Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Indiana Jones: Film Novelizations #3

by Rob MacGregor, George Lucas (Story)

The fearless archaeologist returns in a spectacular adventure!

A novelization of the major motion picture.

The time is the 1930s.

Indiana Jones has never had a problem finding trouble, but now he has landed in the deadliest situation imaginable. He must rescue his father, eminent professor Dr. Henry Jones, from the Nazis’ clutches to keep them from discovering secrets only Dr. Jones possesses—secrets that could reveal the location of the Holy Grail.

The perilous race is on to save his father and recover the most extraordinary relic of all time—and to prevent the Nazis and Dr. Jones’s devious rivals from finding it first.

Genres: Adventure, Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Action, Media Tie In, Thriller

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Rob MacGregor is author of 19 novels, 14 non-fiction books, and has teamed with George Lucas and Peter Benchley. He is a winner of the Edgar Allan Poe Award for mystery writing, and has been on the New York Times best-seller’s list. He writes both adult and young adult mysteries, adventure, and science fiction/fantasy. He’s best known for his seven Indiana Jones novels. He co-authored The Fog with Bruce Gernon, and with his wife, Trish, co-authored three books on synchronicity. His latest book is Aliens in the Backyard: UFO Encounters, Abductions, and Synchronicity. In his spare time, Rob teaches yoga and meditation.

Reviews

[Krista · Rating 2 out of 5]

They stopped and stared. The narrow canyon led into a broad, open area like an arena, and carved into one of the rocks on the far side was a spectacular Greco-Roman facade. Wide steps led up to a landing with massive columns, and beyond them was the entrance to a darkened chamber. The Temple of the Sun, Indy thought.

I bought Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade because I knew that scenes from the movie were shot in Petra – the “Treasury” standing in for the fictional “Temple of the Sun” – and I wanted to pose in front of the monument holding this book on a recent trip there; because that sort of thing warms my book nerd heart. And I didn't expect this book to be terrific, and I wouldn't have read it at all if I hadn't run out of other books, and after reading it, I didn't want to review it – it's just that bad. But then I decided that it's so bad that I ought to at least give a (probably unnecessary) warning: don't waste your time on this.

I appreciate that a novelisation of an action-adventure movie can't help but suffer from: “He threw a punch and ducked and ran and jumped onto a passing train and looked over his shoulder and saw with horror that he was being followed”; it's pretty hard to capture the quick-cut action scenes without and...and...and then...But consistently, this is just poorly written, and especially where author Rob MacGregor attempts to add his own flourishes. Consider the famous scene where Indiana Jones finds himself face to face with Hitler and the Fuhrer mistakenly thinks that Indy wants an autograph and he signs the Grail diary:

Indy quickly recovered his sense of place. He clicked his heels and delivered a straight arm salute. At the same time, he secretly countered his show of fealty. He held his other hand behind his back, and crossed his fingers.

There's a reason something that stupid and childish didn't happen in the movie. MacGregor also decided to put in some literary flourishes – in one case having Indy note a series of birds that his father recorded in his Grail diary that define the stages of the Grail quest. And that subtext could, potentially, serve as a satisfying device for the close reader, but MacGregor prefers to make it all overt with Indy noticing each bird at key junctures of his adventure:

He noticed a pond next to the castle; gliding across its surface was a solitary swan. Its long neck was gracefully arched, and its snowflake-white feathers seemed luminous against the pond's dark waters. He was reminded of the swan in his father's Grail diary. It represented one of the levels of awareness in the search for the Grail and meant something about overcoming weaknesses of the mind and heart. Elsa was his weakness. He had quenched his desires like a man who had found an oasis after days in the desert without water. He had taken her greedily, and she had fulfilled his every wish. Why would he, or anyone, want to overcome such pleasures?

And don't get me started on “He had taken her greedily, and she had fulfilled his every wish”. Ick. Not recommended even for a long flight when all other options are exhausted. Dreck.

[Abigail McKenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

of the three, this is my favorite film, and I'm happy to report that it was my favorite novelization as well! it's just fun. a couple of "oh yikes it was the 80s" ways of referring to people but 🤷‍♀️ whatcha gonna do about that

4 stars!

