Doctor Who: The Left-Handed Hummingbird

Doctor Who: Virgin New Adventures #21

by Kate Orman

He took up a firing stance, holding the thirty-eight out in front of him. ‘Mr Lennon?’ he Cristian Alvarez meets the Doctor in The great temple of the Aztecs is discovered in John Lennon is murdered in New A gunman runs amok in Mexico City. Each time, Cristian is there. Each time, he experiences the Blue, a traumatic psychic shock. Only the Doctor can help him -- but the Doctor has problems of his own. Following the events of Blood Heat and The Dimension Riders, the Doctor knows that someone or something has been tinkering with time. Now he finds that events in his own past have been altered -- and a lethal force from South America’s prehistory has been released. The Doctor, Ace and Bernice travel to the Aztec Empire in 1487, to London in the Swinging Sixties, and to the sinking of the Titanic as they attempt to rectify the temporal faults -- and survive the attacks of the living god Huitzilin.

Genres: Doctor Who, Science Fiction, Fiction, Novels, Ebooks, Media Tie In

264 pages, Paperback

First published December 2, 1993

About the author

Kate Orman studied biology at Sydney University and worked in science before becoming a professional author. Orman is known for her sci-fi work, and especially her frequent collaborations in the "Doctor Who" universe. For Virgin Publishing and BBC, she wrote more than a dozen full-length novels, as well as numerous short stories and non-fiction pieces related to "Doctor Who". She was the only woman and only Australian to write for the initial range of novels, the Virgin New Adventures.

As of 2022, Orman lives in Sydney and is married to fellow author Jonathan Blum.

Reviews

[April Mccaffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is so damn wild I don’t even know where to begin when I come to review this book later.

All I can say is that damn, Kate Orman knows her Aztec mythology and history and she knows how to write continuity.

But this book does contain a lot of drug abuse and PTSD so just be mindful if you are planning on reading it.

There is a LOT to take in and I'm hoping to do a full review in a few days or so to gather my thoughts on the book because it's one hell of a ride.

[James Barnard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a re-read for me. I first read the book in November 1994 when I was 13. I can't really remember what I made of it, which is probably just as well because it is definitely not a book for teenagers.

"Too Broad and Too Deep for the Small Screen" was the original tagline of the New Doctor Who Adventures. People laughed at this because the first batch of novels didn't really live up to those ideals, so Virgin dropped it. It's a shame because, of all the 61 books they published as part of the range, it really does apply here.

It contains principal characters taking drugs, gratuitous violence, and no small amount of death. I think I may have been a bit prudish at the age of 13, and couldn't even admit to myself how much my sensibilities were offended by the Doctor being depicted in this way. I now think the approach works very well - as an exception rather than a rule. Thank goodness not all the New Adventures were like this - and they weren't, despite the prevailing, nostalgic view!

For a 20-year-old book by a first-time author it feels very modern, and strange to look over from a 21st century perspective. The observation that, for all Sylvester McCoy's Doctor's forward-planning and manipulation he was likely to be cut short by a random bullet proved remarkably accurate two years later. And the Titanic sections, which felt tacked-on at the time, hit the mark nicely, even when weighed up alongside the glut of interest in said disaster since then.

An atypical book, yes, but none the worse for that. Later Kate Orman books would prove more comfortable to read, and make inroads into examining the psyche of the main characters, but for a first novel this is a great piece of work.

[Drew Perron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate Orman starts off strong in her first Doctor Who novel, consciously pushing the boundaries of what the series could be in 1993 in fascinating ways.

In many ways, the book is a sequel to The Aztecs, a First Doctor serial about how even good intentions can go astray when backed by imperialist assumptions, and how one shouldn't assume one actually understands another culture just because you've read a textbook about them. I'm not quite sure this story quite gets the point of that one, being very willing to point fingers about the shitty aspects of Aztec culture; on the other hand, it's also very willing to show life in Tenochtitlan as a deep, complex, diverse experience. And having a non-European-derived setting is a sadly rare treat even today.

