Coldheart (novel)

Coldheart was the thirty-third novel in the BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures series. It was written by Trevor Baxendale. It featured the Eighth Doctor, Fitz Kreiner and Compassion.

Publisher’s summary
The Doctor, Fitz and Compassion arrive on the planet Eskon — a strange world of ice and fire. Far beneath the planet’s burning surface are vast lakes frozen solid by the glacial subterranean temperature.

But the civilised community that relies on the ice reservoirs for its survival has more to worry about than a shortage of water. The hideous slimers — degenerate mutations in the population — are growing more hostile by the moment, and their fanatical leader will stop at nothing to exact revenge against those in authority. But what connects the slimers to the unknown horror that lurks deep beneath the ice? And what is the terrible truth that the city leaders will do anything to conceal?

To unearth the ugliest secrets of Eskon, the TARDIS crew becomes involved in a desperate conflict. While Fitz is embroiled in the deadly plans of the slimers, the Doctor and Compassion must lead a danger-frought subterranean expedition to prevent a disaster that could destroy the very essence of Eskon... its cold heart.

Chapter Titles

 * 1) A Hard Place
 * 2) Once Bitten
 * 3) Into the Fire
 * 4) Warm Welcome
 * 5) Baktan
 * 6) Challenges
 * 7) The Inside-Out Planet
 * 8) The Hard Line
 * 9) Agendas
 * 10) Family Matters
 * 11) Slimer!
 * 12) Close Quarters
 * 13) Ckeho
 * 14) The Squirming
 * 15) Fear of the Dark
 * 16) Eve of Disaster
 * 17) The Expedition
 * 18) Fall Girl
 * 19) Fight
 * 20) Fright
 * 21) Better Out Than In
 * 22) Hijack
 * 23) Detonator
 * 24) Sins of the Father
 * 25) Best-Laid Schemes
 * 26) Food Chain
 * 27) Last Word
 * 28) Ice Breaker
 * 29) It Never Rains...
 * 30) When the Heat Cools Off

Characters

 * Eighth Doctor
 * The Doctor carries in his pockets batteries that used to belong to Sam or Mel's personal CD player, a yo-yo, his sonic screwdriver, a dog whistle, a cruet set, and a bag of mint humbugs
 * Fitz Kreiner
 * Fitz tried every tea in the Doctor’s old TARDIS. He and the Doctor reminisce about its loss (and the loss of the tea).
 * Compassion
 * Compassion allows the Doctor and Fitz to travel within her because she’s scared of running from the Time Lords alone.
 * Revan
 * Akestus
 * Anavolus
 * Brevus
 * Ckeho
 * Florence
 * Graco
 * Krumm
 * Tor Grymna

Species

 * The Eskoni, humanoid but with wide-apart eyes and tan fur from the crown of their heads to the small of their backs.
 * Spulver worms, tentacled creatures that hunt by temperature.
 * Knivors, a cross between a dog and a bat. They hunt in packs of a hundred or so.
 * Slimers, Eskoni children mutated with Spulver worm DNA

Continuity

 * The book Down Among the Dead Men, written by Professor Bernice Summerfield, is mentioned.
 * The events of PROSE: The Shadows of Avalon, about the evolution of Compassion into a TARDIS, the Time Lords and Bull-TARDISes, are mentioned.
 * The Remote is mentioned. (PROSE: Interference - Book One)
 * Aridius, (TV: The Chase) Sarn (TV: Planet of Fire) and Dust are mentioned. (PROSE: Interference - Book One / Interference - Book Two)