News: Dark Corridors of Time by Keith Williams released

WA publisher Equilibrium Books recently announced the release of Dark Corridors of Time, a dark SF thriller from Keith Williams (AHWA member and author of Dark Beckoning and The Finger of God).

Synopsis:
When light creeps into the shadowy recesses of our past and illuminates what is hiding in the corners, there will be consequences ...

In a tiny remote rural town, a man finds a strange object in his yard, an object that appears benign, but its presence will soon have disastrous implications for the entire planet as desperate authorities seek its recovery.

The man is a bitter, disillusioned loner, driven to despair by the life he has lived and the road that fate has set him upon, so despite not knowing its intent or purpose, he has no hesitation in hiding his mysterious visitor, which seems equally unwilling to be discovered. But as events unfold at an alarming rate and humanity is driven towards the brink of oblivion, the man is sent on an incredible journey as his past, present, future and all that he had believed about his life is torn asunder and his destiny remade. He is forced, unwillingly, to acknowledge the demons from his distant past and to once again face a monstrous horror that reaches out to him from beyond time and space ... a horror that he had thought to be long buried.

Dark Corridors of Time is an apocalyptic tale of regret, lost opportunity, anger, frustration, and perhaps, ultimate redemption and the effect that our choices can have on the destiny of us as individuals and globally.

The novel is now available from Equilibrium Books.


Source: Equilibrium Books

News: Macabre anthology discussion on Brisbane's ABC 612

Stephen M. Irwin & Gary Kemble

Three of Brisbane's darkest minds recently gathered in the studios of ABC Radio 612 to discuss the recent release of the landmark anthology Macabre: A Journey Through Australia's Darkest Fears (ed. Angela Challis & Marty Young, Brimstone Press) and horror in Brisbane.

The three authors - Will Elliott, Stephen M. Irwin, and Gary Kemble - all of whom have contributed an original story to the 'New Era' section of Macabre, were interviewed by ABC 612's Richard Fidler.

The full podcast of this fascinating discussion is available here.

Macabre is available from the Brimstone Press website now and will be in all good bookstores around the country from October 1.

Review: After America by John Birmingham

It's been four years since 'the wave' killed most of the people living in North America and set in motion a series of events that have had major impacts for everyone in the world. Reluctant U.S. President Kipper supervises the rebuilding of the former superpower while fighting off foes from both outside (pirates, gangsters and enemies of America fighting for control of New York City) and within (the treacherous Governor of Texas). Miguel, rancher and family man, is devastated by a sickening act of violence and has to fight for his life and all that remains to him. Meanwhile the family of assassin Caitlin Monroe is targeted by an old nemesis. Soldiers Yusuf Mohammed and Fryderyk Milosz, on opposing sides, fight for what they believe in - the former for the glory of Allah, the latter for the right not to be shot by 'arsewits'.

John Birmingham returns to the story he began so successfully with 'Without Warning' (reviewed here). He manages the same balancing act he achieved with that book, juggling a mulitstrand narrative while largely maintaining our interest in the fates of most of the characters. A dishonourable mention, however, goes out to 'Rhino' who has rapidly palled as a protagonist for me. Miguel, a minor character in the earlier book, has the most moving story and is one that could almost have become a novel in its own right. His trek across the desolate wastes of post-wave America with his daughter and a band of Mormons is the most compelling story of the lot.


As in the earlier book, humour and violence walk hand in hand and the scenes of warfare in New York City cry out for a movie adaptation - though in this post 9-11 world emotions might still be too raw for that option. Quite a few story lines are left up in the air at the end, hopefully to be tied up in the inevitable sequel.


At the recent Brisbane Writers Festival, Birmingham called this series his big, dumb books. But he's doing his own work a disservice. While there's sometimes a sense of childlike glee at blowing stuff up, there's also a manic intelligence at work here, posing and attempting to answer quite sophisticated moral questions about the use of force and conduct in a war zone.

After America is published by Pan Macmillan Australia.

Review: Zombie Felties

Nicola Tedman & Sarah Skeate, 2010, Penguin Australia

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http://zombiefictionreview.blogspot.com/2010/09/review-zombie-felties.html

Review: Ex-Heroes

Peter Clines, 2010, Permuted Press

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http://zombiefictionreview.blogspot.com/2010/09/review-ex-heroes.html

News: Horrors! Great Tales of Fear and Their Creators by Rocky Wood released

Australian author, Bram Stoker Award nominee, and Stephen King expert Rocky Wood has had his first graphic novel released by US publisher McFarland. The graphic novel is illustrated by Stephen King specialist Glenn Chadbourne.

