Cirrus@Austlit

'In 2020, the world was tipped upside down and shaken in ways we could barely have imagined, except perhaps in the post-apocalyptic and dystopic worlds of story. Amidst pandemic illness and death, political machinations and despair, one of the casualties has been, at least in a financial sense, the Arts. Governments across the world have slashed funding, galleries, theatres and entertainment venues have closed amid lockdown restrictions, money is being carefully metered with jobs more uncertain than ever, meaning our creatives across all industries are suffering. And yet, more than ever, we are turning to art to stay sane in lockdown, to keep our spirits up in isolation, and to remind us that despite the hardship, there is beauty in this world.

'This anthology seeks to remind readers of the hope and beauty of the Arts, and the way our engagement with writing, music, film, theatre, artworks in all media, and craft of all kinds are at the core of our humanity.

'If the time since COVID began to dominate our global society has taught us anything, it is that connection is crucial to our wellbeing. These stories speak to hope, connection, community, and yes, ART, and how important these threads are to the very centre of ourselves.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

Produced to mark Angela Slatter's Guest of Honour role at Conflux13.

Includes short story 'The Tallow-Wife', 'Fragments from the Citadel', and an essay on the art of the world by Kathleen Jennings.

Return to the dreaming streets of the cathedral-city of Lodellan, where a new generation of characters face fairy tales and nightmares. Cordelia Parsifal has an enviable life, hard won, but the ghosts of the past are soon to remind her that no sin or omission goes unnoticed.

'A unique collection presenting Kate Forsyth’s extensive academic research into the ‘Rapunzel’ fairy tale, alongside several other pieces related to fairy tales and folklore.

'This book is not your usual reference work, but a complex and engaging exploration of the subject matter, written with Forsyth’s distinctive flair.' (Publication summary)

'In Your Face will be made up of original and reprinted speculative fiction stories that deal with very provocative themes. These stories will be provocative and/or confronting but with a firm purpose – they are pieces that will perhaps make readers uncomfortable because they are a bit too hard-hitting or close to the bone, but which interrogate these themes and ideas, and make a point about the world we live in.'

Source: Publisher's website (Sighted: 19/2/2016)

'Bounty Fenetre isn’t a bounty hunter.

'Delta Void isn’t a mercenary.

'But trouble follows both of them, everywhere they go… It’s not easy to make an honest living in the tiny magical empire of Mocklore.

'Six stories of adventure, magic, chaos and chainmail lingerie, where fairy tales are bad for your love life, and shoes can solve anything.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'The Eight Stabilities are islands of order surrounded by lethal chaos—and the order is being swallowed by the unstable. The religious leaders of Chantry try to maintain the Stabilities by ordering the necessity of a once in a lifetime pilgrimage across the chaos. And in that ever-changing world, the most important person is a mapmaker who can make a chart of secure pilgrimage routes...

'Keris Kaylen is a mapmaker's daughter. When her father is murdered and a mountain disappears, Keris is betrayed by her brother. Forced to flee into the Unstable, she finds her safety is in the hands of a man bonded to the Lord Carasma, the Unmaker ... and her ordered life is turned upside-down. Her survival will depend on a map and a place called Havenstar—but she can't reproduce the map, and Havenstar may not even exist ...'.

Source: author's website (http://glendalarke.com/news/).

'A lonely, overweight vampire tends a sleazy video store in inner-city Sydney...

'A multi-billionaire sacrifices everything to become Earth's first ambassador to the stars...

'A legendary time-travelling assassin finds himself pitted against the greatest detective that never was...

'A young father goes to extraordinary lengths to save his child after a car accident...

'A collection of works old and new from the pen of Tasmanian author Dirk Flinthart, these stories deliver a perilous gauntlet of speculative fiction from contemporary fantasy through thoughtful science fiction all the way to disturbing horror. A dizzying, eclectic display of accomplished storytelling grounded in a deeply human emotional landscape, this book is sure to strike fire. ' (Publication summary)

'Looking for a taste of the very best science fiction, fantasy and horror short stories around? The third of an annual series, Focus 2014 collects an elite selection of work which has received acclaim via national and international Awards shortlisting.' (Publication summary)

'Dark, weird realities.

