The Ring O’Bells Mystery
by Enid Blyton; ill. Gilbert Dunlop (William Collins, 1951)
This third ‘Barney’ mystery might easily have been written during a languorous English summer. The rustic idyll shines warmly from its pages and the adventure unfolds slowly, picking up pace only in the concluding chapters. A pleasant read enlivened by chaotic animals.
Sapphire & Steel, Assignment 5
by Don Houghton & Anthony Read (ITV, 1981)
Different writers but the usual mix of otherworldliness and off-kilter intrigue as Sapphire & Steel investigate a 50-year timeslip with built-in murder mystery. The interdimensional operatives again prove remarkably ineffectual in employing their special powers, thereby stretching the story to six episodes.
Men, Martians and Machines
by Eric Frank Russell (Dennis Dobson, 1955)
A fix-up novel in which Russell’s characteristic humour is tempered in favour of fully realised SF space opera. Few who’ve read these four interlocked novelettes/novellas will ever forget their mixed-species crew, nor the ingeniously bellicose alien environments that Russell conjures for exploration.
The Exciting Adventures of Super-Grover
by Emily Perl Kingsley; ill. Joe Mathieu (Western Publishing Company, 1978)
Grover’s quasi-heroic alter ego was good for laughs on Sesame Street itself but falls horribly flat in this oversized Golden Book. The illustrations are passable but the stories are pure cardboard, reaching futilely for humour while lacking both imagination and basic craft.
Because a Little Bug went Ka-Choo!
by Rosetta Stone [aka Dr Seuss]; ill. Michael Frith (Random House, 1975)
Fun though inconsistent rhymed verse from Dr Seuss, illustrated in the Seuss style by Michael Frith. The story is a rambunctious demonstration of the butterfly effect, starting with a bug’s sneeze and ending in town-wide mayhem. The bopped turtle is a highlight.
Equal Rites
by Terry Pratchett (Victor Gollancz, 1987); audiobook read by Celia Imrie (Isis, 1995)
Not the most substantial of storylines, yet a key work in the development of the Discworld. Pratchett sets Rincewind aside in favour of the far richer character Granny Weatherwax. In so doing he makes societal change a serious part of his worldbuilding.
Last Chance to See…
by Douglas Adams & Mark Carwardine (Guild, 1990)
In many respects this is Douglas Adams’ best book. Being non-fiction, the plot is taken care of, and Adams’ observational wit offsets the grave subject matter. What results is a humorous travelogue and rallying cry, at once poignant, profound, cautionary and hopeful.
Peanuts Revisited: Favorites Old and New
by Charles M. Schulz (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1959)
A compact collection of Peanuts comics from 1955-1959. Schulz’s drawing style isn’t yet fully developed, nor his humour, nor indeed the characters, yet several long-running Peanuts themes are on display here in their early form, and the choice of strips is astute.
Biggles Hits the Trail
by Captain W. E. Johns (Oxford University Press, 1941)
Biggles has dated into problematic territory, particularly in how Johns depicts ‘uncivilised’ (though clearly in this case not unintelligent) people. Assumptions of superiority notwithstanding, this is a roaring, peril-filled, page-turner of an adventure, predicated Jules Verne style around a real-world speculative element.
A Gentleman of Leisure
by P. G. Wodehouse (Alston Rivers, 1910); audiobook read by Frederick Davidson (Blackstone, 2012)
An early example of the comings-and-goings type novel that Wodehouse would bring to perfection in his Blandings Castle series. While the plot in this instance is a twist or two short, the prose is fresh and the characterisation typically Wodehouseian. Audiobook recommended.