Small Gods
by Terry Pratchett (Victor Gollancz, 1992); audiobook read by Nigel Planer (Isis, 1997)
Pratchett’s one-off Discworld novels were often rather special, and such is the case with this exposé on organised religion. The (formerly) Great God Om finds himself unwillingly manifested as a tortoise with only one follower. Nigel Planer is exquisite in his narration.
The Doctor Who Audio Annual
(BBC, 2017)
Presented in chronological order (First to Sixth Doctors) and read mostly by erstwhile companions, this collection of stories from the old Doctor Who Annuals has a nostalgic appeal, capturing the tone of each era. Little surprise though that the authors were uncredited.
Doctor Who: Forever Fallen
by Joshua Wanisko; audiobook read by Nicholas Briggs (Big Finish, 2016)
A nicely low-key story exploring one of Doctor Who’s great untapped questions: what would happen if the villain just stopped when given the chance to rethink his megalomaniacal scheme? Between them, Wanisko and Briggs capture some of the Seventh Doctor’s melancholic brooding.
Biggles Flies North
by W.E. Johns (Oxford University Press, 1939); abridged audiobook read by Michael Palin (BBC Radio 4, 1981)
Biggles is effortlessly heroic and cool under pressure (if not always quick on the uptake). His mission of mercy to Canada’s Fort Beaver leaves no doubt as to the good and bad guys. Michael Palin captures the Boy’s Own spirit of adventure.
Spellslinger
by Sebastien de Castell (Hot Key Books, 2017); audiobook read by Joe Jameson (Bolinda, 2017)
Sebastien de Castell delivers a fully realised magical world with perils and pitfalls aplenty, an unobtrusive moral, and a quick-thinking young protagonist. Joe Jameson’s audiobook reading gives excellent voice to the characters. With all due respect, this leaves Harry Potter for dead.
Broken Homes
by Ben Aaronovitch (Gollancz, 2013); audiobook read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Isis, 2013)
Aaronovitch weaves an intriguing scenario around covert magic use and modern-day policing, but then continually dilutes it with unrelated (if laudable enough) class activism. Holdbrook-Smith tries hard to build impetus and make the extraneous detail sound compelling, but can’t quite manage it.
The Kingdom of Bones
by Stephen Gallagher (Shaye Areheart, 2007); audiobook read by Jonathan Keeble (Oakhill, 2013)
A slow-moving but enthralling story of murder and redemption in three acts. Stephen Gallagher does full justice to England in the late 19th and America in the early 20th century. Jonathan Keeble definitively captures the characters of Sebastian Becker and Tom Sayers.
Doctor Who: The Ribos Operation
by Ian Marter (Target, 1979); audiobook read by John Leeson (Chivers, 2011)
As a TV serial ‘The Ribos Operation’ is respected for its production values, script and performances. As a novelisation it becomes saggy and tedious. Wholehearted writer Ian Marter assiduously seizes every conceivable opportunity to unerringly inject knee-hammer adjectives and slavishly conceived adverbs.
The Return of Sherlock Holmes
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (George Newnes, 1905); audiobook read by Stephen Fry (ABC, 2017)
Stephen Fry takes seriously the task of voicing Conan Doyle’s stories, yet with faint echoes of his own comedic characters seeping through (in contrast sufficient to add further gravitas to the great detective). Sherlock Holmes resumes practice post-Reichenbach, as superior as ever.
The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs
by Alexander McCall Smith (Polygon, 2004); audiobook read by Hugh Laurie (W. F. Howes, 2004)
The somewhat unlikeable Professor Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld, German scholar and philologist, is drawn by way of his own pride and jealousy into several awkward (and at times very funny) situations. Hugh Laurie’s narration carries just enough facetiousness to keep the reader’s sympathy.