Ravagers: Cataclysm

"You think my intelligence is some sort of pollution?"

Writer: Nicholas Briggs 

Format: Audio

Released: May 2021

Series: Ninth Doctor Adventures 1.02

Featuring: Ninth Doctor

Synopsis

Nova is dislocated in time while the Time Eddies are out of control. Meanwhile, the Doctor is about to face the end of the universe. Or is that just the Battle of Waterloo?

Verdict

Cataclysm was a very good audio adventure to continue the Ravagers boxset comprising the first series of the Ninth Doctor Adventures! We are very much into the swing of things now with the new series for the Ninth Doctor and whilst I would have preferred the story to start with more focus on the Doctor rather than Nova, he grew into the episode and came into his own by the end which was really good to hear. Audrey continued to be a very good villain and I like how there's something more to her than is evidenced by what we know of her thus far. The Doctor knows that she knows of him and I loved how that turned out to be from the fact that the Time Lord had met her in the wrong order. Now, if she turns out to be River Song that really will be quite something! Of course, I very much doubt that will be the case but it's a fun thought. I thought the continuity from Sphere of Freedom, whilst expected, was very good and the Doctor initially believing that the Ravagers were actually just another element of the Immersive Reality games was fantastic stuff. That was actually really logical and it's still not something I'm ruling out coming into play in the final episode of the series. There is definitely going to be something where the truth isn't exactly what we have heard. The playing around with time in this story was great and it's always something I enjoy having fun with. The Doctor meeting the younger Audrey was a fun moment and I also liked the echoes we heard of him at different points in the episode. The issue of the node and what that was causing for the Doctor was intriguing with the effect being quite considerable on him! It's always a big moment where the Doctor shows sign of weakness and that was no different here. I thought Nova had a decent showing in the story although I'm still not overly sold on her. She has big shoes to fill as far as the listeners are concerned with the Ninth Doctor as we are so used to Rose so it's still a little strange to have someone new in that role, even if she isn't a full on companion. Her questioning of the Doctor's everyday life and if he just shows up and gets himself into trouble was excellent though. Hearing it out loud always makes me smile because it's so ludicrous. The end of the universe actually occurring in the story wasn't something I expected but it showed that the Ravagers meant business, and the Doctor's plan then backfired in a big way. The node was supposed to be used as a way of firing the Ravagers back through time, but instead they just absorbed the energy like they did with everything else. How were they going to be defeated now? That was a fantastic cliffhanger finish to lead us into the final story of the boxset because it's difficult to see how they will be defeated from here. I think Nova will have a role to play, and I'll be interested to see how the Doctor reacts if he isn't able to keep his promise. I wonder if her calling the psychic paper silly will have any bearing! Overall though, this was another very good audio to continue the series! I'm looking forward to the finale and hopefully a moment of triumph for the Ninth Doctor. 

Rating: 8/10