In the Year of the Cat is another solid entry into the Faction Paradox audio adventures. The plot has some interesting world building that added to my enjoyment of the current tale, and the overarching FP saga. While, overall, the plot is slower, it kept me engaged throughout.

The voice acting, and sound design, is excellent in this release.

I’m pleased to say that I enjoyed the second instalment of this story far more.  Whether it’s because more is explained satisfactorily in this part or because I  made a concerted effort to pay closer attention I’m not sure.

My problems with the first part still affect the second.  The acting is still of variable quality, although the addition of Caroline Burns-Cooke as Lolita improves proceedings greatly (even if she does borderline scenery chew).  The sound effects are still a bit indistinct.  There is a very long fight sequence between Eliza, D’eon and Sandwich and the automaton army which relies a lot of the sounds of swords and grunts from the actors without giving a real picture of what is going on.

What I did enjoy about this story was the extrapolation of events referred to in The Talons of Weng-Chiang.  Whilst these stories still skirt around actual references to Doctor Who, enough is given for the listener in the know to piece together.  The army of Peking, led one presumes by Magnus Greel, had 12 ‘commanders’.  These were automatons, or rather homunculi, with the cerebral cortexes of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac.  The one with the brain of a pig (Mr Sin) went missing but the other 11 are present in 18th century London as part of Lolita’s plan to disrupt established history and take control of this era.

This is the sort of extrapolation from Doctor Who stories that I find fun.  The idea that Mr Sin was one of 12 and that each of the other homunculi have the traits of the other animals of the zodiac – the snake is sly, the ox is huge etc – is absolutely fascinating.  I’d love to know exactly what the rabbit was like though – not the most battle-worthy of creatures!Also hinted at is the fact that Lolita and Mary Culver (or rather Compassion) are TARDISes (and that Sabbath is being turned into one also).  I’ve not actually read the BBC novels which chart Compassion’s conversion but know enough to be intrigued by the concept.  It is a concept Miles introduced in his first BBC novel, Alien Bodies and one which I think shows that, if nothing else, he is a good ‘ideas man’.

The story climaxes with Justine being tried by a court of representatives of the Great Houses (i.e. the Time Lords) in the place of Grandfather Paradox (who’s shadow she carries).  This makes it clear that this run of BBV audios is really one long story, beginning with The Eleven Day Empire and The Shadow Play (where Justine is given the Grandfather’s shadow) and ending with the final 2 parts Movers and A Labyrinth of Histories – at the end, Justine has been transported to prison to carry out the Grandfather’s sentence.  As such, maybe it has been unfair of me to judge these stories as isolated episodes, but then that is the nature of my marathon.

Extra historical details are few and far between as this story focusses more on the Automaton army (even Sabbath’s storyline takes a back seat).  There is mention of Queen Charlotte (who’s place Lolita has assumed), George III’s madness (which is implied to have been instigated by Lolita in her masquerade as Charlotte – altering George’s perception so he sees he only as Charlotte) and a final parting shot where Eliza tells Lord Sandwich his main contribution to the history books will not be the fierce battle with an army of hundreds of automatons but the fact he likes a bread and beef snack from time to time…

I know that Faction Paradox is very popular with some sections of Doctor Who fandom.  Unfortunately I can’t quite see the appeal.  I like some of the extrapolations from Doctor Who, but equally some of the veiled references are frustrating.  Overall, I just don’t find the central concepts as fascinating as some of the finer details (like the homunculi).