Customer Reviews

Dreaming Again: Thirty-five New Stories Celebrating the Wild Side of Australian Fiction

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love anthologies. Short stories allow authors to show off, to show their technique and style in a concise manner. I knew several names that contributed to this work, but I'd only previously read Garth Nix, Terry Dowling, and Stephen Dedman. You can bet I'm buying some more of the contributors' backlists now.

Of course, while anthologies are an excellent source of new authors to explore, there are always those stories that you feel bring the quality of the anthology down. Sometimes you wish you could pick and choose which stories you could buy if enough of them are duds. So far, with a mere ten stories to go, none of them have disappointed me. There have certainly been some I enjoyed more than others, but no bad stories whatsoever. I wish all anthologies were so well chosen.

The stories cover a variety of subjects, moods, and themes. Some are extremely unsettling, others funny, others mysterious. It's hard to pick favorites. The end of "This is My Blood" by Ben Francisco (the only American in the book) and Chris Lynch was the first thing to truly terrify me. They left the details of the end to my imagination, which is apparently a sick, sick place. This one is followed by the unnerving "Nightship" by Kim Westwood. I wanted more elaboration on how gender worked in the society (for instance, the ship's captain appeared to me to be a member of an Iron Family and female), but this one really caught my attention and made me think. The final one that's truly freaked me out is "In From the Snow" by Lee Battersby, the story of a pack living outside of human civilization. This wasn't truly a horror story, but my mind seized ahold of the darkness and continued thinking of it after I finished.

"The Constant Past" by Sean McMullen features a librarian and a time traveler. What more can one ask for, really? (The answer is found in "Undead Camels Ate Their Flesh" by Jason Fischer. To quote the TV Tropes wiki, it's Exactly What It Says On The Tin.)

The viral mystery "Lure" by Paul Collins had a nice twist at the end, even though I did expect it. I enjoyed his style, exploration of cyber-cheating, and assertion that PCs are better than Macs. "Empire" by Simon Brown is an amusing look at WAR OF THE WORLDS and Gilbert & Sullivan. Shortly after finishing, I learned the Mikado would be playing in my area soon (swoon-worthy) and that bubbles and squeak is a real dish in England (bemusing). "Smoking, Waiting for the Dawn" by Jason Nahrung is a vampire story that stands out from the current pack I've been reading. (Added bonus: zombies.)

I feel bad for not mentioning more of the stories I've read, because each had something special. These are just my personal highlights.

Excerpted from In Bed With Books

I have been a reader and lover of science fiction and fantasy since my first chapter books. It was a dream to get this nice thick anthology bursting with almost three dozen exciting - and challenging - stories by authors with whom I am totally unfamiliar.
I really appreciated the editor's introductory note on each of the authors appearing at the beginning of the stories to give an inkling of roads the author previously traveled. When those notes appear at the end of the entire volume, as is common in anthologies, one has to flip back to remember who wrote what, so this was a nice change. The short afterword
wasn't always necessary - sometimes I like to just savor a story as it ends, but providing such food for thought let's me know the editor actually considered the stories beyond a single perusal!
I could be reading more into this than is merited, but many of these stories had a timeless, physically expansive, less insular feel than the sci-fi and fantasy I'm used to reading, even those 'Dreaming Again' tales which claim urban settings. My favorite is a perfect example, The Lost Property Room, which though huge, is still somehow so emblematic of claustrophobia I found myself (literally) hyperventilating as I read it. Likewise another I particularly liked, The Fifth Star in the Southern Cross.
I enjoyed this collection enough that I will read some of the stories aloud to friends and family. I think it would make an excellent book club choice.

Short science fiction/fantasy has never really been a favorite thing of mine-especially in anthology form. But this collection was really, really well put together and totally changed me mind. With just enough authors I knew and respected already that I wanted to read it and lots of new people I'd never heard of but now look forward to spending some time with in the future this is an excellent little dive in the down under fantasy scene.

