Archives: Books

Title: The Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2010
Published by: Ticonderoga Publications
Release Date: September 1, 2011
Contributors: Liz D. Grzyb (Editor), Talie Helene (Editor)
Pages: 484
ISBN13: 978-0980781397

2010 was a great year for Australian fantasy and horror, with the World Science Fiction convention held in Melbourne serving as an impetus for many publishers, both large and small, to showcase the breadth and depth of Australian and New Zealand speculative fiction. Several hundred fantasy and horror stories by Antipodeans were published in 2010, contained in Australasian and international magazines, webzines, anthologies and collections. From this plethora of work, editors Liz Grzyb and Talie Helene have selected 33 tales of fantasy, dark fantasy, horror and paranormal romance for this volume. The editors also present an overview of the genre in Australia in 2010, including noting significant works, events, and the results of the major awards. Together with a recommended reading list this is both a book to be read and a valuable reference work. Published by a leading Australian independent publisher, this is first volume of an ambitious annual series that will document the state of health of the fantasy and horror genre throughout Australia and New Zealand.

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Title: Night-Mantled: The Best of Wily Writers
Published by: Wily Writers
Release Date: February 11, 2011
ISBN13: 978-0983182405

This anthology of speculative fiction short stories from exceptionally wily writers will take you from looking over your shoulder to pondering the wonders of the universe and back again. The WilyWriters.com podcast chooses only the best two stories per month from its submissions and records them for your listening pleasure. This volume collects Year #1’s best of the best.

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Title: Baby Teeth: Bite-sized Tales of Terror
Published by: Paper Road Press
Release Date: November 1, 2013
Pages: 248
ISBN13: 978-0473256883

Ever felt the hairs on your neck rise at something a toddler says? Inspired by the creepy things kids say and do, this collection of horror stories features unexpected frights, nervous giggles and often poignant reflections on life, childhood, and the terrors of growing up - such as when your new house gets a taste for human flesh. And remember, when you hear your child calling for you in the middle of the night – the things that go bump in the night aren’t always under the bed. All proceeds from sales of this book donated to Duffy Books in Homes, to support their child literacy work. Table of Contents: Caterpillars by Debbie Cowens White by Grant Stone Burying Baby by Paul Mannering People Pleaser by M Darusha Wehm Con Somma Passione by Lee Murray Giant by Jack Newhouse Winter Feast by Elizabeth Gatens What’s the Story, Mother? by Lewis Morgan Blonde Obsession by Jean Gilbert Simon Says by Matthew Sanborn Smith Tarantella Moon by Dan Rabarts Backyard Gardening by Jake Bible Because I Could … by Celine Murray End of the Rainbow by Jenni Sands Kiss Your Mother by Alan Lindsay Practice Makes Perfect by Sally McLennan Blood Sisters by Matt Cowens Windows by M Darusha Wehm Dad’s Wisdom by Eileen Mueller Recession by Darian Smith Paper Butterfly by Alan Lindsay The Skulkybunking Wurld Champyon of the Hole Woorld by Paul Mannering Teach Your Children Well by Lee Murray The Character of 82 James St by Anna Caro Love Hurts by Jan Goldie Dark Night by Jenni Sands Friends by AJ Ponder Shadowed Halls by Michael J Parry If They Hadn’t Landed So Close by Matt Cowens All the Ghosts by Dan Rabarts The Boy with Anime Eyes by Kevin G Maclean The Oracle of Karawa by Paul Mannering Lockdown by Piper Mejia The Birthday Present by Sally McLennan Peter and the Wolf by Lee Murray How They See You by Morgan Davie The Dead Way by JC Hart

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Title: Regeneration: New Zealand Speculative Fiction II
Published by: Random Static Ltd
Release Date: June 17, 2013
Pages: 302
ISBN13: 978-0473241889

Some things are gone forever; but that is not the end. There are new lives to be lived, new discoveries to be made, changes to be fought for, enjoyed, or feared. Experience worlds where existence continues beyond death and much-wanted babies become something else entirely. Where humanity endures in hostile environments, societies adapt to new challenges and inventions, and strange creatures live secretly among us. Travel from a curiously altered Second World War to other universes at the end of time, taking in diverse visions of New Zealand and worlds beyond along the way. Regeneration, the second volume of New Zealand Speculative Fiction from Random Static, presents 22 original works of science fiction and fantasy by Kiwi authors. Stories of loss and renewal, of fantastic technology and mysterious transformations, of supernatural predators and survivors building new futures. Life always goes on, but seldom the way you'd expect... Featuring stories by Matt Cowens, Tim Jones, Mary Brock Jones, O.J. Cade, Grace Bridges, I.K. Paterson-Harkness, Kylie Thorne, Debbie Cowens, J.C. Hart, Jennifer Compton, Simon Petrie, Anna Smith, Rebecca Harris, Elizabeth Gatens, Jonathan James Todd, A.J. Fitzwater, Fran Atkinson, Anna Caro, Dan Rabarts, Lee Murray, Grant Stone, and Toni Wi.

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Title: Use Only As Directed: a collection of 14 speculative short stories
Published by: Peggy Bright Books
Release Date: June 3, 2014
Pages: 198
ASIN: B00L1H2SWY

A collection of 14 speculative short stories by Australian and New Zealand authors / editors: Simon Petrie, Edwina Harvey ; authors: Stephen Dedman, Dirk Flinthart, Dave Freer, Michelle Goldsmith, Alex Isle, Lyn McConchie, Claire McKenna, Charlotte Nash, Ian Nichols, Leife Shallcross, Grant Stone, Douglas A Van Belle, Janeen Webb, M Darusha Wehm. Cover artist, Lewis P. Morley

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Title: A Ruby in Rain (Tale from the Archives)
Published by: Imagine That! Studios
Release Date: September 2, 2011
Pages: 14
ASIN: B005L3KIKI

From the farthest edge of the Empire, New Zealand agents Lachlan King and Barry Ferguson are called to interview a recent arrival to Auckland’s prisons. An infamous gambler, according to the constable’s account, has turned himself into their custody, not for the safety of society but for his own. The Ministry steps in to uncover a man’s story of impressive luck, and more incredible vision.

