Search Worlds Without End

Australia has been a frequent choice of location for narratives about the end of the world in science fiction and speculative works, ranging from pre-colonial apocalyptic maps to key literary works from the last fifty years. This critical work explores the role of Australia in both apocalyptic literature and film. Works and genres covered include Nevil Shute's popular novel On the Beach, Mad Max, children's literature, Indigenous writing, and cyberpunk. The text examines ways in which apocalypse is used to undermine complacency, foretell environmental disasters, critique colonization, and to serve as a means of protest for minority groups. Australian apocalypse imagines Australia at the ends of the world, geographically and psychologically, but also proposes spaces of hope for the future.

There's one truth on Australia.

You fight or you die.

Usually both.

Imagine a nightmare from which there is no escape.

Seventeen-year-old Chan's ancestors left a dying Earth hundreds of years ago, in search of a new home. They never found one.

This is a hell where no one can hide.

The only life that Chan's ever known is one of violence, of fighting. Of trying to survive.

This is a ship of death, of murderers and cults and gangs.

But there might be a way to escape. In order to find it, Chan must head way down into the darkness - a place of buried secrets, long-forgotten lies, and the abandoned bodies of the dead.

This is Australia.

Seventeen-year-old Chan, fiercely independent and self-sufficient, keeps her head down and lives quietly, careful not to draw attention to herself amidst the violence and disorder. Until the day she makes an extraordinary discovery - a way to return the Australia to Earth. But doing so would bring her to the attention of the fanatics and the murderers who control life aboard the ship, putting her and everyone she loves in terrible danger.

And a safe return to Earth is by no means certain.

The moment she learned the horrible truth about her life on Australia, the derelict ship overrun with violent gangs, Chan Aitch made it her mission to save everyone she could from their fate worse than death. But her efforts were in vain. Now, everyone she cares about is dead or in prison, and Chan is more alone than ever before.

As the only person to have escaped Australia's terrible crash-landing back to Earth, Chan is now living in poverty on the fringes of a huge city. She believes Mae, the little girl she once rescued on the Australia, is still alive - but she has no idea where Mae is, or how to find her. Everything on Earth is strange and new, and Chan has never felt more lost.

But she'll do whatever it takes to find Mae, even if it means going to prison herself. She's broken out of prison before. How hard could it be to do it again?

There was one truth on Australia, the prison ship on which Chan was born and raised: you fight or you die. Usually both.

But everything on Australia was a lie. Abandoned and alone, Chan was forced to live a terrible existence on the fringes of society, Australia's only survivor after a terrible crash-landing on Earth.

But Chan discovered she was not alone. Together with the unlikeliest of allies, Chan carved out a place for herself on Earth. And now the time has come: she's finally found a reason to keep going. But friends have become enemies, and enemies have become friends. It's time for Chan to create her own truths, and discover a life beyond fighting and death.

A life beyond Australia.

Ghosts trail after us. They are our fears and the shape of our hates. We bring them into our lives and into our homes.

Poltergeists and the spirits of drowned girls; malicious presences and portents; cat vampires and roaming bushrangers. These ghosts haunt Canberra - these ghosts can kill.

Lil is elegant and troubled. Ann has just retired and is about to divorce: she sees vistas of nothingness in her future. Mabel is wedded to her garden. Kat is fifteen and has tried hard to drop out of life.

It takes these four women, one cup of tea at a time, to face the ghosts and other supernatural beings in Canberra. But can they face down the darkness and keep Canberra's streets clear of danger?

Pink tutus, magic, sarcasm, amulets and bushfires: this is suburban fantasy in Australia.

Life is never quite what it seems, even without the lost family heritage delivered to Judith and Belinda. Judith wants an ordinary life... mostly. If Belinda weren't Judith's sister, and if it wasn't for bushfires and bigots, Belinda's life would be perfectly ordinary. Judith will tell you so; you don't even have to ask.

Belinda's friend Rhonda has a superpower. Each time she sees the future or reveals deep secrets, seekers for the 'New Nostradamus' come closer to destroying her life. Her hold on normalcy is very fragile; so is her hold on safety.

Judith and Rhonda are haunted, Judith by her past and Rhonda by her gift. Will they ever come into the sunshine and find happiness?

Fay invented a world of fantasy where she could dwell in happiness. Her friends in this perfect world were Belle and Persa, Enlai and Flor. She visited them on the edge of sleep, shaping their lives to suit herself.

