Science fiction writing has regrettably little prominence in Australia. A snapshot of fiction here betrays a depressing 20th-century nostalgia focusing on the broken family unit and rural inertia. It is as if tech-assimilated contemporary industry does …

Australian literature: overly earnest, derivative, desperate to be taken seriously. Discuss. Alternatively, here’s Ryan O’Neill.  You have to admire O’Neill’s delicious bravura. He’s been one of the few short fiction writers of recent years …

As electronic music behemoth Moby points out in his afterword, rock star memoirs are usually ghostwritten, which is what he originally intended to do with Porcelain. Moby’s real name, however, is Richard Melville Hall – his great-great-great-great …

Despite constant reminders that Australian culture is soaked in alcohol, a substance that causes immense harm, it is rare to find a book willing to tackle the complexity of the problem. Many may not want to hear what first-time Brisbane author Elspeth …

In a twist on the creative nonfiction trend of authors weaving themselves into “plucked from the headlines” narratives, veteran author Arnold Zable performs his own masterclass in literary shadowboxing, in The Fighter. A ghostly reporter …

Harry Parker, now 32, was a captain in the British Army when, in 2009, he stepped on an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan. He lost his lower left leg in the blast, and his lower right leg was later amputated in hospital.  The popularity of …