by Robert Shearman

Target/BBC Books, out now

The Ninth Doctor and Rose discover an unexpected survivor of The Time War.

Rob Shearman novelises his 2005 re-introduction of the Daleks, not just by top-and-tailing the script, but by adding significant back story to his characters.

Starting as 2003 Big Finish audio play Jubilee, show runner Russell T Davies invited Shearman to adapt it into an episode of the new 21st Century revival of Doctor Who, and for me it was one of that opening season’s highlights. It’s lean, cracks along at a pace and re-establishes the metal meanies as a credible enemy of the Doctor. But lots of running along service corridors at the Cardiff Millennium Stadium doesn’t make for the most engaging novel, and that’s where the author gives us the VAM – value added material.

Opening with a prologue of a boy flying a kite, this is a recurring thread, immediately piquing our interest – just who is this boy? We then switch to Rose’s POV aboard the TARDIS, as a distress call from the Dalek alerts the travellers to his pain. It’s a scene that’s not in the episode but absolutely should be there, Shearman slotting in moments like this that add to the narrative.

The script of Dalek is still here, now punctuated by fascinating, detailed back stories of the secondary characters. We discover that the torturer of the Dalek, Danny Simmons, has a darker past than we could ever have imagined, making his death at the end of a ‘sucker’ so much sweeter. The guard who stands between the Dalek and Rose and Adam on the stairwell not only has a name, but a family, a reason to be there and no-nonsense approach to parenting that will eventually work against her.

Short-term companion Adam is given a childhood and a troubled introduction to Van Statten’s world, while the billionaire’ second-in-command, Diana Goddard, has a lot more going on than the televised episode can allow in its 50-minute run time. That’s not to say that the main story is lost among the character development – it’s the spine of the story, which still has great momentum – we just get more bang for our buck. I’ve no idea who the overweight, toupee-wearing US President with a Florida golf course could be based on, and here’s to a more frequent use of ‘pepperpot’ when describing the Daleks.

Verdict: The ideal Target novelisation. More than a translation to a different medium, it’s an expansion by the original author in ways that a TV episode could never offer. 9/10

Nick Joy

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