Loups-Garoux

"I'm the Doctor! And I'm offering Ileana my protection. I'm stronger and more worthy than any puny human or wolf!"

Writer: Marc Platt
Format: Audio
Released: May 2001
Series: Main Range 20

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Turlough

Synopsis

Germany, 1589: the townspeople of Cologne pronounce a sentence of death on a mass-murderer who has stalked the countryside in the guise of a ferocious wolf.

Russia, 1812: retreating from Napoleon's invading forces, a merchant's daughter is rescued from bandits by a handsome partisan with a ravenous appetite.

Brazil, 2080: The Doctor and Turlough arrive for the Rio de Janiero carnival.

Is wealthy heiress Ileana de Santos all that she seems? What sinister ailment afflicts her invalid son, tended by the mysterious Doctor Hayashi? And who exactly is Rosa, engaged on a secret quest to fulfil the destiny of her extinct tribe?

Time is running out for Rosa, Ileana and the Doctor, as the fearsome shadow of an ancient werewolf moves ever closer...

Verdict

Loups-Garoux was a fantastic and thoroughly enjoyable audio adventure! I loved the irony from my listening point. With a large proportion of the adventure set on a train, I found it coincidental that I myself listened to the entire audio whilst travelling by train also - which I think helped shape the setting and surrounding which was an unexpected bonus. The plot was fantastic and I adored Pieter Stubbe as the villain, the voice was just mesmerisingly evil! Perfect for a werewolf villain. The 'Grey One'. The character of Ileana was excellent and the relationship she garnered up with the Doctor was humorous whilst being touching. The cliffhanger to part three highlighting that perfectly. The futuristic (a century or so) Brazilian setting was superb and the references to the Amazon rainforest being wiped out now was a harsh reality. It's inevitable and the Doctor saying it almost caused war could be a good insight into the future. The mysterious atmosphere of the story was a key highlight and it always kept me wanting to listen to more, to solve the mystery and see what twists would occur. I wasn't expecting Ileana to be a werewolf herself, that was a great twist! Rosa was a wonderful character, in constant communication with her Grandpa, the relationship she made with Turlough was very nice and we finally saw a softer side of Turlough, actually having the affection of a member of a species he so hates: humans. The linking from Brazil 2080 to 16th century Germany and Napoleon's invasion of Russia was very clever. With my French not being too bad, I liked the clever audio name of Loups-Garoux, not spelt entirely correctly but the basic translation is Werewolf. The werewolf theme throughout the story was great and the train setting really allowed for something different! A fantastic plot and a good, ironic and payback-themed climax!

Rating: 9/10