I've just returned from a trip "down-under", and I packed this volume along because, well, it seemed appropriate for a fan of sci-fi to read it IN Australia. So between the tragic and fatal fires around Melbourne in February 2009, and the devastating floods in Queensland, I read about zombie camels, jacaranda people, and alternative futures.

For the most part, I was entertained.

This volume is a follow up to an earlier volume titled Dreaming Down-Under (I haven't read this volume, but I plan to), published in 2002. The authors are from or currently living in Australia, and there is commonly (but not always) an Australian theme in each story: zombies raining from the Sydney Harbor Bridge, or camels running wild in the outback.

Each story was preceded by a short bio of the author, and followed by an afterword explaining (usually) the author's vision behind the story.

You'll like this volume if you like short stories in these genres. The Australian theme isn't overdone; it is more like a "flavor" of the stories. Most were entertaining, but there did seem to be a tendency to picture Australia taken over by zombies! What's with that!?

I was going to leave this volume behind for other travelers to read, but I ended up carrying it back. I have a friend who will enjoy it, and I'll ask her to pass it on.

This is a book of short stories, and some folks just don't like short stories. If that means you, just pass on by. My husband swears no author can develop a plot and characters and successfully bring it all to a satisfactory conclusion in a few pages. I beg to differ. Some can't. I have read some real stinkers of short stories from great writers of full-length novels, as well as the reverse.

Jack Dann, the editor of this book, has put together a collection of what are probably the finest of Australian science fiction and fantasy writers. Nearly every writer has been published multiple times and won awards. Let's just say they are all proven at their craft.

There was only one story in this whole book where I felt bombed on. Went to turn the page, and there was nothing there! Hmm...! Only one story, not too shabby for a collection of 35.

For my personal taste, there are far too many vampire, zombie, undead stories. Well, the cover does say "The WILD Side of Australian Fiction". Fortunately, there were two stories on time travel (my personal fav) and several that had absolutely nothing to do with the walking dead. To each his/her own.

My major conclusion is that a talented writer is a talented writer no matter where they reside. My second conclusion is that if you like the macabre, and you like short stories, you can't go wrong with this book. If you don't like the macabre, but you do like short stories, beware; not all the stories may be appealing, but many of them are certainly worthwhile.

Reviewing a collection of short stories is always a challenge. Each story is self-contained and unrelated to the others, except for the theme of the collection, which in this case is that all the authors are from Australia. Which in turn means that it is difficult to rate the collection as a whole. Having said that, this is a good book. All of the stories in this collection are good and some of them are excellent. While these stories are all described on the cover as "speculative fiction", that umbrella covers a "LOT" of ground, as evidenced by the diversity of thse stories. There are stories here that clearly qualify as "hard" science-fiction (including a previously unpublished story by the late A. Bertram Chandler, one of the masters of the "Golden Age" of science fiction), while others blur the lines between fantasy, science fiction and horror. Many of these stories use Australian settings to good effect (such as "The Lanes of Camberwell" and "Undead Camels Ate Their Flesh"), while others tell stories that are rooted in Australian history ("The Jacaranda Wife" comes to mind). All the stories are interesting, providing glimpses into a variety of worlds, many of which I wouldn't want to visit any other way. With thirty-five stories in the collection, there's sure to be something in this book for almost anyone who enjoys "speculative fiction".

I'll be keeping this one next to my Neil Gaiman collection--but not yet. I'm about two thirds of the way through. If you are a lover of sci-fi/fantasy, or just short stories in general, you will have to buy "Dreaming Again." It is a marvelous collection of shorts by some of Australia's finest. The collection fits together well in my humble opinion.
I do tend to skip through anthologies at random. Rather than reading front to back, I choose at each sitting which story I will read. Some of my favorites thus far: Nightship, Perchance To Dream, and A Guided Tour in the Kingdom of the Dead.

