The story begins in China, 1800, when the Doctor and his companions arrive in their time machine, the TARDIS, at the English Trade Concession in Canton. A relic, previously thought harmless becomes active and transports his companions into the future. The Doctor tracks them in the TARDIS and materialises in England, 1900, where the descendants of an English merchant from 1800 have gathered. One of these is a man called Carnacki, who before long helps the Doctor investigate a series of strange murders in the house. When the Doctor discovers that the house and its surroundings have literally been removed from space and time, he realises that their attacker may not be all they seem.
David J. Howe, at that time editor of this range of novels, explained "Andrew [Cartmel] suggested using... Carnacki, a psychic investigator created by writer William Hope Hodgson back in 1909, who featured in several short stories written by Hodgson, six of which were collected as Carnacki The Ghost Finder in 1913... We looked into the rights situation and found that all Hodgson’s work is now out of copyright, so without any difficulty in that regard Andrew was able to incorporate the character into the Doctor Who universe..." The novella included a reprint of one of Hodgson's original Carnacki's short stories.
.jpg)
