Written by Philip Hinchcliffe, based on Louis Marks’ scripts for the 1976 TV serial.

Like Doctor Who and the Seeds of Doom, this is a brisk and uncomplicated adaptation that lacks Terrance Dicks’ wry asides and lightness of touch, but makes up some of the distance with some decent action sequences and a wistful romance between Sarah Jane and Giuliano, and horror sequences of hordes of masked and robed cultists swarming through San Martino.

From their first meeting, Sarah Jane takes a liking to Giuliano: “She was impressed by the young Duke’s quiet confidence and did not wish to reveal how desperate she thought their situation really was. As Giuliano spoke in his soft firm voice, she also realised she found him very attractive. The fact that five hundred years of history lay between them and not just a few feet of grass only heightened the peculiar fascination the young Prince was beginning to exert on her.” By the book’s end, she’s even in two minds about remaining in the 15th Century with him: “Sarah felt a deep longing to stay. There was much reparation needed in the hearts and minds of the people of San Martino, and Sarah wanted to share that task with Giuliano. But she knew the Doctor would not understand.”

There are some hints the young duke reciprocates these feelings. But young Jules has his friend Marco to think about too, and Hinchcliffe does seem to pick up on the undertones between them: “He’s my friend, my dear and loyal companion..?” moans Giuliano when Marco is captured by his wicked uncle. The end of the novel removes the female complication Sarah Jane presents, leaving the boyfriends to experience the Renaissance together.

This is a more assured novel than Doctor Who and the Seeds of Doom. Hinchcliffe even clarifies the TV serial’s perplexing climax, confirming how the Doctor ultimately bested the Helix by Earthing its energies (a crucial detail left tantalisingly vague onscreen). There are some neat turns of phrase and a bit more flourish than the ex-producer’s previous effort. This is unlikely to bother anyone’s top 10 Targets, but it’s solid enough. Grade 3.

Next Time: Doctor Who And… The Face of Evil.