Synopsis:
That notorious evening at Villa Diodati when Lord Byron challenged his contemporaries to write a ghost story, his summons brought forth a mad doctor intent on reanimation and a vampire drunk with bloodlust. The night modern horror was born was notoriously dark and stormy, as were the lives of those who wrote the most fearsome - yet beloved - tales in literature, for those so gifted were also cursed. Horrors, a graphic novel, reveals in gruesome detail how Mary Wollstonecraft, Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, and other masters of the genre were haunted by their monstrous creations.

More information on the book is available at McFarland.

Review: White Lightnin'

Dir. Dominic Murphy, 2009, Madman.

Jesco White, the infamous 'dancing outlaw' of the Appalachians in West Virginia, is given the biopic treatment in this interesting DVD release. We see the young Jesco as he becomes addicted to sniffing lighter fluid and petrol and constantly being shunted between reform schools and insane asylums. In an effort to curb his son's wayward behaviour Jesco's domineering father teaches him the art of mountain dancing - a sort of hillbilly tap dancing. Following his dad's murder, Jesco takes his dancing skills on the road, but revenge is never far away from his mind. In the process he also finds love in the form of an almost unrecognisable, and decidedly unglamorous, Carrie Fisher. His increasingly unstable behaviour leads to murder, madness and possibly some sort of redemption.

As biography, it's hard to sift fact from fiction, particularly in the latter third of the film when the wheels completely fall off the hero's sanity. Ed Hogg brings a dark, damaged charisma to the role of Jesco White, and Carrie Fisher as the love interest is touching. Special mention should be made of Owen Campbell who is great as the young Jesco.

Although this is not horror per se, it stimulates many of the same nerve-endings. There's an aberration for everyone - violence, self-mutilation, substance abuse, auto-cannibalism and blasphemy (I think - I'm not 100% sure what was going on in that ending). It's a mongrel movie with moonshine in its veins and bad thoughts on its mind. Part arthouse, part madhouse with flashes of David Lynch, Alejandro Jodorowsky and Deliverance. Give it a go if you want something out of the ordinary. Depending on your temperament, you'll either want to watch it again straight away or take a couple of aspirin and have a long lie down.

Review: A Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris

A Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris is a collection containing all of the previously published Sookie Stackhouse stories. Most of these stories are standalone from the rest of the Southern Vampire Mysteries series.

The events in Fairy Dust occur after Dead to the World. One of the fairy triplets, Claudette, has been murdered, and Sookie uses her telepathic powers to help the remaining triplets, Claude and Claudine, to find her murderer. This fills in a minor gap in the mythology of the entire series.

Dracula Night, which occurs before the events in Dead as a Doornail, features Eric, who invites Sookie to Fangtasia to celebrate Dracula’s birthday. Fans of Eric especially will enjoy this one, and it is probably the most enjoyable and fun story of the collection.

One Word Answer (which occurs after Dead as a Doornail) is the one story that is an integral part of the whole series. Here, Sookie learns of her cousin Hadley’s death and involvement with the vampire queen. This is the story that also stands best on its own.

Lucky is set after All Together Dead and features both Sookie and her witch friend Amelia Broadway as they use their combined powers to help out an insurance agent. This story feels very throw away and does little to add to the series overall.

Gift Wrap, the final story of the collection, shows Sookie celebrating Christmas Eve alone when she receives an unexpected visitor. Sookie fans will find this a sweet story.

Overall, though this collection adds little to the series, fans of the Southern Vampire Mysteries books will undoubtedly find this a welcome addition to their book collection. Harris captures Sookie’s voice seamlessly in all of the stories (as in the series books), and though none of these are as strong or satisfying as any of her longer books, they are an easy and overall enjoyable read.

A Touch of Dead is published by Gollancz.

Review: Re-Living Off the Land

Dir. Simon Best and Paul Murphy, 2009.