This book was controversial at the time, largely because, in order to fight the psychic Aztec big bad, the Doctor drops first shrooms, then LSD. But for Orman, this psychedelia isn't just for shock value; she uses it as a launch point for complex, abstract, poetic sequences, technicolor fever dreams of sublime wonder and horror. There's a lot of structural experimentation in here, with psychic visions, journal entries, and panic attacks.

Speaking of panic attacks, another interesting aspect of this story is its use of a mentally disabled man as companion-of-the-book. He gets a lot of focus time, but is always slightly askew to the rest of the characters; this is intentional, but means we don't get him quite as active in the plot as it feels like we should.

In the end, The Left-Handed Hummingbird doesn't get as far as it wants to in terms of diversity, representation, and pushing the boundaries, but it still accomplishes a lot.

[arjuna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm far too fond of this to be able to review it with any objectivity - it was the first NA to really, truly capture what it was I loved in Doctor Who, and about the Seventh Doctor in particular; it used Ace wisely and well, played logically on a large and convoluted canvas, and did enough gut-kicking emotionally to be very satisfying indeed. On mature reflection I don't think Benny is particularly well served, but that in itself works because of her own views on that precise question; and I can't really disagree with Scurra in re what doesn't quite work, but I can forgive the book a lot simply for being Doctor And Aztecs, which hits a hell of a lot of fandom buttons for me. So, speaking as a hopeless Orman-and-Who-and-NA fan (which is to say not remotely objectively): atmospherically wonderful, full of pithy, moving details and nods and character touches that one forgets then re-encounters with the same tremendous joy as an old Pertwee episode can dial up simply by existing. Definitely my go-to NA (or at least in the top 3).

[Numa Parrott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A startlingly good book considering how horrible this series has been so far. Having the Doctor tripping on LSD is definitely new, so props for that, I guess. It was handled well as a plot device. The tidbits of Aztec history were nice too. I remember some of that stuff from a history project in High School, though obviously sans-aliens.

I really liked the way the twisted time-line was handled. Excellent job of exploiting the (rather important) time machine for once. I also enjoyed this story a lot more because the Doctor didn't always know exactly what was going on at all times (like Seven normally does). It's about time he met a baddie that could overpower him. I'm glad it wasn't some Universe-eating monster either.

Team TARDIS is still an awkward mess but at least Orman gives us a look inside their heads and lets us know WHY. I'm really tired of Ace and Benny being inexplicably moody and murderous all the time. There are also a few great local characters, although it's a shame that most of them explode.

The main reason I read these books is because they dare to go places the TV show never dared and --every once in a very long while-- writers like Kate Orman actually do a brilliant job of telling a great story.

[Xanxa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm going to cut the author a lot of slack here because this was her first full-length novel and also because it's not easy to write a story about established characters from a long-running TV show.

What I didn't like - The beginning was so muddled and even though I love convoluted plots and multiple POV, I found it hard to work out what was supposed to be going on. The frequent switching of POV and scene was intended to be fast-paced and exciting, but it didn't work for me. Switching tenses is guaranteed to put me off. Authors! Please choose one tense and stick to it!

What I did like - The far-reaching story, taking the reader to London in the Swinging 60s, to New York for the assassination of John Lennon, to ancient Mexico amidst feuding deities and sacrificial warriors, and to the sinking of the Titanic. I enjoyed the way the author placed the Seventh Doctor and his companions so neatly into these momentous historical occasions and wove an intriguing storyline around them.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

It isn't even death he's facing. Her features he knows from a hundred, a thousand encounters. He's felt her sleeve brush past him again and again. He remembers the morning he woke up and realized he had lost count of how many people he had seen die. He had promised himself he would not forget them, not one.
He knows what it's like to lie back in her cold arms and let her hands come up over your face, touching your mouth ...
But this, not even to die, to be erased. Ashes to nothing, dust to nothing. Live fast, die young, and leave a beautiful empty space where you used to be.

