Daniel Mansfield reviews 2024’s first release in the Audio Novels range
The latest epic Audio Novel from Big Finish sees the Twelfth Doctor, Missy and Tania Bell embark on a quest across the cosmos to unite the three parts of the Triskelia: a legendary device capable of stopping the Chaos Cascade from wreaking havoc on the universe.
Written by Colin Brake, this release feels very much like a Classic Who adventure, particularly evoking the Key to Time arc with a MacGuffin that can stop the universe falling into disarray and host of strange worlds and characters for the Doctor and friends to explore. Despite these similarities, this never feels much like a rehash of old ideas, with Brake crafting a whole new mythology to set the story around and exploring it admirably.
At over six hours in length, listening to The Chaos Cascade is quite the undertaking, but Brake imbues the story with a remarkable sense of pace, mostly through the constant intercutting between different characters. Unlike other Audio Novels, this one has three narrators- Dan Starkey, Beth Chalmers and Rebecca Root– meaning there’s a wide array of voices and reading styles to keep the listener entertained throughout, and really helping to bring to life the epic, universe-spanning nature of the tale.
A particular highlight is that Root’s sections of the narrative are read in-character as Tania, giving us a nice breadth of perspectives from which to experience the story. Meanwhile, Starkey and Chalmers do an excellent job at mimicking Peter Capaldi and Michelle Gomez respectively, making Brake’s excellent dialogue for two such iconic characters ring all the more true. Their narration is beautifully underscored by Richard Fox‘s stellar sound design and music, which only enhances the paciness and atmosphere of Brake’s writing.
A simple story told well, The Chaos Cascade is a really entertaining way to spend six hours, and another fine instalment in the Audio Novels series. For those who enjoy their New Who with a bit of a Classic flair, this is most definitely the story for you.
The Chaos Cascade is available as a download from http://www.bigfinish.com
Who Review 
Leave a comment