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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
Ripping Reads contains stories from authors who at the time were well-known names (such as Margo Lanagan and Simon Brown), were rapidly becoming well known names (such as Ben Peek and Deborah Biancotti), or were just emerging (David Conyers and David Kane).
Notes
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Contents indexed selectively.
Contents
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When the World Was Flat,
single work
short story
fantasy
An absurd take on an alternate sixteenth century England.
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One Night Stand,
single work
short story
fantasy
horror
A supernatural horror story featuring an Elvis impersonator.
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1 Blue,
single work
short story
science fiction
A clash between two cultures in a post-apocalyptic landscape.
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See Here, See There,
single work
short story
fantasy
A fantasy story in which the protagonists visual handicap is construed as mystical virtue.
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Truckdreamin,
single work
short story
science fiction
A science fiction story set on a highway and featuring a poverty-stricken drifter and sentient roadware.
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A Pig's Whisper,
single work
short story
horror
A creepy horror tale of two children lost in the woods.
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And Down Came a Spider,
single work
short story
horror
A fantasy story centred around a father and daughter and their travels between worlds, and their quest to return to their preferred reality. Their method of travel, though, is reliant upon spider venom (Ben Payne, Australian Speculative Fiction in Focus)
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Very Like a Whale,
single work
short story
horror
'Very Like a Whale' concerns a bar-room meeting between two characters, and their ensuing story-telling episode.
- Rosebuds, single work short story fantasy (p. 98-116)
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Lifelike and Josephine,
single work
short story
horror
A horror tale of plastic surgery and obsession in a futuristic setting.
- The Souls of Dead Soldiers are For Blackbirds, Not Little Boys, single work short story science fiction fantasy horror (p. 124)
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Daughter of the Red Cranes,
single work
short story
horror
Set in China in the near future the story sees the country descend into chaos following some form of genetically engineered plague.
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Stealing Free,
single work
short story
fantasy
'An almost pseudo-mythological story of a salamander seeking to find freedom from its bargain with a terrible queen' (Ben Payne, Australian Speculative Fiction in Focus)
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Screening Test,
single work
short story
horror
'Tells of a young man’s return to his old neighbourhood, and his discoveries regarding the psychological experiment which led to his escape' (Ben Payne, Australian Speculative Fiction in Focus)
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Aftermath,
single work
short story
science fiction
A harrowing military story set in near future Africa.
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Bladderwrack,
single work
short story
fantasy
The story tells of Saucy Jack and Bagfood, trapped in the bilge of a ship.
- Lady Bountiful's Lies, single work short story fantasy (p. 220-228)
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The Pain Threshold,
single work
short story
horror
'An original horror tale based in Brisbane. The protagonist encounters a young man who is even more of an outcast than he seems' (Ben Payne, Australian Speculative Fiction in Focus).
- World's Wackiest Upper Atmosphere Re-Entry Disasters Dating Game, single work short story science fiction (p. 236-280)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Science Fiction
2006
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 22-23 July 2006; (p. 10)
— Review of The Year's Best Australian Science Fiction and Fantasy : Volume 1 2005 anthology short story ; Agog! Ripping Reads 2006 anthology short story ; Troy 2006 selected work short story novella
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Science Fiction
2006
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 22-23 July 2006; (p. 10)
— Review of The Year's Best Australian Science Fiction and Fantasy : Volume 1 2005 anthology short story ; Agog! Ripping Reads 2006 anthology short story ; Troy 2006 selected work short story novella
Awards
- 2007 shortlisted Ditmar Awards — Best Collected Work