Aurealis #50

By Michael Pryor (Editor)

Aurealis is the Australian magazine of fantasy, science fiction and horror. Aurealis #50, edited by Michael Pryor, features Patty Jansen’s cracking hard SF ‘Abode’ and a quintessentially piece of Australian SF with Jonathan Robb’s ‘Remembering the Mimi’. On top of this it’s the usual Aurealis interviews, links and reviews. Aurealis #50 is a goldmine.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chimaera Publications
• Release date: May 3, 2012
• ISBN: 9781922031044

Book preview

AUREALIS #50

Australian Fantasy & Science Fiction

Edited by Michael Pryor, Dirk Strasser and Carissa Thorp

Published by Chimaera Publications at Smashwords

Copyright of this compilation Chimaera Publications 2012

Copyright on each story remains with the contributor.

EPUB version ISBN 978-1-922031-04-4

ISSN 2200-307X (electronic)

CHIMAERA PUBLICATIONS

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the authors, editors and artists.

Hard copy back issues of Aurealis can be obtained from the Aurealis website:

www.aurealis.com.au

Contents

From the Cloud – Michael Pryor

Abode – Patty Jansen

Remembering the Mimi – Jonathan Robb

Interview with Steve Wheeler – Crisetta Macleod

Reviews

Carissa's Weblog – Carissa Thorp

Next Issue

Credits

From the Cloud

Michael Pryor

I'd like to extend a little on my editorial in Aurealis #49, where I looked at Speculative Fiction and young readers. I'd like to explore the young SF reader—and here I mean the vast numbers of teenage readers of Speculative Fiction in all its myriad forms.

Naturally, young SF readers are not a homogeneous group. They are as varied and as idiosyncratic as any lump of humans, but in my experience young SF readers do tend to have certain characteristics:

They are among our best young readers. Young SF readers are often reading way beyond their nominal reading age, and they read avidly. They don't need to be convinced to read—they devour large, complex books, one after the other, and then hunger for more.

They are often interested in writing as well as reading. Many young SF readers spring out of their favourite books and write homage, pastiches or fan fiction. Then they go on to try their own hands at story creation.

They are often quirky, individualistic and independent thinkers—but as to whether this attracts them to SF or whether SF that has made them this way, I'll leave to others.

They love to share. Having the net and social media means that no-one needs to feel isolated in their love for a particular book. Finding like-minded people is easier than ever, and once they're in touch with each other they can gleefully spiral off into rapturous discussions and recommendations.

They are beginning to revel in their geekdom. They understand that they are a power and they're starting to wield their might.

If the current sales figures are reliable, SF (when one includes Science Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Horror and Fantasy) is currently the largest single area of Young Adult Book sales—and consequently has the largest readership. Therefore, by definition, SF for young adults is the mainstream and all the rest are merely genres.

The good fight has been fought and won.

Back to Contents

Abode

Patty Jansen

The whine of the harvester's blade breaks off in mid-grind.

There is silence in the cabin except for the hiss of the air vents.

Ruz lets go of me, and we stare at the instrument panel. Rows of lights blink angry orange.

'It's jammed,' he says, his lips still moist from kissing.

Well duh. I break the contact between us to reel in my tether so I drift back to the controls. We're on the short side of the cometoid and the fast rotation rate is doing its best to fling me to the side of the cabin. I jab a gloved hand at the resets. Diagnostics trail over the screen.

Blade malfunction

Low power

What the…? The power reserves were more than fifty percent when I left the habitat.

Ruz frowns at me. 'What does that mean, Kee?'

'I don't know.' It kind-of irritates me that I don't, because I feel I should. I am from a builder clan