Author: Derelict Space Sheep

Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time, Volume 2

Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time, Volume 2

by Scott & David Tipton

ill. Philip Bond, John Ridgway, Kev Hopgood, Roger Langridge (IDW, 2013)

Graphic novel cover: “Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time, Volume 2” by Scott & David Tipton; ill. Philip Bond, John Ridgway, Kev Hopgood, Roger Langridge (IDW, 2013)

One relatively perfunctory story each for the Fifth through Eighth Doctors, with dark-hued illustrations respectively cartoonish, deep-etched, gritty and caricatured. (The companions don’t come off at all well.) While contributing to a wider arc, this isn’t particularly edifying as a standalone volume.

Luminous Beings

Luminous Beings

by David Arnold; ill. Jose Pimienta; colours by C. A. P. Ward (Viking, 2024)

Graphic novel cover: “Luminous Beings” by David Arnold; ill. Jose Pimienta; colours by C. A. P. Ward (Viking, 2024)

A quiet friendship tale, comfortable in its own quirkiness and unfolding unobtrusively in the midst of a squirrel apocalypse. The text and illustrations afford plenty of space for silence (thence contemplation, self-realisation). Ward near-weaponises the violet spectrum as an extra, spec-suggestive overlay.

Black Mirror: Crocodile

Black Mirror: Crocodile

by Charlie Brooker; dir. John Hillcoat (Netflix, 2017)

TV poster: “Black Mirror: Crocodile” by Charlie Brooker; dir. John Hillcoat (Netflix, 2017)

Crocodile takes its one key SF element (a machine that stimulates then records memories) and splices in a hit-and-run trigger event to create a bleak exploration—Nordic Noir-ish in aesthetic and carrying distinct Fargo vibes—of the spiralling consequences of bad decision-making.

D-E-D Dead!

D-E-D Dead!

by Geoffrey McGeachin (Penguin, 2005)

audiobook read by Peter Hosking (Bolinda, 2010)

Book cover: “D-E-D Dead!” by Geoffrey McGeachin (Penguin, 2005); audiobook read by Peter Hosking (Bolinda, 2010)

Rather mis-marketed as a sexy thriller, whereas McGeachin devotes most of the runabout spy plot to taking leisurely snapshots of Australian and Balinese culture, which he does well. The characterisation mostly works, too, but the humour is jarring in its stylised flippancy.

The Mountain of Adventure

The Mountain of Adventure

by Enid Blyton (Macmillan, 1949)

audiobook read by Thomas Judd (Bolinda, 2021)

Book cover: “The Mountain of Adventure” by Enid Blyton (Macmillan, 1949); audiobook read by Thomas Judd (Bolinda, 2021)

Alternatively ‘The Magic Mushrooms of Adventure’. Blyton’s framing story is a delight and features quite the menagerie: Kiki the parrot plus lamb, slow-worm, donkeys and Alsatians. Then she reaches the point where she has to extemporise a mystery/escapade… and goes utterly bonkers.

That’d Be Right: A Fairly True History of Modern Australia

That’d Be Right: A Fairly True History of Modern Australia

by William McInnes (Hachette Livre, 2008); audiobook read by William McInnes (Bolinda, 2008)

Book cover: “That’d Be Right: A Fairly True History of Modern Australia” by William McInnes (Hachette Livre, 2008); audiobook read by William McInnes (Bolinda, 2008)

By contextualising his personal reminiscences within a potted, three decade–spanning observational history of Australian prime ministers—from Whitlam to Rudd, pitching each PM as emblematic of the national mentality—McInnes paints a gently contemplative picture of social change and maturing self-awareness.

Call Down the Hawk

Call Down the Hawk

by Maggie Stiefvater (Scholastic, 2019)

audiobook read by Will Patton (Scholastic, 2019)

Book cover: “Call Down the Hawk” by Maggie Stiefvater (Scholastic, 2019); audiobook read by Will Patton (Scholastic, 2019)

Stiefvater again demonstrates her aptitude for making multiple protagonists feel important—even those like Declan, formerly relegated to the background. The story oozes with dreamy, deadly potential, the only disappointment being an ending less self-contained than any volume of the Raven Cycle.

Black Mirror: Hated in the Nation

Black Mirror: Hated in the Nation

by Charlie Brooker; dir. James Hawes (Netflix, 2016)

TV poster: “Black Mirror: Hated in the Nation” by Charlie Brooker; dir. James Hawes (Netflix, 2016)

Feature-length police investigation with the character development to constitute a series pilot in its own right. Brooker considers the internet as a conductor of mass hate, then flips through a disquieting grey area to visit extreme, equally capricious consequence on individual users.

Groundhog Day (1993)

Groundhog Day

dir. Harold Ramis (1993)

Film poster: “Groundhog Day” dir. Harold Ramis (1993)

Perfectly executed, its scenario grounded in the real-world town of Punxsutawney and its annual Groundhog Day festival, the story riffing through loops that, while sometimes as dark as they are funny, reveal a surprising measure of philosophical depth. High re-watch value (appropriately).

Doctor Who: Can You Hear Me?

Doctor Who: Can You Hear Me?

by Charlene James & Chris Chibnall; dir. Emma Sullivan (BBC, 2020)

TV poster: “Doctor Who: Can You Hear Me?” by Charlene James & Chris Chibnall (BBC, 2020)

A dark, genuinely creepy episode whose only real failing is the ease with which Zellin and Rakaya are dispatched (cf. the Krynoid from The Seeds of Doom). Even this serves, in contrast, to emphasise the insidious, less easily confrontable workings of depression.

Derelict Space Sheep