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Australian Dark Fantasy and Horror 2006 comprises twelve short stories and five essays of a diverse nature. The fiction ranges from unsettling to frightening, and from the humorous to sad, serving up encounters with zombies, killer glaciers, tortured inventors and samurai heroes among other subjects.
Contents
- Introduction : Australian Dark Fiction in 2005, single work essay (p. 5-9)
- The Dark Shadow of Fantasy, single work column (p. 10-13)
-
The Memory of Breathing,
single work
novella
science fiction
horror
'In her story "Memory of Breathing," Lyn Battersby posits a future where criminals are executed then reanimated in order to work as slaves. It’s an intriguing blend of modern sci-fi and a more classical conception of zombies, but the story plays out — predictably but poignantly — as a more intimate human drama, in which a hardened death camp commander gradually develops fatherly fondness for a reanimated child-corpse' (Tim Kroenert, Australian Speculative Fiction in Focus).
-
Tumble,
single work
short story
fantasy
horror
'"My Daniel’s out there." Mother Beet crossed her stick-thin legs, lit a cigarillo, then offered me one. I shook my head, staring into the black hollows where her eyes should be. Black hollows that held my measure, nonetheless, and stared back. Tiny brown cockroaches nested in the right orbit. They bubbled and hissed, irritated by the smoke perhaps. "I can feel him, sure’s the memory of spittin’ the bastard, bloody and blind-eyed, out of me womb."
I sat, and her smoke-bound mutterings washed against me. Folk like that, their words are weighty. You listen and not without fear.
[Source: Pseudopod]
-
Fresh Young Widow,
single work
short story
horror
A recently bereaved widow 'holds a revered position in a mythical village: her all-important task is to sheath the newly dead in clay, so that they can be built into the wall that surrounds the village. This morbid but honourable task is reflected in Warren’s own writing: she’s taken a potentially gruesome topic and rendered it in such beautifully crafted prose that it becomes a work of art. Her juxtaposition of the villagers — with their religious fervour and long-held traditions — and her grieving central character’s budding cynicism, creates a poignant, melancholy dichotomy' (Tim Kroenert, Australian Speculative Fiction in Focus).
-
The Interminable Sufferings of Mysterious Mr Wu,
single work
short story
horror
In this nightmarish and surreal story, Rjurik Davidson’s first-person narrator is kept awake at night by the anguished cries and mysterious, noisy construction work of an upstairs neighbour.
-
Body Parts,
single work
essay
'Chris Lawson’s “Body Parts” provides both a history of anatomy and a reflection on changing social, ethical etc. attitudes towards human flesh as both a physical and metaphysical entity' (Tim Kroenert, Australian Speculative Fiction in Focus).
-
Pater Familias,
single work
short story
science fiction
'Lee Battersby’s "Pater Familias" is an example of the flash fiction medium at its best. In it, a retired surgeon meets with a young visitor and describes an archaic form of late-term abortion called "craniotomy" .... The story moves with a crackling economy of language and, when its inevitable surprise ending appears, it’s not as a punchline-style twist, but as a slowly dawning sense of horror that will leave you gutted' (Tim Kroenert, Australian Speculative Fiction in Focus).
- Heart of Saturday Night, single work short story fantasy horror (p. 88-92)
-
Malik Rising,
single work
short story
horror
Four fanatical strangers volunteer for a dangerous medical experiment.
-
The State of the Zombie Film,
single work
essay
'Robert Hood’s essay on "The State of the Zombie Film" not only paints a vivid portrait of its titular subject; it also puts it into its historical context, and explores the technical, social and cultural factors that have brought it to where it is today' (Tim Kroenert, Australian Speculative Fiction in Focus).
-
Aspect Hunter,
single work
short story
adventure
Two time-travellers set out to rescue a re-imagined 1986 Sydney from a menacing glacier.
- Eight-Beat Bar, single work short story (p. 137-143)
-
The Greater Death of Saito Saku,
single work
short story
fantasy
'At once an epic action showpiece and an ode to the passing of time and to the maintaining of honour up until death, Harland’s hero is Saito Saku, a samurai warrior and appointed protector of his village, who sets out to fight a final, fateful battle against a colossal fire beast (Tim Kroenert, Australian Speculative Fiction in Focus).
-
The Outback Bites Back,
single work
essay
In the 'The Outback Bites Back' David Levell examines 'the fluctuating successes of Australian horror on film, offering both a snapshot history of the genre, an exploration of its fertile present and speculation on its promising future' (Tim Kroenert, Australian Speculative Fiction in Focus).
- The Red Priest's Homecoming, single work novella fantasy (p. 159-206)
- Hooked, single work short story horror (p. 207-223)
-
Horror Literature and Censorship in Australia,
single work
criticism
(p. 224-235)
Note: Editor's note: First published in All Hallows #40
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
-
Science Fiction Book Reviews
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: Aurealis : Australian Fantasy and Science Fiction , no. 38/39 2007; (p. 188-200)
— Review of The Pilo Family Circus 2006 single work novel ; Prismatic 2006 single work novel ; Carnies 2006 single work novel ; The Mother 2006 single work novel ; Australian Dark Fantasy and Horror : Volume One 2006 anthology short story essay -
Australian SF Now
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: Overland , Spring no. 188 2007; (p. 60-61)
— Review of Australian Dark Fantasy and Horror : Volume One 2006 anthology short story essay ; Orb : Speculative Fiction no. 7 2006 periodical issue ; Aurealis : Australian Fantasy and Science Fiction no. 37 2006 periodical issue ; The Workers' Paradise 2007 anthology short story
-
Australian SF Now
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: Overland , Spring no. 188 2007; (p. 60-61)
— Review of Australian Dark Fantasy and Horror : Volume One 2006 anthology short story essay ; Orb : Speculative Fiction no. 7 2006 periodical issue ; Aurealis : Australian Fantasy and Science Fiction no. 37 2006 periodical issue ; The Workers' Paradise 2007 anthology short story -
Science Fiction Book Reviews
2007
single work
review
— Appears in: Aurealis : Australian Fantasy and Science Fiction , no. 38/39 2007; (p. 188-200)
— Review of The Pilo Family Circus 2006 single work novel ; Prismatic 2006 single work novel ; Carnies 2006 single work novel ; The Mother 2006 single work novel ; Australian Dark Fantasy and Horror : Volume One 2006 anthology short story essay