The Evil of the Daleks (novelisation)

The Evil of the Daleks
Based on:	The Evil of the Daleks
Doctor:	Second Doctor
Companion(s):	Jamie, Victoria
Main enemy:	Daleks
Main setting:	England, 1866
Key crew
Publisher:	Target Books, Virgin Publishing Ltd. UK
Writer:	John Peel
Release details
Release number:	155
Release date:	19 August 1993
Format:	Paperback Book; 35 Chapters, 288 Pages
ISBN:	ISBN 0-426-20389-5
Target novelisations
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The Evil of the Daleks was a novelisation based on the 1967 television serial The Evil of the Daleks.

Publisher's summary

"The Daleks tell me I'm going to do something for them - something I would rather die than do."

Stranded in Victorian London, separated from his TARDIS and forced to cooperate with the Daleks, it seems that the Doctor's luck has finally run out. The Daleks are searching for the elusive Human Factor, and want the Doctor to help them find it. With Victoria and Jamie held captive, the Doctor has no choice. An army of Daleks stands poised to conquer the universe. Will the Human Factor be their ultimate weapon?

This is a brand-new novelization of a classic Dalek story, and is the first story to feature Victoria as a companion.

Chapter titles

• Prologue

1. To Set a Trap
2. The Old Curiosity Shop
3. The Net Tightens
4. Further Curiosities
5. Curioser and Curioser
6. Kennedy's Assassination
7. The Net Tightens
8. The Better Mousetrap
9. Portrait of Innocence
10. The True Enemy
11. The Kidnapping
12. Recovery
13. A Trial of Strength
14. Friction
15. Double Dealing
16. The Test Begins
17. A Test of Skills
18. Friend and Foe
19. Terrall's Agony
20. The Traitor
21. Fencing
22. Pawns Of The Daleks
23. The Human Factor
24. Awakening
25. Dalek Superior
26. Time Bomb
27. Skaro
28. Emergency!
29. At Last!
30. Waiting
31. Transmutation
32. The Dalek Doctor
33. The End of the Daleks?

• Epilogue

Deviations from televised story

• The novel opens up with a prologue detailing the events following on from The Daleks' Master Plan, which took place over a thousand years prior to this story's setting. Due to the First Doctor's interference and the failure of the Dalek force on Kembel to destroy Earth, numerous war forces were able to assemble to assault the main forces of the Dalek Empire in a series of wars over the course of the millennium, among them the Thals, the Draconians and the Terran Federation. The Daleks' disastrous performances in "their Great War" led their computers to predict that they would be fought to extinction within 80 years if things did not improve.
• According to the novel, the Emperor was at one point the Dalek Prime, marking its third appearance after PROSE: The Chase and PROSE: The Mutation of Time. It is the same Dalek who exterminated Davros in TV: Genesis of the Daleks.
• While all the Daleks on TV were silver, with black-domed variants acting as the Emperor's guards, the novelisation describes the standard Daleks as grey, although this may be due to the serial being in black and white. The Emperor's guards are also described as "almost entirely black", despite the black-domed Dalek seen on the cover, to better fit with the term of "Black Daleks" used to describe them in the TV serial. Additionally, a Red Dalek takes command of the operations on Earth, acting as an emissary for the Supreme Council, making this the second time John Peel has inserted a Red Dalek into a novelisation, after The Mutation of Time.
• The Daleks allow Waterfield to write Victoria letters.
• Waterfield has pictures of Ben and Polly as well as the Doctor and Jamie, but one of his agents informs him that the two have stopped travelling with the Doctor, and so Waterfield decides they need not become involved.
• Hall drives a blue Ford Popular.
• Kennedy thinks the Dalek looks like "the kind of robot that the BBC might have dreamed up for Out of the Unknown or one of those daft Quatermass serials of theirs".
• Perry is said to be in his mid-twenties, but on screen he is older. He is also said to be an avid viewer of Z-Cars and No Hiding Place.
• Kemel's life in Turkey and his first meeting with Maxtible is briefly explained.
• Maxtible turns Kemel against Jamie by telling him Jamie wants to rape and kill Victoria.
• After Jamie and Kemel find Victoria, an extra scene is added in which the Doctor convinces the Daleks to let him have a break from the experiment, which leads into his first encounter with Terrall.
• A scene in the caves connected to the Dalek City describes two rods stretching out over a drop to form a retractable bridge for the Daleks to cross. This type of bridge would later feature in audio story The Destroyers, based on the unproduced Dalek spin-off.
• The scene of the Doctor sabotaging the arch is extended.
• Jamie, Victoria and Kemel smash the Dalek City water pumps, resulting in the fires getting out of control.
• Dreamweave and Dust cannons are mentioned as part of the Daleks' arsenal.
• Apart from some very minor rewording, the dialogue is relatively unchanged from the televised version when compared to some other novelisations. Where there are significant changes, it is largely in order to provide expanded explanations of certain developments or continuity points. For example, after travelling to Skaro, the Doctor explains to his companions a lot more about his previous visit there.

Writing and publishing notes

• Along with The Power of the Daleks and The Paradise of Death, this title was significantly different from earlier Target Books novelisations in length and format. The three were regarded as a bridge between the old Target range of Doctor Who books and the all-new Virgin Missing Adventures range shortly to be launched. They had a new look cover with no Target logo featured; furthermore, each title was identified as part of the Doctor Who imprint and not Target imprint (however, the Target name did appear on the title pages).
• Dedication: "For Deanne Holding. A favourite story for one of our favourite people and with thanks to Jonathan V. Way. Special thanks to Terry Nation and Roger Hancock."
• Title page shows Official 30th Anniversary Logo.
• This was the last Target novelisation of a televised story until Rose in 2018. The Paradise of Death was based upon a radio play. With this book, all of the Second Doctor's stories had now been novelised.
• The cover and information for the original Target edition featured the artwork of Alister Pearson.
• Chapter 3 and Chapter 7 are both called 'The Net Tightens'.

British publication history

One single paperback edition, priced £4.50 (UK).

External links

to be added