When the Stars Screamed – A Dalek Anthology, a charity project to raise money in aid of Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, is available now.
When the Stars Screamed offers a bold, chilling reimagining of the Daleks at their most terrifying. Set against the backdrop of shattered galaxies and smouldering timelines, this powerful anthology peels back the layers of one of science fiction’s most iconic villains – revealing the cold logic, fanaticism, and genocidal horror that fuels their endless war.
They don’t hate you. They don’t fear you.They simply don’t believe you have the right to exist.
Featuring gripping new stories by Chris McAuley, John Peel, Seb Short and Terry Molloy, and brought to life through the visceral, haunting artwork of Charles Waples, this collection delivers a fresh, unflinching perspective on the true nature of the Daleks and their creator, Davros.
Crafted with insight and authenticity by writers and performers who’ve helped shape the Daleks across decades of Doctor Who storytelling, When the Stars Screamed is essential reading for fans who want to rediscover why these monsters remain the most feared in
While the Daleks may be evil, the motives behind this project inspired by the wider Doctor Who universe, as we previously reported, most certainly are not. All proceeds go toward Multiple Sclerosis research, turning every page into part of a real-world effort to fight back against a devastating disease.
You Will Follow Instructions
A minimum donation of $5 (US) to the American charity, the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, is required to order the book. You can make your donation here
Once you have made your donation (please add the word “stars” as a comment on the donation page), you will receive a confirmation email from the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation. If you can’t see it in your inbox, please check your spam folder.
Then forward your confirmation email from the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation to the following email: dalekanthology@mail.com
“Please allow upto 48 hours for your ordering link to be sent to your email address,” say publisher Terraqueous Distributors, who are organising sales. “Remember to check your spam folder.” The hardback book, a deluxe hardback with wraparound dust jacket, printed on demand, which reduces potential postage costs, costs £14.79.
Contributor Lineup
Chris McAuley is a writer of prose novels, magazine short stories, video and tabletop games and audio dramas. Together with Bram Stoker’s Great-Grand nephew Dacre Stoker, he has created the StokerVerse franchise, and one of his latest projects, out in October from Scratch Comics, is Shadows of the Stokerverse, an anthology of 20 lavishly illustrated horror prose stories written by Chris, illustrated by 2000AD’s Clint Langley, expanding the world of Dracula and beyond. He has also created a science fiction universe with Babylon 5 actress Claudia Christian, which is coming to fruition in a series of games, novels and comic books. In addition to this he has worked on Doctor Who, Star Wars and, most recently, the Terminator franchise.
An unstoppable force in creating stories, he’s also working on two Doctor Who themed project offering new stories about Sarah Jane Smith (played on screen by the late Elisabeth Sladen), to benefit the British Columbia Cancer Society, to be published by Pencil Tip Publishing, a not-for-profit release supporting vital cancer research and patient care. He’s also co-editing Ace Adventures, a charity comic, with actress Sophie Aldred in aid of the Terrence Higgins Trust, revolving around Remembrance of the Daleks. The comic is being published as a tribute to actor Dursley McLinden, who played Mike Smith in the story, whose life was cut tragically short by AIDS.
Chris also has a story in this year’s Celestial Toyroom Annual for the Doctor Who Appreciation Society.
Charles Waples, who we profiled here back in 2023, started as an actor and TV, Film and Radio scriptwriter, for the BBC, Granada, Sky, Radio Four and Channel 4. He’s written scripts for shows starring Paul O’Grady, John Thomson, Arnold Brown, Caroline Aherne and Johnny Vaughan.
He is developing films with his company, Nine Acre Films, and, as an illustrator, he is a published cartoonist and caricaturist.
“This book is more than just dark fiction. It’s a force for good!” says Charles. “I’m delighted to have illustrated it.”
Born in Nottingham, home of Robin Hood, John Peel grew up hearing and reading stories. Inevitably, he began to also write them. Now living in New York, he’s now written over 120 books, including tie-ins to such Doctor Who (John was instrumental in launching fan fiction while part of the early Doctor Who Appreciation Society), Star Trek and The Outer Limits. He’s also created several series of his own, including Diadem, 2099 and Dragonhome. Big Finish will release Doctor Who: The Mind Trap, read by David Troughton, in January 2026.
An accomplished broadcaster, Terry Molloy has won several prestigious Radio and Audio Drama Awards. In 1973 he joined the cast of BBC Radio 4’s The Archers as Mike Tucker, originally for five weeks. Forty plus years later, and ‘Mike’ was cast into the outer darkness of Birmingham, seemingly never to return to Ambridge!
Along with a wide spectrum of television appearances, he is perhaps best well known on the small screen to Doctor Who fans as Davros, creator of the Daleks, playing the Doctor’s nemesis in the classic series from 1983 to 1989, and continuing to voice the character to the present day, in many of the award winning Big Finish Audio adventures, including the much acclaimed four part mini-series I, Davros. Other feted audio work includes the cult paranormal comedy series The Scarifyers as Professor Edward Dunning to David Warner’s Harry “Thumper” Crow.
Seb Short is known for his contributions to the Doctor Who spin offs published by Candy Jar and contributes a story which delves into the mind of Mavic Chen before the First Doctor’s epic adventure, The Daleks’ Master Plan.
- About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Books, British Comics, Comics, Doctor Who, downthetubes News, Other Worlds, Television
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