 |  |  |
 | Reviews for The Dark Path |
|
| | |
There are 2 reviews so far. To add a review of your own for this item, visit the voting page.
| By: | , Quebec City, Canada |
|
| Date: | Tuesday 8 October 2002 |
|
| Rating: |   8 |
"The Dark Path" offers an interresting glimpse in the Master's past. His former relationship with the Doctor, for example, is much more developped than in the TV stories and what is even more fascinating is the fact that, prior to this adventure, the Master (hmm...Koschei, actually)seemed to have lead the same existence as the Doctor: travelling through space and time with his TARDIS and a female companion (though no screamer she.)Most of the plot seems to thread on Third Doctor territory ca. "Frontier in Space": The Earth Empire, the Federation, the Draconians, the Master (of course)with more than just a sprinkle of Star Trek (The Federation, the starship "Piri Reis" and its multiracial crew.)It is surprising, and somehow refreshing, that McIntee choose to feature The Second Doctor in this story. Since it takes place before "Fury from the Deep" with references to "Evil of the Daleks", the author also takes time to examine Victoria's psychology a little bit and her the reasons behind her eventual parting with the Doctor and Jamie.
Psychology with a sense of the grand scale makes this novel highly entertaining throughout.
| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
|
| Date: | Thursday 10 February 2005 |
|
| Rating: | 8 |
By this time, I believe, the editors at Virgin knew that their contract had not been renewed, so decided to end their run of Who books on a definitive basis. Though the people at BBC stated that the Virgin line would not be treated as "canon," the Virgin people knew that the fans had already decided the opposite. "The Dark Path," therefore, tells the story of how the Master becomes the Master. The motivation for the change from Koschei into the Master does not quite work for me; the death of one close friend does not seem like enough push to get someone to go over totally to the dark path (like the dark side? hmmmm...). However, McIntee's characterization of Koschei's modus operandi in a presumably good cause shows the same pattern as the Master would later use - a grand plan, meticulously detailed. In plot, the novel is a kind of James Bond story set in the far future, complete with various "spies" and their technical gadgets, an impending all-out war, and a superweapon meant to trigger it. It has the same sort of appeal, though sadly without any Bond-girls (Victoria would never qualify), as a typical Bond film. As long as one does not question the details, it works.
