Reviews

The Curse Of The Daleks by David Whitaker, Terry Nation

kitsuneheart's review against another edition

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4.0

MAN, I am glad I saved this one for last! I got a bunch of Doctor Who radio plays in a Humble Bundle, and while some were okay, most were very forgettable. This one was NOT!

Akin to "And Then There Were None," a group of humans--some prison transport workers, others prisoners--land on the planet Skaro, the Dalek home world. The Daleks are believed to be deactivated, but when the humans begin to die, one by one, and a Dalek goes missing, they realize that someone has orchestrated their landing and the Dalek return. They must discover who has betrayed them and bring an end to the plot before the Daleks all reactivate and humanity again finds itself at the mercy of the worst villains in the galaxy.

Immensely satisfying, even without the Doctor there to run things. It makes me wish they could bring it back for another run!

kodermike's review

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3.0

I'm still wrapping my head around stories in the Who-verse without the Doctor being present. This story was intended as a spin-off back in the late 60's and survives the test of time - barely. It takes a little while to build up, and there are some assumptions made that current readers/fans might find odd (in particular, an argument for why women should enjoy not having to work and just live a life of relaxed choices). That said, still a good Dalek's rising story :)

nwhyte's review

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I was amused to note that we begin with convicts on a spaceship which they manage to take control of and bring to another planet where they have to do a deal with the local baddies - the second episode of Blake's Seven reworks this with surprisingly few changes. Later parts of the plot, with the Daleks' human stooge reviving them, were recycled by David Whitaker in the first Troughton story, Power of the Daleks. On top of providing the source material for those two excellent later pieces, Curse of the Daleks has a rather good 'who's the traitor' plot, and Nick Briggs does the best linking narration for any of the three plays. Recommended.

chicafrom3's review

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dark tense medium-paced

3.0

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