Remembrance of the Daleks (novelisation): Difference between revisions
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{{title dab away}} | |||
{{real world}} | {{real world}} | ||
{{Infobox Story SMW | |||
{{Infobox Story | |image = <gallery> | ||
| | Remembrance of the daleks novel.jpg|1990 edition | ||
Doctor Who Rememberance of the Daleks 50th.jpg|2013 edition | |||
|series=[[Target novelisation]]s | </gallery> | ||
|number= 148 | |series = [[Target novelisation]]s | ||
|doctor=Seventh Doctor | |number = 148 | ||
|companions=[[Ace]] | |doctor = Seventh Doctor | ||
|enemy= | |companions = [[Ace]] | ||
|setting= [[Shoreditch | |enemy = [[Dalek]]s, [[Davros]], [[the Association]] | ||
|writer= [[ | |setting = [[Shoreditch]], [[1963]] | ||
|publisher= Target Books | |writer = Ben Aaronovitch | ||
|publisher2= W.H. Allen | |read by = [[Terry Molloy]], [[Nicholas Briggs]] | ||
|release date= | |publisher = Target Books | ||
|publisher2 = W.H. Allen | |||
|novelisation of= Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story) | |release date = 21 June 1990 (original) | ||
|cover = [[Alister Pearson]] | |release date2 = 7 March 2013 (50th Anniversary Edition) | ||
|format= Paperback Book; 24 Chapters, 160 Pages | |novelisation of = Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story) | ||
|isbn= ISBN 0-426-20337-2 | |cover = [[Alister Pearson]] | ||
|prev=Dragonfire (novelisation) | |format = Paperback Book; 24 Chapters, 160 Pages | ||
| | |isbn = ISBN 0-426-20337-2 | ||
|prev = The Space Pirates (novelisation) | |||
|next = Mission to Magnus (novelisation) | |||
|series2 = [[List of Doctor Who television stories|TV series order]] | |||
|prev2 = Dragonfire (novelisation) | |||
|next2 = The Happiness Patrol (novelisation) | |||
}} | }} | ||
'''''{{StoryTitle}}''''' was a novelisation based on the [[1988 (releases)|1988]] television serial ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)|Remembrance of the Daleks]]''. | '''''{{StoryTitle}}''''' was a [[Target novelisation|novelisation]] based on the [[1988 (releases)|1988]] television serial ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)|Remembrance of the Daleks]]''. | ||
== Publisher's summary == | == Publisher's summary == | ||
=== 1990 Target edition === | === 1990 Target Books edition === | ||
[[Shoreditch]], [[London]], [[1963]]. Two teachers follow an [[Susan Foreman|unnervingly knowledgeable schoolgirl]] to her home | [[Shoreditch]], [[London]], [[1963]]. [[Ian Chesterton|Two]] [[Barbara Wright|teachers]] follow an [[Susan Foreman|unnervingly knowledgeable schoolgirl]] to her [[home]] - [[the Doctor's TARDIS|a blue police telephone box]] in the middle of a [[76 Totter's Lane|scrapyard]]. The [[First Doctor|old man]] whom the [[girl]] calls "[[Grandparent|grandfather]]" is annoyed at the [[Intruder|intrusion]]: there is something he has to do, and he has a [[Precognition|premonition]] that he will be delayed for some time... | ||
Six | Six [[regeneration]]s later [[Seventh Doctor|the Doctor]] returns; and [[Ace]], his travelling [[companion]], sees London as it was before the [[1960s|Sixties]] started [[Swinging Sixties|swinging]] — and long before she was [[Birth|born]]. | ||
But a [[Renegade Dalek|Grey Dalek]] is lurking in | But a [[Renegade Dalek|Grey Dalek]] is lurking in Foreman's Yard; [[Imperial Dalek]]s are appearing in the basement of [[Coal Hill School]]; and both factions want the [[Hand of Omega]], the remote [[stellar manipulator]] that the Doctor has left behind. Has the Doctor arrived in time to deprive the [[Dalek]]s of the [[secret]] of [[time travel]]? | ||
=== 2013 BBC Books edition === | === 2013 BBC Books edition === | ||
With unfinished business to attend to, the Seventh Doctor returns to where it all began: Coal Hill School in London in 1963. Last time he was here, the Doctor left something behind — a powerful Time Lord artefact that could unlock the secrets of time travel. Can the Doctor retrieve it before two rival factions of Daleks track it down? And even if he can, how will the Doctor prevent the whole of London becoming a war zone as the Daleks meet in explosive confrontation? | With unfinished business to attend to, the Seventh Doctor returns to where it all began: Coal Hill School in London in 1963. Last time he was here, the Doctor left something behind — a powerful [[Time Lord]] artefact that could unlock the secrets of time travel. Can the Doctor retrieve it before [[Imperial-Renegade Dalek Civil War|two rival factions of Daleks]] track it down? And even if he can, how will the Doctor prevent the whole of London becoming a [[war zone]] as the Daleks meet in [[Shoreditch Incident|explosive confrontation]]? | ||
