The Gods Must Be Crazy II dir. Jamie Uys (1989) Although lacking the surprise value and thematic elegance of the original, this sequel manages to be both faster and funnier, committing fully to its slapstick and the humorous situational comedy of non-natives adrift in the Kalahari. Cleverly filmed with many memorable scenes.
Author Archive for Derelict Space Sheep
The Mystery of the Pantomime Cat
The Mystery of the Pantomime Cat by Enid Blyton (Methuen, 1949) One of the weaker Five Find-Outers books. Blyton recycles an earlier plot device and half-explored ethical point (the children manufacture false clues leading to and disrupting a real mystery investigation) while neglecting an obvious line of inquiry, which Bets belatedly tumbles to.
The Barren Author, Series 1
The Barren Author, Series 1 by Paul Birch (Spiteful Puppet, 2021) Freewheeling, frothy and irreverent. Richard O’Brien puts in a bravura performance as Baron Munchausen, Rudolf Erich Raspe’s famous teller of tall tales—updated here by way of Paul Birch’s outrageous script and unleashed upon the 21st Century. Sophie Aldred offers well-pitched support.
Doctor Who: Nekromanteia
Doctor Who: Nekromanteia by Austen Atkinson (Big Finish, 2003) A potentially mind-blowing SF concept that’s skirted around for too long and rushed through at the end. Atkinson manages some adept characterisation on a micro level, but this is undercut by cackling stereotypes and dolloped tropes of corporate greed, betrayal and comeuppance.
The Land Before Avocado
The Land Before Avocado: Journeys in a Lost Australia by Richard Glover (ABC Books, 2018); audiobook read by the author (Bolinda, 2018) Part personal recollection, part assiduous research, Glover delivers a time capsule of Australian social history for the years 1975-1985. Though the material itself is fascinating, and tragicomic in a ‘truth as satire’ way, the delivery suffers whenever Glover…
Des
Des dir. Lewis Arnold (ITV, 2020) A three-part miniseries about 1980s serial killer Dennis Nilsen, played by David Tennant. The production remains true to life and derives its impact from Nilsen’s acute emotional remove—an unsettling detachment rendered darker still by his harangues in favour of due process.
The Hippo at the End of the Hall
The Hippo at the End of the Hall by Helen Cooper (David Fickling Books, 2017) A straightforward middle-grade story, copiously illustrated, of hope rediscovered and museum exhibits come to life. The fantasy element is sweet enough—the animals’ personalities are brought out in Cooper’s line drawings—but the book’s greatest strength is Ben’s relationship with his mother.
Shadow Queen
Shadow Queen by Deborah Kalin (Arena, 2009) Kalin’s fantasy debut carries an inherent realism and explores questions of self-worth and female circumscription within a genre that often casts such considerations to the wayside. There are no easy answers here, no glorified notions of integrity. Matilde’s strength lies in surviving.
Tom’s Midnight Garden
Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce (Oxford University Press, 1958); audiobook read by Jan Francis (AudioGO, 2012) Perhaps due to the time-slip nature of its story, Pearce’s Carnegie Medal–winning MG novel has aged well, unfolding simply and unhurriedly yet with lingering appeal. The wistful allure of Tom’s garden speaks to childhood wonder and the inevitability of growing up.
Never and Forever
Never and Forever by Cressida Cowell (Hodder, 2020); audiobook read by David Tennant (Bolinda, 2021) The finale of Cowell’s Wizards of Once series proves both cathartically climactic and something of a let-down, the extended codas drawing attention to a bloated cast of characters and the padding these provide. Nonetheless, a rousing MG adventure, elevated in audiobook form.