Lethbridge-Stewart: Mutually Assured Domination

The Dominators would hardly be described as one of the better 60s Doctor Who stories yet it is still well liked, largely because of the brilliant little robots the Quarks. In this book the Dominators and the Quarks are back and this time they have come to Earth. 

Journalist Harold Chorley (from The Web of Fear) stumbles onto mysterious goings-on at Dominex Industries, a plant on Dartmoor where no-one really knows what they are doing. Chorley and Lethbridge-Stewart investigate and soon discover that Dominex aren't all they seem. But with the whole thing sanctioned by the government, Lethbridge-Stewart doesn't have the back-up he would like. 

In many ways this is better than the original TV story. The Quarks are given an upgrade, as seen on the cover, which manages to keep in with the TV story yet make the robots more of a threat. The Dominators here also come across as proper individual characters and their plan is more developed. 

I felt this was one of the better books of the series so far. By having Lethbridge-Stewart effectively working against the government he is working only with a few people at a time. I think these books shouldn't feel too much like UNIT stories and this one certainly didn't. I also felt that this was the first book that really made use of the time of its setting, with the hippie movement and worries over nuclear power. 

Another great edition to a high-quality series.