A young girl is driving alone through the Australian countryside when her car breaks down. She walks to a farmhouse down the road to get help. Suddenly, a raised pitchfork appears and our heroine is savagely cut down in her denim-skirt clad prime. So begins low budget horror flick 'Living Off the Land', started but unfinished by four friends from high school. Re-Living Off the Land is a mockumentary that recounts the hapless attempts by original star Paul who tries to track down his mates and finish making the film. The director, a film school drop-out, now works at a video store. One of the actors has been absorbed into the corporate world. And the mysterious Wally, possibly the most talented of the group, has disappeared in mysterious circumstances. Will our heroes get their film completed and shown? Will they manage not to kill each other in the process?

This is a curious little film. It makes some serious points about the difficulties of low-budget film making, the perils of working with friends and the effects of success (or lack of it) on relationships. There are some funny scenes, particularly involving Graham, the absent Wally's replacement, and his total lack of acting chops. A sequence where he is practising his profanity strewn dialogue with his middle-aged mum in the kitchen is very well done.

Music fans may be interested in the presence of Walter De Backer, more widely known these days as Triple -J favourite Goyte. He has an amusing scene when he throws a diva tantrum because his old friends fail to use his stage name. Another interesting cameo is by the late Richard Franklin, director of such genre films as Psycho 2 and Patrick.

Horror fans could be disappointed by the lack of gore, or much in the way of horror elements at all. This is more a film for hard-core movie buffs. Personally, I would have found it more interesting to see them actually complete their original project. For this kind of faux documentary style to work in a comedic vein, the writing needs to be sharper. All credit to them though for actually getting this short film made and out in the world. If somebody gives them a bigger budget and a good script-writer, we could be hearing more from these guys in the future. You can watch the complete film here.

News: P'rea Press website

Australian independent poetry publisher P'rea Press now has a website (www.preapress.com).

Now more than ever, it is easy to order P'rea Press's limited editions of dark poetry volumes such as Spores from Sharnoth and Other Madnesses by Leigh Blackmore and Savage Menace and Other Poems of Horror by Richard L. Tierney.


Source: Leigh Blackmore

Review: Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #41

Editor Ian Nichols has collected together a wonderfully eclectic mix of stories in this issue.

'Runway to Heaven' by Dave Luckett is a nostalgic and wistful story about strippers with a seemingly well-researched plethora of detail. In 'Sleep No More', Stephen Dedman links Arthurian legend with global warming and right-wing lunatics. 'A Portrait of My Mum and Dad' by Karen Maric starts as a disturbing tale of domestic violence, throws in a dash of internet magic and ends on an optimistic note. The gritty details are leavened by an ending that just manages to stay on the right side of twee.

One of the highlights for me was 'Cockroach Love'. When a story contains the classic line of abuse '...you squamous fucker', scenes of Blattarian porn and a character called Elwood Grackle in the first few paragraphs, you know you're in for an interesting ride. Damien Broderick and Paul Di Filippo combine the clash of civilisations with a dash of Kafka and pull off a funny yet chilling yarn.

Felicity Pulman's 'Jungle Juice' is a slight but amusing tale of vegetation with a drinking problem (oddly one of two stories in this collection that focus on substance abuse by plants - is this a new microgenre?) Brisbane writer and illustrator Kathleen Jennings does a fine job evoking a world at the edge of our senses in 'The Splendour Falls'. It's simultaneously romantic and a touch cynical with a downbeat ending. What could have been a wispy thin narrative is given texture by some evocative imagery and appeals to the senses.

Grant Stone's 'The Living Dead Boy' suggests that if death is not quite the end, then it certainly alters your view of the world. It's packed with some nicely observed details and is both touching and funny. Thoraiya Dyer gives us 'The Platter of Palate's Pleasure'. It's a fun intersection of Persian myth and the souring of one man's dream. 'Come to Jesus' by Jessica E Kaiser is a pitch perfect religious satire. The collection is rounded off with Brian Stableford's 'The Fertile Imagination', an existentialist tract on the secret philosophical life of plants. A great idea starts well but the story meanders to a disappointing conclusion.

You can get it right here if you're interested. And with a collection that caters to almost every taste (botanists with addictive personalities included), why wouldn't you?

Review: Macabre: A Journey Through Australia's Darkest Fears

Ed. Angela Challis & Dr. Marty Young, Brimstone Press, 2010

'Macabre is a snapshot of the fears that have gripped Australians for over 200 years: the isolation of the bush, monstrous fauna, supernatural terrors, violence, war, terrorism, alienation, cannibalism, and murder. From the very earliest colonial ghost stories through to grim tales of modern life, Macabre will take you on a journey through the terrifying heart of Australian horror.'

