1940-41 (collected 1941) / Ecomics / 63 pages / Belgium****
Notably introducing Captain Haddock – who's hopefully got over his drunken, racist rampages now – this thrilling pursuit by smuggling ship, camel and speedboat is one of the more cinematic entries, helped by some nice full-page scenes cutting down on the repetitive plot beats (though Tintin still gets twatted over the head several times). It might've been better off without the dénouement that draws attention to how nonsensical those clues were, it's not like we remembered by the end anyway.
Isaac Asimov, Gold: The Final Science Fiction Collection
1978-95 (collected 1995) / Audiobook / 345 pages / USA***
Misleadingly named after one of the leftover stories contained within (that implicitly weren't good enough to be anthologised while he was still alive), the disappointment continues when you see that these stories only make up the first third of the book, and only a handful really qualify as stories between the worthless skits. The rest is his expert writing insights that are probably helpful if you didn't give up on your dreams a long time ago.
1997 / Ebook / 120 pages / UK
***
Joe's easygoing harpsichord epic gets a skimming overview, searching for meaningful connections and briefly considering the merits of wacky astrological interpretations. Not paced for listening along, but a good primer for obsessing on your own time.
Elisabeth Vincentelli, Abba Gold: Greatest Hits
2004 / Ebook / 131 pages / France**
- "What's your favourite Abba album, then?"
- "Tough one. I think I'd have to say 'The Best of Abba.'"
Even when trying to put aside the superlative Partridging, this doesn't convince in its case for the greatest hits package as artistic statement when she has to rearrange the tracks to make a meaningful narrative and talks more about the reactions than the music.
2008 / Ebook / 144 pages / USA
**
There's little substance to the pioneering country rock album itself, so we all but ignore that for a selective history of all the extracurricular decadence that was going on when they weren't making it, unhelpfully organised into themed chapters to appear more interesting.