[Jason Pierce · Rating 3 out of 5]

A generous three stars, and that's only because I like the movie so much. Let's call it 2.5 rounded up to three. I suppose Lucas could've gotten any number writers to take care of this for him, but...



It's a shame because of the four Indy movies, this one has the best story, but the writing in the book... Eh... I know, I know. It's a novelization. The bar is set pretty low right off the bat, but still. It's not that the writing itself was bad, per se. Grammar was fine. Sentences were fine. There was cohesion, mostly. It kind of flowed. But there was just too much silly shit. Granted, it's an Indiana Jones movie, so there's supposed to be silly shit in it, but it has to be done right. It was done perfectly in the movie, but not at all in the book. Of course, this is based on the screenplay. A lot of changes were made between page and screen, and almost all of them were an improvement, so MacGregor is at a disadvantage, and my assessment of him being a poor choice isn't really all that fair. However, he also tried to add literary elements and they just didn't belong here. Themes. Motifs. That kind of stuff. Just stick to the story, the action, the dialogue, etc., and leave the rest of it out. That's all that's needed in this kind of book, and I think it would've worked a lot better had he done it that way. I guess such things could've been added if it had been done properly, (and I have no idea how one could've pulled that off), but it all felt out of place and aggressively shoehorned in. Square pegs in round holes, if you will.

Some of it was also kind of dorky. Take the scene where Indy, dressed as a Nazi, unexpectedly runs into Hitler who mistakenly believes Indy just wants his autograph. Indy "...clicked his heels and delivered a straight arm salute. At the same time, he secretly countered his show of fealty. He held his other hand behind his back, and crossed his fingers." Oh Jesus, please us.



Right. Sorry about that. Anyway, crossing my fingers in such a situation is exactly the kind of thing I would do, but I'm Pierce, not Indiana Jones. As much as I would like to be like Indy, I'm simply not that cool, and finger crossing is not an Indy move, so MacGregor messed up here.

Then there were the awkward love scenes and Indy's and Elsa's inner monologues about it running throughout the book.



Exactly. These were almost painfully corny, and they made no sense. Course, I've never been in love with anybody, so maybe wanting to be with somebody one minute, then being just fine with them getting killed the next is normal?



I don't know. But George Lucas, the creator of the Anakin/Padme gag fest, was involved, so I guess we shouldn't be too surprised.

One of the advantages of being musically inclined is that John Williams' fantastic score plays in my head when I get to certain scenes, but I was cheated in one place. When Indy and his dad escape from the castle in Austria, they simply hop on the motorcycle and drive away with only a couple of Nazis firing machine guns at them as they flee, and that's that. There is no chase, so the Scherzo for Motorcycle didn't get its fair due.

You know what else didn't get its fair due in the movie? Pat Roach who played the big, tough guy Indy had to fight in the previous movies.



He always died violently because that was the only way to kill him since throwing punches never had much effect. He played a gestapo agent in the book where he had another knock-down, drag-out with Indy in the zeppelin, but that was cut from the movie. Footage for it might not even exist anymore, but they definitely filmed it; the photo above shows part of it. I suspect that scene interrupted the flow. The only screen time Mr. Roach gets in this is when he's running with Colonel Vogel to get aboard the airship.



The character is in the book, but that scene, like so much other stuff in here, is kind of silly. There isn't a big fight, and his death is anti-climactic, but I bet they made a lot of changes for the movie since they had cast Pat Roach in the role. Too bad we didn't get to see him in action again.

Once again, my final assessment is that one should just watch the movie instead and skip the book.



I didn't say you ought to burn the book, it's not that bad. I enjoyed it in spite of what I say above, and it works just fine for any Indiana Jones nut who's on a novelization kick, but I imagine that's a pretty small group.

[Belinda Vlasbaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 sterren- Nederlandse pocket

Naar dependance op het jeugdhonk .

