Author:Mark Morris,Alexander Armstrong
When the TARDIS is buffeted by ‘time slippage’, the Doctor experiences a terrible vision of the end of everything. Tracking the source of the disruption, he takes Rory and Amy to what appears to be an English public school in the 1950s. But as the friends are about to discover, there are some very unusual things about Darkstar Academy. For a start the prefects carry guns, and then there is the strange forcefield that surrounds the perimeter. Not to mention the foot-long, crab-like creatures with spiny, armoured bodies... When the Doctor learns the truth about the Academy, he also discovers that the whole place is in terrible danger. But with a swarm of carnivorous creatures on the loose, what can he, Amy and Rory do to help prevent a terrible disaster? Written specially for audio by Mark Morris, Darkstar Academy features the Doctor, Amy and Rory as played by Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill in the acclaimed hit series from BBC Television. It is read by Alexander Armstrong, who played Reg Arwell in the 2011 Christmas special The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe.
A magnificent comic novel
—— GuardianThree-star rating for a laugh a line
—— Evening StandardNot since Lucky Jim has such a funny book about academic life come my way
—— Sunday TimesBrilliantly disturbing
—— ScotsmanA funny and macabre novel
—— Washington PostIn the world of Flagg, plots, situations and outcomes that would normally make you fling a book across the room, here just have you reading on, smiling and hoping
—— Julie Myerson , GuardianLodge's vignettes of army life are spiced with a wit that is both droll and mordant, and his characters are deftly rendered...Lodge's novel is a moving glimpse of a world on the cusp of a change: Janus-faced, profound above all in its uncertainties.
—— Lettie Ransley , ObserverAn engrossing novel
—— Image MagazineShe represents historical research as exciting, romantic and as offering personal catharsis.
—— History TodayMaxwell's achievement is to show how human relationships work in spite of the confines of history, language and nationality
—— Daily TelegraphStylishly, subtly, the enjoyment of getting to know another country is conveyed with authority and a perceptions that's rare in our careless times
—— The OldieAn incredibly emotional read
—— GraziaA thrilling page-turner
—— Alexander Larman , SpectatorThis is a novel that strikes both horror and joy in the reader, the first-person narration deftly articulating Judith's escalating confusion and fear ... A talent to watch
—— Lucy Scholes , The Sunday TimesA touching, delicate book, it's hitting the shelves with high hopes...On March 1, head out and buy Grace McCleen's book
—— Louis Wise , Sunday TimesA distinctive debut that pulls off the use of a child narrator in delightful style
—— We Love This BookTouching and funny… a compelling and wholly original debut.
—— Marie ClaireShimmers with little miracles.
—— Peggy Hughes , Scotland on SundayThis is a promisingly bold book and McCleen is a talent to watch
—— Lucy Scholes , Sunday TimesA gripping and mesmerizing debut of an unforgettable ten-year-old heroine and her battle with good and evil… A harrowing and powerful story about isolation and belonging
—— My WeeklyAn original new voice... Haunting and absorbing, this is a joy to read
—— Jackie Carrier , Suffolk Free PressA seemingly slight work that is, in fact, possessed of almost infinite depth. It's an elegant inquiry into what we can know and how we can know it - and it's gripping too
—— Erica Wagner , The Times, Books of the YearIt sets off a moving meditation on ageing, regret and the unreliability of memory
—— Sunday Express, Books of the YearHas rightly been praised for its economy and elegance
—— Margaret Drabble , Guardian, Books of the YearBelatedly and deservedly, this was the year of Julian Barnes
—— Mark Lawson , Guardian, Books of the YearExquisitely written and deeply engaging
—— Lorrie Moore , Guardian, Books of the YearElegant verbal exactness, analytic finesse and a witty portrayal of contemporary and 1960's life complement the intricate plot
—— Peter Kemp , Sunday Times, Books of the YearA worthy Booker laureate of this or any other year, our most versatile novelist...a perfect present in these last days of the book as a singular object
—— Philip French , Observer, Books of the YearA worthy winner of this year's Booker prize: short, but certainly not slight, precise and insightful
—— Kate Cunningham , Herald, Books of the YearThis novel packed more emotion into its 150 pages than any other I have read this year
—— Bob McDevitt , Herald, Books of the YearMelancholic, suspenseful and thought-provoking
—— Kirsty Wark , Herald, Books of the YearSeveral plot twists later, what started off as a thoughtful (and fascinating) meditation on memory becomes something close to a full blown thriller
—— James Walton , Daily MailEssential reading for any writer, aspiring or otherwise
—— Patrick Keogh , GuardianA meditation on memory and regret slyly conveyed through the unreliable voice of a complacent man whose past gives him a nasty surprise
—— Justine Jordan , GuardianA deserving winner
—— Éibhear Walshe , Irish Times, Books of the YearMasterful, gripping and, above all, surprising
—— Victoria Hislop , The Week, Books of the YearBarnes has always has an ear for the bleak comedy of the first person
—— Olivia Cole , GQNovel, fertile and memorable
—— Justine Jordan , GuardianJulian Barnes’ Man-Booker prize-winning novel has extraordinary power and emotional density
—— Simon Shaw , Mail on SundayAn eloquent meditation on relationships, emotional arrogance and the discomfort of remorse
—— James Urquhart , Financial TimesThe key to this slender, tantalizing mystery is on its opening page: what you end up remembering isn’t always the same as what you have witnessed
—— Katie Owen , Daily TelegraphHis art is artful, often openly so, but never showy or obvious
—— Colm Toibin , New York ReviewDescribed in Justin Cartwright’s review as 'a very fine book, skillfully plotted, boldly conceived’
—— Guardian, Holiday ReadsI am eager to read it, though I hear it needs to be read twice to be fully appreciated
—— Colm O'Gorman , Independent