The Dalek Book

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1780662.html

This book, published in June 1964, actually predates the first Doctor Who annuals and books, so I guess may be the very first Who spinoff literature evar. It is really not bad at all; alternating formats between comic strip and illustrated prose, and even a photonovel featuring the Doctor's grand-daughter Susan, it tells the story of the Daleks' attempt to invade and occupy Earth's Solar System (a diagram showing Skaro swooshing past the orbits of the Sun's other planets), opposed by the heroic efforts of Jeff, Andy and Mary Stone, good swash-buckling square-jawed heroes all three. Mary at one point is captured by the Daleks and persuades them to start taking better care of their prisoners, a story-line later used by Big finish for their character Susan Mendes in the Dalek Empire audios. On the one hand it's very much related to the adventure comics of the day; on the other I liked the coherent narrative thread, which takes the format in a slightly different direction, and appreciated the expansion of Daleks-as-Nazis to Daleks-as-totalitarians, rewriting history at their convenience. This one is worth hunting down. ( )