''An adventure featuring the Seventh Doctor as played by Sylvester McCoy and his companion Ace'' | ''An adventure featuring the Seventh Doctor as played by [[Sylvester McCoy]] and his companion Ace'' | ||
== Chapter titles == | == Chapter titles == | ||
* Prologue | * Prologue | ||
# Shoreditch, November 1963 - Friday, 15:30 | # Shoreditch, [[November]] 1963 - [[Friday]], 15:30 | ||
# Friday, 16:03 | # Friday, 16:03 | ||
# Friday, 17:30 | # Friday, 17:30 | ||
# Saturday, 02:17 | # [[Saturday]], 02:17 | ||
# Saturday, 06:26 | # Saturday, 06:26 | ||
# Saturday, 07:31 | # Saturday, 07:31 | ||
| Line 59: | Line 65: | ||
# Saturday, 16:45 | # Saturday, 16:45 | ||
# Saturday, 17:15 | # Saturday, 17:15 | ||
# Skaro | # [[Skaro]] | ||
# Saturday, 17:37 | # Saturday, 17:37 | ||
# Thursday, 11:30 | # [[Thursday]], 11:30 | ||
== Notes == | == Notes == | ||
* An audio reading of the story by [[Terry Molloy]] was released by BBC Physical Audio on [[19 February (releases)|19 February]] [[2015 (releases)|2015]], with additional Dalek voices by [[Nicholas Briggs]]. | * An [[Audiobooks of novelisations|audio reading]] of the story by [[Terry Molloy]] was released by BBC Physical Audio on [[19 February (releases)|19 February]] [[2015 (releases)|2015]], with additional Dalek voices by [[Nicholas Briggs]]. | ||
* Dedication: "To Andrew who opened the door, and Anna who pushed me through it". | * Dedication: "To Andrew who opened the door, and Anna who pushed me through it". | ||
* The novelisation also begins with a quote from ''[[Richard III (play)|Richard III]]'', Act 1, Scene 1. | |||
== Deviations from televised story == | == Deviations from televised story == | ||
* There is a short prologue featuring the | * Like [[The Curse of Fenric (novelisation)|''The Curse of Fenric'' novelisation]], this commission was given an unlimited word count and, in the light of the forthcoming range of ''New Adventures'' and the edicts of new editor [[Peter Darvill-Evans]], the writers were encouraged to take a more adult-orientated approach to the story. In particular, Aaronovitch's thematic exploration of [[racism|racial prejudice]], as well as the implication a young [[Ian Gilmore|Gilmore]] and [[Rachel Jensen|Jensen]] had sex, and more details about the period setting. | ||
* | * As is the norm for novelisations, many characters are given fleshed out backgrounds and names. These include Gilmore and Jensen having worked briefly together in the war, Jensen's childhood, and [[George Ratcliffe|Ratcliffe]] having been a constant presence in [[Mike Smith]]'s life. Mike is also aware of the Renegade Daleks being Ratcliffe's allies and so is lying when he later tells Ace he didn't know about them. | ||
* The book contains far more detail on the [[Special Weapons Dalek]], | * Group Captain Ian Gilmore was a [[lieutenant]] in [[World War II]] in [[1940]]. He was terrified during a massive German bombing raid and after the base landline was cut, he spent the night with Jensen (then a radar operator). The next morning, he was transferred to [[Scotland]] for training command. Since then, he would have recurring bouts of fear that he covered up with his uniform and bearing. | ||
* Various Dalek campaigns are mentioned such as the [[Spiridon]] | * Rachel Jensen grew up in the [[Judaism|Jewish]] community at [[Golders Green]] and was in the Girl Guides during the [[1930s]]. She worked with [[Alan Turing]] and was never able to eat [[porridge]] thanks to Turing comparing the human brain to eight ounces of it. By the end of the story, the repeated display of advanced tecnhology and its implications leave her quietly shaken, which lead to her decision to retire in [[1964]]. | ||
