Film and Book Reviews for 2005

Films released in 2005

Mirrormask directed by Dave McKean
Weirdness abounds in this story of a girl, her mother, and a very peculiar dream.
Batman Begins directed by Christopher Nolan
The story of the origins of the Dark Knight is retold.
Constantine directed by Francis Lawrence
John Constantine struggles to avoid the clutches of Hell and solve a supernatural mystery.
Beowulf and Grendel directed by Sturla Gunnarsson
This is a version of the legend of Beowulf as the hero takes on the bloodthirsty troll, Grendel.
Primer directed by Shane Carruth
A couple of engineers build a machine in their garage which turns out to have astonishing powers.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire directed by Mike Newell
Harry discovers the joy of Yule Balls. The fourth film in the Harry Potter series.
The Brothers Grimm directed by Terry Gilliam
This is one fairy tale that defies our expectations.
Serenity directed by Joss Whedon
Why is capturing River Tam so important to the Alliance?
The Island directed by Michael Bay
Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johannson fight to stay alive when they discover they are spare part clones.
Star Wars Episode III : Revenge of the Sith directed by George Lucas
Darth Vader rises, and everything goes pear-shaped for the Jedi.
Night Watch directed by Timur Bekmambetov
The Night Watch guard against the forces of darkness in this Russian supernatural fantasy.
The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy directed by Garth Jennings
Wherever you go in the galaxy, somebody wants you to fill in a form.
Stealth directed by Rob Cohen
An AI controlling a stealth fighter plane goes haywire, bringing the world to the brink of a major war.
Infestation directed by Edward Evers-Swindell
After a virus forces most of humanity underground, a group of people return to the surface to find out what has happened to a team who went up and failed to report back.

Books published in 2005

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
Not even the offspring of a god can escape the shame of an embarrassing parent.
Learning The World by Ken Macleod
Two alien cultures make first contact. But will the experience harm the less advanced civilisation?
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling
Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts is the most dramatic yet.
Toxin: The Cunning Of Bacterial Poisons by Alistair Lax
How bacterial toxins break down our defences so effectively, and the stories of people who have struggled to understand them.
Priestess of the White by Trudi Canavan
This trilogy begins with a priestess facing a magical war.
Thud! by Terry Pratchett
In this Discworld novel the Watch have to contend with species divisions in the city as well as within their ranks.
Crash Deluxe by Marianne de Pierres
Parrish Plessis sets out to take down the media in a future Australia where the gulf between rich and poor is vast. This is the third book in the series.
Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
In the first of the Study series Yelena Zaltana finds herself trapped in the dangerous job of food taster.
Dreams Made Flesh by Anne Bishop
Men with magical powers and leather pants who live only to serve women? It must be The Black Jewels.
Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris
Harper Connolly is especially good at detecting the dead, and not only because of the way they smell.
Microbe: Are We Ready For The Next Plague? by Alan P. Zelicoff and Michael Bellomo
An analysis of how well the west is prepared to cope with new and deadly infectious diseases.
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
When Bella moves to the small town of Forks she notices Edward Cullen is not like other young men.
Chill Factor by Rachel Caine
A teenager in Las Vegas has the strongest Djinn in the world in his power, and is causing chaos. The third of the Weather Wardens series.
Eldest by Christopher Paolini
In the second episode of the Inheritance series Eragon and his dragon deal with politics, evil, and growing pains.
Crimson City by Liz Maverick
Can vampire Fleur Dumont trust herself with a human?
Atlas' Revenge by Robyn and Tony DiTocco
The Greek gods come to California in this light-hearted fantasy for young adult readers.
The Walking Dead: Safety Behind Bars by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn
Survivors of a zombie outbreak seek shelter in a prison. The third graphic novel in The Walking Dead series.
Shelby and the Shifting Rings by A. M. Veillon
A young girl's adventures in time travel.
The People of the Sea by Scott Marcano
This fantasy follows two young lovers fighting to save their sea-dwelling race from destruction.
Pleasant Valley by Eralides E. Cabrera
Eralides E. Cabrera's uncanny valley.

Unreviewed books

The Walking Dead: The Heart's Desire by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn
The fourth volume in the Walking Dead series sees the survivors fight heartbreak and fears that they are becoming increasingly savage.

Vellum by Hal Duncan
A young man steals an ancient book that transports him to a different version of reality. But a supernatural war is brewing, and nothing is as it seems in this complex narrative. The first volume in The Book Of All Hours series.

Temeraire by Naomi Novik
At the time of the Napleonic wars, British sailors capture a French ship carrying a dragon egg. When it hatches the dragon must choose a rider, a close bond that will utterly change the rider's life. The first book in the Temeraire series.

Dead Beat by Jim Butcher
Paranormal investigator and wizard Harry Dresden fights to save his friend from a shaming and Chicago from disaster. The seventh instalment in the Dresden Files.

The Angel Experiment by James Patterson
The first novel in the Maximum Ride series.

Infernal Devices by Philip Reeve
The third novel in the Hungry City Chronicles.

Labyrinthe by Kate Mosse
An archaeologist discovers strange markings in a cave in the south of France. Meanwhile in the middle ages, a group of heretics are facing persecution, and a young woman must keep the secret of the Grail safe.

Cry Of The Newborn by James Barclay
The expanding empire of the Conquord is at war with its neighbours, but things are going badly. Four children with magical abilities hold the hope of an empire. Book one of The Ascendants Of Estorea.

Bizenghast: Volume One by M. Alice LeGrow
A young woman with mental problems finds a cemetery of lost souls who need her help. A graphic novel.

Windfall by Rachel Caine
Former weather warden Joanne Baldwin is out of power, her Djinn lover is turning into a monster, and a supernatural war is imminent. The fourth in the Weather Warden series.

The Innocent Mage by Karen Miller
A rustic young man travels to the capital to make his fortune, unaware that he is at the centre of a prophecy. Book one in the Kingmaker, Kingbreaker series.

Sister Of The Dead by Barb and J. C. Hendee
The dhampir Magiere returns to her birthplace in search of clues to her past. Book three in the Noble Dead series.

Dead As A Doornail by Charlaine Harris
A sniper targets the local shifter community, and Jason Stackhouse comes under suspicion. Sookie has until the next full moon to prove her brother is innocent. The fifth Sookie Stackhouse book.

Looking For Jake And Other Stories by China Mieville
A collection of speculative fiction short stories, and the apocalyptic fantasy novella, The Tain.

The Kinshield Legacy by K. C. May
A knight is destined to be the next king, but he would rather not rule. The first book in The Kinshield Saga.

Unreviewed films

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe directed by Andrew Adamson
Four children travel through a wardrobe into the land of Narnia, which is being kept in perpetual winter by a witch.

War Of The Worlds directed by Steven Spielberg
Aliens invade and start harvesting humans. What will a father do to protect his family?

Fantastic Four directed by Tim Story
Four astronauts get caught up in a freak wave of cosmic energy, and begin to develop mutant powers.