EXTERMINATE! The Daleks are invading. And this time they win! Join Audio Club Extra as it joins the survivors of a Dalek invasion and discover what happens when the Doctor isn’t around to thwart the plans of his deadliest enemy.
This episode is available for free on Spotify:
Series 1 and 2 of Dalek Empire are available on download from Big Finish:
Rate and review below:
Nice and low-key story. Susan is an interesting character, and the plot itself is engaging enough. I think it’s a pretty nice first episode. 4/5
I went in with an open mind and ended up thinking it was quite good.
I think it managed to make Susan a strong protagonist and set things in motion in a way that makes me want to hear the rest. The story is simple and not mindblowing, but the presence of the Daleks is duly felt.
I don’t want to go too high on this right away, so I give this 
7/10
https://tardis.guide/reviews/story-invasion-of-the-daleks/MrColdStream/.
Haven’t actually heard this one, but I am assuming this isn’t “Susan” Susan that in here, right?
I don’t think I’ll venture into a series of audio on Daleks so I read all the reviews on the main site. Yes, it’s a human named Susan, not that possibly-be-a-time-lord-but-it’s-never-confirmed one, or ‘Susan’ Susan as you like to put it
Nope, it’s Susan Mendes. The protagonist of this series.
Or ‘Suz’ as she likes to be known.
Or ‘SU-SAN-MEN-DES’ as the Daleks call her.
I listened to the first series a couple of months ago, and I really enjoyed it. Some will be put off with a series about Daleks, but really it is a “human” story. Less about the pepper pots, and more about how people deal with their threat.
Susan, Alby and Kalendorf are all well realised characters from the off, and all of them are played very well.
I’m a little wary of talking too much about the first couple of episodes as I listened to the entire season in one go, and as such, what happens when, spoiler wise, is a bit of a jumble.
The entire first series is a 4/5 from me.
It’s been a long time since I listened but I agree. I don’t enjoy Daleks on audio for the most part but, as you say, this series is about the humans and how they are affected by a successful invasion.
This was my main concern before I started listening, but I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t too Dalek-heavy.
I’m sure the reference to The Apocalypse Element would make more sense if I’d listened to that story
Still, nice to see that the more things change at Big Finish, the more they stay the same
Are there any pre-requisites for this series? I’d love to join in on the Audio Club finally, and I’ve always had my eyes on this spin-off!
A strong start to the story, but it’s definitely the start.
The daleks themselves are portrayed really well here, and Susan hits the ground running as our newly introduced protagonist. Other than her though this story definitely feels more like it’s setting the groundwork for things to come rather than being a fully compelling story on it’s own.
That said, it’s not a major critique at all, sometimes you do need to lay that groundwork, and I think for a story that’s going to be an ongoing one in a setting thats very much alien to us as listeners, it’s a good idea to make sure we understand everything that’s going on before continuing on.
There’s a nod in here to The Apocalypse Element which I haven’t listened to. I get the impression it’s not a super-major requirement, but might add to the story. Still, even knowing it exists is nice, I love it when the universe is tied together like this.
Overall, Susan is the high point, and I can’t wait to listen to the rest!
There’s a nod to The Apocalypse Element, but I’ve not listened to that and it’s definitely not required, at least for this story.
Fab! I think I’ll get onto this next week!
It’s pretty much separate from anything else.
Well, this technically spins out of the first four Dalek stories in the Main Range (The Genocide Machine, The Apocalypse Element, The Mutant Phase and The Time of the Daleks), with references to them, but they’re not essential to get the story.
Finally I’m officially joining the audio club!!!
I really liked this, I wasn’t sure at first but over the course of the episode I found myself really buying into this new corner of the Whoniverse. Really liked Susan and Alby! I’m intrigued as to how this spin-off manages to last for so many series, but it has me excited!
6/10 for me, I think. I found this episode very slow, which isn’t a problem as such and it did build up a level of intrigue so I am interested to continue. I liked Susan a lot, I found her to be an interesting character, but Brook kind of irritated me the whole time.
Interested to see where this is going
Good intro. Feel like it does a good job at showing the Daleks as an imposing force and sets up some interesting plot threads. Looking forward to continuing.