Book Review - River of Bones by Jodi Cleghorn

River of Bones was previously published by the Australian Review of Fiction under the title of Elyora, the name of the town featured in the novella.  I read it back in January and by a stroke of good fortune happened to read Dr Lisa L Hannett’s article, Wide Open Fear: Australian Horror and Gothic Fiction at the same time.  Hannett introduced me to the concept of unheimlich, a term that roughly translates to an object, situation or place that has a quality of being familiar yet foreign at the same time.

The term describes River of Bones perfectly.  The setting is familiar, yet strange and Cleghorn presents a story that straddles the borderline between the everyday, the mundane and the disturbing.  She presents an Australian landscape and characters that I know and manages to embed a “wrongness”, a fractured reality that builds until the true horror is revealed.

Australia is the sort of country where a wrong turn can kill you, either the people, the animals or the environment.  The initial opening of the tale ( a short prologue was added with the new edition) starts off with a band in their combi-van traveling an outback road to a gig.  Most Australian’s have that experience of the road trip, of turning off into towns bypassed by the highway, of taking shortcuts that turnout to be long-ways-around.  Elyora could be anyone of a hundred once-were-towns in my state.

 

Jo, Benny and Hal, members of the band Faunabate, have no idea what they’re in for when their car suddenly breaks down on the way to their first gig.
Their nearest town? Elyora. Upon arrival it quickly becomes clear that this is not your normal town. Why are all the magazines dated at 1974?
Why have all of their clocks stopped? And where exactly have all the people gone?There are some towns you don't ever want to visit.

And Elyora is one of them.

I have become a fan of Stephen King in recent years, more so for the emotional weight he embeds in his focus on character -I was more torn up over the love story in 22.11.63 than the Kennedy story. Though he does take a long time getting there.  With River of Bones Cleghorn somehow manages to deliver that same weight, that same investment in character that I feel with King, but without such a long run-up.  I would have been fine with just the emotional interplay, the tragedy in this novella, but Cleghorn delivered a double punch of emotional and very deftly placed, visceral horror.  The ending was particularly gutting with respect to both.

Cleghorn’s rendering of Elyora and its inhabitants is so vivid that I see possibilities for it as an independent horror film in much the same vein as Wolf Creek. Hannett did not quote River of Bones as being part of the tradition of Australian Gothic ( she probably hadn’t read it at the time) but it strikes me as one of the better recent examples.

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Australian Shadows Award Winners

The Australian Shadows Awards are:

… the annual literary awards presented by the AHWA and judged on the overall effect - the skill, delivery, and lasting resonance - of horror fiction written or edited by an Australian. [source: Australian Horror Writers Association]

Here are the winners:

NOVEL

Perfections – Kirstyn McDermott

LONG FICTION

Sky – Kaaron Warren

SHORT FICTION

Birthday Suit – Martin Livings

EDITED PUBLICATION

Surviving the End – Craig Bezant

COLLECTION

Through Splintered Walls – Kaaron Warren

 

The list includes two writers that I have read recently.  And I am very happy to see them win, I don’t tend to read much horror,but those selected were certainly good writing.  Congrats to Kaaron, Kirstyn and the others, whose works I have yet to read.

Oh and isn’t the trophy delightfully macabre, it’s made by Nightshade Fx

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eBook Review–Through Splintered Walls by Kaaron Warren

Though Splintered Walls is the most recent of the Twelve Planets series from Twelfth Planet Press.  And like the rest of that series, the quality is high, the selection of story and author perfect.

Splintered Walls follows the loose format of previous Twelve planets volumes with four stories – 3 shorts and a novella.

They are: Mountain, Creek, Road and Sky. Gemma Files in the book’s introduction  says of Warren that:

 

[she] has the true gift of spell-casting, the sort of deceptively direct, declamatory literary style which says: I simply have to speak a thing, and no matter how odd it may seem in the telling, it is instantly rendered so—solid, actual, honest, real.