* There | * George Ratcliffe was a member of the Shoreditch Association during the 1930s. They took part in a march down Cable Street, espousing their patriotism and their pride in fighting against Bolsheviks, Jews and other minority groups. During the 1950s, he made use of his contacts to gain work aiding in the post-war reconstruction efforts around London's East End which had been ravaged by the Blitz. His builder's merchant career prospered as a result. He also turned his efforts to the challenging prospect of rebuilding the Association. He made use of an influx of immigrants to recruit other like-minded individuals to the Association. He found immigrants had become an easier target than Jews were in this endeavour, as they were "more obvious" and "more different." In the longer term, Ratcliffe hoped to stage a coup and bring the Association to power. However, as the economic conditions weren't as severe as the 1930s, he despaired that not enough people required scapegoats and the Association couldn't recruit as many people as it used to. | ||
* Mike Smith's father was killed in [[1943]] during one of the [[Royal Navy]]'s [[Arctic]] convoys supplying the [[Soviet Union]] via Murmansk. Only a boy when World War II ended, he would play on bombsites in Shoreditch where he met Ratcliffe, who gifted him with a [[Germany|German]] [[chocolate]] bar. Over the years, he had many further meetings with Ratcliffe, who imparted upon him his ideology. Ratcliffe warned of bankers and [[Communism|communists]] working in league with each other and of a ploy by the British government to reduce wages by replacing white workers with black immigrants. This aided in the rise of Smith's prejudices. Smith would later become a sergeant in the [[Royal Air Force|RAF]], serving eighteen months in Malaya by 1963, where he was often bored but also witnessed at least one sudden death. He also witnessed a bar fight in [[Singapore]] almost turn murderous. | |||
* Generic soldiers are given names and scenes. | |||
* The [[Renegade Dalek]] faction | * Several subtle hints are given towards Mike's eventual betrayal of the team in the form of various [[racist]], [[Sexism|sexist]] and anti-semitic comments to and about others, including being relieved Ace isn't an alien as he wouldn't want to date a "foreigner". | ||
* The Daleks know the Doctor | * Dalek dialogue to each other is often rewritten as network transmissions as part of a cyberpunk treatment. | ||
* The Doctor mentions the Movellan War to Ace, Rachel and Allison. | * There is a short prologue featuring the [[First Doctor]], portraying a scene from ''[[An Unearthly Child (TV story)|An Unearthly Child]]''. | ||
* | * While summarising the Daleks' history to Ace, the Doctor recalls his own first encounter with them. In an interesting display of continuity, his recollection of [[Temmosus]], begging for peace while the Daleks gunned him down, bears a striking resemblance to [[David Whitaker]]'s depiction of events in ''[[Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks (novelisation)|Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks]]''. | ||
* The Dalek initially guarding the transmat receptacle in Coal Hill crashes through a brick wall before chasing the Doctor and Ace from the cellar. | |||
* The Doctor's meeting with [[John (Remembrance of the Daleks)|John]] doesn't take place in the cafe set. Instead, John is running his own place: an outdoors establishment near the docks. | |||
* The novelisation expands on Davros' origin, | * Gilmore refers to the government's "sensitive state" in the show is now explicitly referring to the {{w|Profumo affair}} in the book, after [[Allison Williams|Allison]] jokes, "Thanks to {{w|Christine Keeler|Miss Keeler}}". | ||
* The novelisation | * A reason is added for why the Daleks don't kill Ace at the end of episode 2 but are simply yelling "exterminate": they are directed to capture her and the screaming is an intimidation tactic. | ||
* The book contains far more detail on the [[Special Weapons Dalek]], known to its peers in the novelisation as the [[Abomination]]. In the book, its motives are explored in greater detail. From its inception and creation as the ultimate weapon to the surprising fact that the firing of its main weapon caused it to mutate and become self-aware. As a result, it is closely monitored and even "feared" by other Daleks. The patrol leader resists the urge to exterminate it for its impurity. Ace and the Doctor encounter the [[Special Weapons Dalek]] personally as it and the [[Imperial Dalek]]s attack the [[Renegade Dalek]]s in [[Ratcliffe's Yard]]. | |||