[Aidan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first one I finished reading and I liked it.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found on and listened to on youtube

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Henry Jones goes missing, his son Indiana is called in to help track down him. It’s a path that leads him to Germany and an audience with Hitler, the search for the Holy Grail and the repairing of a long-since damaged father/son relationship.
I wasn’t aware this existed until a few weeks back and read it with strong and vivid memories of the film. There are quite a few changes - MacGregor’s version of the script was either revised before shooting or Spielberg allowed some improvisation on set - but nothing too serious (though the “let it go” moment feels a bit shortchanged). MacGregor does well filling out character backstories (especially with Elsa) and he writes at a brisk pace, with very little in the way of description. If you’re an Indy fan and love this film, you’ll enjoy this and so I’d recommend it.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad this wasn't the last one.

[Sean Carlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I somewhat recently rediscovered my old paperback novelizations of the original Indiana Jones trilogy, and reread and reviewed Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Now I move on to Rob MacGregor's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

This is probably the most well-written of all the novelizations thus far, and it's no wonder MacGregor went on to write a series of original Indy stories in the early nineties. It's a closer adaptation of the screenplay than Raiders was, but doesn't suffer from the shifting-POV problems of Temple. MacGregor's prose is clean, his narration consistent, and he keeps the story moving along briskly.

It doesn't hurt, of course, that The Last Crusade is (for my money) the best of the Indiana Jones adventures -- all MacGregor really needed to do was hew close to the script (he does), and how badly could he have possibly screwed the story up? It is simply a perfect narrative from beginning to end: The quest for the Grail is utterly thrilling, like an Edward Stratemeyer story writ large, and the father/son plotline fully satisfying. And considering what tough acts Raiders and Temple were to follow, Crusade is even more impressive.

The comedic interplay between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery, so essential to the joy of the movie, obviously doesn't translate onto the page, nor does the arresting elegance of Steven Spielberg's direction, particularly in the action sequences, many of which fall flat here (the desert tank chase, for instance, such a captivating set piece in the film, reads pretty dull in the novel). This novelization, like the previous two, is a perfectly fine way to pass a few hours on the porch over summer vacation, but it's no substitute for the film. Indiana Jones was borne from the old Republic serials, and he has always been most at home -- most effective -- in the movies. You'd probably be better off re-watching the feature (written by Jeffrey Boam and an uncredited Tom Stoppard, from a story by George Lucas and Menno Meyjes), no matter how many times you've already seen it, than reading the book, and experiencing one of the high-water marks of American action-adventure cinema.

Indy truly is one of the great characters of the twentieth century, and Last Crusade is everything that's wonderful about the cinematic art form. If only action movies today were crafted with such intelligent plotting, thoughtful characterization, and deft direction. Like the many artifacts Indy has recovered over the course of his storied career, the movie trilogy only becomes more valuable with age. If you can't get enough, you could do worse than read this novelization, a decent supplement to -- but not substitute for -- an American movie classic.

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

- There are 4 main characters in this book, Indiana Jones, Henry Jones Sr., Elsa Schneider, and Walter Donovan.

- Henry “Indiana” Jones is an archaeologist as well as a Professor of Archaeology at the fictional Marshall College in Bedford, Connecticut. Indiana is the main protagonist of the story. Indiana is constantly on the run from those who wish to sabotage his archaeological plans and discoveries or from those who wish to end his life. During his various ventures across the globe, Indy reconciles with old friends, makes new friends, and finds new enemies.

- Henry Jones Sr. was the father of Indiana Jones as well as a Professor of Medieval Literature. He was hired by Walter Donovan to recover the Holy Grail, a Biblical artifact said to give eternal life and limitless healing. He joined his son Indiana for the quest for the Holy Grail.

- Elsa Schneider was an archaeologist loyal to the Nazi party. One of the antagonists of the story, she was assigned the task of retrieving the Holy Grail for Adolf Hitler and worked with Indiana Jones and his father to recover it. Her secret loyalty to the enemy put her life in danger.

- Walter Donovan was a wealthy American industrialist and collector of antiquities who allied himself with the Nazis in order to obtain the Holy Grail, which he sought for its fabled gift of eternal life. He was the main antagonist of the story.

