The Dalek Combat Training Manual is a sequel to the TARDIS Type 40 Instruction Manual. Set within the fictional world of the show (no mention of Terry Nation here), it is the ultimate guide to all things Dalek.
Somewhat bravely the books opens with an attempt to identify the Dalek timeline. Not an easy task! Writers Richard Atkinson and Mike Tucker have been rather creative. The televised adventures of the Daleks are presented as field reports. These reports are told by Time Lord General Kenossium. What is particularly clever is how these stories are told within the context of the Time War. ‘Genesis of the Daleks‘ for instance is described as the “beginning of the Time War”. Amusingly, some sections are redacted aiding the feeling of reading private communications from the Time Lords. This book covers things up to ‘The Security Drone Incident’, or as it was broadcast ‘Revolution of the Daleks‘. Therefore it is the most up to date book on Daleks possible.
Further sections cover the additional elements associated with the Daleks, from their creator to their hierarchy. The Dalek Combat Training Manual is full of wonderful illustrations by Gavin Rymill of Dalek designs, spaceships and their technology. Blueprints and images of the variety of Daleks seen over the years are presented. The detail on the cross-sections of the Dalek city is particularly impressive. There are also some incredible colourisations of images from the monochrome era which provide a consistency throughout. Daleks invading London for example, look absolutely stunning.
Whilst this book is almost entirely focused on the televised adventures of the Daleks, there are mentions of the Dalek Time Controller as seen in Big Finish’s Dark Eyes series. The book also concludes with the Dalek Time Squad as seen in the recent Time Lord Victorious series.
If you are a fan of Daleks, and frankly who isn’t, then this book is an essential purchase.
Synopsis
The Daleks are the most evil creatures ever created – genetically engineered mutants encased in a machine that is optimised to kill. They hate all other life forms and will stop at nothing to destroy those who stand in their way – their single-minded imperative? To become the dominant species in the universe.
The Dalek Combat Training Manual collates intelligence gathered by Time Lords over centuries of raging wars through time and space, and is invaluable to anyone engaging the Daleks in battle. It furnishes the user with an in-depth guide to their construction, their strategies and how they are to be ultimately defeated. Discover full schematics of Dalek spacecraft, insights into the Dalek factions, a history of the Time War, detailed analysis of their creator Davros, and much more.
This manual is the definitive guide to one of the most feared races in the Whoniverse.
