Love a good Dalek story. I thought this story portrayed the 11th doctor really well and loved how close he got with the children. The idea that Daleks can be good is really quite a scary thought. You can NEVER trust a Dalek no matter what they say.

The story line was really good and loved all the twist and turns. The ending made me extremely happy! But in the words of River Song “Spoilers!” ( )

Absolutely loved it! ( )

Read this review, and many more on my blog October Tune!

Sunlight 349 is only one of at least 400 worlds, created to house billions of people. Worlds created by the Daleks. The Doctor arrives on Sunlight 349, suspicious of these planets and above all suspicious of the Daleks. Since when are the Daleks ‘nice’? What he finds out is that the Daleks have a plan. A plan that might not be so nice after all. Together with a journalist and three orphaned children, the Doctor tries to find out the Daleks’ plan. But not without the usual trouble.

What I liked:

So a Dalek book written by Mr. Dalek himself, Nicholas Briggs. When I saw this book I got very excited because I am a huge fan of the Daleks (though I actually also hate them with a burning passion). So I took it with me and started it as soon as I could.

I was intrigued by the whole ‘The Daleks are nice’ storyline. I’d read about it before in the Ripple Effect, a short story featuring the Seventh Doctor and Ace, and though that wasn’t really one of my favourite stories after all, I did like the nice Daleks. Of course, like in TRE, the Doctor tries to show everyone (who believes in the nice Dalek story) how horrible and hostile the Daleks really are. But that’s not made easy, because these Daleks are very good actors. After a while, it really made me think ‘are these Daleks really nice after all?’.

In this book, the Doctor is companionless. I figured this probably happened after The Angels Take Manhattan and before The Snowmen (or quite possibly after this?). But, he isn’t really companionless after all. In fact, in this story he has four companions. Three little ones, called Sabel, Jesibeth and Ollus; and a journalist called Lillian Belle. I really loved the kids, they were talented and smart like their parents, and even though the oldest was only twelve (the youngest being five) they helped the Doctor as much as they could, they even helped him save the worlds at the end of the story.

Though sometimes I was a bit confused (which I will talk about in the ‘what I didn’t like’ section), I found it a very easy and thrilling book to read. The writing was simple but very intriguing and at some points I just couldn’t stop myself from reading til the end of the chapter!

What I didn’t like:

I have to admit, I found it a bit predictable. Of course, I knew right away that the Daleks weren’t nice after all, that there was something going on with those Sunlight planets. Then, there was a part with the Cradle of the Gods (you’ll find out what it is when you read the book), and something happened there that I had predicted long before it actually happened. Then there was the ‘resistance’, I told myself that what/who they were before it was announced in the story.

It was also quite confusing at some points. In the beginning, there were some tiny chapters, one from the point of view of a little girl, which made me question a lot; who was the little girl, what happened to her, why was she where she was? In the end, these questions were answered, but I kind of found that small chapter unnecessary. Near the end of the story, during the whole ‘is the world going to end or is the Doctor going to save everyone (of course, it’s always the latter)’, there was quite some confusion. I had to reread the whole part twice before I finally understood what happened.

In the end, I really really liked The Dalek Generation, and that is why I gave it four Daleks (hehe). If you are looking for some nice Doctor Who books to read, and you don’t know where to start, I definitely recommend this book to you (I am thinking about making a list of my favourite Doctor Who books soon). ( )

To the Eleventh Doctor, the Sunlight Worlds might as well be in a parallel universe -- apparently these 400-odd planets are run by the Daleks, who are seen as *saviours* by the human population. What is their game? No Dalek has ever been known to do something good without a nefarious scheme behind it, and the Doctor intends to find out what it is.

This turned out to be a great read. Nicholas Briggs, as the voice of the Daleks on the show, has devised a thrilling, heart-sinkingly tense story that I read in only a couple of sittings. I even liked the children whom the Doctor takes under his wing; usually I find children in Doctor Who stories to be obnoxious or uninteresting, but these three kids have their own distinctive personalities and do not fall victim to Excessively Cute Syndrome. And the Daleks are properly chilling as well, speaking in standard case (as opposed to ALL CAPS, which they have done in other stories) and having all eventualities covered when carrying out their plan.

I would recommend this if you are a fan of Eleven or the Daleks. ( )

The Doctor Who adventure, The Dalek Generation, featuring the Eleventh Doctor is an enjoyable, quick read that any fan will enjoy. Nicholas Briggs unquestionably succeeded in capturing Matt Smith’s portrayal of the Doctor, which any Eleven-fan will appreciate. The overall story is fine especially the use of time travel and the Doctor’s interaction with the Blakely siblings, however Briggs did make some head scratching miscues. These miscues are essentially story details that hurt Briggs narrative because they open up obvious alternative ways the Doctor could have attempted to stop the Daleks then how Briggs wrote the conclusion. Putting aside the miscues, as a first time reader of a Doctor Who book this was a treat and recommended to anyone else looking to read a Doctor Who book for the first time.

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book as part of Goodreads First Reads program. ( )