- The story is set in 1938, a year before the start of World War II as well as the time of the rise of the Nazi party. Adolf Hitler orders his armies to retrieve the Holy Grail, the cup of Christ which had rumored capabilities of eternal life and limitless healing. Indiana Jones is brought into a new adventure after millionaire industrialist Walter Donovan’s lead researcher disappears mysteriously. The lead researcher is none other than Indiana’s dad, Henry Jones. Meeting up with archaeologist Elsa Schneider in Italy, Indiana discovers the location of the Holy Grail. He soon finds that his father was kidnapped. When Indiana and Elsa find Henry Jones, Indiana discovers that Elsa and Walter were double agents. If Indiana will obtain the Grail and gain eternal life for himself and his father, it will give the world a future of light. If Adolf Hitler and the Nazis triumph in the search, they will inevitably prevail in the ensuing world conflict.
- The main conflict of the story was about Indiana, his father, and other friends made on the adventure beating the Nazis to the Holy Grail. Despite the fact that all parties arrived at the Grail site at the same time, the task of finding the actual cup in a display of many fake Grails was presented. The fake Grails had opposite effects on its claimer than the real counterpart, instead ending the retrievers life painfully. The large possibility of accidentally claiming one of the fake cups put the Nazis’ lives in grave danger.

- I enjoyed this book because I had knowledge about the Indiana Jones stories. Since this book was written after the Indiana Jones film of the same name, it was easy for me to follow along the story as I had previously watched the movie when I was much younger. Adapting an adventure movie to a book had one key advantage, which was the fact that the author could further explain plot points or give the characters in the story more development. Reading the book reminded me of my first time watching The Last Crusade.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a Scottish lord, then I am Mickey Mouse!

In 1912, 13-year-old Indiana Jones steals a Cross of Coronado, and he attempts to escape from the gang and goes on the circus train, and he escape from the train without his hat. But his adventure of stealing it ended up with a failure, and afterwards, Fedora gave Indiana Jones his hat.

26 years later, our favorite intrepid explorer Indiana Jones sets out to rescue his father, a medievalist who has vanished while searching for the Holy Grail. Following clues in the old man's notebook, Indy arrives in Venice, where he enlists the help of a beautiful academic, but they are not the only ones who are on the trail, and some sinister old enemies soon come out of the woodwork.

This is by far my favorite Indiana Jones movie, even more so than Raiders of the Lost Ark. It is the most ambitious film ever made, with The Last Crusade managed to be the strongest chapter of the entire trilogy. It is a huge improvement over Temple of Doom, despite being flawed. The idea of finding the Holy Grail before the Nazis do was new to the table. Just like the original two films, the cinematography is incredible. Although the pacing is pretty good, the pacing can be a bit rushed at times, like going faster, or going slow at the same time. We even get an amazing flashback in 1912 where Indiana Jones was younger that he failed attempts to steal the Coronado, which is a nice callback to a future show, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (and I have seen that entire show, too). The action scenes are still great and memorable, such as Indy and his dad escaping from Castle Brunwald, and so too are the fight scenes such as Indiana Jones fights on a Mark VII Tank. The scene where Indy's dad scares the seagulls with his umbrella to make the Messerschmitt plane crash was amusing and states that he remembered his Charlemagne. The scene where Elsa Schneider intentionally selects a wrong cup for Walter Donovan, causing him to rapidly age and crumble into a skeleton, causing him to flew off, destroying him, and dies in dust after drinking from it is very horrifying. Donovan's death can actually scare some. And while the plane chase scene is awesome, the special effects in the film, however, for that scene were very mediocre and have not aged well in late 1980s standards.

This also has some likable characters such as Henry Jones, Sr (played by Sean Connery in the film). Interesting revelation that Elsa is actually the first female villain in the franchise, which is one of the best plot twists in the history of cinema.

This is by far one of the best chapters in the history of the Indiana Jones franchise.