"I dream better than other people. More efficiently and effectively," she explained to herself. Her dreams were a flicker away from reality.

After Gilbert turns up in her refuge, undesigned, unheralded, and disturbing, Fay's dream world shatters. But are her dreams really dreams, and should she leave her friends behind and live in the real world?

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 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.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction: The Year in Review (The Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2010) - essay by Liz Grzyb and Talie Helene
• After the Jump - (2010) - shortstory by Felicity Dowker
• L'esprit de L'escalier - (2010) - shortstory by Peter M. Ball
• That Girl - (2010) - shortstory by Kaaron Warren
• Walker - (2010) - shortstory by Dirk Flinthart
• The Bone Mother - (2010) - shortstory by Angela Slatter
• Children's Story - (2010) - shortstory by Bob Franklin
• Night Shift - (2010) - shortstory by Dale Elvy
• Manifest Destiny - (2010) - shortstory by Janeen Webb
• Hive - (2010) - shortstory by Stephen M. Irwin
• Acception - (2010) - novelette by Tessa Kum
• Brave Face - (2010) - shortstory by Pete Kempshall
• Home - (2010) - shortstory by Martin Livings
• Soil from My Fingers - (2010) - shortstory by Lisa L. Hannett
• Feast or Famine - (2010) - shortstory by Gary Kemble
• Johnny & Babushka - (2010) - shortstory by RJ Astruc
• Schubert by Candlelight - (2010) - shortstory by Matthew Chrulew
• Slow Cookin' - (2010) - shortstory by Angela Rega
• The School Bus - (2010) - shortstory by Jason Fischer
• The King's Accord - (2010) - shortstory by Alan Baxter
• Dark Rendezvous - (2010) - shortstory by Simon Petrie
• A Sweet Story - (2010) - shortstory by Gitte Christensen
• A Pearling Tale - (2010) - shortstory by Maxine McArthur
• White Crocodile Jazz - (2010) - shortstory by Ben Peek
• Anne-Droid of Green Gables - (2010) - novelette by Lezli Robyn
• Ghia Likes Food - (2010) - shortstory by Bill Congreve
• Lovers in Caeli-Amur - [Caeli-Amur] - (2010) - shortstory by Rjurik Davidson
• The Memory of Water - (2010) - shortstory by Andrew J. McKiernan
• Wood - (2010) - shortstory by Grant Stone
• She Said - (2010) - shortstory by Kirstyn McDermott
• Where We Go to Be Made Lighter - (2010) - shortstory by Christopher Green
• Mirror - (2010) - poem by Jenny Blackford
• High Tide at Hot Water Beach - (2010) - shortstory by Paul Haines
• The February Dragon - (2010) - novelette by Angela Slatter and Lisa L. Hannett
• About the Contributors (The Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2010) - essay by uncredited
• Recommended Reading List (The Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2010) - essay by Talie Helene and Liz Grzyb
• Australian & New Zealand Fantasy & Horror Awards (The Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2010) - essay by Talie Helene and Liz Grzyb
• Acknowledgements (The Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2010) - essay by Talie Helene and Liz Grzyb