Although it’s really a fairly messy collection of cool set pieces, Orman’s debut immediately establishes her as a talent to watch in the Wilderness Years. Her prose is far better than the usual standard found in the New Adventures, while her characterisation is spot on—the evolving relationship between Ace and the Doctor is wonderfully handled, as is Bernice’s heartbreak at the end of the novel. Great stuff.

[Christopher M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clever story in which an Aztec deity is let loose on the world and the TARDIS crew encounter characters affected by the consequences out of sequence. The use of lengthy Aztec names make it a hard read at times, and the suggestion that the baddie is responsible for the assassination of John Lennon is a bit distasteful, but this is largely a sophisticated and rewarding experience for a TV tie in.

[KP Mathislife · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a few VNAs that I just couldn't quite get into I really enjoyed this one. Benny didn't get to do much in this book but she complained about it and that was fun? Ace and the doctor had a lot of conflict and banter. It was just fun? And also intense but I read most of it in one day. The end was a little drawn out and then abrupt but I enjoyed the build up.

[Jacob Licklider · Rating 5 out of 5]

After watching every Doctor Who story televised so far and several audio dramas I came up with a theory that when Doctor Who is written by a woman and there is little to no executive interference it is going to be a great story. The only stories written by women that have been bad were Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks and The Woman Who Lived which both had interference from the showrunner. I’m talking about this because The Left-Handed Hummingbird is the first Virgin New Adventure written by a woman and it fits in with my theory very nicely. Kate Orman’s debut novel involves an alien device that has fallen to Earth in the time of the Aztecs causing a genetic mutation to amplify the powers of the brain to a select few with a genetic mutation. It has infected an Aztec warrior, the titular Hummingbird, who has been able to extend his life indefinitely and it is up to the Doctor, Ace and Benny along with Christian Alvarez to stop him from taking over the world.



The first thing that strikes you about this novel is just how much of an expansive tale this is. Much like Cat’s Cradle: Warhead, the setting is always changing location and time as we see the Hummingbird’s origins to his eventual defeat. Once the story gets going around page ten it doesn’t stop for air as the Doctor continues to change his plans as he works out the mystery of the note Christian left him in 1994. The story implements what the Third Doctor said about straight lines not being the most interesting way to get to two points as there are diversions that lead the Doctor astray. Now this would normally be a problem in a story, but they do eventually come together and tie back into the plot. They also allow Orman to explore the character of Ace and Bernice as she switches to other people’s perspectives at different times. Explore she does as we really get inside the companions’ heads as they are both put through a ringer psychologically from hallucinations to violent outbursts. Orman also puts in some great comedic moments between the Doctor, Ace and Benny, my favorite being when the Doctor calls for a conference which brings up images of the three of them huddling together while Christian looks on in confusion.



The villain of this piece is the titular Hummingbird who much like the titular character in Dracula doesn’t really appear much until the end of the novel, but his presence is felt. This is especially in apparent during the sequences taking place in the time of the Aztecs. The climax where he is defeated is also great as the tension is ramped up and the setting is shifted to the Titanic on that night in April when it was sunk. Christian is also a really good supporting character as you see him grow and shrink when we meet him at different points in his time stream.



If I had to complain about this novel is that the constant changing perspectives can be extremely confusing especially when it happens in the middle of a page. The other supporting characters are a bit bland with the exception of Lieutenant Macbeth who ends up capturing and torturing the Doctor for information and tying into the plot. Macbeth is where most of Orman’s energy went when writing the novel’s middle sections. To summarize The Left-Handed Hummingbird is an amazing novel with a near perfect blend of comedy and drama with some great tension and character interaction that falls flat with its supporting characters and has a few too many diversions within its plot. 9/10

[James Lark]

By this point in the series it seems as though the writers of the New Adventures have been briefed with a concept that, at least without recourse to a few episodes of The X-Files to remind yourself just how humourless the early 90s were, seems bafflingly wrongheaded – a Doctor bordering on the psychopathic, dysfunctional companions who mistrust the Doctor to the point of bitter hatred, sweary* drug-addled characters and graphic violence in grim settings. It doesn’t sound like a lot of fun, let alone like Doctor Who. Yet Kate Orman arrives on the scene and miraculously makes all of these elements work, spinning them into not only the best New Adventure so far but into something that feels like the show from which the series takes its title.

