'This is an enchanting illustrated book of fairy tales – but not the kind you read to children at bedtime. They are strictly for the grown-ups. Often dark, the stories visit places where things don’t end happily ever after, where a single decision can haunt you forever. But there are also tales to make you laugh out loud, stories of sweet revenge and scenes of sheer delight in the world of magic and the fey.
'All the stories, lyrics and poems have something in common, a contemporary edge. Even those set in earlier times have a modern sensibility that reflects the 21st century and celebrates Australian landscapes, characters and voices.' (Publisher's blurb)
'In this twisted allegory set in 2500 AD, Big Bad Ben, a knockabout, larrikin refugee wolf, is on the run from the humans. Why? Because he’s eaten too many pigs. Big Bad Ben works for the humans and he has to kill and eat mutant pigs from outta space. But the humans turn on him and set him up and throw him in jail.
'Then, there’s trouble and discrimination. When he escapes from Earth on a rusty space shuttle to the Planet of Sticks, the Planet of Straw and the Planet of … you guessed it — McSpaceMansions! — he encounters rejection at every turn by a money-hungry gang of pigs that holds all the power. WE THE PIGGERRY INC., design a pill called Excess and mix it into the drinking water. Every pig on these planets is a glut and is on a constant high of warm and fuzzy thoughts. The irony is that even if Big Bad Ben is granted refugee status, the last planet which he travels to is broke and disconnected. ' (Publication summary)
'South of the Sun is a curious mixture of tales, poetry, and illustrations. The book has been collaboratively produced by a subcommittee of the Australian Fairy Tale Society (AFTS)—a small not-for-profit organization established in 2013 with the goal of collecting, preserving, discussing, sharing, and creating Australian fairy tales. The anthology brings together works created by members of the society, with a sprinkling of nonmember contributions by more established Australian writers, and includes mostly short stories, with a few poems, and a generous sprinkling of accompanying illustrations.' (Introduction)
'South of the Sun is a curious mixture of tales, poetry, and illustrations. The book has been collaboratively produced by a subcommittee of the Australian Fairy Tale Society (AFTS)—a small not-for-profit organization established in 2013 with the goal of collecting, preserving, discussing, sharing, and creating Australian fairy tales. The anthology brings together works created by members of the society, with a sprinkling of nonmember contributions by more established Australian writers, and includes mostly short stories, with a few poems, and a generous sprinkling of accompanying illustrations.' (Introduction)