So, I have a system with my books - as a military family, we move around too much to be able to keep all the books that I read. So, I only keep either my very favorite books or the ones I haven't gotten to yet. "Dreaming Again" has earned a spot on my bookshelf.

I generally read fantasy without paying too much attention to where the author may be from. Either I like the author's style, or I don't. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only were there a few of my favorites in this anthology (ex. Garth Nix, Sara Douglass), but there are several more authors that I was unaware of, and am now planning to check out some of their novels (ex. Kim Westwood, Angela Slatter).

I won't say that I *loved* all the stories, but that's the beauty of reading - what I bring to a story will be completely different than what someone else does. And what fails to capture me completely may well do so for someone else. And with these all being short stories rather than novels, there is no sense of being halfway through a story and not wanting to finish (but feeling a compelling need to do so, just in case I might miss something...). For example, I enjoyed "The Jacaranda Wife", a fable that uses similar elements as the old Celtic legends of the Silkie. However, I couldn't quite get as into "The Neverland Blues", a story about Michael Jackson (yes, The Gloved One) and his search for a new body far in the distant future. I can, however, honestly state that I would happily re-read at least 90% of the stories again...and would probably read the other 10% as well, just to see if my perspective had changed.

Honestly, one of my favorite things about the way this book is set up is the information about the author(s) that comes before the story (and includes other titles, so I can follow up with those I have particularly enjoyed) and the 'Afterword' written by the author(s) themselves, typically explaining where the idea of the story came from. These can be almost as entertaining, and I always find it a pleasure to read about the many different ways authors find their inspiration.

This is the second "Dreaming" anthology, coming 10 years after the original "Dreaming Down-Under". I will be purchasing the first, and since they are both edited by the same person (Jack Dann), I anticipate many more evenings of enjoyment!

Dreaming Again

The stories in this collection are all over the place; some are horror, many are sci-fi, and many just explore other alternate realities. As a whole the collection was an enjoyable read. There is a lot here so it was not the quickest read for me; I also had a little bit of trouble reading the stories consecutively because their subject matter was so varied and disjointed. I have found that with very different short stories I sometimes need a break between them so that I can think about and process what I have read before jumping into something completely new.

All in all it was a decent collections of stories; there were only a couple stories I disliked.

For me some of the highlight stories were:
- Nightship by Kim Westwood
Ship boy escapes the dismal confines of the fogged out island area. This was a dismal and dark story, but had a very interesting world and culture. The imagery was great too!

- Neverland Blues by Adam Browne
In future earth Michael Jackson is a spaceship and he needs a friend to travel with. Okay I thought the storyline was a bit hokey, but I really liked this guy's writing style. He used great imagery, with many fast-paced observations. Writing style reminded me a little of the Nightside series by Simon Green.

- The Forest by Kim Wilkins
This is retelling of Hansel and Gretel in near future earth. I love retelling of classic fairytales and I thought this was a great story. I really want to check out more of her writings.


- The Lost Property Room by Trudi Caravan
Cute story about a lady who retrieves an item from the train property room that's not hers and ends up paying a steep price for it. I liked this story.

- The Lanes of Camberhill by Cecilia Dart-Thornton
This was about a woman and a man seeking secret ways in the Lanes of Camberhill. It was a beautiful story with lush description and interesting thoughts on the philosophy behind geography, I really liked it!

- Purgatory by Rowena Cory Daniells
A virus has infected all of humanity and it invokes religious fanaticism. The main character finds a cure and administers it but at a great cost. This was a very creative and very interesting story. I love the idea of fanaticism being a disease.

- Perchance to Dream by Isobelle Carmody
About a girl who is stuck in a dream trying to figure out what went wrong with her life. I really liked this story; it reminded me a little of some of the Charles deLint stories I have read.


I was debating if adding a list of the stories would make the review too long. Since I already have it written, figure I might as well include it. So...

Below is a list of the stories with a short synopsis and thoughts.


Old Friends by Garth Nix
Old tree warrior fights long time enemy to the death. Very short and sad, yet hopeful, good imagery.

