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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Better than WAR OF THE DALEKS, but still not very good, August 1, 2001
LEGACY OF THE DALEKS is a better written book than WAR OF THE DALEKS. The Daleks appear to be much more of a threat, the Doctor acts with greater intelligence, and the continuity references are slightly less annoying and confusing. Unfortunately, it's still not a very good book.The beginning of the story has a lot going for it. Set thirty years after the end of the Dalek invasion, we see Earth gradually putting itself back together after years of occupation, death camps and war. There's a strange mix of technologies and customs as modern tools and weapons are used alongside cultural throwbacks from centuries ago. England has again become a land of bickering Lords; knights roam the countryside doing good deeds. Of course, since this is the 22nd Century, the knights are armed with futuristic weapons and machine guns in addition to their more traditional accompaniments. There is some interesting development at the start where we see some of the power struggles that are going on as the factions of surviving humans battle it out for dominance. Resources are scarce. The production and selling of energy is a major factor in how much power and influence one has. So far, so good. It's the moment in which the Daleks first appear that the story starts falling apart for me. Up until this point the book had the potential for a lot of interesting political and military maneuvering as the different Lords vie for control. But once the Daleks show up, that goes out the window and all we are left with are some long, pointless battle-sequences and Daleks issuing reports to each other. The interest that had been built up surrounding the remaining humans and their plight is quashed and we're left with extended battles and overblown scheming from shallow villains. As in WAR the characterizations are extremely poor. The Doctor appears more like the eighth than in WAR, but he has frequent lapses into his third and fourth personas. The secondary characters are almost universally poor. These aren't people - they're vessels for the plot (what there is of it) who have no reason for existing other than to say things that drive the story forward. There's no consistency about them either; they say or do whatever is needed of them at the time regardless of how much it jars with their previously established character. At no point did I feel that I was reading about human beings. The poor characterizations would not have been as inexcusable had there been an absorbing plot going on around them. Unfortunately, this book is pretty much a complete runaround with very little in it to inspire interest. The Doctor and company run around, get locked up, escape, get threatened by men with guns, escape again, run around, etc. There is not much substance here. All in all, it would probably be better to skip this book. Although it takes place in the middle of the Sam Is Missing story-arc, the related threads are only at the beginning and end of the book. You won't miss anything important or entertaining if you decide to read something else.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
The Doctor finally looks in on Susan...sort of, May 14, 2001
I was delighted to read that the Doctor finally decided to look in on Susan, and was therefore dissappointed that they never actually meet. There is only one brief scene where they barely make eye contact. The point of conflicting continuity is raised by some, but that has always been one of the endearing qualities of Doctor Who. Like the Doctor himself, it never abides by the rules. And who really cares as long as the story works? There is a nice bit of story linking that explains how the Master became the decaying wreck he was in The Deadly Assassin. As for the ending, I hope it leaves open the possibility of bumping into Susan somewhere in future. Maybe she and her "Grandfather" can actually exchange a few words.
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2.0 out of 5 stars
ON THE LOOSE, BUT NEVER FREE, May 2, 2001
WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK! THE LEGACY OF THE DALEKS is the tenth adventure featuring the Eighth Doctor, but not Sam (having been lost in THE LONGEST DAY, part one in a three part book adventure - T.L.O.T.D. is an intermission), and is a far cry better than the previous book - but not by much. I'm not exactly sure why the Terry Nation Estate feels that only John Peel can write Dalek novels (he was the only author allowed to write them even under the VIRGIN imprint as well), and the only conclusion I can come to is that - he's safe. He won't color outside the lines, and he always tries his best to remain failthful to the Dalek spirit - while at the same time, trying to tie 30 years of continuity together into a pretty bow. And once again, it doesn't work (see THE WAR OF THE DALEKS for a full review). While there are some mild moments of interest, there is little here that you haven't seen or read somehwere else before. It's a very bland and fast paced read that offers so very little (and yet manages to cough up some disturbing moments, the worst being found in the many references to sexual torture)... but promised so much. There is a cracker jack scene between David and Susan early on that I felt could literally explode this book apart (and I won't give it away), and I hoped that Peel would explore this idea more in the book... but, he dosen't... in fact, he will reference it, only to solve the problem by simply killing off Susan's husband... shocking. The Third Doctor's Master makes his final show here (his performance here has the feel of the Fifth Doctor's adventure - THE KINGS DEMONS, in both style and plot). We learn at the end of this story how he came to look the way he did in the Fourth Doctor's adventure THE DEADLY ASSASSIN and I'll tell you up front right now - it's all Susan's fault (and here again Peel tries to tie up loose ends in the television history - and it doesn't work). And speaking of Susan - the Doctor and she only met ONCE in this entire story - and that is when David is killed while saving the Doctor - after that THEY NEVER MEET AGAIN! - making the point of this entire adventure a waste of time and a rip off. Not only does it contridict the set history in THE DALEK INVASION OF EARTH, but it also introduces a few new impossible elements that make the reason behind the Dalek invasion of Earth pointless... just like this book. Not a total lose, but what might have been will haunt me for days after. As always, these early adventures seem to not have found their footing. The Doctor is uneven, and the stories try to be adult while holding onto the sense of fun and whimsy of the series - and they need to make up their minds. A good book to have in the collection (and the prices for the PEEL/DALEK books are going up all the time), but just a mild read. Next... DREAMSTONE MOON, and the return of Sam...
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