by Charlaine Harris and Christopher Golden adapted by Richard Rohan

GraphicAudio, out now

A teenager finds herself hiding in a cemetery, knowing only that someone wants her dead… but then discovers she has other talents.

Charlaine Harris and Christopher Golden’s graphic novel series about Calexa Rose Dunhill appeared in three volumes illustrated by Don Kramer from 2014 onwards (we reviewed the first two volumes here and here). It’s one of those cases where talents multiplied when brought together rather than one feeling dominant – Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse tales meet Golden’s Peter Octavian stories with a strong central character with an intriguing mystery, a familiar but nicely handled supernatural twist, and a well-drawn (in both senses) supporting cast.

Graphic Audio adapts each volume as a roughly 80-minute play, with their usual transfer of the written words on the page combined with vivid descriptions of the visual element. Perhaps more with this – because I was more familiar with the source material beforehand than I was Stalag X, my first encounter with Graphic Audio – it has the definite feel of an audio description track, adapter Richard Rohan adding as much as is necessary to paint the scenes and describe the action without adding interpretation that isn’t there in the original.

Emlyn McFarland has a lot to carry as Calexa, and she handles it well, with strong backup from Shari Elliker, Chris Stinson and Andy Brownstein as those who come to her aid – when, that is, she learns to trust anybody again. Nathaniel Perry’s sound design also has a lot of heavy lifting to do (I suspect it’d be worth investing in the 5.1 sound mix for this!) and between that and Rohan’s script, you’re never in doubt as to whether we’re in flashback. The third volume gives us more scenes told from other perspectives than Calexa’s but if you’re concentrating, it shouldn’t throw you.

Verdict: An enjoyable graphic novel trilogy works very well in the audio medium. 8/10

Paul Simpson