Dreadful Sanctuary
by Eric Frank Russell (Astounding Science Fiction, 1948)
revised novelised edition (Lancer, 1963)
How do you know you are sane? Russell’s hardboiled, offbeat prose drives a SF conspiracy thriller born, like Sinister Barrier, of Fortean speculation. The Lancer publication, purportedly revised by Russell himself, substitutes an ending markedly more pessimistic than those of other editions.
Tintin: The Shooting Star
by Hergé (Casterman, 1942)
trans. Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper & Michael Turner (Methuen, 1961)
A straightforward adventure in the style of early SF novels: a hint of the supernatural, a lashing of fantastic elements (most memorably the gigantic mushrooms and other dreamlike eruptions), but a dramatic pulse that comes largely from the sabotage- and race-to-get-there-first plots.
Chaplin
dir. Richard Attenborough (1992)
A lengthy biopic that musters unexpected pathos in portraying the rise and fall, the brilliance and obsession, the unhappy wretchedness (some dictated by circumstances, some self-inflicted) of the man behind the tramp mask. Downey Jr. is exceptional even amongst a stellar cast.
Field of Dreams
dir. Phil Alden Robinson (1989)
An audacious mixture of nostalgia, yearning, and regrets made good, held together by baseball (as a national institution) and wrapped in a fantasy scenario perfectly served by its cast: Kevin Costner, yes, but notably Amy Madigan and James Earl Jones. Thoroughly entrancing!
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
by Agatha Christie (William Collins, 1926); audiobook read by Hugh Fraser (Lamplight, 2014)
A much-lauded work that, nearly a century after first publication, remains deserving of its reputation. Poirot nudges the reader at every crucial point but never gives the game away. Christie sticks the landing (and really does make the most of Hastings’ departure)!
La Femme Nikita
dir. Luc Besson (1990) [French, subtitled]
![Film poster: “La Femme Nikita” dir. Luc Besson (1990) [French, subtitled]](https://www.derelictspacesheep.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/La-Femme-Nikita-1990.jpg)
An influential film that remains more watchable than many of its imitators, despite the 80s vibe and a sense that Besson is making it up as he goes, favouring cinematic moments over plot. Anne Parillaud and Jean-Hughes Anglade bestow an emotional legitimacy.
Agaton Sax and the Scotland Yard Mystery
by Nils-Olof Franzén; ill. Quentin Blake (Andre Deutsch, 1969)
from Agaton Sax och det gamla pipskägget (Albert Bonniers Forlag, 1961)
![Book cover: “Agaton Sax and the Scotland Yard Mystery” by Nils-Olof Franzén; ill. Quentin Blake (Andre Deutsch, 1969) [from Agaton Sax och det gamla pipskägget (Albert Bonniers Forlag, 1961)]](https://www.derelictspacesheep.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Franzen_Agaton-Sax-Scotland-Yard-Mystery.jpg)
Agaton Sax is at his masterful best in this MG detective/action romp. The crime is sensational and the Boss makes for a worthy criminal adversary (with suitably inept gang). The scramble-talk, however, becomes a little tiresome when not used for comic effect.
The Secret of Killimooin
by Enid Blyton (Basil Blackwell, 1943); ill. Eileen A. Soper (Armada, 1965)
Another memorable piece of wartime escapism, the children venturing this time to Prince Paul’s homeland. Peggy and Nora are sidelined (becoming nigh interchangeable) but, in mitigation, the hero and most competent person in the story proves to be the blind goatherd Beowald.
The Santa Klaus Murder
by Mavis Doriel Hay (The Bodley Head, 1936)
audiobook read by Gordon Griffin & Anne Dover (Soundings, 2015)
A country house snoozefest with a thoroughly uningenious murder, virtually no actual investigation, a disagreeable cast of characters more pusillanimous than suspicious, and one of the most insipid detectives (Colonel Halstock) in genre history. Griffin’s audiobook reading conspires to add melodramatic hand-wringing.
Hyperion
by Dan Simmons (Doubleday, 1989)
audiobook read by Allyson Johnson & Marc Vietor (Audible Frontiers, 2008)
Presumably Hyperion won the Hugo Award for its worldbuilding, not its efficaciousness as a novel. The story consists of six SF novellas (all interesting enough but none fully satisfying), strung together by a framing narrative that offers nothing at long journey’s end.