It’s interesting that historical settings provide the range with its best entries at this point in its development (White Darkness, Birthright); perhaps placing stories in the past steers writers away from passé cyberpunk and closer towards the concepts the were at the heart of Doctor Who from the start. Orman explicitly references the show’s earliest era when the Doctor and Ace arrive in the Aztec empire (though she skilfully plants these Easter Eggs without at any point resorting to the kind of fanwank that would alienate a casual reader, unlikely though it be that casual reader would find themselves here). Whilst the Doctor’s recollection of his previous adventures lends a wistful note of nostalgia, the Aztec empire here is presented with a richness and depth that prose allows, subtly injecting the kind of history lesson that Doctor Who was originally designed for whilst venturing into the kind of visceral terror that the series couldn’t possibly have gone near.

But this isn’t just a historical – the story darts from one time period to another with the story gradually coalescing from a series of episodes in different time periods, something that anticipates the kind of approach that recent televised stories have taken, in the Moffat era especially. Here it is a web spun from a typically New Adventures grab-bag of pop cultural references, the Aztec empire rubbing shoulders with the Beatles’ rooftop concert, the murder of John Lennon and the sinking of the Titanic – so it’s all the more impressive that Orman makes all of this work, and indeed feel like a coherent whole.

She also manages to nail the Doctor’s character, a task which has floored so many other writers. As I say, I’m not especially sold on the New Adventures take on the Doctor – somebody so wilfully enigmatic and dangerously manipulative is difficult to feel much sympathy with – yet Orman writes him as a personality rather than something contrived to generate ‘drama’, and she also gives him back the wit and humanity that makes McCoy such a magnetic Doctor on screen – he is wonderfully described as having a voice ‘equal parts compassion and anger’, and a Doctor who replaces Ace’s gun with a potato can’t be all bad. Moreover, she makes sense of the dynamic with the rest of the TARDIS crew – rather than the mindless bickering that has turned their interactions into a repetitive and pointless soap opera, we get a convincing glimpse of what’s driving them. Benny’s uncertainty around her relationship with the Doctor is completely convincing, reinforced by the anguish she experiences in this narrative. As for Ace – poor, abused Ace, now generally written as a bag of contradictions, part teenager-in-the-body-of-a-grown-woman, simultaneously confident and neurotic, fearless and afraid of everything, independent and needy, a grotesque formula of cliche and nonsense applied by people who are still also trying to write her like she was on television – FINALLY we get a version that MAKES ACTUAL SENSE, a proper exploration of a character who has grown to resent the Doctor to the point of blind fury yet feels compelled to protect him to the end, a character who has seen genuine horrors but is bound to continue fighting through life because she sees no alternative – summed up in this profound insight into her thoughts:

There was an old joke about a church bell that was rung every morning at seven for a hundred years. Then one night the bell was sent away for repairs, and the whole village woke up at seven, shouting ‘what was that?’ That was peace.

The payoff to the Doctor’s potato substitution is her anger that she has robbed her of the thing that she needed to protect both herself and him, a (justified) tirade against the hypocrisy of somebody who won’t tolerate violence and still treats her as a child, yet persistently uses her as a soldier.

I still think the whole approach is wrongheaded (do we really want a Doctor who bleeds from the eyes and tears out his own hair?) but this is the most persuasive take on the New Adventures set-up so far.

Crowbarred into the narrative is a continuing story arc so poorly concieved that I’m only really aware of it because I’ve looked at the Wikipedia entries. This story doesn’t need a shadowy manipulator behind it (or at least, it has one in its main villain) and what happens here bears no relation to the Doctor’s experiences in the previous two entries, so clearly there is an editor trying and failing to generate continuity for the sake of it (or for the sake of more book sales, I suppose). This weak note aside, The Left-Handed Hummingbird is an all-round success and a great read - highly recommended.

