Archives: Book Reviews

It is hard to be an objective literary critic when your own magazine has been lauded so kindly, as Aurealis is in The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Fantasy. Let’s give it a go. This is a must-have compendium for all fans of fantasy literature. From the jocular and insightful forward by powerhouse comic fantasy author Terry Pratchett to the well designed interior this book will have something for everyone. The book is divided into genre types: literature, tv, movies; then significant characters, authors and so on. It’s nicely laid out, informative and an easy book to become engrossed in. I was a little miffed that only one top-notch Australian author made it into the author section. Stephen Dedman is a significant Australian fantasy author, but not the only one. Nevertheless, he sits comfortably amongst a legion of fantasy greats. And so we come to the clincher. How can I say anything bad, when it’s said:
Aurealis (launched 1990) is Australia’s first professional, mass market and science-fiction magazine. Designed from the outset to help redress the balance in the Australian genre fiction market, it has showcased dozens of new writers and done a considerable amount to help get local writers into print – and into bookshops; most Australian publishers now have a local sci-fi/ author list, which was certainly not the case beforehand.  The magazine also launched the Aurealis Awards in 1995 for excellence in Australian speculative fiction.  Having revived the moribund native scene, it now aims to showcase its talent to the world, with distribution deals inthe USA, UK and Canada and web distribution globally. Aurealis is undoubtedly the devoted and worthy champion of Australian fantasy–every country should be so lucky.