Contents
Cover
About the Book
Also available from BBC Books
Title Page
Introduction by Charlie Higson
The Changing Face of Doctor Who
Prologue
1. Death in the Forest
2. The Knight of Jaffa
3. A New Scheherazade
4. The Wheel of Fortune
5. The Doctor in Disgrace
6. The Triumph of El Akir
7. The Will of Allah
8. Demons and Sorcerers
About the Author
Between the Lines
Copyright
About the Book
‘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?
This novel is based on a Doctor Who story which was originally broadcast from 27 Mar – 17 April 1965.
Featuring the First Doctor as played by William Hartnell, and his companions Ian, Barbara and Vicki
Also available from BBC Books:
DOCTOR WHO AND THE DALEKS
David Whitaker
DOCTOR WHO AND THE CYBERMEN
Gerry Davis
DOCTOR WHO AND THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMEN
Terrance Dicks
DOCTOR WHO AND THE AUTON INVASION
Terrance Dicks
DOCTOR WHO AND THE CAVE MONSTERS
Malcolm Hulke
DOCTOR WHO
AND THE
CRUSADERS
Based on the BBC television serial
The Crusade
by
David Whitaker by arrangement with the BBC
DAVID WHITAKER
Introduction by
CHARLIE HIGSON
Illustrated by
Henry Fox
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INTRODUCTION BY
Charlie Higson
I have a confession to make.
This is the first
Doctor Who book I have ever read. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always been a huge fan of
Doctor Who, but just not quite enough of one to have ever been tempted to read any of the books. I guess that probably makes
you, as someone who’s actually bought a book, a bigger fan than me (next time write your own introduction!). So you’ll know the story of how writers like Russell T Davies, Mark Gatiss, Gareth Roberts and Paul Cornell kept the
Who flame burning all those years when the Doctor wasn’t on our screens by writing new adventures, and how under the leadership of Russell they went on to relaunch the TV series so spectacularly.
And it’s really down to the literary efforts of those guys that Doctor Who is still here, that these books are being published once more, and that I have been given the privilege of writing this introduction.
I got my first glimpse into the alternative universe of Who novels via Mark Gatiss when I was making Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) with Vic and Bob. I was a big fan of the League of Gentlemen and knew Mark was into all the same brilliant old 1960s fantasy series like The Prisoner and Adam Adamant Lives! and The Avengers that I loved. I asked him if he’d like to be in an episode and have a go at writing one as well. I’d already nailed my Doctor Who colours to the mast by specially writing a part for Tom Baker in my series. He’s still one of my favourite actors of all time, and will never be replaced as my ultimate Doctor. Anyway, Mark suggested I talk to Gareth Roberts. The two of them, it seemed, had been writing these Doctor Who books, and were part of this sort of little uber-fan club. I was intrigued by Gareth, who not only loved sci-fi but also wrote for soap operas. It was just the combination of fantasy and reality that I was looking for. Sci-fi with human qualities. And it is exactly what Russell T Davies pulled off so well with his reboot of the Doctor. With, it must be said, a lot more success than I managed with Randall and Hopkirk (though with quite a lot of the same personnel, I’m pleased to say).