And I am not going to argue. I also think that Warren, like Lanagan has given us a collection that is identifiably Australian without belabouring the point. I found each of the settings recognisable, each of them resonated at some level within me.

Mountain tapped into my experiences of driving through the Glasshouse mountains and long road trips with my family, Creek awoke memories of drownings in desert waterholes, Road, flashes of roadside death markers and Sky, well Sky made me look at my small rural community in a entirely new and not altogether comfortable way.

Her “declamatory literary style” makes for stories that you just slip into, they are matter of fact, uncontrived.  They could be “your” story until the reveal of course.

In looking back at the three shorter pieces I feel myself questioning which is truly horrific, the supernatural or the very real tragedy that occurs in the mundane?  I think it’s the mundane situations in these stories that effect me the most.  Once you get past the blood and guts in horror, past the suspense, it’s the empathy with characters, the horror they perform or are at the receiving end of that makes a piece work for me.

If you are into good, understated horror, horror in the everyday, then pick up this collection.

This book was purchased from the wonderful Wizard’s Tower Books.

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This review is part of the Australian Women Writers Challenge 2013.  Please check out this page for more great writing from Australian women.

 

 

 

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eBook Review–Flesh by Kylie Scott

Zombies and erotic romance, though not erotica with the Zombies cause that’s a “hot, wet mess”, to quote a line from the book, of a rather icky kind.

No, Kylie gives us an erotic romance set in a post apocalyptic, post zombie infected Brisbane.  The end of civilisation as we know it, throws characters together that perhaps would not have met and formed relationships otherwise.

It was Scott’s energy and humour in the free first chapter that intrigued me and the rest of the novel didn’t disappoint.

Now it is erotica and if you blush rather easily or prefer sex between characters to be handled off page, then you probably won’t enjoy Flesh. Though you could just read the action scenes.

Scott’s a fan of B grade horror movies so I was expecting something a little more camp.  The background is light, but has an Australian flavour it carries the romance and the action well. Anything more would possibly have distracted us from the aim of the novel which was to arouse and entertain.  So I was pleasantly surprised at the action genre elements she presented.

There’s almost as much action as their is romance and I find myself a little surprised at how balanced the novel is.  I don’t know what I was expecting, my erotica reading has been limited to short stories which regardless of whether they are considered literature or “smut” tend to be a brief set-up followed by an “action scene”.

Flesh features a good number of sex scenes, some unconventional and kinky but these are carried along by well structured action story and some decent emotional characterisations.

My one concern throughout the novel was that Ali was a bit passive.  There is character growth though and the relationship between her, Finn and Daniel is fairly even by the end.

It was fun, eminently readable ( I could not get past the first paragraph of Fifty Shades) and I must admit that I will be interested in the follow up novel – for the characters of course.

In all seriousness, it’s a good blend of erotica, action and romance. The romance tag might put male readers off, but I’d say they’d be missing out.

This book was provided by the publisher at no cost

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This review is part of the Australian Women Writers Challenge 2012.  Please check out this page for more great writing from Australian women.

 

 

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ASIF Departs this mortal coil

I received the sad news today that Alisa has after much thought wrangling decided to close down the Australian Speculative Fiction In Focus Website.  Here is the announcement:

It’s taken me a long time – about a year – of soul searching to finally come to this place. But it’s time. I’ve decided to close ASif! at the end of this year. This is a project that I have felt passionate about from conception and over the last 8 years. I’ve enjoyed working with everyone who has ever been involved and I’ve met so many people and formed many firm, life long friendships through ASif!

In 2004, we set out to build a review website to focus on and highlight Australian speculative fiction and to offer a place of honest critical review to support our local scene. ASif! achieved these goals. After 8 years, the principals of this project are now looking to direct our energies into other activities in continue to build and grow the Australian SF/F scene. And for this, we walk away proud of what we created.

ASif! will close as of 31/12/2012, with old reviews remaining available for now. [read on]

So I raise my glass to Alisa and the team. 

