Author: Derelict Space Sheep

Black Mirror: Metalhead

Black Mirror: Metalhead

by Charlie Brooker; dir. David Slade (Netflix, 2017)

TV poster: “Black Mirror: Metalhead” by Charlie Brooker; dir. David Slade (Netflix, 2017)

Black Mirror does Terminator in a people-lite, black-and-white rural dystopia, across a runtime short enough not to outstay its welcome or make the lack of backstory too problematic (such absence in any case yielding to an artfully held-back skew on character motivation).

Birds of Prey: Megadeath

Birds of Prey: Megadeath

by Kelly Thompson; ill. Leonardo Romero & Arist Deyn (DC Comics, 2024)

Graphic novel cover: “Birds of Prey: Megadeath” by Kelly Thompson; ill. Leonardo Romero & Arist Deyn (DC Comics, 2024)

Plenty of empowerment, lots of fight scenes, not much else (although Big Barda and Harley Quinn exhibit character beyond the bog-standard superhero mould). The art is busy/cluttered, Romero contributing five instalments to Deyn’s one, which, juxtaposed, is jarring in its waiflike depictions.

John Carter

John Carter

dir. Andrew Stanton (2012)

Film poster: “John Carter” dir. Andrew Stanton (2012)

Not terrible, but terribly ill-conceived. While the acting stands up, the story at once deviates from A Princess of Mars (fair enough) but also shoehorns in muddled bastardisations of every possible plot point. Carter’s leaping about adds a dusting of computer-game absurdity.

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.

Derelict Space Sheep