The Daleks are back! Of course they are. Nicholas Briggs’s Energy of the Daleks brings the Fourth Doctor and Leela face-to-face with the Daleks in the not-too-distant future. I like the idea of Leela wearing early 21st-century clothes; unfortunately, it’s about the only likeable thing in this story.

Has anyone told Nicholas Briggs how to write a two-part story? I’m starting to think not. In the first 15 minutes of this, the Doctor listens to a lot of clumsy exposition and watches a riot. Meanwhile, some boring contemplate whether the crazy man is crazy or not, and a lot of “macho” dialogue is slung back and forth. Fast paced it isn’t.

Read the rest at Unreality SF.

Energy of the Daleks was the first story Tom Baker recorded with Big Finish, but was released fourth in this sequence and also after the two Lost Stories. It has some good moments - notably the return of the Robomen - but some silly bits as well - at one point several characters teleport into someone's *bed*. Baker, Jameson, and particularly Nicholas Briggs as voice of the Daleks, author and director are clearly having tremendous fun, but I think it was wise to shift this one down the release order. ( )

3 ( )