Publisher: Pear Tree Publications

Written By: Thorne Moore

RRP: £12.41 / $20.88 (Paperback) | £1.99 / $2.99 (Kindle)

Reviewed by: Sebastian J. Brook

Inside Out by Thorne Moore, is a Science Fiction tale with heart and soul, that takes the reader to the edge of our solar system, the edge of humanity, and, at times, the edge of your seat!

We join the passengers of the ISF Heloise, as they embark on the 11-month journey to Triton Station, Neptune. It's a mixed bag for our seven principal players, but all of them share a common interest in the work ahead of them. Once they complete their seven-year mission, huge rewards potentially await them.

At first glance, this looks like Big Brother in space, but scratch beyond the surface and there's an almost Orwellian, direct style to this story. Despite being set in the future, and in space, this is a story about the people rather than the purpose - and I must say, it makes for a breath of fresh air. Each character is rich, detailed and gets their chance to shine, and by the end, they have each earned your attention and empathy.

Speaking of characters, I think one of the stand out qualities in Moore's work is her use of character dialogue. It's real, and almost tangible in the way it jumps off the page. It doesn't feel scripted or forced, but lived-in, and, more importantly, natural.

There are some shocks and surprises along the way, and without giving too much away, everything from Ganymede Alpha onwards, had me finishing the book in one sitting. Something I don't do very often, for the record.

It's worth noting that Science Fiction is a break in genre for Moore - not that you'd be able to tell, however. What we have here smacks of a seasoned storyteller in the SciFi space, but one who paints in between the cracks to flesh out the characters and bring some reality into the mix. We couldn't help but see the parallel between this style and Russell T. Davies approach when he brought Doctor Who back to our screens in 2005. Mixing the 'out there' elements of SciFi, with the mundanity of real life, somehow works so well; one tempers the other, almost enhancing it like salt in caramel.

There's an almost prophetic ending via the author's afterword, which we refuse to spoil. It is a strong drum beat that will reverberate in your mind for some time to come.

Really hoping that Moore continues this series - there's a lot of road ahead, and we can't wait to clock up some more mileage with this incredibly talented author!

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BBC Inside Out will feature a previously unbroadcast interview with the late Delia Derbyshire – the woman who created the iconic Doctor Who theme tune – on Monday 15 November on BBC One at 7.30pm.

In this episode, excerpts of Derbyshire's interview will be heard – which were originally recorded in the late-Nineties by BBC Radio Scotland's John Cavanagh but never broadcast before.

In the interview she reveals that one of the primary influences on her music, including Doctor Who, were the abstract sounds she heard as a child during the Coventry blitz.

Inside Out also features previously unseen footage of Delia later in life at a Doctor Who fan convention.

In the programme, BBC Radio 2 presenter Stuart Maconie looks at her career and explores why the woman herself remains a mystery despite her work influencing the world of electronic music, including Pink Floyd and today's modern dance acts – because, in 1963, hardly anyone outside of avant garde music circles and academia knew electronic music even existed.

But, 47 years on, the Doctor Who theme is probably the most famous piece of electronic music in the world.

Now, her lost recordings, discovered in her attic after her death, are being lovingly restored by the University of Manchester.

BBC Inside Out explores how Delia revolutionised pop music and why she turned her back on music and disappeared. Stuart begins his journey in war-torn Coventry, where Delia grew up, and follows her journey to the Radiophonic Workshop at the BBC. He talks to a range of people, including the man who invented the infamous sound of the Tardis, Brian Hodgson.

Also uncovered in this episode is the revelation that Delia composed music for an astonishing number of landmark programmes of the day, with the original Doctor Who theme being just a small part of Delia's massive output whose style was described in her own words.

Delia says: "Well, the first stage in the realisation of a piece of music is to construct the individual sounds that we are going to use. we can build up any sound we could possibly imagine almost.

"We spend quite a lot of time to invent new sounds, sounds that don't exist already, ones that can't be produced by musical instruments."

As Stuart explains, it was the theme that changed the world and the very first time the public had heard electronic music so who was the person behind it and why was she so important?

He says: "Everyone knows the Doctor Who theme – most of us here have grown up with it. But the techniques developed by one woman to make it have changed the shape and sound of modern music for ever. But the woman herself remains a mystery."

[Source: BBC Press Office]