Spring Forward, Fall Back
ed. Todd Sanders (Air & Nothingness Press, 2022)
Two collections of time-travel short stories presented back-to-back in the style of the old Ace Double SF books. The tales in question are rich conceptually and soaked with atmosphere, bringing unique imaginative twists to a well-worn genre. A trove of all-new nostalgia.
The Innocence of Father Brown
by G. K. Chesterton (Cassell, 1911); audiobook read by Frederick Davidson (Blackstone, 2012)
Engaging short stories, particularly as read by Frederick Davidson. Father Brown’s deductions are more believable (and in their way no less impressive or trenchant) than those of, for example, Sherlock Holmes. The scenarios themselves, however, are often rather improbable in their construction.
Lord Emsworth and Others
by P. G. Wodehouse (Herbert Jenkins, 1937)
Nine short stories evincing Wodehouse’s usual joie de vivre and knack for comedic happenstance, yet, save for ‘The Crime Wave at Blandings’, lacking closure, giving instead the impression of half-conceptualised novels (or subplots thereof) cut down in the mid stages of drafting.
Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide, Volume 5
ed. Sean and Corie Weaver (Dreaming Robot Press, 2018)
A substantial but fast-moving collection of middle grade SF short stories, some fully formed, others little more than scenarios that cut off at some arbitrary word limit. All convey positive messages, although the predilection for underrepresented protagonists becomes artificial in its ubiquity.
All You Zombies and Other Stories
by Robert A. Heinlein; audiobook read by Spider Robinson (Blackstone, 2014)
Although lacking the plot progression, character arcs and no-frills brevity mandated by modern editors—for shame!—these five Heinlein stories demonstrate the engaging effect of powerful ideas wrapped in real narrative personality (and additionally, through Spider Robinson, a bona fide storyteller’s delivery).
Doctor Who: Landbound
by Selim Ulug; audiobook read by Nicholas Briggs (Big Finish, 2017)
While exiled on Earth, the Third Doctor crosses paths with a grounded sea captain. After an uninspiring beginning—a rather forced set-to wherein the Doctor can display his Venusian aikido—this develops into an apposite, rather wistful vignette, cathartic for both characters.
The Doctor Who Audio Annual
(BBC, 2017)
Presented in chronological order (First to Sixth Doctors) and read mostly by erstwhile companions, this collection of stories from the old Doctor Who Annuals has a nostalgic appeal, capturing the tone of each era. Little surprise though that the authors were uncredited.
Mulliner Nights
by P. G. Wodehouse (Herbert Jenkins, 1933); audiobook read by Jonathan Cecil (Chivers, 2011)
The stories in this collection read somewhat like unused subplots from Wodehouse’s Blandings Castle and Jeeves & Wooster novels, but in their upgraded state fairly dazzle with insouciance. Wodehouse riffs masterfully on his favourite topic (thwarted engagements), his prose wild and expressive.
Doctor Who: Legends of Ashildr
by James Goss, David Llewellyn, Jenny T. Colgan & Justin Richards (BBC, 2015)
A shameless, mostly unreadable cash-in. Of the four stories in this collection, only Colgan’s could claim anything like independent worth. In the other tales, Ashildr is either unrecognisable (Goss), superfluous (Llewellyn), or bland (Richards). Uninspiring narratives that fritter away Ashildr’s unique potential.
A Blink of the Screen
by Terry Pratchett (Doubleday, 2012); audiobook read by Michael Fenton Stevens & Stephen Briggs (Isis, 2012)
With the exception of ‘The Sea and Little Fishes’, this collection of short stories and miscellanea (some Discworld, some not) is sadly lacking, at least by Pratchett’s standards. The qualities that brought his novels alive simply don’t lend themselves to shorter fiction.