Doctor Who and the Crusaders

"You will hope to kill yourself, or try to make me kill you."

Writer: David Whitaker
Format: Novel
Released: July 2011
Series: Target 03

Featuring: First Doctor, Ian, Barbara, Vicki

Synopsis

'I admire bravery, sir. And bravery and courage are clearly in you in full measure. Unfortunately, you have no brains at all. I despise fools.'

Arriving in the Holy Land in the middle of the Third Crusade, the Doctor and his companions run straight into trouble. The Doctor and Vicki befriend Richard the Lionheart, but must survive the cut-throat politics of the English court. Even with the king on their side, they find they have made powerful enemies.

Looking for Barbara, Ian is ambushed - staked out in the sand and daubed with honey so that the ants will eat him. With Ian unable to help, Barbara is captured by the cruel warlord El Akir. Even if Ian escapes and rescues her, will they ever see the Doctor, Vicki and the TARDIS again?

Verdict

Doctor Who and the Crusaders was a decent little read and a good novelisation of the The Crusade. This was one of the very first Doctor Who novelisations and whilst it may not have been the obvious choice, it works pretty well in prose. I'm a big fan of the 12th century setting and I liked how we were taken to Earth's past that was somewhere not in Britain. It brings a unique dynamic to a story and places the TARDIS team in unfamiliar surroundings. It isn't as we know it and anything can happen. I was not a fan of this reprinted version's introduction by Charlie Higson as he didn't seem much of a fan at all. I'd very much like to write my own introduction as I felt his was poor and wasn't very complimentary of the novelisation at all. I was rather surprised by how little the Doctor featured in this novel and whilst the Doctor going missing for a large chunk of the story wasn't uncommon in his first incarnation, it really did seem like he only featured in two chapters once the quartet stepped outside of the TARDIS doors. Vicki didn't do very much either which was a shame but I did enjoy her relationship with the Doctor. She's helping deal with Susan's departure in The Dalek Invasion of Earth which is wonderful. The relationship between Ian and Barbara was really intriguing in this story as the pair even shared a kiss once they were reunited. The whole book centred around rescuing following her kidnapping the woods and Ian was desperate to see her again. The feelings between the pair were obviously evident on screen but they were never depicted as they were in this novelisation. Being able to complete the story in one sitting with no interruptions due to missing parts was great and I thought it did make a very good story. It was maybe lack in excitement at some stages but some of the characters were excellent. Richard the Lionheart was good and I enjoyed his reaction to the Doctor's persuading of him to help find Barbara and I also liked that Ian was knighted. Al Ekir made a good villain and I also thought the Earl of Leicester's meddling was good. The pacing was pretty good but I was quite surprised by how violent things were at some stages. Barbara getting whipped was a big surprise but I thought Ian's emotional reaction to finding her was good. The ending was decent and whilst I thought Ian's speech to save the Doctor and quickly return to the TARDIS was good, I wasn't a fan of thinking things were over only for one more obstacle to present itself. Leicester thinking that the Doctor was a sorcerer and had taken Ian away was terrific though. That was a nice little ending to what was a very decent novelisation. The same rating for both TV and book so at least things were consistent!

Rating: 7/10