Aurealis #160
$2.99
Aurealis #160 features the stylish ‘The Palm Leaf’ by Deborah Sheldon, the poignant ‘Dreams of You’ by John Davis and the engrossing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ by James Milton. We also have top non-fiction from Kris Ashton, David Ellrod and by Emmet O’Cuana. Our dazzling internal art comes from Leah Clementson, Chris Catlin and Andrew Saltmarsh, while our comprehensive Reviews section isn’t to be missed.
Aurealis, unbelievable value for money.
- From the Cloud — Michael Pryor
- The Palm Leaf — Deborah Sheldon
- Dreams of You — John Davis
- You’ll Never Walk Alone — James Milton
- Cockroach Horror — Kris Ashton
- What’s So Cosy About Cosy Catastrophes? — David F Ellrod Sr
- Paying to Pay: The Monetisation of Dungeons & Dragons — Emmet O’Cuana
Fantasy is the home of the series. After all that worldbuilding, one volume isn’t enough, right? The vast canvas of most imagined worlds need two, three, four or more books in order to do it justice.
In many cases, this is true and there’s nothing like the deep and total immersion in an invented world with all its characters and knowing that, as a reader, you can stay under for a good, long, rewarding time.
On the other hand, sometimes we need the standalone novel, a single volume that is entire unto itself, when all is said and done at the close of that back cover. Here are some of our favourites.
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. Elegant, brittle, period perfect in its pitch, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is a gracious dream where magic, politics and ways of being intersect in a stately dance.
Stardust by Neil Gaiman. Swashbuckling, derring-do and adventures ahoy, and full of Gaiman charm, it has a melancholy side that adds to its wistfulness. It doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Perdido Street Station by China Miéville. Fantasy? Science fiction? Fever dream? Perdido Street Station is dark and allusive, rich and pointed, sardonic and memorable.
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. A lush and fragrant fantasy that transports readers in the best traditions of the genre.
To those of you who say that some of the single volumes we suggest above are monstrously long and could really be split into two or three books thereby invalidating our argument, we say ‘Maybe they could, maybe they could…’
All the best from the cloud!
Michael Pryor
From The Palm Leaf by Deborah Sheldon :
Although not seriously, not really, Fay has thought about killing her husband for a long time.
From Dreams of You by John Davis:
Last night I dreamt that we were at the beach. The day was hot and dry, the sun glaring like an angry eye in the cloudless sky, and the air carried the smell of sunscreen and saltwater peculiar to the beach. A little out to sea, the waves were swelling, and I felt worried, but your dad told me everything would be fine, and I believed him.
From You’ll Never Walk Alone by James Milton:
MONITORING.
You sit on a park bench in deep readaptive fugue, neural activity minimal. The park is empty but for a few families. A jogger pounds along the river. This unit is in control, maintaining the status quo per its directives, keeping you from being noticed.
From Cockroach Horror by Kris Ashton:
Creepshow is a prime example of getting an assistant to do something that I don’t want to do. Would never do. Can’t do. Afraid to do.
This quote comes from an early 1980s interview with horror movie make-up maestro, Tom Savini.
From What’s So Cosy About Cosy Catastrophes? by David F Ellrod Sr:
Many science fiction fans are familiar with the term ‘cosy catastrophe’, invented by Brian Aldiss in his 1973 survey of science fiction, Billion Year Spree. He noticed and named a previously unnamed subgenre—but launched a decades-long argument about what its definition should be.
From Paying to Pay: The Monetisation of Dungeons & Dragons by Emmet O’Cuana:
In 2024, the fantasy roleplaying adventure game Dungeons & Dragons will turn 50.