* Various Dalek campaigns are mentioned such as the [[Spiridon campaign]] and the [[Movellan War]]. The Special Weapons Dalek is noted to have participated in three distinguished campaigns: [[Pa Jass-Gutrik]], the War of Vengeance against the [[Movellan]]s, [[Pa Jaski-Thal]], the Liquidation War against the [[Thal]]s, and [[Pas Jass-Vortan]], the Time Campaign — the War to End All Wars. | |||
* There are two extracts from an in-universe book series called ''[[The Children of Davros]]'', ''Volume XX'' and ''[[The Children of Davros Volume XIX|Volume XIX]]'', published in [[4065]]. (The subtitle for Volume XX is ''A Short History of the Dalek Race'') It is stated the [[Movellan virus]] killed 83% of the Daleks and cut off Skaro, cauisng the various surviving sector commands to become the factions "that characterize Dalek politics to this day". Davros' "subversion" of the "imperial Skarosian Daleks" is also part of a technological renaissance centred on Skaro. The Doctor expands on the Dalek civil war over racial purity, stating the factions normally wouldn't fight as they "bang databases" and one Dalek listens to the other, but the Imperials and Renegades don't recognise the other ''as'' Daleks. | |||
* The [[Imperial Dalek|Imperial faction]] employs [[scout Dalek]]s with "overpowered motor[s]" that navigate and attack using sensor signals from bulb housings on their torsos. They may bear an ancestral resemblance to the reconnaissance drone depicted in [[TV]]: ''[[Resolution (TV story)|Resolution]]''. | |||
* The [[Renegade Dalek]] faction employs electronic countermeasure pods, a form of in-built intrusion countermeasures electronics (ICE), in their defence. These devices allow them to infiltrate and confuse the targeting computer and life support systems of any [[Imperial Dalek]]s who come into range. During their first face-to-face encounter in London, the Renegades overwhelm their opposition by distorting their foes' aim and eventually drown them in their own nutrient tanks. (Finding and destroying the ECM pods is an explanation for why the Daleks are sometimes firing at the tunnel walls in part four.) | |||
* The Daleks know the Doctor by the titles of [[Ka Faraq Gatri]], Enemy of the Daleks and the Bringer of Darkness. These were reused commonly in 1990s/2000s spin-off media, but most prominently for [[COMIC]]: ''[[Metamorphosis (comic story)|Metamorphosis]]'', ''[[Emperor of the Daleks! (comic story)|Emperor of the Daleks!]]'', [[PROSE]]: ''[[Love and War (novel)|Love and War]]'', ''[[The Quantum Archangel (novel)|The Quantum Archangel]]'' and for the Second Doctor in [[COMIC]]: ''[[Bringer of Darkness (comic story)|Bringer of Darkness]]''. | |||
* The Doctor mentions the Movellan War to Ace, Rachel and Allison. The [[Movellan virus]] apparently fragmented the Daleks and left them in isolated factions. | |||
* Skaro's destruction is depicted up close and in great detail. From its beetles and [[rock leopard]]s in the mountains to the Dalek city of [[Mensvat Esc-Dalek]] and the one-thousand-million Daleks that dwell within it. The mountains and seas boil, the sky turns white and the atmosphere is blown out into space by the supernova triggered by the Hand of Omega. | |||
* The novelisation expands on Davros's origin, depicting the bombardment that led to him becoming crippled and chief scientist of the Kaled scientific division. The Kaled High Command attempted to persuade him to suicide after he was lamed. Citing his genetic impurity. Davros instead came to the realisation that they were too weak to abide by their principles. They couldn't kill him or even exile him and that weakness was incorporated into the Dalek design. This rejection and the bombardment were depicted in [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Davros (audio story)|Davros]]'' and [[AUDIO]]: ''[[Corruption (audio story)|Corruption]]'', respectively. | |||
* The novelisation is notable for providing many points of reference for lore in the [[Virgin New Adventures]]. [[Kadiatu S. Lethbridge-Stewart]], an ancestor of [[Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart|the character]] who later appears in ''[[Transit (novel)|Transit]]'', is introduced as the author of the oft-quoted ''The Children of Davros''. Flashbacks to ancient [[Gallifrey]] introduce "[[the Other]]", a prominent figure with links to the Doctor and the mysterious third member of the founding [[Triumvirate]] with [[Rassilon]] and [[Omega]]. | |||
