Book description
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 March-17 April 1965.
Featuring the First Doctor as played by William Hartnell, and his
companions Ian, Barbara, and Vicki
David Whitaker was the first Story Editor for Doctor
Who, and was responsible for finding and commissioning writers,
and it was Whitaker as much as anyone who defined the narrative shape
of Doctor Who. He wrote for the Doctor Who
annuals, novelised the first Dalek story and his own script of
The Crusade, and worked with Terry Nation on various
Dalek-related material including the hugely successful comic strip
The Daleks, which appeared in the Gerry Anderson magazine
TV Century 21.
Whitaker's own scripts for the programme, in particular his two
Dalek stories for the second Doctor - The Power of the Daleks
and The Evil of the Daleks - are remembered as being amongst
the very best of Doctor Who. David Whitaker died in 1980.