A Guided Tour in the Kingdom of the Dead by Richard Harland
Eager tourist tells a PhD of his journey through the kingdom of the dead. Interesting topic and idea, done with a little humor.

This is my Blood by Ben Francisco and Chris Lynch
Tells of missionary Mother Rena on plant Stark dealing with the Duvari. Engaging story, I think about it a lot, done in a diary-type style. Very science fiction.

Nightship by Kim Westwood
Ship boy escapes the dismal confines of the fogged out island area (maybe future Japan?). Dismal and dark story, interesting world and culture.

The Fooly by Terry Dowling
A ghost is haunted by a ghost. Well-written, unexpected ending. Paranormal genre.

Neverland Blues by Adam Browne
In future earth Michael Jackson is a spaceship and he needs a friend to travel with. Great imagery, fast-paced observations like Nightside.

The Jacaranda Wife by Angela Slatter
Folktale about a woman that is a tree. Written in a very historian/literature type of style.

The Constant Past by Sean McMullen
Time traveling serial killer foisted by a librarian. Was okay.

The Forest by Kim Wilkins
Retelling of Hansil and Gretel in near future earth. I really liked this one.

Robots & Zombies, Inc. by Lucy Sussex
Fragmented interview with a robot in power. Apparently all power figures are robots and controlling the world. I didn't like the fragmented way the tale was told. So far the weakest story in the book.

This Way to the Exit by Sara Douglass
People start disappearing from an underground railway in London. Good story - kind of Neil Gaimenish

Grimmes and the Gaijin Daimgo by A. Bertran Chandler
Skipped this one, couldn't get through it.

Lure by Paul Collins
Virus is killing avatars in a virtual universe. Good writing, cute story, straightforward.

Empire by Simon Brown
Alternate history where two boys help to sing away a Martian invasion. Okay story, wasn't my favorite.

Lakeside by Christopher Green
Girl plays with a dead/alive baby by the lake. Vague story I wasn't exactly sure what was going on here. More of a horror story than anything.

Trolls' Night Out by Jenny Blackwell?
Wolf woman with twins comes up with a cure for Troll metamorphism. Cute, fast reading story. Throws you a couple interesting twists. Introduces what could be a very interesting world if expanded on.

The Rest is Silence by Aaron Stevens
Man is attacked by ghosts of people in his past and literally fights them off. This is horror story and was very gory and candid, it was okay but not my favorite

Smoking, Waiting for the Dawn by Hason Nahrung
Vampire hunter is forced to decide if he will Turn to protect a vampire friend's kids and wife. Kind of done in an old western style/alternate reality genre. It was okay.

The Lanes of Camberhill by Cecilia Dart-Thornton
About a woman and a man seeking secret ways in the Lanes of Camberhill. Beautiful story, lush description, lots of philosophy behind geography, I really liked it!

Lost Arts by Stephen Dedman
Van Gogh's Starry Night painting goes missing in a utopian society and the governor Tao works to recover it. Futuristic utopia, sci-fi. Good story, I liked it.

Undead Camels Ate Their Flesh by Jason Fischer
Classic bad horror zombie flick in story form. Aussie camels turned zombie and eating people! Fun and gross :-)

Europa by Cecily Scott
About Yanni trying to cross the sea. Written in a vague way I didn't like it very much.

Riding on the Q-ball by Rosaleen Love
Quick paced tongue-in-cheek story. Very Tom Holt like, sci-fi.

In From the Snow by Lee Battersby
Story about a family surviving in the snow. Written in a brutal, no-frills style. It was okay, not a pretty enough story for me.

The Lost Property Room by Trudi Caravan
Cute story about a lady who retrieves an item from the train property room that's not hers and ends up paying a steep price for it. I liked this story.

Heere Be Monsters by John Birmingham
As a British exploration fleet approaches Australia they realize the whole place has been taken over by zombies. It was okay, not my favorite

Purgatory by Rowena Cory Daniells
A virus has infected all of humanity and it invokes religious fanaticism. The main character finds a cure and administers it but at a great cost. This was a great story.