* The [[fourth wall]] break from the end of part two is absent from in the novelisation. | |||
* The vicar is named Parkinson. He went to [[Oxford]] and enlisted to fight in [[World War I]]. At the rank of [[captain]], he was blinded by a [[German]] [[mustard gas]] attack in [[Verdun]], [[France]]. He felt he had been 'called to God' and felt His presence while being treated at a dressing station. | |||
== Releases == | |||
* First paperback edition, priced £2.50 (UK), estimated print run: 25,000 copies. | |||
* This novel was reprinted with a new cover by [[BBC Books]] in [[2013 (releases)|2013]] as part of the ''[[The 50th Anniversary Collection|50th Anniversary Collection]]''. | |||
* This novel was reprinted in hardcover with ''[[Prisoner of the Daleks (novel)|Prisoner of the Daleks]]'' by Barnes & Noble on [[29 July (releases)|29 July]] [[2016 (releases)|2016]]. | |||
== Additional cover images == | == Additional cover images == | ||
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true"> | <gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true"> | ||
Doctor Who Rememberance of the Daleks 50th.jpg|The [[ | Doctor Who Rememberance of the Daleks 50th.jpg|2013 edition. Cover by [[Two Associates]]. | ||
Remembrance of the Daleks Prisoner of the Daleks (B&N).jpg|2016 edition. Cover by Barnes & Noble. | |||
</gallery> | |||
== Editions published outside Britain == | |||
* Published in the USA by BBC Worldwide America in 2016 as a combined Hardback edition, it comprised this story and ''Prisoner of the Daleks''. The book was published with a special leather cover.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wonderfulbook.co.uk/basedon/|title=Based on the Popular BBC Television Serial 3rd Edition}}</ref> | |||
* Published in Germany by Bastei Lubbe in 2017 as a paperback edition, translated by Axel Merz and published as ''Die Hand des Omega''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wonderfulbook.co.uk/basedon/|title=Based on the Popular BBC Television Serial 3rd Edition}}</ref> | |||
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true"> | |||
File:BBCRemembrance&Prisoner.jpg|American combined Hardback edition | |||
File:GermanRemembranceOfTheDaleks.jpg|German edition | |||
</gallery> | |||
== Audiobook == | |||
This Target Book was released as an audiobook on [[19 February (releases)|19 February]] [[2015 (releases)|2015]] complete and unabridged by [[BBC Audio]] and read by [[Terry Molloy]], with Dalek voices by [[Nicholas Briggs]]. | |||
The cover blurb and thumbnail illustrations were retained in the accompanying booklet with sleevenotes by [[David J. Howe]]. Music and sound effects by [[Simon Power]]. | |||
The audiobook version was reissued as part of ''[[The Second Monsters Collection]]'' on [[28 January (releases)|28 January]] [[2021 (releases)|2021]]. | |||
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true"> | |||
remeb-dalek-cdl.jpg|Audiobook cover | remeb-dalek-cdl.jpg|Audiobook cover | ||
The Second Monsters Collection.jpg|''The Second Monsters Collection'' | |||
</gallery> | </gallery> | ||
== | == External links == | ||
* {{Penguin|1093763/doctor-who--remembrance-of-the-daleks/}} | |||
== Footnotes == | |||
{{Reflist}} | |||
{{DWN}} | {{DWN}} | ||
{{TitleSort}} | {{TitleSort}} | ||
[[Category:Target novelisations]] | [[Category:Target novelisations]] | ||
[[Category:1990 novels]] | [[Category:1990 novels]] | ||
[[Category:Dalek novels]] | [[Category:Dalek novels]] | ||
[[Category:Seventh Doctor | [[Category:Seventh Doctor novelisations]] | ||
[[Category:Davros novels]] | [[Category:Davros novels]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Stories set in Shoreditch]] | ||
[[Category:Stories set at Coal Hill School]] | |||
[[Category:Stories set in 1963]] | |||
[[Category:Stories set on 23 November]] | |||
[[Category:Sources set on Skaro]] | |||
[[Category:Target novelisations with audiobook readings]] | |||
[[Category:First Doctor novelisations]] | |||
[[Category:Multi-Doctor novels]] | |||
[[Category:50th Anniversary Collection Target novelisations reprints]] | |||
Latest revision as of 20:17, 3 November 2024
Remembrance of the Daleks was a novelisation based on the 1988 television serial Remembrance of the Daleks.