A few points of note: there is fan service in the cameo for ‘Commodore Gilmore’ (retired), which doesn’t necessarily contradict the future that Big Finish has subsequently built for the character (assuming his retired is, in fact, a cover story). And there are some eerily prophetic glimpses of the seventh Doctor’s final screen appearance, even though that was still over two years away, firstly in the image of him on a gurney covered by a white sheet – ‘They had already put one of those plastic tags around his toe, labelled John Doe in smudged blue pen’ – and secondly in Bernice’s line ‘A crukking twentieth-century hospital would probably do a crukking brilliant job of killing him!’.

*And: there is a curious inconsistency to the swearing. Several pages are littered with the kind of potty-mouthed utterances we have come to expect in this series, yet elsewhere characters take the more modest approach of using made-up swear words (see the above quote). Did the policy on swearing change halfway through the proofreading process?!

[David Layton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this novel more than I do, especially after reading all the praise heaped on Kate Orman. However, I have problems. This novel occupies the middle of the "Alternate History" cycle of the New Adventures. Someone, somewhere is messing with time, and The Doctor is pursuing the clues. Apart from some mentions of this time meddling, of someone behind the scenes playing havoc with The Doctor's past, this novel takes the reader no farther toward finding who or what that is and what they want.

Spoilers ahead: The novel itself is basically a stand-alone story, no matter how many nods to the prior novels in the series Orman sticks in. And she does stick in many, and to even earlier New Adventures novels, and to many other Doctor Who stories. It is just packed full of knowing winks to die-hard fans. Even with all that, this novel is almost nothing like Doctor Who. The story, such as it is, is that an ancient Aztec named Huitzilin (Little Humming Bird, because, apparently, the Aztecs thought that humming birds were the souls of dead warriors), got a big dose of radiation from a crashed Exxilon space ship, which gave him huge psychic powers, mainly the ability to "eat" the "souls" of others. Huitzilin's body may be dead, but his soul-devouring spirit lives on in the form of The Blue, a force that takes over people's minds and turns them into killers before erasing them from history. He feeds on the psychic energy released by the dead. The Doctor takes magic mushrooms in an Aztec ritual and in his hallucinogenic state opens "the door" by which Huitzilin can return to life in corporeal form and reclaim an Exxilon weapon of immense power, and thus continue his soul eating ways in perpetuity. End spoilers.

That is the basic story of the novel. The plot involves mostly The Doctor trying to outmanuever Huitzilin, and failing every time. He takes along Ace and Benny, telling them very little of his plans and expecting them just to go along with it. He also involves a Mexican of Aztec descent named Christian Alvarez, who is particularly sensitive to The Blue. Through all of the novel, Christian is a pathetic, damaged, palpitating psychological wreck, so not the most interesting or forthcoming of characters. The action crosses several different years and locations. It is, all told, a violent, unremittingly downbeat story. It read more like a modern horror novel than a Doctor Who novel to me. It had the same idea of ancient evil trying to break through into the modern world, wreaking havoc and death, and being mostly incorporeal. Thus, it is more like Clive Barker's The Great and Secret Show than it is like Doctor Who.

Orman is a better writer than the other writers in the New Adventures series up to this point. The one thing that got to me is that she is trying very hard to make this a "great" novel, and so does some things that seem to be the kinds of things that "great" novels do, such as suddenly changing perspective or writing style. However, it is never clear why she does so when she does so, just that it is something that "great" novels do.

It's a good first effort as a novel, and probably a fairly good horror novel for those that like horror novels. It's just not my cup of dark tea.

[Linnea Gelland · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sometimes exciting book, with a lot of action in it. And a lot of beating up the Doctor. The tensions within the dynamic trio start to really build up here and it's interesting to see what conflicts may spring from putting such different people together in one room, often during a crisis. And let's face it - when isn't there a crisis?