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Speaking of Blood and Dust

Here’s the cover for Jason Nahrung’s Blood and Dust, from Xoum.  I presume the titles will be available through major digital publishers like Amazon, Kobo etc as their doesn’t appear to be a buy link on the site.

Here’s the jacket copy/blurb:

Kevin Matheson works at his family’s service station in the Queensland outback. Life is all about cricket, fishing, the pub, his girlfriend. Then it all gets blown to hell – he’s caught up in a hideous, unbelievable world of cops and monsters in which two rival gangs of vampires vie for control, all while maintaining a charade of humanity.

Kevin has to cope with his new existence as a vampire, adapt to the destruction of his family and play the politics of the supernatural world. The biker Taipan and his lover Kala make for unlikely allies as they lead the nomadic Night Riders in their fight to be free of the control of the Brisbane-based Von Schiller group, led by the ruthless Mira and her pack of blood-addicted human servants.

 

I like Jason’s Vampires.  None of this sparkly rubbish. It started with his short Smoking, Waiting for the Dawn which was undeniably Vampires in a sunburnt country.  Then he hit me with Salvaged.

So yeah I’m hanging out for this one.  Price on publication will be AUD$4.99.

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Bloodstones Released

Bloodstones edited by Amanda Pillar is out now in hard copy (I believe an Amazon ebook is in production as well).  The anthology  features “stories of dark urban fantasy imbued with mythology; seventeen fantastic tales of monsters, gods, magic…”

Jennifer Brozek has a review for us here.  You can purchase the book online at:

Indie Books Online.

For those interested the TOC is below:

 

• Joanne Anderton, "Sanaa's Army"
• Alan Baxter, "Cephalopoda Obsessia"
• Jenny Blackford, "A Moveable Feast"
• Vivian Caethe, "Skin"
• MD Curelas, "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes"
• Thoraiya Dyer, "Surviving Film"
• Dirk Flinthart, "The Bull in Winter"
• Stephanie Gunn, "The Skin of the World"
• Richard Harland, "A Mother's Love"
• Pete Kempshall, "Dead Inside"
• Penny Love, "A Small Bad Thing"
• Karen Maric, "Embracing the Invisible"
• Christine Morgan, "Ferreau's Curse"
• Nicole Murphy, "Euryale"
• Kat Otis, "And the Dead Shall be Raised Incorruptible"
• Dan Rabarts, "The Bone Plate"
• Erin Underwood, "The Foam Born"

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eBook Review–Ms Cellophane by Gillian Polack

Ms Cellophane, published by Momentum, is a digital reissuing of Polack’s previously titled Life through Cellophane published by Eneit Press in 2009.

It’s the tale of Elizabeth, a newly redundant public servant, who is finally free of an overbearing and underworking psychopath of a boss.  Or so she thinks.

It’s a inward looking tale of a woman's self discovery.  Redundancy gives her the time and space to find the person buried by life and work traumas.

It’s a tale of a mirror with its own unnerving and at times unpleasant agenda.

Kaaron Warren described it as “part gentle love story and part bizarre horror tale”.  I think if forced, I’d be inclined to categorize it under general fiction as opposed to genre fiction.

There were elements of romance and a blossoming relationship but it’s not a central focus for me and so I’ll respectfully disagree with Kaaron.  For me its more a drama than a romance.  On the charge of bizarre horror tale I’ll quote one of the characters on the situation surrounding the mirror:

”if this were a horror tale we would know its[the mirror’s] parameters”

So for me the horror elements of the book are a little too nebulous and understated for it to fit wholly under horror.  It sits on the boundary, perhaps unnerving magical realism might be worth chucking in here.  Personally the more horrific part of the tale is the treatment of Elizabeth by her boss, all the more horrific because situations like this do occur.

