Cirrus@Austlit

'These accomplished, gothic-infused stories impress in terms of their range and unexpected twists - this is an exceptional debut collection that includes the title novella, 'The Gorgon Flower'.

'A young woman is haunted by the disappearance of her grandmother, a brilliant mathematician whose research uncovered the basis for parallel universes. A botanist travels across the seas in search of an elusive, deadly flower that was also his late father's obsession. A talented painter produces his best work - unsettling masterpieces with strange, fantastical elements - years after he was last seen in person.

'In this gothic-inspired collection of stories, John Richards pushes the limits of what short fiction can be. With settings that range from rural France to medieval Italy and nineteenth-century Borneo, The Gorgon Flower is an impressively crafted, engrossing debut by a bold new writer.' (Publication summary) 

'Outland is a six-part comedy series about a gay science fiction fan club and the lives, loves and never-ending dramas of its five members. There's Max (Toby Truslove), insecure and looking for love; the sexually-adventurous, muffin-baking Andy (Paul Ireland); Rae (Christine Anu), the moral centre and unofficial head of the group; the high-camp, high-maintenance Fab (Adam Richard); and the wealthy but socially-inept Toby (Ben Gerrard). It's an odd, and often precarious combination of personalities. Every week they meet in each other's homes, but as the meetings become more untenable, a decision has to be made - are they willing to commit to the idea of the group or is it time they went their separate ways? Are the slender things that bind them enough? Can science fiction save them all? Outland is a series about belonging, no matter who you are, and how everyone searches to find a place to fit in.' (Source: ABC website)