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The Dalek
Factor
MARCH 2004
The Dalek
Factor is a fitting final release for Telos’ creatively different novel-
la line. It is quite unlike any
Doctor Who or Dalek story I have previously seen, heard or read; in fact,
for much of the story it seems barely part of Doctor Who. Nonetheless, it
is a triumph. I’m not a fan of Clark’s work generally – not that I dislike
it, I’m just not a huge follower of the horror genre. However, I feel that
Clark’s style has leant itself perfectly to telling an excellent Dalek
adventure.
It’s tempting to
make a comparison the earlier release The Cabinet of Light; both
novellas keep the exact identity of their Doctor unspecified, and focus,
for the majority of the story,
on a new leading character. In this case we
are introduced to Jomi, one of a party of Thal
space marines,
investigating the isolated Quadrille system for signs of suspected Dalek
activity. Jomi, a young man unused to action in the field, is an effective
character, if perhaps a little simplistic; nonetheless, he works as a
viewpoint character. In spite of his being an alien, he is easy to
identify with because he reacts with all the horror, disgust and fear that
we would when faced with the terrible crimes of the Daleks. His concern
for his comrades
is exactly how
we might expect to feel in the terrifying no-win situation he finds
himself in.
The Doctor,
conversely, is presented as
a mysterious
being, with little information
about his background.
Of course, such
things are unnecessary to
us, the fans,
and withholding them serves to make
him more mysterious and
untrustworthy
in the eyes of the Thals.
The Doctor is
also a mystery
to himself. For much of
the novella, he
does not remember his
name, his
origins, or how he came to Quadrille. He is described only as having dark
hair
and wearing a
white shirt, leaving the identity of his particular regeneration open to
question. Clark apparently did this as he didn’t want the Doctor to be the
main focus of the story, an idea that has backfired somewhat as we
inevitably end up only talking about him! For my money, in the light of
more recent developments, I wonder if this isn’t a late eighth Doctor, and
the actions of the Daleks here early operations in the Time War…
It’s really of
little importance though. The Doctor exists here as a means to move the story
along; nothing more. The first segment of the book is the Thal crew’s
attempts to survive
in the broiling
jungle world they’ve landed on, faced with deeply unpleasant parasites and
swarming insect hives that have the disquieting ability to take on the
form of loved ones,
their images
telepathically stolen from their victims’ minds. These fascinating
creatures
turn out to be
vital to the plot. Clark’s prose here is evocative and tactile, drawing us
into
the stifling
jungle realm.
As the party is
separated, and events move into the Daleks’ stronghold, we finally meet
the Doctor, simply sat reading in his chair, unaware of how he got there.
I found his tendency to talk in rhyme a pretty pointless gimmick, and why
have him call himself ‘the Professor,’ when it’s so close to Doctor that
he might as well remember that’s his name? Still, he settles down quickly,
his memories slowly returning to him. He’s intrigued by Jomi’s tales of
Daleks, and wonders who they are, and if they may have some bearing on his
perplexing condition. With the Doctor on hand, advances into the Dalek
stronghold continue at far greater a pace, with more and more Thals either
killed in horrific ways or vanished into the Daleks’ clutches as the plot
progresses.
The
Daleks themselves are notable by their absence for much of
the tale.
However, their overarching presence is tangible, thanks
to the Thals’
horror stories truly selling to us just why we should be
afraid of these
creatures. The first time Jomi sees a Dalek – early
on, rotting in
the jungle, harmful to no one – is a chilling moment,
as he is struck
with fear at the sight of his nightmare. Eventually,
a we get deeper
into their base, we get closer to the titular Daleks
themselves, and
their plan. The Daleks have been attempting to
isolate the
Dalek Factor - or
“Dalek
Heart”
as its many victims call it – to create beings that will act as Daleks
would throughout the Universe. However, they have been far too successful.
Their ex-
periments have
led to a life form even deadlier than the Daleks,
and inimical to
it. The hives have the Dalek Heart, and they, in the
form of none
other than the first Doctor, lead the final confrontation
with the Dalek
Emperor, nesting in the centre of the Dalek
stronghold.
The final
passages of the book are galling, as Jomi, having faced the murder and
torture of his comrades, and having come within inches of death himself,
remembers who he really is; the Thals have not just landed, they’ve
simply been reprogrammed, and not for the first time. Jomi has the Dalek
Heart, and settles into his lot, as the Doctor has his own newly regained
memories torn away from him – for the second, third, hundredth time? – and
we arrive back where we started, the Doctor simply part of the Daleks’
experiment, sitting in his chair, wait-ing for his role to begin all over
again.
The
chilling ending suggests another possibility for a setting: perhaps this
is Doctor’s final adventure. Perhaps he will never escape from the Daleks…
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