Catastrophea

"An entire planet was calling out for my help."

Writer: Terrance Dicks
Format: Novel
Released: May 1998
Series: PDA 11

Featuring: Third Doctor, Jo

Synopsis

'Look at the way they just call themselves the People,' said Jo. 'They're too humble to give themselves a name!'
Or too arrogant to think they need one,' said the Doctor.

The planet's real name is Kastopheria, but generally it's been rechristened Catastrophea – it's a catastrophe waiting to happen. Supposedly civilised races are exploiting the world, squabbling over its wealth and resources, while the indigenous population – golden-skinned giants – seem not to care what their own fate might be. The Doctor and Jo soon become embroiled in a plan to keep peace between different parties vying for control over the planet.

But what is the strange glowing crystal lying hidden in the impenetrable jungle? How will the arrival of the proud, warlike Draconians affect the fragile peace? In his quest to find the truth behind the secret history of the People, the Doctor risks unleashing a force more terrible than the galaxy has known for aeons...

Verdict

Catastrophea was a really good read! I was always planning on reading a Classic era original novel today, but with all the outpouring of respect and emotion following Terrance Dicks sadly passing away, I was influenced to read this one by DWM. It had some great ingredients with the Third Doctor and Jo encountering the Draconians again without the presence of the Master or the Daleks, although I will admit that I initially thought the true El Llama was going to end up being the former of those enemies. Alas, it wasn't the case but one thing that did surprise me with this book was just how little the Draconians actually featured. That was absolutely fine as well and I liked how well their presence was utilised with the threat they provided from the blockade. It was pretty impactful to find that they had actually invaded, albeit in phoney circumstances. One thing about that element was a little sketchy to me as it was claimed that they were not too far out in the jungle, within walking distance, yet the Doctor had been travelling upriver for days en route to the temple that housed the final crystal of skar. The drug itself was an intriguing part of the story and I'm glad that there was an adult theme to this adventure. The Third Doctor and Jo are possibly the best equipped due to deal with something like drugs and I really liked that it was heavily implied that Jo has used the likes or heroin or cocaine in the past. The setting of Catastrophea as it had been dubbed was really good and I liked how consistent things were. They were also simple with Rik's being a social place of gathering and all sorts could be met there. General Walton was a decent character and I like playing with the military ranks for this incarnation of the Doctor given his UNIT connections. The general's relationship with Charteris was also great, although I did find that they cursed not shooting the Doctor a little too much as they had ample opportunities to get rid of him. The Doctor's trial was fantastic though and the way he was also able to convince Walton that he wasn't El Llama was brilliant. I thought Jo was wonderful throughout too and the foreshadowing of The Green Death was a good use of the publication date and hindsight. It was clear just how much she meant to him and that was nice to see knowing that this book would be followed chronologically with her departure story. The People, a name I thought was a bit naff, were very intriguing and their slow increase in activity throughout the novel was delightful. They went from not reacting to getting beaten despite their clear physical advantage, to storming the city gates in revolt! Zylor breaking through to the Doctor telepathically was excellent and I enjoyed how they communicated. The passage where Jo was left out of their conversation was very humorous. Dove was a good villainous character with him being addicted to skar. His death was also a fantastic moment and just when he thought he'd found his holy grail, the Draconians saw that he was destroyed along with the source of the People's self-imposed lack of care.  The evacuation at the end of the book was quite quick, but it was definitely exciting which is always good! The ease with which the Doctor managed to take control was terrific and I loved how everyone kind of realised when it was already too late to change. They went along with it regardless. The Doctor initially wanting to leave the planet to its fate was a surprise and it was nice that Jo was able to turn him around in the end, even if the TARDIS getting taken was the primary reason! And with me reading this book purely because it was written by Terrance Dicks, I thought the line at the end where Charteris explained what happened to the Doctor and Jo and how they'd disappeared with the TARDIS was just golden. Dicks mocked his own classic description of the dematerialisation being a wheezing, groaning sound. That was very poignant. Overall, a lovely read!

Rating: 8/10