I should state right from the outset, in the interests of full disclosure, that the HorrorScope website, for which I am a staff reviewer, falls under the auspices of Brimstone Press, who are of course the publishers of Macabre. I bother to mention this because, in my honest opinion, Macabre is destined to be regarded as a landmark Australian anthology - up there with Congreve's Intimate Armageddons and Blackmore's Terror Australis - and I'd hate to think that anyone might be put off diving into this tome because of any perceived conflict of interests here.

That said, I suspect that Macabre will achieve major critical and commercial success regardless of whatever I do or don't say here, such is the quality of the publication. So...

Divided into three parts - Classics (1836-1979), Modern Masters (1980-2000), and The New Era (2000 - ) - Macabre anthologises 38 tales, presented not as a 'best of' list so much as a solid representation of the styles, themes and authors that have dominated Australian dark fiction for the better part of two centuries. The Classics section includes numerous previously-anthologised tales (particularly those from the colonial era), as well as pieces less familiar to genre readers, including SF/horror and Lovecraftian tales from the mid-twentieth century. The regrettably small Modern Masters section comprises the current undisputed giants of the field; Hood, Frahm, Williams, Dedman, Kennett, Warren, and - of course - Dowling, the works of whom served to usher in (and continue to contribute strongly to) the current 'Golden Age' of Australian horror.

Finally, the New Era section - the largest of the three - showcases many of the 'rising stars' of the scene (although describing them thusly perhaps undersells the already well-established talent and popularity of these writers). For all that Macabre is, again, not a 'best of' (and could never be cited as such, given that most of the pieces in this section are original to this anthology), the New Era section certainly reads like a Year's Best list.

Here, we are treated to a generous cross-section of all Australian dark fiction has to offer, from the hideously surreal setting of Andrew McKiernan's 'All the Clowns in Clowntown', to the all-too-realistic nastiness of Bob Franklin's 'Take the Free Tour' and Gary Kemble's 'Feast or Famine'; classic creepiness from Kyla Ward ('Erina Hearn and the Gods of Death'), monsters from David Witteveen & David Conyers ('Sweet as Decay') and Nathan Burrage ('Obituary Park'), tales of (dare I say it) the macabre from Paul Haines ('Her Collection of Intimacy'), Matthew Chrulew ('Schubert by Candlelight'), Tim Kroenert ('Beheld') and Stephen M. Irwin ('Hive'), urban darkness from Shane Jiraiya Cummings ('Dark Heart Alley') and Kirstyn McDermott ('Monsters Among Us'), human horrors from Susan Wardle ('Here be Monsters'), a science-fictional nightmare from Russell B. Farr ('Can't Stop Killing You'), and outback brutalities from Martin Livings ('crawlin' ') and Will Elliott ('Dhayban'). The anthology concludes (appropriately) with 'The Fear', an unsettling tale by Richard Harland, which examines (and makes full use of) the power of fear itself. There is literally something in here for every fan of horror fiction, and each and every one a potential future classic of the genre.

Also featuring an insightful and informative introductory essay on the history of Australian horror short fiction, and an appendix detailing the Australian horror fiction timeline, Macabre is a must-own publication, and one publication I'll be expecting to sweep the various local genre awards over the next year.

News: Ticonderoga Publications to Publish Year’s Best Anthology Series

Ticonderoga Publications is pleased to announce a new anthology series, The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy and Horror.

The first volume of this anthology will cover stories published in 2010, and will be published in June 2011.

The series is edited by Liz Grzyb and Talie Helene.

Liz Grzyb is the editor of the acclaimed Scary Kisses, Australia’s first paranormal romance anthology, and is Reviews Editor at Ticon4.

Talie Helene was News Editor for the Australian Horror Writers’ Association for four years, for which she was nominated for a Ditmar Award; she is also a musician and freelance journalist.

“There are some fantastic stories being published by Australians right now, and we’re looking forward to collecting the best of these in one volume,” says Liz Grzyb.

“There’s an amazing depth of talent in Australian horror fiction, and I can’t wait to showcase the best to a broader audience,” enthuses Talie Helene.

Ticonderoga’s editor, Russell B. Farr is excited by this project.