This is the second annual compilation of the best fantasy and horror covering work produced by Australian and New Zealand writers in 2011, collecting 32 stories and poems with over 150,000 words of fiction from some of the genre's best and most awarded writers. Together with an annual genre overview and recommended reading list, this is both a book to be read and a valuable reference work.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction: The Year in Review (The Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2011) - essay by Liz Grzyb and Talie Helene
• Sara Douglass (1957-2011) - (2011) - essay by Lucy Sussex
• All You Can Do Is Breathe - (2011) - shortstory by Kaaron Warren
• Wraiths - (2011) - shortstory by Jason Nahrung
• The Patrician - [The Julias] - (2011) - shortstory by Tansy Rayner Roberts
• Dark Me, Night You - (2011) - shortstory by Terry Dowling
• The Coffin-Maker's Daughter - (2011) - shortstory by Angela Slatter
• Someone Else to Play with - (2011) - shortstory by Pete Kempshall
• The Hall of Lost Footsteps - (2011) - shortstory by Sara Douglass and Angela Slatter
• Bad Power - [Bad Power] - (2011) - shortstory by Deborah Biancotti
• At the Top of the Stairs - (2011) - shortstory by Richard Harland
• Thin Air - (2011) - shortstory by Simon Brown
• Heaven - (2011) - shortstory by Jo Langdon
• More Matter, Less Art - (2011) - shortstory by Stephen Dedman (variant of More Matter, and Less Art)
• Berries and Incense - (2011) - shortstory by Felicity Dowker
• Letters of Love from the Once and Newly Dead - (2011) - shortstory by Christopher Green
• The Soul of the Machine - (2011) - shortstory by Maxine McArthur
• Face to Face - (2011) - shortstory by John Harwood
• The Head in the Goatskin Bag - (2011) - shortstory by Jenny Blackford
• Forever, Miss Tapekwa County - (2011) - shortstory by Lisa L. Hannett
• Love Death - (2011) - shortstory by Andrew J. McKiernan
• Interview with the Jiangshi - (2011) - shortstory by Anne Mok
• Hunting Rufus - (2011) - shortstory by Jason Fischer
• The Wishwriter's Wife - (2011) - shortstory by Ian McHugh
• Frostbitten - (2011) - shortstory by Kirstyn McDermott
• Reading Coffee - (2011) - shortstory by Anthony Panegyres
• Europe After the Rain - (2011) - shortstory by Lee Battersby
• Love in the Atacama, or The Poetry of Fleas - (2011) - shortstory by Angela Rega
• Briar Day - (2011) - shortstory by Peter M. Ball
• Thief of Lives - (2011) - novelette by Lucy Sussex
• Winds of Nzambi - (2011) - shortstory by David Conyers and David Kernot
• Wolf Night - (2011) - novelette by Margaret Mahy
• The Kite - (2011) - poem by Kyla Ward
• The Past Is a Bridge Best Left Burnt - (2011) - novelette by Paul Haines
• About the Contributors (The Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2011) - essay by uncredited
• Recommended Reading List (The Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2011) - essay by uncredited

This is the third annual compilation of the best fantasy and horror covering work produced by Australian and New Zealand writers in 2012, collecting 34 stories and poems with over 140,000 words of fiction from some of the genre's best and most awarded writers. Together with an annual genre overview and recommended reading list, this is both a book to be read and a valuable reference work.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction: The Year in Review (The Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2012) - essay by Liz Grzyb and Talie Helene
• Tied to the Waste - (2012) - shortstory by Joanne Anderton
• The Cook of Pearl House, A Malay Sailor by the Name of Maurice - (2012) - shortfiction by RJ Astruc [as by R. J. Astruc ]
• Comfort Ghost - (2012) - shortstory by Lee Battersby
• Tiny Lives - (2012) - shortstory by Alan Baxter
• A Moveable Feast - (2012) - shortfiction by Jenny Blackford
• The Witch's Wardrobe - (2012) - shortfiction by Eddy Burger
• The Stone Witch - (2012) - novelette by Isobelle Carmody
• Beautiful - (2012) - shortfiction by Jay Caselberg
• The Fall - (2012) - shortfiction by Stephen Dedman
• To Wish on a Clockwork Heart - (2012) - shortstory by Felicity Dowker
• Nightside Eye - (2012) - shortfiction by Terry Dowling
• Population Management - (2012) - shortfiction by Tom Dullemond
• Sleeping Beauty - (2012) - shortstory by Thoraiya Dyer
• Hungry Man - (2012) - shortstory by Will Elliott
• Pigroot Flat - (2012) - shortstory by Jason Fischer
• The Bull in Winter - (2012) - shortfiction by Dirk Flinthart
• Sweet Subtleties - (2012) - shortstory by Lisa L. Hannett
• Bella Beaufort Goes to War - (2012) - shortstory by Lisa L. Hannett and Angela Slatter
• Stalemate - (2012) - shortstory by Narrelle M. Harris
• Kindling - (2012) - shortstory by Kathleen Jennings
• Saturday Night at the Milkbar - shortfiction by Gary Kemble (variant of Saturday Night at the Milk Bar 2012)
• Crow and Caper, Caper and Crow - (2012) - shortstory by Margo Lanagan
• You Ain't Heard Nothing Yet - (2012) - shortfiction by Martin Livings
• A Small Bad Thing - (2012) - shortfiction by Penelope Love
• Torch Song - (2012) - shortfiction by Andrew J. McKiernan
• Anvil of the Sun - (2012) - shortstory by Karen Maric
• Oracle's Tower - (2012) - shortstory by Faith Mudge
• The Black Star Killer - (2012) - shortstory by Nicole R. Murphy [as by Nicole Murphy ]
• The Last Boat to Eden - (2012) - shortfiction by Jason Nahrung
• What Books Survive - (2012) - shortstory by Tansy Rayner Roberts
• Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean - (2012) - shortfiction by Angela Slatter
• The Dog Who Wished He'd Never Heard of Lovecraft - (2012) - shortstory by Anna Tambour
• The Loquacious Cadaver - (2012) - shortfiction by Kyla Ward
• River of Memory - (2012) - shortfiction by Kaaron Warren (variant of The River of Memory)
• About the Contributors (The Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2013) - essay by uncredited
• Recommended Reading List (The Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2013) - essay by uncredited

