In this book, the 10th Doctor is traveling alone. According to the Doctor Who Reference Guide (http://www.drwhoguide.com/who.htm#10TH) it’s set somewhere between The Next Doctor and Planet of the Dead, though they don’t give any reason for that assumption.
Trevor Baxendale’s story creates an atmosphere vaguely reminiscent of The Waters of Mars. The Doctor realizes he isn’t supposed to be where he is and, of course, chooses to stay. That’s kind of where the similarity ends. There’s a bit of timey whimeyness in the Doctor’s discussion with the captured Dalek as he realizes more or less where and when he is but it’s only for a moment.
The crew of bounty hunters Baxendale introduces as main characters are really good characters. There’s good character development in the captain of the Wayfarer, Jon Bowman, who has something to hide. Baxendale almost gives us another companion who should have been by way of Stella, whose life time in the book is short. We’re also introduced to the first Dalek in a long time to have a personality in the form of Dalek X, the Dalek Inquisitor General. This is a Dalek to be reckoned with.
The Daleks’ use of two prisoners to force the Doctor into taking them back to Hurala to find the TARDIS is almost predictable. The Daleks’ treatment of the Doctor reminded me a little of how he was treated in Resurrection of the Daleks, mind probe and all. This is the first time in a while in a book in which we see the Doctor actually scared. He’s trapped and for a moment it feels like Baxendale has written himself into a corner but he provides a feasible way out.
A character’s sacrifice and the storyline development of two others help pinnacle the end of this story.
Prisoner of the Daleks was, to me, an okay book. Not poor but not fantastic. Good characters and a lot of plotting. It’s well-written and the pacing was fine. I thought the characterizations were consistent throughout the book - lots of the Doctor being clever and the Daleks being devious. May be it was just a little cookie cutter in the overall story for me to call it fantastic.