smith's tenure as the Doctor recently, this was an excellent snapshot of his incarnation's adventure and story. It captured his human side and his cleverness in the face of his greatest enemy. One thing I love about these Doctor Who novels (I've read Eleven's "Tales of Trenzalore", Nine's "Human Nature", and the War Doctor's "Engines of War") is how they allow you a glimpse into what the Doctor is thinking and feeling, moreso than you can get through watching the show. While the show is great, the ability to read and imagine the settings and expressions and action is one of the awesome parts we all love about reading in the first place.
September 7, 2018
When I started reading this book, I didn't have big expectations for it. That's a good thing, because it was egregious. Before I had watched Planet, Death, and Revelation of the Daleks, I didn't think dalek stories could be bad. If want the doctor to be your grandpa, sure. If you want a boring book with terrible pacing (The last two chapters take place ninety years in the future), you will also enjoy this. If you don't like those, don't get this unless it's less than $6
July 2, 2013
Loved it!
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