''The Dark Path'' is an original novel written by

David A. McIntee David A. McIntee (born 31 December 1968) is a British writer. Career McIntee has written many spin-off novels based on the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', as well as one each based on ''Final Destination'' and '' Space: 1 ...

and based on the long-running British

science fiction television Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary ...

series ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

''. The novel features the

Second Doctor The Second Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was portrayed by actor Patrick Troughton. While the Troughton era of ''Doctor Who'' is well-remembered by fans an ...

Jamie Jamie is a unisex name. It is a diminutive form of James or, more rarely, other names. It is also given as a name in its own right. People Female * Jamie Anne Allman (born 1977), American actress * Jamie Babbit (born 1970), American film and te ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

and the

Master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

(who is using the name 'Koschei' here), looking at the events that led to the Master's descent and subsequent transformation into villainy.

Plot

''"He's one of my own people, Victoria, and he's hunting me."'' The Darkheart is a faded neutron star surrounded by dead worlds. Except one: the last enclave of the Earth Empire, and as the rest of the galaxy enjoys the fruits of the fledgling Federation, these isolated Imperials hide a horrifying secret. The TARDIS crew arrive to find that the Federation has come to reintegrate this lost colony. But all is not well in the Federation camp: allegiances shift, the fierce Veltrochni have vengeful plans of their own, and another time traveller is manipulating the mission for his own mysterious reasons - a true master of his craft, and a face the Doctor has not forgotten. The Doctor must uncover the terrible secret which brought the Empire to this desolate sector, and find the source of the strange power maintaining their society. But can a Time Lord, facing the ultimate temptation, control his own desires?

Trivia

This novel takes place after the Missing Adventure '' Twilight of the Gods'' by

Christopher Bulis Christopher Bulis is a writer best known for his work on various Doctor Who spin-offs. He is one of the most prolific authors to write for the various ranges of Spin-off (media), spin-offs from the BBC Television series ''Doctor Who'', with twelve ...

. In

Slavic mythology Slavic mythology or Slavic religion is the religious beliefs, myths, and ritual practices of the Slavs before Christianisation, which occurred at various stages between the 8th and the 13th century. The South Slavs, who likely settled in the B ...

and

Russian mythology Slavic mythology or Slavic religion is the religious beliefs, myths, and ritual practices of the Slavs before Christianisation, which occurred at various stages between the 8th and the 13th century. The South Slavs, who likely settled in the B ...

Koschei Koschei ( rus, Коще́й, r=Koshchey, p=kɐˈɕːej), often given the epithet "the Immortal", or "the Deathless" (russian: Коще́й Бессме́ртный), is an archetypal male antagonist in Russian folklore. The most common feature of ...

is an evil immortal sorcerer, menacing principally young women. Koschei is also known as Koschei the Immortal or Koschei the Deathless due to his soul being sealed inside a needle inside an egg on a hidden island, enabling him to live forever as long as the needle is intact. Given the Master's obsession for further regenerations in ''

The Keeper of Traken ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' and ''

The Five Doctors ''The Five Doctors'' is a special feature-length episode of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', produced in celebration of the programme's 20th anniversary. It had its world premiere in the United States, on the Chicago ...

'', the name is apt.

References

External links

The Cloister Library - ''The Dark Path''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dark Path, The 1997 British novels 1997 science fiction novels Virgin Missing Adventures Second Doctor novels Novels by David A. McIntee The Master (Doctor Who) novels Novels set on fictional planets Fiction set in the 4th millennium