Trucking Magazine – August 2019

42 TRUCKING August 2019 http://www.truckingmag.co.uk

REVIEWS BOOKS MUSIC DVDS

■“Let’s rock”

Artist: The Black Keys

Label: Nonesuch

Price: £9.79 (Amazon)

This ninth album from the Nashville-

based duo marks a return to basics,

and features some of the catchiest riffs

and electric guitar work we’ve heard

for a good while. As a work of lo-fi,

tuned-down, hook-laden soul-rock, it’s

hard to dislike and serves very well as

a CD to drive to. AS

NE W & RECENT MUSIC RELE ASES

BREAK

TIME

Tomes, tunes & films to keep you

entertained in the cab

By Andy Stewart & Shaun Connors

PHOTOGRAPHY VARIOUS

OUR RATING ★★★★★ OUR RATING ★★★★★

■Out Of The Silence II

Artist: Dare

Label: Legend Records

Price: £11.56 (Amazon)

This 100 per cent re-record of Dare’s

1988 debut release needs no

introduction to the Dare faithful, but to

the rest of the population? Well, Dare’s

near-unique Celtic-influenced rocky-

yet-ethereal sound is something once

heard, never forgotten. And most

definitely not in a bad way. Treat

yourself; give it a try. SC

■Alita: Battle Angel

Actors: Rosa Salazar,

Christoph Waltz,

Jennifer Connelly

Certificate: 12

Runtime: 122 minutes

Price: £9.99 (Amazon)

Besides the undeniable spectacle,

this latest project from the stable of

Avatar director James Cameron is a

bit of a muddled mess. If you’re

looking for a brainless special-

effects fuelled romp, it might just

float your boat. But those after a

little more substance will find this

tale of an amnesiac girl with special

powers finding her way though a

dystopian future a bit of slog. AS

■Chernobyl

Actors: Jared Harris, Stellan

Skarsgard, Emily Watson

Certificate: 15

Runtime: 300 minutes

Price: £14.99 (Amazon)

It’s safe to say this five-part

miniseries went nuclear when it

recently aired on Sky Atlantic, and

from the first episode it’s easy to

see why. With first-class

production values, it tells an

astonishingly gripping and moving

tale of the infamous 1986 incident

• and the stories of the men and
  women who took on the deadly
  challenge of dealing with the
  fallout. Unmissable. AS

OUR RATING★★★★★ OUR RATING ★★★★★

DVDs of the month

■The Silk Road
and Beyond
Author: Ivor Whittall
(edited by Paul Rowlands)
Publisher: Old Pond Publishing
ISBN: 9781912158355
Price: £24.99 (paperback)
Billed as “the hair-raising true
adventures of a long-distance
trucker in the Middle East”, this
new book from author Ivor Whittall
delivers in spades.
Packed with
tales taken
from the early
days of
Whittall’s driving
career, it begins
with his first
overseas trip
after gaining his
artic licence – a
baptism of fire if
ever there was
one – and how
he became one
of the true
pioneers of the
infamous Middle
East Run. Further stories include
an account of an eventful run from
Jordan to Saudi Arabia, a perilous
trek across the Tauris mountains in
southern Turkey, and encounters
with a wide cast of characters

such as intrepid fellow drivers,

overzealous border guards,

colourful locals and more.

The book is edited by Paul

Rowlands, himself an author of

excellent Middle East trucking title

Not All Sunshine & Sand, who

uses his own knowledge of the

golden age of trucking to add

some extra polish to the prose.

Thoroughly recommended. AS

OUR RATING ★★★★★

■Dark Sacred Night

Author: Michael Connelly

Publisher: Orion

ISBN: 978-1409182740

Price: £5.59 (Amazon,

paperback)

Fans of Connelly’s morally

incorruptible retired LAPD detective

Harry Bosch may struggle with this

latest instalment, in which he teams

up with feisty fellow detective

Renee Ballard to solve an ageing

murder case. A departure from

Connelly’s usually reliably solid

stories, this comes across as hit

and miss in places. AS

OUR RATING ★★★★★