“While Australian publishers have had success in the past with Year’s Bests, consistency and longevity have been somewhat elusive. We’re hopeful that this series will be sustainable, and that sharing the workload will make this happen,” says Russell.

More information and eligibility guidelines are available online.

Source: Ticonderoga Publications

News: Reminder! Subscription Drive Competition Closes Soon!

NecroScope's first official subscription drive competition closes in just two days! Sign up now to enter the draw for a fabulous prize-pack!

Check the link below for further details:

 http://zombiefictionreview.blogspot.com/2010/09/news-reminder-subscription-drive.html

News: Zombie Week at Tor.com

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http://zombiefictionreview.blogspot.com/2010/09/news-zombie-week-at-torcom.html

Review: The Phoenix Files: Mutation by Chris Morphew

The Phoenix Files: Mutation is the third book Chris Morphew’s young adult series, The Phoenix Files. The previous two books (Arrival and Contact) have been previously reviewed at Horrorscope here and here).

Phoenix is a city in the middle of nowhere that has been built by the Shackleton Co-operative. In Phoenix, no one drives cars, there is no police force (just Shackleton’s security) and there is no access to the outside world by phone or internet. And in Phoenix, someone is counting down the last hundred days until the end of the world.

The series follows three teenage citizens of Phoenix: Luke, Peter and Jordan. The first two books were written from the points of view of Luke and Peter respectively, and the third book takes us for the first time into Jordan’s point of view.

Jordan’s rebellious nature has already made her a target for people in positions of authority, including Shackleton. She also finds herself the object of romantic interest for both Peter and Luke, who inevitably clash because of their mutual interest. Along with these worries, she also has concern for her family – her mother, whose pregnancy is disturbingly abnormal, and her little sister Georgia, who seems to be developing some strange abilities. Jordan herself is also changing, becoming something that she doesn’t understand.

This book continues the quick pace of the first two installments. Morphew’s text is easy to read – he is particularly skilled at capturing the teens’ voices and balancing the usual problems of the three protagonists as they deal with burgeoning romances with the greater problems of their world. Jordan, in particular, is a refreshing heroine – she is strong and capable and never needs to be saved.

There are enough answers provided to some of the mysteries established in the earlier books to keep a reader satisfied, but at the same time, more questions are asked. Morphew creates tension on every page, and just when things seem to be becoming clear, he turns everything on its head. Yet again, we’re left with an ending that’s going to have you hanging for the next book.

The Phoenix Files: Mutation is published by Hardie Grant Egmont.

Review: What Will Come After

Scott Edelman, 2010, PS Publishing

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http://zombiefictionreview.blogspot.com/2010/09/review-what-will-come-after.html

Review: Doghouse

Dir. Jake West, 2009, Carnaby International

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http://zombiefictionreview.blogspot.com/2010/09/doghouse-review.html

Interview: Dr Arnold T. Blumberg

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http://zombiefictionreview.blogspot.com/2010/09/interview-dr-arnold-t-blumberg.html

Review: Chasers (Bk #1: Alone)

James Phelan, 2010, Hachette Australia

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http://zombiefictionreview.blogspot.com/2010/09/review-chasers-bk-1-alone.html

News: HorrorScope ends official partnership with AHWA

Following the Australian Horror Writers Association (AHWA) annual general meeting on September 4, 2010, at Aussiecon 4, HorrorScope has ended its partnership with the AHWA as official news provider.

Since March 2007, Brimstone Press and the AHWA have collaborated to streamline Aussie dark fiction news on HorrorScope. HorrorScope will continue to provide all the latest Australian dark fiction news - including important announcements from the AHWA - but the ending of the partnership will allow the AHWA to expand its projects into areas that previously overlapped with HorrorScope's services.

HorrorScope will continue to go from strength to strength, and in addition to the regular dark fiction news updates, HorrorScope is committed to increasing its interview and review output through the appointment of several new reviewers.

Source: Brimstone Press

News: New edition of Spores from Sharnoth and Other Madnesses published

P'rea Press has issued a 50-copy numbered/limited revised reprint of Leigh Blackmore's acclaimed weird verse collection Spores from Sharnoth and Other Madnesses. The first edition was published in 2008.

The new edition features a different coloured cover, an updated bibliography, and an extended reviews section. Several of the poems have also been revised.