We have a kind of mind-vampire that tries to leech off the Doctor, which is pretty exciting (even if it isn't that uncommon for some reason), and Cristían is a fairly rounded character whom they meet entirely in the wrong order. Travelling through some well-known historical dates also spices things up a bit. Especially the final battle has a very grandiose setting to it, even if it is almost impossible not to think of a certain movie while reading it.

But then there are the names. Oh, the names! It sometimes feels as though the writer has fallen asleep on her keyboard and then left whatever came out of it as a character name or parts of dialogue. Maybe some (or all?) of these names are in fact researched and historically and mythologically correct, but I would have appreciated if they had been used more sparsely. Actually, all fantasy and science fiction writers take note. It takes a toll on my eyes as well as my sanity to read about characters called Thundjsapiuh and Pjhsbdvavl. So stop it, please! On a different note, I really did find the name of Hank (Hamlet) Macbeth pretty funny.

Another thing that the reference-monkey in me much enjoyed, was the little song titles that Kate Orman sneaks in here and there throughout the book. And a couple of references to earlier Virgin-books as well. I like it when the writers do that, since it helps me to keep the big perspective of the series in mind. It also makes me very happy. Reasons for that: Unknown.

[Colin Hoad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kept changing my mind about this book as I read it. On the one hand, Orman is a good writer and she definitely managed to create something that plays around with the "timey wimey" nature of Doctor Who to good effect. On the other hand, this reads like a very disjointed, confusing book - not confusing due to plot complexity but rather because of the jerky way in which scenes and dreams and first person narratives all collide with each other, making it hard to follow for the reader. For a story that centres a good chunk of its plot on the Aztecs, it was strange that very little was made of the Doctor's original Aztec story from the Hartnell era. Lip service is paid to it, but nothing more. Compare and contrast with the earlier "Blood Heat" story that dovetails very nicely with the Pertwee Silurian story, and sadly Left-Handed Hummingbird comes off the worse for it. Possibly the thing that irks more than anything else is its needless third act set aboard the Titanic: there is no real reason why this was necessary, given that what transpires aboard the ship could have taken place literally anywhere else in space and time. It seemed to jar so much with the rest of the story, and the final denouement was straight out of Big Trouble In Little China.

Overall, I did enjoy the book and I do think it's one of the better New Adventures; it just needed a bit more work keeping it grounded for the reader.

[Michael Storm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I joined the run of original Doctor Who fiction towards the tail end of the NAs, and then devoured the EDAs, and Kate Orman was always one of *the* authors to read. So 30 years after publication I have finally got around to reading her debut novel.

After a bit of rough start, I really enjoyed the bulk of this novel. My favourite section being the bits set in Aztec era Mexico, which manages to allude to the beloved Hartnell serial and not be a big pile of over-referential fan wank.
I remember the controversy at time of publication about the Doctor getting high on magic mushrooms, but in the context of the story it is fine and makes 100% sense.

My big criticism is the editorial decision to make Ace a angst space-marine bitch. It was a stupid idea, but Orman throws a better handle on the set-up which is something.

[Taren Capel · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first New Adventure. Hope they're all as intriguing as this (just checked...I understand this is one of the better NA's). Anyway, I liked it enough to order two more Kate Orman books (Set Piece & Blue Box).
This book pings about in time between Mexico, London and New York and it's not an easy read. When I got to the end I think I understood it; I'd have to read it again to be sure! But enjoyable.
If you're looking for a challenging read then this is the book for you.

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've heard a lot about how heavy the New Adventures are, but I wasn't quite prepared for this. This book was in such a different class from the other Doctor Who books I've read. Absolutely insane and heavy and dark, but such a good view into the Seventh Doctor and the dynamics of Ace and Benny. This is the first time I've really enjoyed Benny as a character.

[C S · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strangely paced novel by an author that seems to value a puzzling structure over quality content - while Hummingbird does indeed have some very resonant emotional beats and impressive set pieces, by the end it has fallen apart completely. Somewhat disappointing.

