'War of the Daleks' – John Peel (BBC Books)

For someone who says he doesn't do 'reading resolutions'... Here comes another one. Yep, I know...

I've got a really bad habit of buying armfuls of books, with all the best intentions of reading them, and then shoving them up a corner when something new and shinier appears. Not this year though! My target is that for each armful of books that I bring home, I'll try and read at least one book as soon as possible after the inevitable 'Books for the TBR Pile' post. We'll see how that pans out but for now, it's a resolution that has taken me to the 'Finally Arrived' books and 'War of the Daleks' in particular.

My purchase of 'War of the Daleks' really was born out of wondering whether it was a book that I'd actually read or if my head was making the whole thing up (it's not like it hasn't happened before). When I realised that it was an actual book, I immediately bought it and the last few days felt like just the right time to check it out again. So that's exactly what I did... ;o)

The Doctor is repairing the TARDIS systems once again when it is swept up by a garbage ship roving through space, the Quetzel.

When another ship approaches and takes the Quetzel by force, the Doctor discovers that he and Sam are not the only unwitting travellers on board – there is a strangely familiar survival pod in the hold. Delani, the captain of the second ship, orders the pod to be opened. The Doctor is powerless to intervene as Davros is awakened once more.

But this is no out and out rescue of Davros. Delani and his crew are Thals, the sworn enemies of the Daleks. They intend to use Davros as a means to wipe out the Daleks, finally ridding the universe of the most aggressive, deadly race ever to exist. But the Doctor is still worried, for there is a signal beacon inside the pod, and even now a Dalek ship is closing in...

What you get out of 'War of the Daleks' very much depends on how much how much you are willing to suspend your disbelief. The constant cross and double cross keeps you guessing, and those pages turning, but you can't help but wonder... Would a Dalek go through all that when a volley of blaster fire will solve the problem in a much more efficient manner? There's also some reconciliation to be done between certain events in the book and what we see the Doctor eventually face on the small screen. That's an occupational hazard though, for long running series like this, and it isn't the book's fault. But back to that first point though...

I had trouble accepting that a Dalek would go through all that when it could just exterminate its target instead. If I was a Dalek, I know what I'd do... So on the one hand then, it was a bit of a barrier to really being able to get into the plot but at the same time, watching it play out was pretty cool, I can't lie. Maybe there's something here about books being able to go places that a half hour (or even fifty minutes) episode just doesn't have the time for? I don't know... What I'm standing by though is that you'll get more out of this book if you're prepared to just go with it.

I did enjoy the rest of it though, the slightly darker than normal 'Doctor at War' theme is worth the read (especially when the finale kicks off) but in particular just getting to know the Eighth Doctor. Considering that there was only really the one TV movie to go on, I think Peel does brilliantly to give us an Eighth Doctor that is as rounded and fleshed out as the one we get here. I loved watching him and Sam bounce off each other and that's what Doctor Who is all about, isn't it? I think it is.

These Doctor Who books are going for silly money online but I've read enough in 'War of the Daleks' to make me want to keep an eye open for more books in this series. 'War of the Daleks' wasn't the easiest book to get into (although that may be on me more than the book...) but there's plenty here to make it worth your while when you do.