With a foreword by US critic and scholar S. T. Joshi and an introduction by the editors of P'rea Press, Spores from Sharnoth and Other Madnesses is an essential acquistion for enthusiasts of horrific and dark verse.

"Excellent poetry of the weird ... If you love Lovecraft and admire formal poetic form and structure, then this professional debut collection must be in your collection!"
- Scott Green, author Contemporary Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Poetry

The collection costs A$15 + postage (Australia only, overseas buyers enquire). To order, contact Danny Lovecraft of P'rea Press: DannyL58@hotmail.com (no website available). The book and other P'rea Press titles are also available from Of Science and Swords in Victoria.


Source: Leigh Blackmore

Review: Angel of Death by J. Robert King

Angel of Death is written from the point of view of the “Angel of Death” for the Chicago-Milwaukee area. The angel has a quota of deaths to arrange via murders, suicides and accidents and takes particular pleasure in making the deaths ironic or meaningful.

In order to fulfill his quota, the angel works with a serial killer – Keith McFarland, sending him on a killing spree. Investigating McFarland is investigator Donna Leland. In the guise of a human, Azra, the angel crosses paths with Donna, an interaction which will cause him to question whether he is angel or human.

Some of the narrative is difficult to follow – in particular, the beginning of the book cuts back and forth a lot, which makes it a little hard to get into. This does smooth out for a while as the narrative takes off. Around halfway through the book, the pace and the stakes pick up, and it becomes a more immersive, more enjoyable read.

There is a lot of gore involved in the deaths and murders, which can be quite confronting (though not out of place in the genre and the for the subject manner). Some of the characterization is a little flimsy – especially Donna. She’s given a background and motivation for everything she does, but she still feels often as though she’s simply a chess piece being moved around for the sake of the plot.

There is some interesting mythology established here, and the middle of the book is absolutely intriguing. Unfortunately, the ending feels somewhat clichéd and anticlimactic, but at the same time it does fulfill all of the promises made in the beginning of the book and is logical and, given the established mythology in the book, almost inevitable.

Angel of Death is released by Angry Robot books.

News: AussieCon Audio - Directions in Australian Horror

If you weren't able to get to AussieCon 4, here's some audio from one of the horror-related panels.

Featuring Stuart Mayne (Aurealis Magazine), Honey Brown (Red Queen), Trent Jamieson (Death Most Definite), Bill Congreve (MirrorDanse Publishing), Angela Slatter (The Girl With No Hands).

Check it out here.

(Note: My trip to AussieCon 4 received financial assistance from the Queensland Government, via Arts Queensland)

Interview: Trent Jamieson

Okay, so Trent might call it 'urban fantasy' but Death Most Definite has zombies and demons, so let's call it horror.

1. How are things going with the response to Death Most Definite?


I've been amazed at the response I've had to the book so far, it's been resoundingly positive, nothing that my experience as a short story writer has ever prepared me for. People have been so vocal in their support of this book that I'm still in a little shock.

2. I note that the second book is out relatively soon after the first came out, and then the third not long after. Is this a new trend in publishing, to get the trilogy out faster?

Yes, the next one is out in December, and the third is out in April. There's been a trend towards this for a while, but it's hardly a universal trend. It's meant a lot of hard work getting the books completed, and I'm still working on book three right now, but I've learnt so much and enjoyed the process far more than I probably should, but I'm not complaining. I've actually discovered that deadlines suit my temperament.

3. Statistics tell us that publishers like, in order of preference – poetry collections, single-author anthologies, one-off novels, multi-book series (eg trilogies or ongoing series). Does this mean that new authors serious about making a career in writing should be thinking about more than one book when they approach publishers? Ie, they might have the first book done but an outline for second and third?


This is a tough question, because really regardless of the order of preference, all of these types of books get published. I think an author serious about making a career should just focus on writing the best book they possibly can. Of course, if they're like me they're always going to be thinking about the next book (or books) they're going to be writing too, it helps keep you sane when you get stuck. The next book is always the light at the end of the tunnel (until it becomes the new tunnel).

4. How did it play out with you? Did you envisage the Death Works trilogy as one massive book and then decide to cut it into three shorter books? Or was it always a trilogy, and you pitched it as such?


Once I started to get going on the book I knew I had two more novels in that particular story arc. And I, with a few changes, have stuck pretty close to my original vision. I didn't have the story worked out across the three books, beat for beat, but I knew where I wanted to end it - and the ending is pretty close to that. Once I'd finished the book to the best of my ability (ie in need of the editorial boot and razor) I pitched it as part one of a series. But the sale really depended on the strength of the first book.

