Dreaming Down-Under

Rating:
Summary: Outback Daydreams
Review: For those who are always looking for the cutting edge of SF, fantasy, and horror, and expanding their horizons, look no further. DREAMING DOWN UNDER is a superlative collection of 31 stories by some of today's best Australian writers out there today. Most of these authors, relatively unknown here in the States (though, since the book's original release in 1998, and a World Fantasy Award winner, some of these tremendous talented authors have started to appear here).Sean Williams, Lucy Sussex, Isobelle Carmody, and Damien Broderick are just starting to appear, while Stephen Dedman, Cherry Wilder, Terry Dowling, Wynne Whiteford, and Sean McMullen are some of the authors that have become a staple in the SF genre. The collection also contains the late and wonderful (Father of Australian SF), George Turner's last, finished just days before his death, but brilliant novella "AND NOW DOTH TIME WASTE ME". Highly recommended for those hungering for a different type of dream...

Rating:
Summary: One of the authors pleads for your money
Review: I am one of the writers in this anthology.

If you care about science fiction, fantasy, horror, or "slipstream" fiction, then you should buy anthologies like this. The genre has always thrived on short fiction.

Why should you buy this particular anthology? It won the World Fantasy Award and the Ditmar Award. Its editors are Jack Dann, Nebula-Award-winning writer, and Janeen Webb, who is that rare combination: a respected literary academic *and* an excellent fiction writer.

The anthology dominated the Australian awards. All six short story nominations for the Ditmar Award came from the anthology ("The Truth About Weena" won). Not surprisingly, it won the Ditmar for Best Magazine or Anthology in its own right. Stories from Dreaming Down Under also dominated the Aurealis Awards, winning for Best Science Fiction Short Story ("The Truth About Weena") and for Best Fantasy Short Story ("A Walk-On Part in the War").

My story from the anthology has been reprinted twice (in the Dozois Year's Best Science Fiction #16 and Event Horizon), has been translated into French for Galaxies magazine, and has been optioned for feature film development. And it wasn't even one of the award-nominated stories!

Finally, it has a fantastic cover by Hugo-nominated artist Nick Stathopoulos, which also won a Ditmar.

It's an enormous anthology with a breadth of style and subject matter. The only drawback: you might need to train at the gym to strengthen your wrists while reading it.

Rating:
Summary: One of the authors pleads for your money
Review: I am one of the writers in this anthology.

If you care about science fiction, fantasy, horror, or "slipstream" fiction, then you should buy anthologies like this. The genre has always thrived on short fiction.

Why should you buy this particular anthology? It won the World Fantasy Award and the Ditmar Award. Its editors are Jack Dann, Nebula-Award-winning writer, and Janeen Webb, who is that rare combination: a respected literary academic *and* an excellent fiction writer.

The anthology dominated the Australian awards. All six short story nominations for the Ditmar Award came from the anthology ("The Truth About Weena" won). Not surprisingly, it won the Ditmar for Best Magazine or Anthology in its own right. Stories from Dreaming Down Under also dominated the Aurealis Awards, winning for Best Science Fiction Short Story ("The Truth About Weena") and for Best Fantasy Short Story ("A Walk-On Part in the War").

My story from the anthology has been reprinted twice (in the Dozois Year's Best Science Fiction #16 and Event Horizon), has been translated into French for Galaxies magazine, and has been optioned for feature film development. And it wasn't even one of the award-nominated stories!

Finally, it has a fantastic cover by Hugo-nominated artist Nick Stathopoulos, which also won a Ditmar.

It's an enormous anthology with a breadth of style and subject matter. The only drawback: you might need to train at the gym to strengthen your wrists while reading it.

Rating:
Summary: Blunt cutting edge
Review: I bought this anthology that was advertised in such glowing terms. I must say I was disappointed in stories that are meant to represent the 'wild side' of Australian Fiction. None of the stories in this book really left a lasting impression of this reader.

In fact I don't understand why some of these stories were published at all. Some of the stories Ma Rung, The Body Politic, seemed to be predictable cliches, that take overdone themes and don't take them in a new direction. Other writers such as Sara Douglas and Stephen Dedman, who I have enjoyed in other anthologies do not present there best work here. To me the stories seem to be mostly a collection of second rate stories from some editors slush pile. (ie the Last Dance by Ian Nichols- this bloke seems to have an aversion to driving along country roads in Western Australia, give me the wildflowers of Merredin, rather than the industrial landscape you hit not long after, the first traffic light at Armadale).

Perhaps I just not a fan of speculative fiction, but I rarely got beyond the first page of half of these stories. I'm a lot more careful in my selection of reading material, I'm wary of the glowing wraps given to books such as this one that are not fulfilled

Rating:
Summary: Exciting Australian SF anthology
Review: This speculative fiction anthology contains thirty-one powerful tales written by Australian authors. The tales run the gamut crossing fantasy, horror, and science fiction with each contribution well written. Audiences outside of Australia have read several of the writers such as Sara Douglas, Isobelle Carmody, and the late Paul Turner, etc. These authors provide their usual powerful story. Of interest at least to this reviewer is writers that I never read before. These "newcomers" apparently have a strong reputation in Australia and fans will quickly understand why, and like me, will seek other works by these talented contributors who open up brave new worlds for readers. DREAMING DOWN-UNDER is speculative fiction short story collection at its best.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Exciting Australian SF anthology
Review: This speculative fiction anthology contains thirty-one powerful tales written by Australian authors. The tales run the gamut crossing fantasy, horror, and science fiction with each contribution well written. Audiences outside of Australia have read several of the writers such as Sara Douglas, Isobelle Carmody, and the late Paul Turner, etc. These authors provide their usual powerful story. Of interest at least to this reviewer is writers that I never read before. These "newcomers" apparently have a strong reputation in Australia and fans will quickly understand why, and like me, will seek other works by these talented contributors who open up brave new worlds for readers. DREAMING DOWN-UNDER is speculative fiction short story collection at its best.

Harriet Klausner