For those jumping into this one as a 7th Doctor story, it isn't McCoy's best. The story has three elements Nicholas Briggs uses all too often in the Dalek Empire series: an unnecessary framing narrative, a significant shift in time with too little time for the listener to feel comfortable with the shift, and non-linear elements that don't make sense when they are initially presented. In addition, the Doctor is almost a secondary character throughout the story.
That being said, as a Dalek Empire short, this story is fantastic. Taking place sometime early in the first season of Dalek Empire, Susan Mendes and Kalendorf are prisoners behind enemy lines, fighting to minimize the damage done by the Daleks, while both working for the Daleks and planning an ultimate rebellion. For the Doctor, this takes place late in his 7th incarnation, and presents a tale that, for him, is a direct sequel to the events of television episode, Planet of the Daleks. For the Daleks, this appears to be both a sequel to those events, and a prequel to the events of the comic story, Emperor of the Daleks.
It was refreshing to have secondary characters take the lead in a Doctor Who story, without becoming the simpletons in need of the Doctor's help that show up far too often. Additionally, as a fan of the Dalek Empire story, it's always nice to see ties back to the Dalek stories outside of that series. The relationship between Susan and Kalendorf stays true to who they were during this time in the Dalek Empire series, but the story does a fine job of hinting at Kalendorf's willingness to fight the Daleks at all cost. And, while the Dalek Empire clichés are a bit annoying, they've never succeeded in quite the way they do here. The non-linear element simply bookends the story, and the framing narrative actually serves to assists in the movement of time, rather than simply annoy.
It could have been a better Doctor Who story, but as a crossover story, Briggs does quite a good job.
That being said, as a Dalek Empire short, this story is fantastic. Taking place sometime early in the first season of Dalek Empire, Susan Mendes and Kalendorf are prisoners behind enemy lines, fighting to minimize the damage done by the Daleks, while both working for the Daleks and planning an ultimate rebellion. For the Doctor, this takes place late in his 7th incarnation, and presents a tale that, for him, is a direct sequel to the events of television episode, Planet of the Daleks. For the Daleks, this appears to be both a sequel to those events, and a prequel to the events of the comic story, Emperor of the Daleks.
It was refreshing to have secondary characters take the lead in a Doctor Who story, without becoming the simpletons in need of the Doctor's help that show up far too often. Additionally, as a fan of the Dalek Empire story, it's always nice to see ties back to the Dalek stories outside of that series. The relationship between Susan and Kalendorf stays true to who they were during this time in the Dalek Empire series, but the story does a fine job of hinting at Kalendorf's willingness to fight the Daleks at all cost. And, while the Dalek Empire clichés are a bit annoying, they've never succeeded in quite the way they do here. The non-linear element simply bookends the story, and the framing narrative actually serves to assists in the movement of time, rather than simply annoy.
It could have been a better Doctor Who story, but as a crossover story, Briggs does quite a good job.