Ultimately it’s a good read.  I think Polack’s mix of perspectives; first person diarised accounts, juxtaposed with third person narrative gives us a very real sense of Elizabeth’s inner thoughts while not becoming overbearing.  The novel takes awhile to pick up pace as we get to know Elizabeth but by the end we are treated to an edge of your seat mystery.

You’ll appreciate the work if you have ever had the fortune(misfortune?) to work for a government department and you enjoy a work that is focussed on a personal journey.  The fantastical elements straddle that border between genre and literature so that if you are coming from either camp you won’t have an issue.

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This review is part of the Australian Women Writers Challenge 2012.  Please check out this page for more great writing from Australian women.

 

 

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Small Press Book Deals

Just a short note to let you know that Damnation and Dames by Ticonderoga is currently discounted at $24.00 on Indiebooksonline.

Damnation and Dames is 324 pages of paranormal noir featuring the writing talents of:

• Lindsy Anderson, Chris Bauer, Alan Baxter, Felicity Dowker, Jay Caselberg, M.L.D. Curelas, Karen Dent, Dirk Flinthart, Lisa L. Hannett, Angela Slatter, Donna Maree Hanson, Rob Hood, Joseph L Kellogg, Pete Kempshall, Chris Large, Penelope Love, Nicole Murphy, and Brian G. Ross

 

 

 

Twelfth Planet Press and FableCroft Publishing have a special deal for all books purchased for the remainder of 2012.

You can buy any book or book combo from either press and add the acclaimed New Ceres Nights anthology to your order for just $10.00 (including postage). New Ceres Nights features stories from:

Dirk Flinthart, Thoraiya Dyer, J C Hay, Aliette de Bodard, Kaaron Warren,Stephen Dedman, Matthew Farrer, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Sue Isle, Martin Livings, Sylvia Kelso, Lee Battersby, and Angela Slatter

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Best Fantasy & Horror Shorts published in 2011

Head over to the Ticonderoga page an check out the great list of stories that Liz Grzyb and Talie Helene have compiled for The Year's Best Australian Fantasy and Horror 2011.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Notions Unlimited Employing Zombies

Thanks to Mr Mond for this one:

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Showtime Giveaway

Showtime, the latest collection in the Twelve Planets Series is available via Goodreads as a giveaway.

Now for reasons that I am not sure about the giveaway has been split into UK/US and AU. 

So Australians (50% of my readership) go here.

Northern Hemisphere readers go here.

Why should you bother?  Check out Alex’ review here

 

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Heads Up - The Strange Calls

Just lifted this from The Austral-Asian Spec-Fic Daily which, you know you should subscribe to so you can win a set of steak knives, so you don’t miss out on all the spec fic links on twitter.

No?

Well anyway here is the trailer

The Strange Calls Trailer from Daley Pearson on Vimeo.

You may notice the lead actor also stars in Outland which is screening tonight.

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Midnight Echo Issue Six now on sale

Midnight Echo is the official magazine of the Australian Horror Writers Association of Australia. 

Issue 6 features an all South Australia editorial team¹ in David Kernot (editor of Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine), Jason Fischer (Writers of the Future winner and Aurealis nominee), and David Conyers (author of The Eye of Infinity, The Spiraling Worm and co-editor of Cthulhu Unbound 3)

Theme

All the stories in this issue are science fictional in nature

What do you get for $1.99

Nine stories and two interviews, or 171 pages of science fictional horror ² from from well known names in Australian Speculative fiction. Issue 6 features stories from Cat Sparks, Alan Baxter, Helen Stubbs and Joanne Anderton just to name some familiar Tweeters.

Back Issues

Check out the website here where you an also order back issues.

The is also a limited print run put out each issue you can go here to find the print version of the latest issue.

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^{1. Each issue features a different team↩}

^{2. At this stage I am only going off the media release as their Checkout system requires manual approval ie I haven’t been able to download the purchase yet Strike that, there was an issue with me not getting the links in an email, it should be automated.  The 171 pages is according to my Sony reader software.↩}

 

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