[Corey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indiana Jones returns for his most thrilling but dangerous adventure yet! This time Indy teams up with his father, Henry Jones Sr. who refers to Indy as Henry Jones Jr. which Indy hates, HAHA! Together they embark on a quest for the Holy Grail, the cup of Jesus Christ. Indy gets word that his Father is kidnapped by the Nazis after receiving his Father's Grail Diary in the mail, his Father sent it to him to prevent the Nazis from getting ahold of it first. The Diary holds many clues and a map that holds the location of the Grail.

The Last Crusade has to be my most favorite in the whole franchise, the other being Raiders, of course. But The Last Crusade is the second best!

[Dylan Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book very well known by its movies. The book, however, is a whole different story. I felt intrigued reading it, and I always wanted there to be more to the story. When the story finally ended, I was very sad. I may have not read the prequels to this book, but this book is really good. The action is this book is just the same as in the movie. Overall, this book was one of the best.

[Guido · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suspension of disbelief, the book.
Fun, but turn off your thinking if you want to enjoy this book.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I made that up. You know Marcus. He got lost once in his own museum.” - Indy
"No Ticket" - Indy



An enjoyable read of one of the best Indiana Jones movies. I liked how MacGregor was mostly faithful to the film while adding some enhancements that were either not in the movie or couldn’t be conveyed in it. I particularly enjoyed how we saw Henry Jones Sr.'s parenting techniques, such as making him read Greek all summer or using a bow and arrow for Indy's 10th birthday to get a bullseye. I liked how it provided more insight into how Indy felt as he went on his adventure. Some scenes, such as recovering the cross of Coronado on the sinking boat during the storm, were expanded from the movie. I enjoyed this change as it offered an explanation of how Indy recovered the cross after 26 years.


The only thing I wish were different is that some action scenes could have been more fleshed out. The scenes I had in mind were the escape from the Brunwald castle and the tank scene. The Nazis being trampled weren’t mentioned, nor was Indy hanging onto the tank’s gun while being covered in the rubble discussed in detail. However, the comedic scenes from the movie, along with some of his original additions, more than made up for it.

An excellent and faithful companion piece to the movie.

[JBJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is non-stop fun from page one to the end! A lot of novels kind of drag in the middle, but not this one! It's fun, funny, and exciting the whole way through. It's one of those books that you don't want to put down but you also don't want to get through too quickly.

The only thing I didn't like was how this author added some mystical elements to Indy's thinking and background. I don't believe the Grail would make someone immortal, but if it did, it would represent God's power, not "the essence of a higher awareness that was in him and in everyone who bothered to look for it." The whole idea of the Holy Grail is that it's supposedly a cup that Jesus used and that caught some of His blood, but the author makes it more of a New Age power. There's also a reference to Indy's "spirit animal" and a few other things that I don't remember in the movie. In the author's bio at the end, it says MacGregor teaches his own version of yoga called "Astro-Yoga"; he can believe what he wants, of course, but it's like he's twisting things to make this book a chance to push his beliefs on the readers.

But ignoring all that, it's a really fun book, one of the few that I could see myself reading again.

[Jeremiah Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, Indy's relationship with his dad is more tragic and powerful on the page. I want to read more adventures of them hanging out, like stories that take place after this one. I almost cried at one part with these too.

I haven't seen the movie in a while, but couldn't stop turning the pages. I like how MacGregor adds little pieces of backstory and reveals some of the characters thoughts. I remember having question about the ending when I saw this in the theater and the book answers that--so that was cool!

Also, I've read some other MacGregor Indy books and get a kick out of how MacGregor includes Indy's spirit animal stuff in each of his books. I thought maybe he'd resist in this movie adaptation, but nope, that eagle flaps its wings a couple times. I wonder if this is where MacGregor introduced the idea.

[Tim Champlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was 10 or so my mom randomly decided that she didn’t want me watching PG-13 movies until I turned
13. This was really disappointing as I was (and still am) crazy about Star Wars and Indiana Jones. As of the late 90s, The Last Crusade was the only movie out of these two franchises that was PG-13. I think we can all agree that the first two Indy movies are more violent despite their PG ratings but I was not about to tell my mom that. In any case, I was not able to watch The Last Crusade but I would get this book from the library all of the time and read it. It was a blast to read and I still hold it as one of my favorite movie novelizations. Now I’m a grown up and I can watch it whenever I want to. Boo ya.