5. I mean, I guess the story should always dictate, but if a writer is figuring out which novel to work on and they've got a one-off as opposed to first book in a trilogy (and they like both ideas equally!) should they go the trilogy?


That's a hard thing to council. I think a writer should try to hew as closely to the stuff that interests them, or suits their temperament. It can be a terrible mistake to try and sell a trilogy if the story isn't sustained throughout the three books. There's enough pressure in the publishing side of writing (with deadlines and such) that you don't want to add to it. You want to challenge yourself, but you also need to do what is going to work for you. Of course, it's different for everyone.

6. At your book launch you made light of the fact that 'by the power of Greyskull' you could now truly call yourself 'a writer'. But do you think there's a serious side to that in that many fledgling writers don't feel they have the track record to claim the 'writer' tag? What is a writer anyway?


A writer writes, that's about it. Writing is different from publishing, you don't get the second without the first. I think every writer no matter how far along the writing life questions this all the time (or maybe not, but I do). I'm the last person to judge whether someone is a writer or not. Sit down and write, and don't worry about what to call yourself, I reckon. And certainly don't listen to me!

7. I note that you were on a panel discussing directions in Australian horror. One thing that I've loved in recent years is seeing Australian locations in novels backed by big publishers eg The Darkness Within (and the other Dark Suspense titles picked up by Hachette from Lothian), The Dead Path by Stephen M Irwin, and your Death Works trilogy. So, can strong stories really transcend geographical boundaries, or are readers in the US always more likely to pick up a horror title set in the US?


A good story's a good story, maybe I'm being naive. I'm sure there are a better and brighter people than me that could give you the stats for sales of US stories set in Australia. I think the real question is: are readers more likely to pick up a horror title by somebody they don't know or somebody they do? That leap of faith with a new writer is a hardest thing, but we all do it, that's how new writers become favourite writers. And there are always new writers.

(Note: My trip to AussieCon 4 received financial assistance from the Queensland Government via Arts Queensland)

Review: The Chaser

Dir. Hong-jin Na, 2008, Madman (Australian DVD release).

Jung-ho is an ex-cop turned pimp who runs a stable of girls in Seoul. Lately he's been a bit concerned as some of them appear to have done a runner on him. Desperate, he sends Mi-Jin, mother of a young girl, to service a client. Too late he realises that this is the same man that his other girls had visited before vanishing. With the help of his aptly named assistant 'Meathead' he tries to track her down.

A suspect is taken into custody but the police have insufficient evidence to hold him for longer than twelve hours and no-one knows where the girl is being kept prisoner. Jung-ho has to find her before the killer is released and adds Mi-jin to his lengthy list of victims.

Of course these days serial killer movies are pretty thick on the ground. This one has a few things going for it. The Korean locations add an air of novelty. And rather than having an obligatory car chase as you're bound to see in similar Hollywood product, most of the chases take place on foot through twisting alley-ways and are all the more exciting for it. The performances are sound. Yun-seok Kim gives a certain dignity to the potentially unlikeable main character. Jung-woo Ha plays the killer with a slightly off-kilter mixture of flippancy and detachment, making him even more disturbing.

As a whole, the plotting builds the tension well, though it is marred somewhat by two irritatingly convenient coincidences that help push the story along. There's a sour, almost nihilistic tone which is leavened slightly by the relationship between the young daughter of the missing prostitute and Jung-ho. The cinematography of a rainy Seoul is dark but enticing.

It's a solid effort and not so surprising to see that a Hollywood remake is in the pipeline. Probably with added car-chases. Special features include two interesting 'Making of' documentaries

News: Dymocks Southland Bestselling Horror Titles for August 2010

1. Sookie Stackhouse series - Charlaine Harris
2. Anita Blake series - Laurell K. Hamilton
3. The Zombie Survival Guide - Max Brooks
4. The Passage - Justin Cronin
5. Alone (Chasers #1) - James Phelan
6. Wings - Aprilynne Pike
7. Madigan Mine - Kirstyn McDermott
8. Linger (Wolves of Mercy Falls #2) - Maggie Stiefvater
9. Vampire Academy series - Richelle Mead
10. Frankenstein - Mary Shelley