[Paul Waring · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the best written VNAs so far (I'm reading them in order of publication), even more impressive is that it's Orman's first published novel. If I was awarding marks for quality I'd give it 4/5, but I didn't enjoy the story as much as some other VNAs.

[Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

From reading other Orman's Novels, I have finally got around to read the first one, I have to say this is one the similiar reasons why I like her other works, the characterizations, the plot as well the use of Aztec mythology it's so good.

[Arthur B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astonishingly good for a first novel, mashing up a deviously plotted story with better than average explorations of character and emotion for the series. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/202...

[City Mist · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kate Orman's cerebral writing feels different from anything else from the New Adventures so far, but the central conceit of Aztec sacrifices and historical tragedies being caused by a psychic ghost seems insensitive.

[Joel Aarons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, but too clever for it's own good. Feels like it takes forever to get to the point.

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely prose, lovely plotting, really good use of multiple time periods. This was a tour de force for a first novel. The mexica and aztec imagery works well.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one felt too all over the place

[Arcturus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant fun, excellent character moments, intriguing sci fi, an all around top tier VNA

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

In terms of New Adventures stories, I liked this one a lot. It had a very Vertigo Comics vibe. Very serious, high stakes.

[The Bookseller · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's fun to see the Doctor and his crew land in a location that isn't England or a space station. An interesting story that skims the edges of almost doing a 'Chariots of the Gods' type plot, but instead focuses on the violent nature of human beings and how that can influence others.

It is very bizarre to read the Doctor taking hallucinogenic drugs, but a good reminder that the Virgin New Adventures is trying to bring Doctor Who into literary science fiction.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

May 2020
(4.5/5)
Wish I'd read it a bit quicker so I could've got a more cohesive experience out of it but I still liked it a lot, especially the entire ending sequence.

January 2025
(bumped up to 5 stars on reread)
Having a physical copy of this one in my hands really helped me absorb the plot, as it turns out! I think one of the strengths of it is its rejection of a central premise of The Aztecs - that the Spanish represent a sort of moral judgement coming down upon them for their human sacrifice - and expands that rejection into an examination of human violence, its motives, and the ways it manifests. Huitzilin may have originally been Aztec, and encouraged them to expand their empire even at risk of collapse, but he's not really "of" the Aztecs, cheerily ditching them for the Spanish as soon as the latter can promise more bloodshed; and he can feed, too, off the Titanic, a violence born of human incompetence and the sort of brutal classism that led many of the third class passengers to drown. The conversation between Cristián and the Doctor about stopping that disaster is one of my favourite moments in the book. It's a small thing, but I also appreciate that violence isn't exclusively attributed to the Blue, especially given how casual Doctor Who can be about associating real tragedies with its fiction (we once came close to a tasteless Jack the Ripper explanation, for one). It's a fine line to walk and I think Orman mostly achieves it without feeling cheap or appropriative (though I suppose opening the book with the PoV of the man who shot John Lennon might be considered questionable).

[Adam James · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ya know, the real upside to Doctor Who getting cancelled in '89 was the chance for novelized stories to really enter into new territories. Crazy stuff like character development and, in The Left-Handed Hummingbird's case, something Doctor Who was always missing: hardcore drug use.

The Doctor takes LSD. Kate Orman thought this would be a super idea. Probably because in order to write this ridiculous and unhinged book, Kate Orman had to have been on LSD. And in order for fans to understand it, they'd have to be on LSD too.

I was on a roll with these New Adventures books, picking them up at my local used book store and suffering through constant grammatical errors ("They tried ringing up the universities to get a visitor's ass" pg 107 - not to mention the inexplicable mid-chapter tense changes. Kate Orman must have missed that day of elementary school) and insufferably inexcusable racist characterizations.

But Kate Orman truly murdered my momentum. Seriously? Chapters filled with nothing but dry Aztec history lessons? Demanding the reader basically study those chapters in order to truly understand the damn plot? And the Doctor is taking LSD?!

Congrats, Kate Orman. You sort-of wrote a book.