[Bryan Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rob MacGregor’s name has become synonymous with Indy novels. He handles the task with ease, as his background with western novels serves him well. But I found this novelization to be a little lackluster. While there are some minor differences in the book, they came from different drafts of the screenplay. There wasn’t a lot of additional scenes or expanded information.

However it is a worthy addition to the Indy legacy. MacGregor’s follow on Indy adventures are entertaining and I was saddened by the book publishers decision not to release his last Indy novel, The Staff of Kings, which was based on a semi-failed video game project. Hopefully McG has more Indy in him and is ready to put pen to paper should the publisher call.

[Butterfly2507 · Rating 3 out of 5]

okay as a novice to the whole indiana jones empire (i watched one movie and played the games lmao) i was curious about this book. however the excitement quickly faded cause you can just tell it was written for / after the movie. so many descriptive scenes that only make sense when you see it in motion. cause let’s be honest, a lot of it sounds like madness especially the stuff when he was a kid. the movie is as crazy but at least you have nice stunts and all and not just written text. honestly, this might be nice as a collectible but if you saw the movie, you do not need to read this book.

[Ben Mariner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah the golden age when popular movies got novel adaptations. Some were better than others, just like some movies are better than others. This one was a pretty good novel based on a movie. I mean, Indiana Jones is amazing so it's hard to make book Indy suck. I've read other, non-movie-based Indy books which really really great, but this one suffered from the fact that I already knew exactly what was going on. Still a fun read, though.

[Maha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not gonna lie, I had zero interest in reading Indiana Jones. I loved the movies as a kid growing up in the 90s, but I didn't feel like reading an action book would be my thing. I was wrong! Rob MacGregor writes a quick paced action packed novel that is based on the movie. It helps me seeing Harrison Ford as Indy. Somehow I imagined his dad as Anthony Hopkins (ohhh, his dad was Sean Connery! cool cool cool). Recommend this book to anyone who loves reading action!

[Joseph D'Aquisto · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was excellent. I enjoyed reading the extra scenes here that were not in the film. In the beginning during the chase on the train, Young Indy encounters several circus members in one of the trains. Also at the end unlike in the film when it is his dad who lifts him up from the crevasse as he is about to fall to his death, the novel has Sallah saving him. I can see why they changed it to his father in the film.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read the original trilogy of Indiana Jones novels back-to-back-to-back over the Christmas/New Year break, and decided that this is my favourite novelisation. Nazis, the Holy Grail, religious warriors, Indiana Jones and his father...what's not to love? Rob MacGregor does a great job.

[Clayschuldt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its the novelization for the best Indiana Jones film so of course its good.
Its slightly different from the film. Extra dialogue, more explanation for certain actions. It certainly makes ya appreciate the film in new ways.

[Soha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think it was meant for teenage boys.
The English is kinda old and there's too much action. The movie was more enjoyable for me.

The book starts off with Indy as a child and then shifts to present day and brings in his father as well.
Loads of action and fighting and childish words.

[Wendy Woerner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still one of my all-time favorite Indiana stories! Loved the film and I love the novelization. Especially because I've watched the movie so many times that I could hear Harrison Ford and Sean Connery's voices as I was reading it. Definitely a treat for any book nerds who are Indiana fans

[Daniel Gaul · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book of the series (as with the movie); some interesting details (and small changes) revealed in the story, and just as rewarding as the film on which it is based! I highly recommend it/them :-)

[Tuatara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Toimintaleffa tökerösti tekstimuotoon muutettuna ja yhtään mitään kirjallista ansiota lisäämättä on aika puiseva elämys. Hikiset puolitoista tähteä pyöristettäköön kuitenkin ylöspäin, koska sellainen yhden tähden kirjoille ominainen spesiaaliärsytys jäi saavuttamatta. Vain huono.

[Paolo Calabrò · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good for a lazy, summer afternoon read.