The TARDIS materializes in Mexico during the Aztec civilization. The Doctor and his companions step outside to discover they are inside a tomb—the tomb, it turns out, of Yetaxa, once high priest of the Aztecs. Barbara is hailed as Yetaxa’s reincarnation by Autloc, high priest of knowledge, and Tlotoxl, high priest of sacrifice, when they find her in the precincts of the tomb wearing the bracelet of the deceased priest, now revered as a god. And she takes advantage of her position of unaccustomed power to try and dissuade the Aztecs from practicing human sacrifice.
William Russell, who played the Doctor’s companion Ian in the original BBC TV serial, narrates John Lucarotti’s complete and unabridged novelization.
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"Fantastic adaptation of a great Hartnell story. It made the tension much more palpable to be able to get into the characters' heads, especially Barbara's." — Steve (4 out of 5 stars)
"Fantastic adaptation of a great Hartnell story. It made the tension much more palpable to be able to get into the characters' heads, especially Barbara's."
“Barbara is actually the villain of the piece…Barbara is one of my all-time favorite companions because the writers allowed her to be complex and reactive…We are told so much about the Aztecs and their culture within the narrative, their social and military structure, their traditions and punishments, that I felt I had learned a great deal about a fascinating period of history…Barbara’s scene stealing exposes more layers of the vastly unwinding tapestry that is Doctor Who.”
“Your attention is entirely focused on the moral dilemma burning at the heart of the narrative…The Aztecs explores Barbara’s desire to change history ‘for the better’— i.e., to save the Aztec race from itself—and her patent inability to do so. The Doctor tries to explain to her that she cannot interfere, but it is a lesson she has to learn painfully for herself, and as a result her three companions are placed in all kinds of dangers by the priest of sacrifice, Tlotoxl (a villain easily as terrifying as any modern alien menace), who wants to expose her as a fraud…What’s so clever about the writing here is that in following each character on their own separate adventure, we learn something different about Aztec culture without even realizing it…That’s what I like the most about these early adventures—there is far less emphasis on saving the world, more on pragmatic (and arguably amoral) survival.”
" A story that comes alive on the page, I enjoyed the book more than the DVD. "
" Novelization of The Aztecs. The Aztecs wasn't that great a story, but the novelization is somewhat better. "
" The best one in the series yet (I'm following TV broadcast order as I assume many will) and proof the Doctor has Botl (bad Aztec pun). "
William Russell was born in Sunderland, County Durham. He became interested in acting at an early age and was involved with organizing entertainment during his time with the Royal Air Force. He appeared in Hamlet in London’s West End and went on to appear in a number of films and television shows, including The Great Escape, Doctor Who, and Superman.
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