Publisher's summary[[edit] | [edit source]]
1990 Target Books edition[[edit] | [edit source]]
Shoreditch, London, 1963. Two teachers follow an unnervingly knowledgeable schoolgirl to her home - a blue police telephone box in the middle of a scrapyard. The old man whom the girl calls "grandfather" is annoyed at the intrusion: there is something he has to do, and he has a premonition that he will be delayed for some time...
Six regenerations later the Doctor returns; and Ace, his travelling companion, sees London as it was before the Sixties started swinging — and long before she was born.
But a Grey Dalek is lurking in Foreman's Yard; Imperial Daleks are appearing in the basement of Coal Hill School; and both factions want the Hand of Omega, the remote stellar manipulator that the Doctor has left behind. Has the Doctor arrived in time to deprive the Daleks of the secret of time travel?
2013 BBC Books edition[[edit] | [edit source]]
With unfinished business to attend to, the Seventh Doctor returns to where it all began: Coal Hill School in London in 1963. Last time he was here, the Doctor left something behind — a powerful Time Lord artefact that could unlock the secrets of time travel. Can the Doctor retrieve it before two rival factions of Daleks track it down? And even if he can, how will the Doctor prevent the whole of London becoming a war zone as the Daleks meet in explosive confrontation?
An adventure featuring the Seventh Doctor as played by Sylvester McCoy and his companion Ace
Chapter titles[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Prologue
- Shoreditch, November 1963 - Friday, 15:30
- Friday, 16:03
- Friday, 17:30
- Saturday, 02:17
- Saturday, 06:26
- Saturday, 07:31
- Saturday, 12:13
- Saturday, 14:15
- Saturday, 14:55
- Saturday, 15:00
- Saturday, 15:31
- Saturday, 15:42
- Saturday, 15:50
- Saturday, 16:05
- Saturday, 16:11
- Saturday, 16:15
- Saturday, 16:32
- Saturday, 16:34
- Saturday, 16:45
- Saturday, 17:15
- Skaro
- Saturday, 17:37
- Thursday, 11:30
Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]
- An audio reading of the story by Terry Molloy was released by BBC Physical Audio on 19 February 2015, with additional Dalek voices by Nicholas Briggs.
- Dedication: "To Andrew who opened the door, and Anna who pushed me through it".
- The novelisation also begins with a quote from Richard III, Act 1, Scene 1.
Deviations from televised story[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Like The Curse of Fenric novelisation, this commission was given an unlimited word count and, in the light of the forthcoming range of New Adventures and the edicts of new editor Peter Darvill-Evans, the writers were encouraged to take a more adult-orientated approach to the story. In particular, Aaronovitch's thematic exploration of racial prejudice, as well as the implication a young Gilmore and Jensen had sex, and more details about the period setting.
- As is the norm for novelisations, many characters are given fleshed out backgrounds and names. These include Gilmore and Jensen having worked briefly together in the war, Jensen's childhood, and Ratcliffe having been a constant presence in Mike Smith's life. Mike is also aware of the Renegade Daleks being Ratcliffe's allies and so is lying when he later tells Ace he didn't know about them.
- Group Captain Ian Gilmore was a lieutenant in World War II in 1940. He was terrified during a massive German bombing raid and after the base landline was cut, he spent the night with Jensen (then a radar operator). The next morning, he was transferred to Scotland for training command. Since then, he would have recurring bouts of fear that he covered up with his uniform and bearing.
- Rachel Jensen grew up in the Jewish community at Golders Green and was in the Girl Guides during the 1930s. She worked with Alan Turing and was never able to eat porridge thanks to Turing comparing the human brain to eight ounces of it. By the end of the story, the repeated display of advanced tecnhology and its implications leave her quietly shaken, which lead to her decision to retire in 1964.
