Cirrus@Austlit

'After the war is over, a radioactive cloud begins to sweep southwards on the winds, gradually poisoning everything in its path. An American submarine captain is among the survivors left sheltering in Australia, preparing with the locals for the inevitable. Despite his memories of his wife, he becomes close to a young woman struggling to accept the harsh realities of their situation. Then a faint Morse code signal is picked up, transmitting from the United States and the submarine must set sail through the bleak ocean to search for signs of life.'

Source: Publisher's blurb (2009 Vintage ed.).

'The stories collected here indicate something of the richness and variety of science fiction written by Australian authors up until the mid-1930s. We see some of the themes mentioned above, for example the lost civilisation story (Phil Collas’s “The Inner Domain”) and the future invasion story (Ernest Favenc’s “What the Rats Brought”), but they offer something new and original, while other stories are built on the consequences of technological discoveries or advancements, for example Ernest Favenc’s “The Land of the Unseen,” H.B. Marriott Watson’s “The Instrument,” and Beatrice Grimshaw’s “Lost Wings.”'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Hunting Darkness...

'Chaeris is the hope of her family and her community, a potential Seer, child and yet companion of Amberlight's reborn mystery, the qherrique.

'Therkon is crown prince and defender of a damaged empire, seeking answers to storms that wreck trade and fling ashore refugees from the distant Archipelago. And with them, word of a menace that still has no name.

'Over land, over sea, through unexpected perils and amid unlooked-for friendship, they find themselves driven to a deadly meeting in the ruined Isles, under a darkness that threatens to destroy them -- and who can See a dawn beyond?

'"Kelso brings us more unexpected, complex character development in a world to match." -- Lois McMaster Bujold'

(Source: publisher's blurb)

After their shattering departure from Amberlight, Telluir House has begun to rebuild in the mountain village of Iskarda – but even there, River politics remain a threat. When Tellurith and her consort receive the precious yet harrowing gift of a possible new form of the qherrique, only one solution offers protection for Iskarda and the qherrique both: leave Iskarda. Find the River’s Source.

Source: Publisher's Blurb

An American periodical of 'weird' (speculative) fiction. Occasionally publishes Australian authors.

After the initial run ended in 1997, the periodical was re-established in 2015, under the auspices of Wildside Press. It continues its numbering from the original periodical run, and original editor, W. Paul Ganley, is consider the editor emeritus of the new run.

'Peter Lindsay lives in Melbourne, Australia. Charles Blackford is an American trying to relive a happier time in Athens. Both men have lost their wives. And now they must decide how to cope with the overwhelming changes being wrought by transcendent emergences from the sea. This is the quintessential “First Contact” story, a mind-bendingly brilliant exploration into what is alien...and what it means to be human.'

Source: Wildside Press (http://www.wildsidepress.com/Jubilee-by-Jack-Dann-epub-and-Kindle_p_5742.html). (Sighted: 1/7/2014)

A popular American pulp-fiction magazine, Weird Tales published the work of many important science-fiction, fantasy, and horror writers, among them a number of Australians. It's history is a convoluted one, however, being published by a number of different companies and in a variety of different forms. Founded in 1923 by J. C. Henneberger and J. M. Lansinger (Rural Publishing) ran into financial problems after only thirteen issues and closed down for several months before being revived by Henneberger under the auspices of a new company - the Popular Fiction Publishing Co. Under the editorship of Farnsworth Wright the magazine survived the great depression, flourishing under the same company until being sold to William J. Delaney in 1938.

Between 1938 and its second closure in September 1954 the magazine was published by Weird Tales Inc, a subsidiary of Short Stories Inc. During those 16 years, however, it managed only marginal success. Although the only regular magazine outlet for supernatural fiction its publisher pulled out of the business. The rights to the magazine were eventually acquired by Leo Margulies (Renown Publishing) who revived it in 1973.Only four pulp-sized issues were published by Margulies and editor Sam Mosowitz prior to the death of the Margulies in 1975. The rights to Weird Tales were bought by Robert E. Weinberg from Margulies's widow, and he eventually formed Weird Tales Limited to protect and license the name.

The fifth Weird Tales incarnation was published as paperback quarterly by Kensington Publishing (possibly though its Zebra imprint). Under editor by Lin Carter, who leased the rights from Weinberg, four issues were published (1981-1984) before it too was closed down. Weinberg then licensed the Weird Tales name to the Bellerophon Network, a publishing company owned by Brian Forbes. The magazine was poorly funded and distributed, however, and failed after only 2 issues.

The next company to publish Weird Tales was the Terminus Publishing Co of Pennsylvania, which acquired the rights in 1985. The initial editors were George H. Scithers, Darrell Schweitzer and John Gregory Betancourt. In 1994, four years after Betancourt left to focus on his newly established company Wildside Press, Weinberg refused to renew the licence with Terminus. This forced the company to published a retitled magazine, Worlds of Fantasy and Horror (with the numbering reverting back to Volume 1, No 1). After four issues the magazine lapsed, and it was not until 1998 that Scithers (by then the sole publisher) merged the magazine with publisher Warren Lapine (DNA Publications). Through Lapine's influence the licence was renewed and Weird Tales was revived in the summer of 1998 with issue #313. The new numbering system incorporated the four Worlds of Fantasy and Horror issues.

With Lapine as publisher and Scithers and Schweitzer as editors the magazine continued through until acquired by John Betancourt's Wildside Press in 2005. Bettancourt on-sold the magazine in 2012 to Nth Dimension Media, a New York City-based company owned by Marvin Kaye and John Harlacher.

'It is a detective story, and has to do with buried treasures stolen from the ruined palaces of a forgotten city in China by three adventurers, one of whom tricks his partners and escapes with the spoils. The scene then shifts to the Occident - to London, Paris, and Italy - where the hero detective follows the absconding partner in order to restore to the other adventurers their booty'.

Source: New York Times, 6 July 1901.

'With money in his pocket after making his fortune in the South Seas, Richard Hatteras has London at his feet. Running afoul of the deadly Dr Nikola, however, was the worst thing he could do. Soon, young Dick is swept up into a maelstrom of blackmail, hypnotism, deceit and murder, where his betrothed is in danger, his potential father-in-law’s reputation is on the brink of ruination, and his very sanity is at stake. What can a two-fisted adventurer do against the vast and cold intellect that is Dr Nikola?'

Source: Publisher's blurb, Chimaera edition.

'Mr. Boothby has proved himself a master of the art of story-telling from the point of view of the reader who asks for a succession of stirring events, a suspicion of mystery, and an interest not only maintained but culminating. It would be unfair to explain the extraordinary character of Pharos, or to do more than allude to the series of strange adventures wherein he plays a leading part. It is enough to assure Mr. Boothby's readers of delightful thrills and an interest which this vivid romancer never permits to flag.'

Source: Publisher's Blurb