This is part of a series of reviews of Doctor Who in chronological timeline order.

Previous Story: The Fearmonger

If it weren't for their horrendously grating voices Dalek stories would be perfect to put yourself to sleep. Ok, so there have been a few times where they're genuinely good. This, however, is not one of those times. It's quite possibly the most banal, boring Dalek story there is but with so many others competing for that title I'm not sure I'm ready to give it out so easily.

There's the odd idea or two in this story that's actually fairly interesting like the library that "rivals the Matrix on Gallifrey". That's really not enough to redeem this story whatsoever. At the very least, it's fitting for this to be their first story on audio - a perfect distillation of everything to come. It really sets a precedent huh?

Next Story: The Grey Man of the Mountain

Pretty good story from Mike Tucker (who I think is a somewhat underrated writer). I like a lot of the ideas used in this one though it might have went on a bit too long. Briggs does some of his best Dalek voices while the rest of the voice cast are pretty good.
Viewed this through Josh Snares' animation, which I think is a bit too reliant on real-world models but still quite impressive for something made by what I assume is one or a few people.

Well this one is very solid and when I say that, I do want to put the emphasis on very. This is no all-timer by any means, but I think for a first Dalek Outing it offers some great Ideas and has all around some pretty great Performances from our Cast. The Setting is probably the big Standout here for me, the Twist with the Librarians is a very fun one here, and I like the running gag with this one Character who never can properly be able to say anything, even if it got a bit old quickly. McCoy and Aldred have as always some electric chemistry between each other. There are some really great Bits in the first two parts, sadly this Story falls apart as we move forward with the Part 3 - 4.
Really as I said at best it’s really solid, but the bad stuff lowers it very much down. By no means is it a Highlight of the early Years of that range but for being a Standard Dalek Story, yeah it’s okay, I can give it a listen once!

Ao vasculhar a biblioteca da TARDIS, Ace se deparar com livros que não foram devolvidos, assim o Doutor e sua companion seguem rumo ao planeta Kar-Charrat para efetuar a devolução. No meio desse processo os dois se deparam com os Daleks que por mais simples que seja o plano das criaturas, tanto é que inicialmente muito provavelmente você vai se pegar dizendo "Owww boy...e lá vamos nós para mais uma história Dalek genérica". Não se engane, pois "The Genocide Machine" é um áudio recheado de ideias bem diferenciadas, como os Daleks clonando a Ace (os chamados "Daleks Duplicated"), os Fantasmas de Kar-Charrat, o mistério por trás da Biblioteca e etc etc. Nem sempre histórias que possuem ótimas peças e ótimos conceitos correspondem aplicando as tais de forma satisfatória, o que não vem ao caso de "The Genocide Machine" - O áudio corresponde fazendo ótimo proveito delas por mais que em alguns momentos apresente uma narrativa um pouco arrastada. As vozes dos Daleks não são as da melhores, mas se tratando da primeira história Dalek da BIG FINISH é algo que dá para relevar muito. Em resumo, o enredo de "The Genocide Machine" é bem simples, mesmo estando longe de ser um dos melhores áudios do 7° Doctor, ela também está longe de ser algo descartável.

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time!

"The Genocide Machine: A Library of Mystery and Missed Opportunities"

Big Finish's The Genocide Machine, part of the Dalek Empire arc, offers a mix of atmospheric tension, intriguing concepts, and uneven execution. Written by Mike Tucker, it reintroduces the Seventh Doctor and Ace into an audio world of mystery, with Daleks lurking in the shadows.

The story starts strong, setting a moody and tense atmosphere reminiscent of Mission to the Unknown or Tomb of the Cybermen. The library planet Kar-Charrat is an evocative setting, filled with rain-soaked landscapes, ghostly whispers, and a clever touch of humour as the Doctor returns overdue library books—despite owning a time machine!

Unfortunately, the suspense of Part 1 is undercut by spoilers: the Daleks are revealed on the cover and in early scenes, robbing their later "big entrance" of its impact. The cliffhanger of Part 1 feels a bit lacklustre as a result.

The Doctor immerses himself in Kar-Charrat’s technical and educational systems, while Ace befriends Bev Tarrant and predictably stumbles into trouble. Sadly, Ace’s strengths—her resourcefulness and emotional depth—aren't utilised effectively here. However, Sylvester McCoy shines as the Doctor, commanding the narrative with his enigmatic style.

The Daleks’ plan centres on yet another clone subplot, which, while adding some tension, feels derivative. Worse, the Daleks themselves are underutilised for much of the story, appearing sporadically and failing to fully integrate into the plot until the latter half. The pacing suffers, with Part 3 bogged down by slow developments, before Part 4 brings a flurry of action and twists. While the climactic moments offer excitement, they also feel cluttered and occasionally overwhelming due to muddled sound design.

Despite these flaws, there are highlights. The concept of the native population existing in raindrops as a living information storage system is fascinating, even if it’s only explored meaningfully in the final act. This idea adds a unique layer of sci-fi ingenuity to the narrative.

Performances anchor the story. Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred effortlessly recapture their classic dynamic, with Aldred delivering a particularly strong performance as Ace’s Dalek duplicate. Louise Falkner’s Bev Tarrant debuts as a confident and tough ally, though she’s sadly underused. Bruce Montague’s librarian character adds charm with a twist of betrayal, while Nicholas Briggs makes an official debut as the voice of the Daleks, solidifying his future iconic role.

The sound design, while occasionally messy, does enhance the setting with its rainy ambience and ominous tones. The score adds to the atmosphere, though it sometimes competes with the dialogue in busier scenes.

📝Verdict: 6/10

While The Genocide Machine delivers moments of tension, clever ideas, and solid performances, it struggles with pacing, sound design, and making the Daleks integral to the story. Still, it offers enough intrigue and nostalgia to appeal to fans of the Seventh Doctor and Ace, even if it doesn’t fully capitalise on its potential.

Random Observations:

• The Sun and The Mirror as future literary classics? A wonderfully absurd touch that adds to the humour.