Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Orbit, 2021); audiobook read by Sophie Aldred (Pan Macmillan, 2021) A well-wrought fusion of space opera and high-concept SF. Tchaikovsky presents big ideas through the lives of small, relatable people, dialling up the action and thereby raising the stakes on both levels. Sophie Aldred’s audiobook reading evokes a zeitgeist of frontier-punk moxie.
Tag: Sophie Aldred
The Barren Author, Series 1
The Barren Author, Series 1 by Paul Birch (Spiteful Puppet, 2021) Freewheeling, frothy and irreverent. Richard O’Brien puts in a bravura performance as Baron Munchausen, Rudolf Erich Raspe’s famous teller of tall tales—updated here by way of Paul Birch’s outrageous script and unleashed upon the 21st Century. Sophie Aldred offers well-pitched support.
Doctor Who: Illegal Alien
Doctor Who: Illegal Alien by Mike Tucker & Robert Perry (BBC, 1997); audiobook read by Sophie Aldred (Bolinda, 2016) Blandly written and at least twice as long as it needed to be. Great chunks of the story involve treading water, running around pointlessly, and building up characters (both major and minor) that turn out to be nothing more than gross…
Doctor Who: At Childhood’s End
Doctor Who: At Childhood’s End by Sophie Aldred (BBC, 2020); audiobook read by Sophie Aldred (BBC, 2020) An unexpectedly proficient debut novel. The prose rarely sparkles but Aldred builds the story well, bridging the 30-year divide between Season 26 (dark manipulations) and Series 12 (sparkly rainbow TARDIS family). Her audiobook reading affords Ace’s journey a further layer of authenticity. …
Doctor Who: A Death in the Family
Doctor Who: A Death in the Family by Steven Hall (Big Finish, 2010) Something of a masterpiece. Hall’s script is exceedingly clever in its own right and perfectly captures the essence of the Seventh Doctor. It earns its big emotional moments and features brilliant performances by McCoy, Aldred, Philip Olivier, Maggie Stables and Ian Reddington.