The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
by Joan Aiken (Jonathan Cape, 1962)
Set in an alternative, wolf-plagued 19th-Century England, this first book of Aiken’s Wolves Chronicles captures both the stark, chill beauty of the countryside and the wanton cruelties suffered by orphans of the time. A bleak—almost Dickensian!—yet happily ending quest fantasy.
The Future Diary
by Katsuhiko Takayama, dir. Naoto Hosoda (2011-2012)
A potentially intriguing anime with Death Note pretensions but an unhealthy fixation on graphic violence, sexual assault and titillation via the transgression of social mores. The protagonist is flaccid and the central premise falls by the wayside until a late, confused flurry.
Missy: Divorced, Beheaded, Regenerated
by John Dorney (Big Finish, 2019)
John Dorney’s first contribution to the range is an exuberant run-around that pits Missy against the Meddling Monk (a most welcome addition, played superbly by Rufus Hound). An overabundance of repartee makes for great fun yet leaves little room for dramatic substance.
The Sounds of Stars
by Alechia Dow (Inkyard, 2020); audiobook read by Joy Sunday and Christian Barillas (Harlequin, 2020)
A SF invasion narrative serving unabashedly as an allegory for race relations. Though the character viewpoint is padded out by constant small repetitions, Ellie and M0Rr1S remain appealing outsiders. Their arc trends towards YA slush but is redeemed by several astute wrong-footings.
The Whitlams – Gaffage and Clink Tour
Live @ The Fortitude Music Hall, 17 September 2021
Half the Whitlams were joined by Brisbane bassist Ian Peres for a rescheduled evening of Tim Freedman’s jazz-lyric-infused indie piano rock. All three musicians were in fine form. Highlights included You Gotta Love This City, No Aphrodisiac, and Up Against the Wall.
The Sarah Jane Adventures, Series 4
(BBC, 2010)
Series Four sidelines Luke but keeps up an imaginative procession of Earth-threatening plot lines and (visually resplendent) villains. Daniel Anthony (Clyde) and Anjli Mohindra (Rani) take centre stage with sufficient aplomb to give hope for the show’s continuation beyond Elisabeth Sladen’s passing.
A Historian Goes to the Movies: Ancient Rome
by Professor Gregory S. Aldrete (The Great Courses, 2021)
This audiobook comprises twelve lectures examining Ancient Rome’s representation in film. Aldrete proves knowledgeable and passionate about the material, though uncritical of the primary sources against which the modern interpretations are judged. We learn more about film-making and contemporary zeitgeists than Rome.
Inside Man
by K. J. Parker (Tor, 2021)
Within a few pages, this sequel to Prosper’s Demon establishes its devilish scenario. What follows thereafter is an increasingly labyrinthine exploration of underlying premise—the feasibility of heavenly resistance within a divine plan that incorporates that very resistance. Ingenious though narratively self-absorbed.
Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading
by Lucy Mangan (Square Peg, 2018)
Mangan stirs up nostalgia through her (quietly amusing) remembrances of childhood favourites, ruminating on the benefits and challenges of formative-age reading and the history of children’s literature. In doing so she calls attention to several unheralded classics for bookworms to track down.
Missy: A Spoonful of Mayhem
by Roy Gill (Big Finish, 2019)
A well-considered introduction to the series, stripping Missy of her ability to kill and thereby transforming her from Machiavellian villain to insouciant anti-hero. She’s even given two temporary companions who are held in thrall to her mystique (much like the Doctor’s are).