- George Ratcliffe was a member of the Shoreditch Association during the 1930s. They took part in a march down Cable Street, espousing their patriotism and their pride in fighting against Bolsheviks, Jews and other minority groups. During the 1950s, he made use of his contacts to gain work aiding in the post-war reconstruction efforts around London's East End which had been ravaged by the Blitz. His builder's merchant career prospered as a result. He also turned his efforts to the challenging prospect of rebuilding the Association. He made use of an influx of immigrants to recruit other like-minded individuals to the Association. He found immigrants had become an easier target than Jews were in this endeavour, as they were "more obvious" and "more different." In the longer term, Ratcliffe hoped to stage a coup and bring the Association to power. However, as the economic conditions weren't as severe as the 1930s, he despaired that not enough people required scapegoats and the Association couldn't recruit as many people as it used to.
- Mike Smith's father was killed in 1943 during one of the Royal Navy's Arctic convoys supplying the Soviet Union via Murmansk. Only a boy when World War II ended, he would play on bombsites in Shoreditch where he met Ratcliffe, who gifted him with a German chocolate bar. Over the years, he had many further meetings with Ratcliffe, who imparted upon him his ideology. Ratcliffe warned of bankers and communists working in league with each other and of a ploy by the British government to reduce wages by replacing white workers with black immigrants. This aided in the rise of Smith's prejudices. Smith would later become a sergeant in the RAF, serving eighteen months in Malaya by 1963, where he was often bored but also witnessed at least one sudden death. He also witnessed a bar fight in Singapore almost turn murderous.
- Generic soldiers are given names and scenes.
- Several subtle hints are given towards Mike's eventual betrayal of the team in the form of various racist, sexist and anti-semitic comments to and about others, including being relieved Ace isn't an alien as he wouldn't want to date a "foreigner".
- Dalek dialogue to each other is often rewritten as network transmissions as part of a cyberpunk treatment.
- There is a short prologue featuring the First Doctor, portraying a scene from An Unearthly Child.
- While summarising the Daleks' history to Ace, the Doctor recalls his own first encounter with them. In an interesting display of continuity, his recollection of Temmosus, begging for peace while the Daleks gunned him down, bears a striking resemblance to David Whitaker's depiction of events in Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks.
- The Dalek initially guarding the transmat receptacle in Coal Hill crashes through a brick wall before chasing the Doctor and Ace from the cellar.
- The Doctor's meeting with John doesn't take place in the cafe set. Instead, John is running his own place: an outdoors establishment near the docks.
- Gilmore refers to the government's "sensitive state" in the show is now explicitly referring to the Profumo affair in the book, after Allison jokes, "Thanks to Miss Keeler".
- A reason is added for why the Daleks don't kill Ace at the end of episode 2 but are simply yelling "exterminate": they are directed to capture her and the screaming is an intimidation tactic.
- The book contains far more detail on the Special Weapons Dalek, known to its peers in the novelisation as the Abomination. In the book, its motives are explored in greater detail. From its inception and creation as the ultimate weapon to the surprising fact that the firing of its main weapon caused it to mutate and become self-aware. As a result, it is closely monitored and even "feared" by other Daleks. The patrol leader resists the urge to exterminate it for its impurity. Ace and the Doctor encounter the Special Weapons Dalek personally as it and the Imperial Daleks attack the Renegade Daleks in Ratcliffe's Yard.
- Various Dalek campaigns are mentioned such as the Spiridon campaign and the Movellan War. The Special Weapons Dalek is noted to have participated in three distinguished campaigns: Pa Jass-Gutrik, the War of Vengeance against the Movellans, Pa Jaski-Thal, the Liquidation War against the Thals, and Pas Jass-Vortan, the Time Campaign — the War to End All Wars.
- There are two extracts from an in-universe book series called The Children of Davros, Volume XX and Volume XIX, published in 4065. (The subtitle for Volume XX is A Short History of the Dalek Race) It is stated the Movellan virus killed 83% of the Daleks and cut off Skaro, cauisng the various surviving sector commands to become the factions "that characterize Dalek politics to this day". Davros' "subversion" of the "imperial Skarosian Daleks" is also part of a technological renaissance centred on Skaro. The Doctor expands on the Dalek civil war over racial purity, stating the factions normally wouldn't fight as they "bang databases" and one Dalek listens to the other, but the Imperials and Renegades don't recognise the other as Daleks.
