Cat's Cradle: Time's Crucible (novel)
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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.
Characters
- The Doctor
- Has never travelled into Gallifrey's past.
- He's one of the cousins of the House of Lungbarrow.
- Ace
- Can swear in 11 alien languages.
- The Pythia
- Rassilon
- The Process
- The Guards
- Described as bipedal red insects, with twenty-four "optic nodes" instead of eyes.
- The Process can speak through them.
Characters of the Time Scaphe
References
- The Sisterhood of Karn and Lady Peinforte are both left overs of the Pythia's power.
- The Pythia were psychics that could forsee Gallifrey's future, they were female.
- The Pythia sends her sisterhood to Karn.
- Ancient Gallifrey had an empire.
- Rassilon created the Looms to save Gallifrey from extinction cause by Pythia's curse of sterility upon Gallifrey.
- Pythia came from before the Intuitive Revolution which heralded Rassilon's rise to power.
- The Doctor is one of 45 cousins of the House of Lungbarrow.
- The Doctor mentions Blinovictual Theory, most likely a reference to the Blinovitch Limitation Effect.
- Ace mentions the Hand of Omega.
- Tafelshrew is a rodent from Gallifrey.
- Pazithi Gallifreya is Gallifrey's moon.
- Sepulchasm is a board game on Gallifrey.
- Rassilon the God was written by Cardinal Borusa.
- The Court of Principals are ana organisation on Gallifrey.
Creatures
Culture
- Anmers-Tonastide
- Book of Future Legends
- Intuitive Revolution
- kithriarch
- Menti Celesti
- Pelatov's Collected Sageries
- pianalaika
- Rassilon the God
- treazant
Individuals
- Ao
- Core Sybilline
- Dowtroyal
- Handstrong
- Logistomancer
- Loie
- Pelatov
- Prydonius
- Quartinian
- Satthralope
- Soneuramos
- Sphinx of Thule
- Taspar
- Thrift
- Troppolsabler
Locations
- A32K
- asteroid archipelago
- Aubert Cluster
- Mirphak 2
- Nest-Worlds of Klanti
- Soonwell Valley
- Star Grellades
- Thule
- Winter Star
Organisations
Plants
Races
Science
Vehicles
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 is 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 DWM: Cathedral Heart
- This story occurs before DWM: A Cold Day in Hell!
