(Talking) Bookshelf

                       Reviews by Sue

@~For a change, here are two audio tape reviews. I listen to
@~talking books when (a) dog-walking (b) gardening (c) shopping
@~and (d) doing housework!

Judge Dredd : the Original Adventures
Series One - The Day the Law Died

BBC Radio 1, 2 tapes, 2 hours 10 mins playing time œ7.99

This talking book was recommended to me by Andy Stenhouse and I
can see why he thought so highly of it. I must admit to not being
a reader of the Judge Dredd comics and I didn't see the Stallone
video until after listening to this tape. But it is one of those
stories that grabs you immediately and you HAVE to keep listening.

This is an acted tape, not to be confused with the audio tape of
the film. The year is 2099, the setting is Mega-City One, a city
of 800 million people built on the old New York and protected
from the rest of the USA, now a wasteland called the Cursed Earth
which is inhabited by mutants. The law is enforced by the Judges,
a combined police force and judiciary system in one. There are
many judges, but the best known is Judge Dredd.

Dredd has big problems in this story. Judge Cal has decided to
take over Mega-City One. Like the original Caligula, who he is
named after, he is a crazy as a loon, though this only becomes
apparent as the story progresses. Having disposed of the Chief
Judge Goodwin, and taken his place, Cal slides quickly into
further madness, his schemes for the city and its inhabitants
becoming more and more extreme. Also, like his namesake, he
decides to promote an unusual character to be his second in
command. Caligula had his horse made into a senator ... during
this tape, you can meet Judge Fish!  Outcast and allied with a few
other Judges, Dredd must rescue the stricken city from the
clutches of the crazy Cal.

None of the actors' names rang any bells with me, though I am sure
Greg Proops played a minor role. The whole tape is very well
performed in a grossly over-the-top but very entertaining way.
Dredd has a more Stallone-like voice than Stallone; in fact, he
out-Stallones Stallone! Cal goes from vindictive through crazy to
completely unhinged. All the other characters are portrayed
effectively and the stereo sound effects are very appropriate.

Highly recommended.
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Star Trek: The Next Generation - Contamination
Author John Vornholt
Simon and Schuster Audio - 1 tape, 90 mins playing time. œ7.99

Read by Michael Dorn

Emile and Lynn Costa are well known and respected scientists,
specialising in microcontamination. Now in their 80s, they are
still working hard, leading a team of younger scientists on the
Enterprise.  The crew are astounded when Lynn suddenly destroys a
stack of their notes ... then stunned when she is murdered. Worf
and Deanna Troi are assigned to investigate and unmask the guilty
party.

Michael Dorn reads the story, which is also available as a book,
very well, doing excellent versions of Picard and other members of
the crew, though he is understandably shaky as Troi. The sound
effects are subtle but effective. Where the tape falls down is in
the story which is extremely weak. I guessed who the murderer was
very early on - though not why ... the reasons are not ones one
could hope to deduce from virtually non-existent clues. I lost
interest fairly rapidly in the story and wouldn't recommend it.





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