This is the fourth annual compilation of the best fantasy and horror covering work produced by Australian and New Zealand writers in 2013, collecting 28 stories with over 150,000 words of fiction from some of the genre's best and most awarded writers. Together with an annual genre overview and recommended reading list, this is both a book to be read and a valuable reference work.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction: The Year in Review (The Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2013) - essay by Liz Grzyb and Talie Helene
• Disciple of the Torrent - (2013) - novelette by Lee Battersby
• All the Lost Ones - (2013) - novelette by Deborah Biancotti
• Camp Follower - (2013) - shortstory by Trudi Canavan
• Glasskin - (2013) - shortstory by Robert G. Cook
• The Ways of the Wyrding Women - (2013) - novelette by Cory Daniells [as by Rowena Cory Daniells ]
• The Sleepover - (2013) - novelette by Terry Dowling
• After Hours - (2013) - novelette by Thoraiya Dyer
• A Castle in Toorak - (2013) - shortstory by Marion Halligan
• The Boy by the Gate - (2013) - shortstory by Dmetri Kakmi
• Harry's Dead Poodle - (2013) - shortstory by David Kernot
• Black Swan Event - (2013) - shortstory by Margo Lanagan
• Poppies - (2013) - shortstory by S. G. Larner
• La Mort d'un Roturer - (2013) - shortstory by Martin Livings
• Caution: Contains Small Parts - (2013) - novelette by Kirstyn McDermott
• The Ninety Two - (2013) - shortstory by Claire McKenna
• The Nest - (2013) - shortstory by Catherine S. McMullen [as by C. S. McMullen ]
• By Bone-Light - (2013) - novelette by Juliet Marillier
• Old Souls - (2013) - shortstory by David Thomas Moore
• The Oblivion Box - (2013) - novelette by Faith Mudge
• Sticks and Stones - (2013) - shortstory by Ryan O'Neill
• Almost Beautiful - (2013) - shortstory by Angela Rega
• The Raven and Her Victory - (2013) - shortstory by Tansy Rayner Roberts
• On the Wall - (2013) - shortstory by Nicky Rowlands
• The Silence of Clockwork - (2013) - shortstory by Carol Ryles
• Flight - (2013) - shortstory by Angela Slatter
• Bowfin Island - (2013) - shortstory by Anna Tambour
• Born and Bread - (2013) - shortstory by Kaaron Warren
• Hell Is Where the Heart Is - (2013) - shortstory by Janeen Webb
• About the Contributors (The Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2013) - essay by uncredited
• Recommended Reading List (The Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2013) - essay by uncredited

