Remembrance of the Daleks (novelisation)

Shoreditch, London, 1963. Two teachers follow an unnervingly knowledgeable schoolgirl to her home — a blue police telephone box in the middle of a 76 Totter's Lane. 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

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

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

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".

Deviations from televised story

There is a short prologue featuring the First Doctor. It portrays a scene from An Unearthly Child.
The cliffhanger to part one has the Dalek crash through a wall before chasing the Doctor and Ace. In the televised story, it is just seen approaching towards them, and we do not hear or see a wall crash down.
The book contains far more detail on the Special Weapons Dalek, also known (in the novelisation) as "the Abomination". In the book, its motives are explored in detail, from its inception and creation as the ultimate weapon, to the surprising fact that the firing of the weapon caused it to mutate, and become self-aware. As a result, it is closely monitored and even "feared" by other Daleks.
Various Dalek campaigns are mentioned such as the Spiridon Campaign and the Movellan War. Three off screen campaigns are also mentioned when exploring more in-depth detail of the Special Weapons Dalek: 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. The Special Weapons Dalek fought in all these wars.
There are two extracts from a (in-universe) book called The Children of Davros Volume XIX, published in 4065. These imply that Dalek politics are now influenced by various Dalek factions, after the events of this story.
The Imperial Daleks use "scout Daleks" not seen (so far) on television or in other media.
The novelisation introduced a character called Kadiatu Lethbridge-Stewart, an ancestor of the character who later appears in the Virgin New Adventures novels. It also includes flashbacks to ancient Gallifrey which introduce "the Other", the mysterious third member of the Triumvirate with Rassilon and Omega. The Virgin novels would later change "the other" into "the Other" and hint at his connection to the Doctor.
The Renegade Dalek faction make use of ECM (Electronic Counter-Measure) pods in their defensive positions. These devices lock onto the casings of any Imperial Daleks who come into range and infiltrate their systems, sabotaging the life-support software so the Kaled mutant within drowns in its own nutrient fluid.
The Daleks know the Doctor as Ka Farq Gatri, enemy of the Daleks, bringer of darkness. This was reused 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.
Ace and the Doctor encounter the Special Weapons Dalek as it and the Imperial Daleks attack the Renegade Daleks in Ratcliffe's Yard.
Skaro's destruction is described with full in depth detail. Several details regarding Skaro are mentioned including beetles, one thousand million Daleks, a Dalek city known as Mensvat Esc-Dalek, rock leopards in the mountains, seas boiling, the sky turning white and the atmosphere being blown into space.
Like The Curse of Fenric novelisation, this commission was given an unlimited wordcount, and in the light of the forthcoming range of New Adventures and new editor Peter Darvill-Evans, the writers were encouraged to take a more "grown up" approach to the story, and in particular its underlying theme of racism.
The novelisation expands on Davros' origin, suggesting the Kaled High Council tried to convince him to commit suicide after the accident, since he was no longer genetically pure. Davros shot them down cold, realising that they were too "weak" to stick to their principles and kill him or even exile him, and that was the seed of the concept of the Daleks. This sequence was dramatised in AUDIO: Davros.
The novelisation expands on the Counter-Measures group.
Several subtle hints are given towards Mike's eventual betrayal of the group, mainly in the form of racist, sexist and antisemitic comments to others.
Scout seven is featured.

Additional cover images

2013 BBC Books edition

British publication history

First paperback edition, priced £2.50 (UK), estimated print run: 25,000 copies.

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.^[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

This Target Book was released 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.

Audiobook cover

External links

Official Remembrance of the Daleks page at Penguin Books

Footnotes

[1] Based on the Popular BBC Television Serial 3rd Edition.

[2] Based on the Popular BBC Television Serial 3rd Edition.

[1]

[2]