Sherlock: The Reichenbach Fall
by Stephen Thompson; dir. Toby Haynes (BBC, 2012)
Another clever (if frenetic) script, reworking Conan Doyle’s ‘The Final Problem’ and cramming a whole series of character arcs into one episode. While Andrew Scott (Moriarty) positively steals the show, Rupert Graves (Lestrade) proves subtly effective, grounding the mad turn of events.
Hawkeye: Private Eye
by Kelly Thompson; ill. Leonardo Romero & Michael Walsh (Marvel, 2019)
A thick, glossy, vibrant collection. Kate Bishop’s Hawkeye is sassy, fantastic, and self-aware enough to spoof the genre while playing to its strengths and traditions. The storytelling (dialogue, art and layout) is full of personality. A dark yet colourful, action-packed, fun-loving romp.
The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal about Identity, Race, Wealth and Power
by Deirdre Mask (Profile, 2020)
Fascinating, yet oddly unfocussed and unsystematic—like many of the address systems detailed within. Mask drifts around the world, being interested in things and darting from idea to offshoot but never quite elevating her subject matter to something more than historical trivia.
Doctor Who: Conflict Theory
by Nev Fountain; dir. Scott Handcock (BBC, 2020)
A fun, frivolous story that, beneath clever execution, explores the more serious question of the Doctor’s culpability in exposing his companions to danger. Fountain’s script is spot-on. Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant revel in a character dynamic rarely done justice on television.
Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing up a Wizard
by Tom Felton (Grand Central Publishing, 2022)
audiobook read by Tom Felton (Hachette Audio, 2022)
Felton seems an affable type, especially reading his own memoir. He is serious where the subject matter demands it but mostly keeps things light, offering behind-the-scenes insights into a child actor’s life generally and the Harry Potter films and cast in particular.
Harrow the Ninth
by Tamsyn Muir (Tor, 2020)
audiobook read by Moira Quirk (Recorded Books, 2020)
Muir contrives to make this sequel as disorientating for fans of the first book as it would be for new readers. The story retains its compelling allure (credit again to Moira Quirk’s reading) but the immersive mystery-solving devolves into exposition and setup.
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
dir. Luc Besson (2017)
Visually arresting. Besson invests in the SF setting from grand scheme to background detail, creating a plush stage for the space opera. Unfortunately, the storyline shows its comic-book origins. The action scenes are mostly pointless and the big emotional moments fall flat.
A Forgery of Roses
by Jessica S. Olson (Inkyard Press, 2022)
audiobook read by Billie Fulford-Brown (Harlequin, 2022)
Myra is a frustrating protagonist, slow on the uptake and blown without thought or hesitation by conflicting winds of speculative mystery and YA romance. While the storytelling is competent, the characterisation is heavy-handed. The juxtaposition of tropes induces a persistent, jarring wince.
Dylan Moran: Monster
(Live in Dublin, April 2004)
Moran is an unprepossessing, boyishly unkempt presence on stage, at once sardonically amused at life and yet vaguely irritated by it, flailing after observational threads and, when sufficiently piqued, latching on to sublimely absurd stream-of-consciousness exemplars, caught and released with rapid-fire insouciance.
Froi of the Exiles
by Melina Marchetta (Viking, 2011)
audiobook read by Grant Cartwright (ABC Audio, 2012)
Marchetta’s trilogy goes from strength to strength. The shift of protagonists allows for reinvention within the fantasy framework, but the biggest contribution to genre remains the subversive female perspective stitched between threads. A long novel but one that demands to be read.