Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible (novel)

Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible is the fifth book in the New Adventures series, and the first in the three book long Cat's Cradle sub-series. It features the Seventh Doctor and Ace, and was written by Marc Platt.

Publisher's summary

'You’re on your own, Ace.'

The TARDIS is invaded by an alien presence, and is then destroyed. The Doctor disappears.

Ace, lost and alone, finds herself in a bizarre deserted city ruled by the tyrannical, leech-like monster known as the Process.

Lost voyagers drawn forward from Ancient Gallifrey perform obsessive rituals in the ruins.

The strands of time are tangled in a cat’s cradle of dimensions.

Only the Doctor can challenge the rule of the Process and restore the stolen Future.

But the Doctor was destroyed long ago, before Time began.

Plot

to be added

Characters

Characters of the Time Scaphe

Shonnzi
Vael
- Agent of Pythia.
Reogus
Pekkary
Chesperl
Amnoni

Ancient Gallifrey

Ao

References

The Sisterhood of Karn and Lady Peinforte are each leftovers of the Pythia's power.

Astronomical objects

Pazithi Gallifreya is Gallifrey's moon.
There has been a century-long siege of the Winter Star.

Biology

Rassilon created the Looms to save Gallifrey from extinction cause by Pythia's curse of sterility upon Gallifrey.

Books

The Process is called Amphisbaena in the Book of Future Legends.
Rassilon the God was written by Cardinal Borusa.
Pelatov's Collected Sageries

Cults

The Pythia sends her sisterhood to Karn.

Gallifrey

The Doctor has never travelled into Gallifrey's past.

Gallifreyan Chapter Houses

The Doctor is one of forty-five cousins of the House of Lungbarrow.
House of Blyledge
House of Fordfarding

Gallifreyan culture

Sepulchasm is a board game on Gallifrey.
Anmers-Tonastide was the Festival of the Timewright.
Kithriarch eqauls 'father' on Gallifrey before Rassilon.
Treazant was the currency on Gallifrey.
Pianalaika is related to music or bands.
White sand was imported from Mirphak 2 to Gallifrey for the Games of Rassilon because it showed up the blood better.
The Academia was a place of learning on Gallifrey.

Gallifreyan history

The Pythia were the ruler of Gallifrey before Rassilon.
Pythia came from before the Intuitive Revolution which heralded Rassilon's rise to power.
The Pythia were psychics that could forsee Gallifrey's future, they were female.
Ancient Gallifrey had an empire.

Gallifreyan organisations

The Court of Principals are an organisation on Gallifrey.
Neo-Technologists were alined to Rassilon.

Individuals

Satthralope was house keeper in the Doctor's House on Gallifrey.

Languages

Ace can swear in eleven alien languages.

Locations

Logistomancer is from A32K
Aubert Cluster demand independence from the Pythia.
Soonwell Valley
Star Grellades
Thule had an empire.

Objects

Ace mentions the Hand of Omega.

Organisations

The Core Sybilline is the ruling government of the Nest-Worlds of Klanti.

Species

The Process is an annelid with lamprey-like mouths at each end (termed "mouthfeet"). It moves by using alternating mouthfeet to pivot its body, moving not unlike a Slinky.
The Guards are described as bipedal red insects, with twenty-four "optic nodes" instead of eyes. The Process can speak through them.
Menti Celesti are "capricious and all-powerful" and "who saw all things but did nothing".
Tafelshrew is a rodent from Gallifrey.
Gallifreyans battled the Gryffnae and hunted the lacustrine Sattisar.
There is a plague of batworms on the asteroid archipelago.
Pythia had a Grelladian guard.
Jagdagians were performers in circuses.
In a market PenShoza traders displayed fresh consignments of workers from Oshakarm and the Star Grellades

Theories and concepts

The Doctor mentions Blinovictual Theory, most likely a reference to the Blinovitch Limitation Effect.

Plants

Madevinia aridosa

TARDIS

Banshee Circuits are what the TARDIS uses to survive when everything else fails, it uses whatever resources are available, people, places, dreams etc.

Vehicles

The Hero's ship is called the Apollaten
Time Scaphe is a time machine powered by thought.

Notes

This is the first novel in the Cat's Cradle trilogy.

Continuity

The Doctor says he's never been to Alaska, however BFA: The Land of the Dead is set there.
No natural born child exists on Gallifrey since Pythia's curse...however; MA: Cold Fusion, PDA: The Infinity Doctors and Lungbarrow question this.
Ancient Gallifrey is also seen and described in EDA: Interference - Book Two.
The Sisterhood of Karn first appeared in DW: The Brain of Morbius.
Lady Peinforte mentioned mysterious secrets about the Doctor in DW: Silver Nemesis.
Ace doesn't like black cats, which were prominent in DW: Survival.
This is the first time it is suggested that the TARDIS is to be piloted by six people. This will be shown on screen in DW: Journey's End.
Ace has, on previous explorations of the TARDIS, found the courtyard that was a central location in DW: Logopolis and the room of cricket supplies seen in DW: Castrovalva.
The Doctor observes that the "State of Grace" circuit of the TARDIS needs looking at, likely referring to the notoriously inconsistent state of Temporal grace.
Ace finds Ian's Swiss Army knife.

Timeline

This story occurs after BE: Cathedral Heart
This story occurs before ST: Log 384

Gallery

Original cover

Hungarian edition

External links