Spill Zone: The Broken Vow
by Scott Westerfeld; ill. Alex Puvilland; colours by Hilary Sycamore (First Second, 2018)
The second volume of Spill Zone sticks the landing. Westerfeld opts for some exposition this time, but only what was necessary. The duology leaps toward a satisfying, self-contained ending, gaining pace through Puvilland’s illustrations. Trippy rainbow ice-cream colours. Weird and very wonderful!
Thud!
by Terry Pratchett (Doubleday, 2005)
audiobook read by Stephen Briggs (Isis, 2005)
Loses some edge upon re-reading, and a little too serious-minded to be top-shelf Pratchett, but nevertheless a cutting examination of religion and prejudice, shrouded in pseudo-mystery. Sam Vimes is good value (as always), as is Stephen Briggs (especially narrating Where’s My Cow?).
Eden of the East: Paradise Lost
dir. Kenji Kamiyama (2010)
This feature-length finale continues direct from ‘The King of Eden’ (and thus the ‘Eden of the East’ series). Kamiyama ties up loose ends, yet the plot is a flaccid, shoulder-shrugging attempt to just walk away from the corner he’s painted himself into.
The Tit and the Moon
dir. Bigas Luna (1994) [subtitled, from ‘La Teta y la luna’]
Arthouse comedy romance, supposedly about envy and obsession but really more an exploration of fetishes (plus not-too-subtle sexploitation scripted around Mathilda May). Watchable enough—even entertaining in its quirkier moments—but also odd without real purpose, and at times decidedly uncomfortable viewing.
Batman ‘66 meets Wonder Woman ‘77
by Marc Andreyko & Jeff Parker; ill. David Hahn & Karl Kesel (DC Comics, 2017)
The title says it all. Batman does indeed meet Wonder Woman: in a 1940s backstory then the 60s and 70s milieus of their respective TV shows. Tonally, the stories ring true, offering decent character likenesses, upbeat action sequences and wholesome colour palettes.
The Sussex Downs Murder
by John Bude (Skeffington & Sons, 1936)
audiobook read by Gordon Griffin (Soundings, 2015)
Middling at best. While the murder turns out to be cleverly conceived (as Bude has his characters point out, no doubt feeling very pleased with himself), its unravelling is as cack-handed as the prose is uninspired. Superintendent Meredith is rather like dishwater.
The Last Unicorn
dir. Arthur Rankin Jr. & Jules Bass (1982)
This really shouldn’t work, with its Disney-style animation, My Little Pony unicorn-worship and grandiose, prog-rock soundtrack. Then Alan Arkin (Schmendrick) and Jeff Bridges (Prince Lír) come along, and somehow it does. Still a trippy adaptation, but also epic-feeling and strangely compelling.
Jeeves & Wooster, Series One
adapted by Clive Exton, dir. Robert Young (ITV, 1990)
A frivolous bit of fun, and well-cast (in the over-the-top support roles as well as Fry & Laurie, who are about as Jeeves-ish & Wooster-like as one could imagine). Ultimately, however, there’s only so much that can be done without Wodehouse’s prose.
Witnesses, Series 1
by Hervé Hadmar & Marc Herpoux; dir. Hervé Hadmar
(Channel 4, 2015) [subtitled, from ‘Les Témoins’ (La Une, 2014)]
![TV poster: “Witnesses, Series 1” by Hervé Hadmar & Marc Herpoux; dir. Hervé Hadmar (Channel 4, 2015) [subtitled, from ‘Les Témoins’ (La Une, 2014)]](https://www.derelictspacesheep.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Witnesses-01.jpg)
6-part French miniseries. While Marie Dompnier is convincing as detective Sandra Winckler, the production as a whole suffers from manufactured intrigue (Thierry Lhermitte, in particular, is enigmatic without purpose) and a relentlessly over-scored, washed-out moodiness. The wolf is pure MacGuffin, inconsistently pursued.
Life after Life
by Kate Atkinson (Penguin, 2013)
audiobook read by Fenella Woolgar (Bolinda, 2014)
A long novel that does justice to its historical setting and characters but not the speculative premise (little more than an excuse to include multiple draft chapters). The whole of Ursula’s existence amounts to no more than the sum of its parts.