Faerie Tale
by Raymond E. Feist (Doubleday, 1988)
While Feist’s leisurely characterisation of the Hastings family draws the reader in and makes them susceptible to the creeping dread of faerie lore, the workmanlike omniscient narrative and muddled plot (once removed of its glamour) are unlikely to truly unsettle adult readers.
Doctor Who: Out of Time
by Matt Fitton; dir. Nicholas Briggs (Big Finish, 2020)
David Tennant and Tom Baker make for an arresting duo and are given time to interact, the story’s emotional depth further complemented by Kathryn Drysdale’s performance as Jora. A shame, then, that the threat had to come from blustering, blogging, self-opinionated Daleks.
Teen Titans: Beast Boy loves Raven
by Kami Garcia; ill. Gabriel Picolo (DC Comics, 2021)
The title says it all, with Garcia and Picolo keeping an unapologetic focus on Raven and Beast Boy’s burgeoning romance (instalove, to be sure, but not out of keeping with their age and shared insecurities). The bad guys’ plan is concomitantly half-arsed.
Dylan Moran: What It Is
(Live in Sydney, 2009)
Moran appears more inclined to make a point than in previous recordings, and consequently less able to do so (his off-the-cuff artillery ceding ground to encroaching vagueness and derailments of thought). When in flow, still a waspishly beleaguered, bildungs-roaming, man-child philosophiser nonpareil.
The Edinburgh Mystery and Other Tales of Scottish Crime
ed. Martin Edwards (British Library Crime Classics, 2022)
audiobook read by Sarah Barron, Mark Meadows, David Monteath & John Telfer (Soundings, 2023)
A readable but unremarkable collection of historically overlooked short stories. Though often possessed of comely prose, few are satisfying as mysteries—tending to some combination of character vignette without detection, token framework for clever ‘shock’ ending, or revelation based on withheld information.
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
by Robert Louis Stevenson (Longmans, Green & Co., 1886)
audiobook read by Ian Holm (Canongate, 2007)
Stevenson’s gothic horror novella holds up well, despite the plot twist being well and truly out of the bag for modern readers. The story’s original publication as a ‘shilling shocker’ reflects the sensationalist speculative element rather than any dearth of literary quality.
Doctor Who: The Five Companions
by Eddie Robson (Big Finish, 2011)
Nostalgia is well and truly satisfied with five former companions yanked back into the fray. Evergreen acting chops notwithstanding, the opportunity for poignant character moments is largely frittered away in a pointless Death Zone slugfest involving Sontarans, dinosaurs and, inevitably, screeching Daleks.
Doctor Who: The Daleks in Colour
by Terry Nation, with new material by Russell T Davies; ed. Benjamin Cook (BBC, 2023)
The colouring works well! However, too much plot has been expurgated, leaving this version frenetic and a good 25 minutes short. Quiet moments, suspense and drama give way to near-farcical, jump-cut action montages and the grandiloquent fanfare of Mark Ayres’ new score.
Bill Bailey: Thoughtifier Australian Tour
Live @ Brisbane Convention Centre (23 November 2024)
Bill Bailey kept himself amused and the Brisbane crowd equally so with a freewheeling show mixing self-aware stand-up and multi-instrumental musical comedy. Highlights from the latter included Bill’s touch-sensitive musical balls and a piece de resistance Kraftwerk spoof on the laser harp!
The Sea of Adventure
by Enid Blyton (Macmillan, 1948); audiobook read by Thomas Judd (Bolinda, 2021)
Blyton mixes the formula just right in this fourth adventure, adding a real sense of peril to the usual holiday atmosphere. The girls make genuine contributions. Huffin and Puffin, with only one syllable between them, enter the pantheon of great support characters!