Doctor Who retro review: Legacy of the Daleks (Eighth Doctor novel)

We take a look at the Doctor Who novel Legacy of the Daleks. Featuring the Eighth Doctor and Susan, is it a satisfying reunion?

From the late 90s to the early 00s, The Eighth Doctor Adventures were a popular range of Doctor Who fans. With a different novel being released every month, it was an easy way for Whovians to get their fix of their favorite series before the show came back in 2005.

Surprisingly, while seventy-three novels were published in the range, only two of them featured Daleks, both written by John Peel. These novels have proven to be divisive, especially the first novel, War of the Daleks, a story that was very continuity heavy. (Although I must admit, I always had a soft spot for the story, particularly as it gave us a wider glimpse of the Dalek Empire.)

The novels are admittedly difficult to come by these days, as they’ve been out of print for some time. However, I was given the second Dalek novel, Legacy of the Daleks, as a gift, and so was very keen to check it out.

This is a story that promised a great deal. Not only did it follow on from the events of The Dalek Invasion of Earth, but with Susan as a major character, it also promised a major reunion between the Doctor and his granddaughter! Did the book deliver on that promise, however?

A smaller Dalek story

One thing I appreciated about Legacy of the Dalek is that it’s relatively small-scale, especially compared to War of the Daleks. Instead of a story set across several worlds, there’s a tight focus on England, particularly during the aftermath of the Dalek invasion. England doesn’t have a single ruler, and everyone wants to be the new king. Particularly Lord London and Lord Haldoran, who are itching for a fight.

This was something else that I appreciated about the story: civil war and dirty politics. There are a lot of interesting human characters in this story, many working towards their own agenda.

With two clear sides ready for war, and everyone eager for power, it seems that battle is almost imminent. Especially with Haldoran’s new and mysterious adviser “Estro”, who seems very keen on re-powering an old Dalek artifact…

Susan is a major character in Legacy of the Daleks. But is her reunion with her grandfather a satisfying one?

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC

Image obtained from: bbc.co.uk/doctorwho.)

Estro and Susan

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This is a particularly interesting element. Estro is quite a major character, although it’s quite some time before his real identity is revealed. While the character is handled very well, his identity is kept under wraps for far too long. Because it becomes screamingly obvious exactly who it is the moment a certain weapon is used.

Even worse, while Susan is a major character in the book, somehow, the reunion between her and her grandfather does not happen. There’s a brief moment where they see each other, and that’s it. That’s really disappointing, and as great as the inclusion of Estro is, it might not have been worth including him in the novel at all if it distracted from something that should have been explored better. (Thankfully, this was something that was massively fixed with An Earthly Child over ten years later.)

Legacy of the Daleks isn’t a terrible read. In fact, I thought it was a great balance between The Power of the Daleks and The Dalek Invasion of Earth. The build-up to their big reveal is pretty satisfying, and the story has a decent and tight focus, too. Not exactly a classic, but an enjoyable read, at least.

Next. Series Twelve: Five writers that need to come back. dark

Have you read Legacy of the Daleks? What did you think of it? What were your favorite novels in The Eighth Doctor Adventures series? Let us know in the comments below.

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