- The Imperial faction employs scout Daleks with "overpowered motor[s]" that navigate and attack using sensor signals from bulb housings on their torsos. They may bear an ancestral resemblance to the reconnaissance drone depicted in TV: Resolution.
- The Renegade Dalek faction employs electronic countermeasure pods, a form of in-built intrusion countermeasures electronics (ICE), in their defence. These devices allow them to infiltrate and confuse the targeting computer and life support systems of any Imperial Daleks who come into range. During their first face-to-face encounter in London, the Renegades overwhelm their opposition by distorting their foes' aim and eventually drown them in their own nutrient tanks. (Finding and destroying the ECM pods is an explanation for why the Daleks are sometimes firing at the tunnel walls in part four.)
- The Daleks know the Doctor by the titles of Ka Faraq Gatri, Enemy of the Daleks and the Bringer of Darkness. These were reused commonly in 1990s/2000s spin-off media, but most prominently for COMIC: Metamorphosis, Emperor of the Daleks!, PROSE: Love and War, The Quantum Archangel and for the Second Doctor in COMIC: Bringer of Darkness.
- The Doctor mentions the Movellan War to Ace, Rachel and Allison. The Movellan virus apparently fragmented the Daleks and left them in isolated factions.
- Skaro's destruction is depicted up close and in great detail. From its beetles and rock leopards in the mountains to the Dalek city of Mensvat Esc-Dalek and the one-thousand-million Daleks that dwell within it. The mountains and seas boil, the sky turns white and the atmosphere is blown out into space by the supernova triggered by the Hand of Omega.
- The novelisation expands on Davros's origin, depicting the bombardment that led to him becoming crippled and chief scientist of the Kaled scientific division. The Kaled High Command attempted to persuade him to suicide after he was lamed. Citing his genetic impurity. Davros instead came to the realisation that they were too weak to abide by their principles. They couldn't kill him or even exile him and that weakness was incorporated into the Dalek design. This rejection and the bombardment were depicted in AUDIO: Davros and AUDIO: Corruption, respectively.
- The novelisation is notable for providing many points of reference for lore in the Virgin New Adventures. Kadiatu S. Lethbridge-Stewart, an ancestor of the character who later appears in Transit, is introduced as the author of the oft-quoted The Children of Davros. Flashbacks to ancient Gallifrey introduce "the Other", a prominent figure with links to the Doctor and the mysterious third member of the founding Triumvirate with Rassilon and Omega.
- The fourth wall break from the end of part two is absent from in the novelisation.
- The vicar is named Parkinson. He went to Oxford and enlisted to fight in World War I. At the rank of captain, he was blinded by a German mustard gas attack in Verdun, France. He felt he had been 'called to God' and felt His presence while being treated at a dressing station.
Releases[[edit] | [edit source]]
- First paperback edition, priced £2.50 (UK), estimated print run: 25,000 copies.
- This novel was reprinted with a new cover by BBC Books in 2013 as part of the 50th Anniversary Collection.
- This novel was reprinted in hardcover with Prisoner of the Daleks by Barnes & Noble on 29 July 2016.
Additional cover images[[edit] | [edit source]]
2013 edition. Cover by Two Associates.
2016 edition. Cover by Barnes & Noble.
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Editions published outside Britain[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Published in the USA by BBC Worldwide America in 2016 as a combined Hardback edition, it comprised this story and Prisoner of the Daleks. The book was published with a special leather cover.[1]
- Published in Germany by Bastei Lubbe in 2017 as a paperback edition, translated by Axel Merz and published as Die Hand des Omega.[2]
American combined Hardback edition
German edition
Audiobook[[edit] | [edit source]]
This Target Book was released as an audiobook on 19 February 2015 complete and unabridged by BBC Audio and read by Terry Molloy, with Dalek voices by Nicholas Briggs.
The cover blurb and thumbnail illustrations were retained in the accompanying booklet with sleevenotes by David J. Howe. Music and sound effects by Simon Power.
The audiobook version was reissued as part of The Second Monsters Collection on 28 January 2021.
Audiobook cover
The Second Monsters Collection
External links[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Official Remembrance of the Daleks page at Penguin Books