Tales from the Archives are short stories set in the world of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences (Phoenix Rising / Das Zeichen des Phönix, and the Janus Affair / Die Janus-Affäre) by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris. They explore events mentioned in the novels, characters seen and unseen and may include novel teasers of things to come.

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Title: Tales from the Archives: Volume 1
Published by: ImagineThat! Studios
Release Date: September 20, 2011
Pages: 74
ASIN: B005OL1OEQ

Tales from the Archives are short stories set in the world of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences. They explore events mentioned in the novels, characters seen and unseen and may include novel teasers of things to come. This volume includes:

The Evil that Befell Sampson by Philippa Ballantine

Eliza D Braun is a young field agent in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences (South Pacific Branch) when she is asked by New Zealand's preeminent suffragist to investigate some strange goings within the organisation. She cannot possibly imagination that this little case will alter her entire life and thrust her into a world barely prepared for her.

Dust on the Davenport by O.M. Grey

Agent Simon R. Boswell, still considered the green agent of the Ministry, takes on his own a supposed haunting in Islington. Hauntings tend to be nothing too serious for agents specializing in the unexplained; but for Simon, this case supplies surprises of all kinds, around every corner…

The Astonishing Amulet of Amenartas by Nathan Lowell

Agent Heathcliff Durham finds himself crisscrossing Africa, looking for an Amulet that could spell disaster for any who come near it. Battling blistering heat, starvation, wild animals, and despair, he is not comforted by the company of a rough and ready sort named Morrison. Soon Durham begins to suspect he may never return home—and to top it all off the tea has almost run out.

A Ruby in Rain by Grant Stone

From the farthest edge of the Empire, New Zealand agents Lachlan King and Barry Ferguson are called to interview a recent arrival to Auckland’s prisons. An infamous gambler, according to the constable’s account, has turned himself into their custody, not for the safety of society but for his own. The Ministry steps in to uncover a man’s story of impressive luck, and more incredible vision.

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Title: Te Kōrero Ahi Kā: to speak of the home fires burning
Published by: SpecFicNZ
Release Date: February 8, 2018
Pages: 270
ISBN13: 978-0473428341

Here, between the realms of the Sky Father and Earth Mother, hellhounds race, ghosts drift aimless, and the taniwha stalks. Home fires drive them back, at the same time sparking stories and poems that traverse seconds, eons, and parsecs. Tales of gatekeepers, cloak wearers, and secret keepers. Of pigs with AK-47s or ruby-hued eyes, of love-struck moa, and unruly reflections. Stark truths, and beautiful possibilities...

Te Korero Ahi Ka, a term which means to speak of the home fires burning, is an anthology of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, showcasing work from both established and emerging members of the SpecFicNZ organisation of writers, poets, artists, and creatives. It is a statement about how New Zealand creators of speculative fiction and art shine their light on our literary landscape.

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Title: Bonsai: Best small stories from Aotearoa New Zealand
Published by: Canterbury University Press
Release Date: August 2018
Contributors: Edited by Michelle Elvy, Frankie McMillan and James Norcliffe
Pages: 294

‘Slippery, and exciting … The stories come at you directly, and then turn askance, and then slap you in the face’ Allan Drew

Bonsai brings together a pioneering collection of flash fiction and associated forms (prose poetry and haibun) from 165 writers in Aotearoa New Zealand, along with intriguing essays on this increasingly popular genre. In 200 small stories of no more than 300 words, where the translucent boundaries between prose and poetry are often transgressed, we discover a vast array of human experience.

Here, children race snails, shoot tin cans, learn to fly, and look for Antarctica in a drain pipe, while Schrödinger’s cat dreams of life and death, a dog licks away a woman’s tears, and a peacock guards its human family. Family tensions spill over during trips to the beach, couples get together and fall apart, babies are born – or not born – and parents die. You might find yourself dancing like the cool kids, listening to a neighbour sing in the dark, or watching a tractor catch fire. There are perfect moments in miniature as dew falls on a spider’s web and strangers make eye contact.

Composed with precision in a form where every word counts, these carefully chiselled works are provocative, tender and endlessly surprising.

Michelle Elvy  is a writer and editor of flash fiction whose recent work appears in New  Micro Fiction (WW Norton, 2018). Among her many editing roles she is editor at Flash Frontier.

Frankie McMillan  has been called ‘our maestro of flash fiction’. Her book My Mother and the Hungarians, and other small fictions (CUP, 2016) was long-listed for the Ockham Book Awards.

James Norcliffe  is a poet, editor and writer for children. He is editor at Flash Frontier and has published nine collections of poetry, including Dark Days at the Oxygen Café (VUP, 2016).

Title: Everything is Fine
Published by: Racket House
Release Date: January 1, 2016
Contributors: Grant Stone, Matthew Sanborn Smith
Pages: 262
ISBN13: 047333321X
ASIN: B01A1VE9EK

A house at the edge of a prehistoric valley.
A suitcase that can take you to 1980.
A payphone that lets you call the dead.

Twenty tales from award-winning author Grant Stone, including six all-new stories.

From a trip to the supermarket to the edge of everything. From Auckland to London to places far beyond any map. The sun may set before we reach our destination. But don’t worry.

Everything is going to be fine.

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