This is the fifth annual compilation of the best fantasy and horror covering work produced by Australian and New Zealand writers in 2014, collecting 28 stories with over 150,000 words of fiction from some of the genre's best and most awarded writers. Together with an annual genre overview and recommended reading list, this is both a book to be read and a valuable reference work.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction: The Year in Review (The Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2014) - essay by Liz Grzyb and Talie Helene
• Alan Baxter, "Shadows of the Lonely Dead" [Suspended in Dusk]
• James Bradley, "The Changeling" [Fearsome Magics]
• Imogen Cassidy, "Soul Partner" [Aurealis 74]
• David Conyers & David Kernot, "The Bullet & The Flesh" [World War Cthulhu]
• Terry Dowling, "The Corpse Rose" [Nightmare Carnival]
• Thoraiya Dyer, "The Oud" [Long Hidden Anthology]
• Jason Franks, "Metempsychosis" [SQ Mag]
• Michelle Goldsmith, "Of Gold and Dust" [Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine 60]
• Michael Grey, "1884" [Cthulhu Lives: An Eldrich Tribute to H.P.Lovecraft]
• Stephanie Gunn, "Escapement" [Kisses by Clockwork]
• Lisa L. Hannett & Angela Slatter, "Vox" [The Female Factory]
• Gerry Huntman, "Of The Colour Tumeric, Climbing on Fingertips" [Night Terrors III]
• Rick Kennett, "Dolls for Another Day" [The Ghosts & Scholars Book of Shadows: Vol 2]
• Charlotte Kieft, "Chiaroscuro" [Disquiet]
• SG Larner, "Kneaded" [Phantazein]
• Claire McKenna, "Yard" [Use Only As Directed]
• Andrew J. McKiernan, "A Prayer for Lazarus" [Last Year, When We Were Young]
• Faith Mudge, "Signature" [Kaleidoscope: Diverse YA Science Fi]
• Jason Nahrung, "The Preservation Society" [Dimension6]
• Emma Osborne, "The Box Wife" [Shock Totem: Curious Tales of the Macabre & Twisted #9]
• Angela Rega, "Shedding Skin" [Crossed Genres]
• Tansy Rayner Roberts, "The Love Letters of Swans" [Phantazein]
• Angela Slatter, "The Badger Bride" [Strange Tales IV]
• Cat Sparks, "New Chronicles of Andras Thorn" [Dimension6 Annual Collection 2014]
• Anna Tambour, "The Walking-stick Forest" [Tor.com]
• Kyla Ward, "Necromancy" [Spectral Realms #1]
• Kaaron Warren, "Bridge of Sighs" [Fearful Symmetries: An Anthology of Horror]
• Janeen Webb, "Lady of the Swamp" [Death at the Blue Elephant]
• About the Contributors (The Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2014) - essay by uncredited
• Recommended Reading List (The Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror 2014) - essay by uncredited

This is the sixth annual compilation of the best fantasy and horror covering work produced by Australian and New Zealand writers in 2015, collecting 31 stories with over 150,000 words of fiction from some of the genre's best and most awarded writers. Together with an annual genre overview and recommended reading list, this is both a book to be read and a valuable reference work.

Table of Contents:

• "2B", shortfiction by Joanne Anderton
• "The Chart of the Vagrant Mariner", shortfiction by Alan Baxter
• "Look How Cold My Hands Are", shortfiction by Deborah Biancotti
• "Oh, Have You Seen The Devil", shortfiction by Stephen Dedman
• "The Events at Callan Park", shortfiction by Erol Engin
• "The Dog Pit", shortfiction by Jason Fischer
• "In the Blood", shortfiction by Dirk Flinthart
• "In Sheep's Clothing", shortfiction by Kimberley Gaal
• "The Flowers That Bloom Where Blood Touches Earth", shortfiction by Stephanie Gunn
• "Consorting With Filth", shortfiction by Lisa Hannett
• "Double Speak", shortfiction by Robert Hood
• "A Hedge of Yellow Roses", shortfiction by Kathleen Jennings
• "Ninehearts", shortfiction by Maree Kimberley
• "Sleepless", shortfiction by Jay Kristoff
• "El Caballo Muerte", shortfiction by Martin Livings
• "Reminiscences of Herbert West", shortfiction by Danny Lovecraft
• "Self, Contained", shortfiction by Kirstyn McDermott
• " Mr Schmidt's Dead Pet Emporium", shortfiction by Sally McLennan
• "Almost Days", shortfiction by DK Mok
• "Blueblood", shortfiction by Faith Mudge
• "Half Past", shortfiction by Samantha Murray
• "Night Blooming", shortfiction by Jason Nahrung
• "The Company of Women", shortfiction by Garth Nix
• "Lady Killer", shortfiction by Anthony Panegyres
• "Beyond the Factory Wall", shortfiction by Rivqa Rafael
• "Perfect Little Stitches", shortfiction by Deborah Sheldon
• "Bluebeard's Daughter", shortfiction by Angela Slatter
• "Dragon Girl", shortfiction by Cat Sparks
• "Angelito", shortfiction by Lucy Sussex
• "Tap", shortfiction by Anna Tambour
• "Mine Intercom", shortfiction by Kaaron Warren