Doctor Who and the Crusaders

"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?

I think I preferred this to Doctor Who and the Daleks. Here David Whittaker's adapting his own scripts and a fine job he does too expanding on events and characters from the serial. While the book was aimed at the children's market, Whittaker' style is quiet adult (the infamous scene where Barbara is whipped by El Akir being a case in point - no way that would ever have been in the TV series!). I can see why long time fans of the series (including people who write for the current series) have raved about this book.