'Within these pages they discovered monuments to a dying alien race, sentient islands caught like fish, a tree that grows pencils, a baby transformed into a hummingbird, and a steampunk Maori whaling crew.

'They were afraid, as you should be afraid. They saw life, death and the space between; metamorphosis, terrible choices and bitter regrets.

Enter, if you dare.' (Publication summary)

'Warriors, pirates, murderers and queens…

'Throughout history, women from all walks of life have had good reason to be cranky. Some of our most memorable historical figures were outspoken, dramatic, brave, feisty, rebellious and downright ornery.

'Cranky Ladies of History is a celebration of 22 women who challenged conventional wisdom about appropriate female behaviour, from the ancient world all the way through to the twentieth century. Some of our protagonists are infamous and iconic, while others have been all but forgotten under the heavy weight of history.

'Sometimes you have to break the rules before the rules break you.' (Publication summary)

'Former detective Jen Morris is now on a mission that will see her question everything she knows, and she's dragging a very much changed Michael Devlin along for the ride. Will what she has to do take too much toll?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'Looking for a taste of the very best science fiction, fantasy and horror short stories around? The second of an annual series, Focus 2013 collects an elite selection of work which has received acclaim via national and international Awards shortlisting. ' (Publication summary)

'You think you know all the fables that have ever been told. You think you can no longer be surprised by stories. Think again.

'With origins in myth, fairytales, folklore and pure imagination, the stories and poems in these pages draw on history that never was and worlds that will never be to create their own unique tales and traditions…

'The next generation of storytellers is here.' (Publication summary)

'The grand city of Movoc-under-Keeper lies in ruins. The sinister puppet men have revealed their true nature, and their plan to tear down the veil between worlds. To have a chance of defeating them, Tanyana must do the impossible, and return to the world where they were created, on the other side of the veil. Her journey will force her into a terrible choice, and test just how much she is willing to sacrifice for the fate of two worlds.' (Publisher's blurb)

'ep·i·logue: an ending that serves as a comment on or conclusion to what has happened.

'Climate change, natural disaster, war and disease threaten to destroy all we know. Predictions of the future are bleak. But does the apocalypse really mean the end of the world? Is there no hope for a future that follows?

'Twelve writers take on the end of the world and go beyond, to what comes next.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

One Small Step is an anthology comprising 16 stories of discovery from some of Australia’s best female writers. Each story in some way addresses the idea of discoveries, new beginnings, or literal or figurative 'small steps.'

'Six hundred years ago, a group of pilgrims made their way to Canterbury, and Geoffrey Chaucer created one of the great works of English literature. A hundred years from now, a nuclear-powered steam train is stopped by a massive storm on its journey to Canterbury, the new capital of an England struggling to rise from the ashes of the twenty-first century. As the waters rise with the storm’s fury, the weird and wonderful passengers tell the stories of a new age…

'18 original short stories interwoven with a narrative thread that twines together the pieces to depict a fictional future exploring the stories that the people of that future tell each other.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'An epic fantasy of politics and magic, history and truth. The Isles of Glory, caught in a maelstrom, will never be the same again. Blaze and Flame have fled Gorthan Spit and are now hunting for Morthred. Blaze and Flame know that any confrontation with the most accomplished and dangerous sorceror known to the Glory Isles is just as likely to end in their deaths. But Morthred's ancient spell over the Dustel Islanders must be reversed, or all of the Glory Isles are at risk. Gilfeather has been banished by his people and is unwittingly caught up in Blaze and Flame's dangerous quest. He finds himself hard put just to stay alive as they brave the unknown in search of their quarry. Although Morthred seems to be always one step ahead, Blaze is relentless in her pursuit, even when it becomes clear that something is wrong with Flame. But what? And can she be still be trusted?'

Source: Publisher's website (Sighted 19/4/10)