Manannan's Children by Russell Blackford
A young warrior learns that he is an immortal. A young woman immortal helps him to learn what that means. Very good story, great imagery, and interesting philosophy.

The Fifth Star in the Southern Cross by Margo Lanagan
Futuristic world where being able to birth a good child can provide your lifetime income. Interesting concept, okay story.

Twilight in Caeli-Amur by Rjurik Davidson
This was about a scientist that goes to retrieve an old man's notebook on plants from his wife. It was okay and had a nice twist to it at the end.

Paradise Design'd by Janeen Webb
This was a retelling of Adam and Eve with dinosaurs.

The New Deal by Trent Jamieson
About a world where your deals with gods constantly remake you. I didn't like it that much.

Conquist by Dirk Strasser
Spanish explorers stumble into a new world of elves and dwarves. This was a pretty good story!

The Last Great House of Isla Tortuga by Peter M. Ball
About some pirates who stop off for a break with some dead..ummm...ladies of the night. It was an okay story.

Perchance to Dream by Isobelle Carmody
About a girl who is stuck in a dream trying to figure out what went wrong with her life. I really liked this story.

Dreaming Again: Thirty-five New Stories Celebrating the Wild Side of Australian Fiction is an awesome anthology. According to editor Jack Dann, an acclaimed author in his own right, "wild side" means stories that "have an edge of horror or fantasy or that could be categorized as magical realism." This book contains the very best of Australian genre fiction, including science fiction, horror and fantasy.

The prequel to "Dreaming Again" is Dreaming Down-Under which ten years ago was co-edited by Dann's partner Janeen Webb, an internationally acclaimed critic; he regrets that "circumstances forced her to sit this one out." That book was the first Australian volume ever to win The World Fantasy Award. It also won the Australian Ditmar Award for Best Anthology and other honors too numerous to mention.

For this current anthology, Dann chose contemporary authors who are among Australia's finest, having won numerous literary awards. Each of these gifted authors has outstanding teaching credentials and/or academic achievements.

These are truly brilliant stories, stories the reader will remember for years to come. My very favorite is "The Fooly" by Terry Dowling. In this story a man is walking a lonely road in Australia when he meets a "Fooly" along the way. The Fooly has every intention of killing him and attempts to frighten him to death as he joins him on his walk. But who is fooling who? The surprise ending will "fool" the best sleuths among the readers. This is a story of fear and wonder, which are trademarks of this author.

Another one that caught my fancy was "The Lost Property Room" by Trudi Canavan. It's about a woman who loses an umbrella on a train and what happens to her when she goes to Melbourne's Flinders Street Station to claim it. The attendant of lost property is a strange man who shows her to the room, warning her not to take the wrong umbrella. Since hers wasn't there and there were so many, she does, indeed, take one that doesn't belong to her. What happens to her and to drought-ridden Melbourne makes one of the strangest tales of "consequence" I've read in a long while.

These are odd, thought-provoking stories that a reader needs to digest at leisure in order to get the most from them. May I suggest that you read one at a time, then set the book aside before reading another. They're best served in small doses.

My favorite attributes of this book are that the author's bibliography and interesting bits of trivia precede each story, while an afterword from the author addresses how and why s/he wrote that particular story. Fascinating information! For convenience, it also has a table of contents.

Dreaming Again: Thirty-five New Stories Celebrating the Wild Side of Australian Fiction is an impressive literary achievement by any standards, but all of the stories weren't for me, anymore than they will be for other readers. That's the fun of a short story collection: the reader gets to pick and choose while learning something about many authors at the same time.

I predict this book will win as many awards as its prequel. Perhaps more. I recommend it to anyone who likes a little speculation with his fiction.

Reviewed by: Betty Dravis, November 2008
Author of Millennium Babe: The Prophecy