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y separately published work icon The Germ Growers : The Strange Adventures of Robert Easterley and John Wilbraham single work   novel   science fiction  
Issue Details: First known date: 1892... 1892 The Germ Growers : The Strange Adventures of Robert Easterley and John Wilbraham
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Shape-shifter aliens establish bases in wilderness areas of Earth, including north-west Australia [...] While exploring the Kimberleys, two English youths stumble upon a plot by the aliens to destroy humanity through the breeding of new forms of plague. At first the conspirators appear to be merely members of some secret society, but it is soon revealed that they are nothing less than devils from outer space'.

Source: Strange Constellations: A History of Australian Science Fiction.

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Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

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Related Works

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Works about this Work

A Feminist, Imperialist Utopia: Sir Julius Vogel and Anno Domini 2000 Lucy Sussex , 2022 single work essay
— Appears in: Meanjin , June vol. 81 no. 2 2022; (p. 176-182) Meanjin Online 2022; 'Utopias are neither as popular nor as frequent as their dark mirror, dystopias. Projecting from today into the future, using the thought experiment of extrapolation '(if this goes on...)' tends to produce more pessimism than optimism. That is hardly surprising in our perennially anxious times. Nor are vintage utopias palatable to a modern audience: they can contain racism, eugenics, or happily exterminate most of the biosphere (as in Joseph Fraser's 1889 'Melbourne and Mars: My Mysterious Life on Two Planets'). What can seem perfection then can read like tedious hell now. Additionally, utopias are not easy to write well, as polemical perfection lacks conflict, tension, the inherent interest of the devil's party. Some have endured, like Plato's Republic, but it is certainly less read than 'The Handmaid's Tale' or 1984.' (Publication abstract)
War of the Worlds : The Pioneering Work of Science Fiction Inspired by Australian Brutality Fiona Gruber , 2020 single work column
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 14 July 2020;

'The tale of marauding Martians is familiar sci-fi, but it’s less well-known that the book and radio play both have Australian antecedents.'
Other Worlds Graham Stone , 2001 single work review biography
— Appears in: Notes on Australian Science Fiction 2001; (p. 85-86)
— Review of Melbourne and Mars : My Mysterious Life on Two Planets : Extracts from the Diary of a Melbourne Merchant Joseph Fraser , 1889 single work novel ; The Germ Growers : The Strange Adventures of Robert Easterley and John Wilbraham Robert Potter , 1892 single work novel
Australian Science Fiction (Part II) Graham Stone , 2001 single work criticism
— Appears in: Biblionews and Australian Notes & Queries , June vol. 26 no. 2 2001; (p. 39-57) An overview of science fiction writing and publishing in Australia pre-1940.
"The Germ Growers" : An Early Australian SF Novel Lucy Sussex , 1980 single work column
— Appears in: Science Fiction : A Review of Speculative Literature , vol. 2 no. 3 (Issue 6) 1980; (p. 229-233)
Other Worlds Graham Stone , 2001 single work review biography
— Appears in: Notes on Australian Science Fiction 2001; (p. 85-86)
— Review of Melbourne and Mars : My Mysterious Life on Two Planets : Extracts from the Diary of a Melbourne Merchant Joseph Fraser , 1889 single work novel ; The Germ Growers : The Strange Adventures of Robert Easterley and John Wilbraham Robert Potter , 1892 single work novel
Australian Science Fiction (Part II) Graham Stone , 2001 single work criticism
— Appears in: Biblionews and Australian Notes & Queries , June vol. 26 no. 2 2001; (p. 39-57) An overview of science fiction writing and publishing in Australia pre-1940.
"The Germ Growers" : An Early Australian SF Novel Lucy Sussex , 1980 single work column
— Appears in: Science Fiction : A Review of Speculative Literature , vol. 2 no. 3 (Issue 6) 1980; (p. 229-233)
War of the Worlds : The Pioneering Work of Science Fiction Inspired by Australian Brutality Fiona Gruber , 2020 single work column
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 14 July 2020;

'The tale of marauding Martians is familiar sci-fi, but it’s less well-known that the book and radio play both have Australian antecedents.'
A Feminist, Imperialist Utopia: Sir Julius Vogel and Anno Domini 2000 Lucy Sussex , 2022 single work essay
— Appears in: Meanjin , June vol. 81 no. 2 2022; (p. 176-182) Meanjin Online 2022; 'Utopias are neither as popular nor as frequent as their dark mirror, dystopias. Projecting from today into the future, using the thought experiment of extrapolation '(if this goes on...)' tends to produce more pessimism than optimism. That is hardly surprising in our perennially anxious times. Nor are vintage utopias palatable to a modern audience: they can contain racism, eugenics, or happily exterminate most of the biosphere (as in Joseph Fraser's 1889 'Melbourne and Mars: My Mysterious Life on Two Planets'). What can seem perfection then can read like tedious hell now. Additionally, utopias are not easy to write well, as polemical perfection lacks conflict, tension, the inherent interest of the devil's party. Some have endured, like Plato's Republic, but it is certainly less read than 'The Handmaid's Tale' or 1984.' (Publication abstract)
VIEW ALL WORKS ABOUT (5)
Last amended 22 Jul 2020 11:24:21
Subjects:
Settings:
  • North Western Australia, Western Australia,
  • Kimberley area, North Western Australia, Western Australia,
  • Southern Northern Territory, Northern Territory,
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