CATASTROPHEA

'Or too arrogant to think they need one,'said the Doctor.

The planet's real name is Kastopheria, but generally it's been rechristened Castasrophea - 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 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...

Featuring the Third Doctor and Jo, this adventure takes place between the television stories PLANET OF THE DALEKS and THE GREEN DEATH.

My Review

Catastrophea, by Terrance Dicks, BBC Books, ISBN: 0 563 40584 8

The planet Katasopheria is a political powder keg; the complex nature of its problems could cause it to explode into tragedy at any time. The human colony is home to a number of conflicting groups; the military, a ruthless company, protestors and drug smugglers. And there are the People, the native population of golden-skinned giants, who seem content to accept servitude without resistance. To make matters worse, the noble and warlike Draconians are poised to invade the planet. When the Doctor and Jo arrive they find the planet about to erupt into chaos, and the People are at the centre of the crisis. Can the Doctor save the planet before it lives up to its nickname ‘Catastrophea’?

Although I found the adventure as a whole enjoyable, I failed to find anything terribly original about “Catastrophea”. All the necessary elements are in place for an engaging Doctor Who story, a dense jungle world, human colonists, political instability, the native population’s ancient secret and a waiting alien invasion force. But they’ve all been done before, most glaringly in the stories of the Third Doctor’s era such as “Colony in Space”, “The Mutants” and “Planet of the Daleks”. The familiarity of these ideas makes some of the plot revelations obvious before they occur, and weaken the story as a result. On the up side the characters of the Third Doctor and Jo are perfectly captured. The Doctor in particular is given a number of well-written scenes as he is captured first by one side, then by another and then by a third! The situation on the planet is well described, although many of the characters are faceless and undefined, the sense of crisis is conveyed well. One of the highlights is the inclusion of the Draconians, the sophisticated, yet warlike race of reptilian humanoids first introduced in the television story “Frontier in Space”. It is surprising that they have never featured since, as they were one of the most realistically portrayed alien races to have appeared on the programme. The Draconian involvement, despite the inclusion of a picture on the cover is disappointingly small. Their sole contribution is to turn up in the last few chapters and shoot a number of natives, a waste (literally!).

Overall “Catastrophea” is not a bad story, it is just unremarkable. I feel it would have made a much better television story twenty-five years ago than a recent novel. But as such it tells a straightforward story in an undemanding way.

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