hazeyjane_2's review against another edition
3.0
Muyum: A Transgression - solid 5, the standout of this collection. Araluen uses lyricism and religious/spiritual faith to subvert the Western notion of museums and replace them with a return to the traditional knowledges of her (or the character's) Nation.
Clatter Tongue, Jacaranda Street- 1. Confusing, insubstantial and didn't resonate with me.
In His Father's Footsteps: 3 - Took a surprisingly graphic turn at the end. A good father-son story.
Myth This! - Another 'monster in the night' with some good family moments. 3
Snake of Light - 4. Another standout, about a protector/guardian spirit. Mind-bendy and well written.
Your Own Aborigine - 1 - Too on the nose.
Five Minutes - DNF. It felt phoned in, a failed attempt to be meta.
Old Uncle Sir - confusing again, had no idea WTF was going on.
Closing Time, The Kadaitcha Sung, The Centre, An Invitation, An Invitation, Dust Cycle, Terranora - skipped or DNF
The Purple Plains - another 5. Full of shades of light and dark. Made me emotional for an uncolonised Australia.
Nimeyberra- I'm probably not the target audience for this, so I won't rate it. Lovely prose, but too confusing for me.
When From - 2. This one didn't land for me - again, it felt like a concept with not much development.
Water - Ellen van Neerven 3. Intriguing concept with an interesting romantic/sexual relationship.
Lake Mindi - 4. Evocative description of a journey to find water and healing.
After the End of their World - 3. after The Purple Plains, this was underwhelming and didn't stick in my mind.
Protocols of Transference - I liked the basic concept but the execution was underwhelming.
Cons: I was expecting Black Mirror alternate world-type SFF from this book. It was a bit disappointing because so much of the spec fic element consisted of either spiritual beliefs or vague, mysterious things that go bump in the night. I mean, the religion/mythology aspect was fantastic; don't get me wrong. I just wouldn't personally categorise it as SFF. It was also a bit disappointing that so many of these were extracts from novels instead of short stories in their own right.
Pros: Lots of religion/spirituality, beautiful evocations of life in the bush.
Clatter Tongue, Jacaranda Street- 1. Confusing, insubstantial and didn't resonate with me.
In His Father's Footsteps: 3 - Took a surprisingly graphic turn at the end. A good father-son story.
Myth This! - Another 'monster in the night' with some good family moments. 3
Snake of Light - 4. Another standout, about a protector/guardian spirit. Mind-bendy and well written.
Your Own Aborigine - 1 - Too on the nose.
Five Minutes - DNF. It felt phoned in, a failed attempt to be meta.
Old Uncle Sir - confusing again, had no idea WTF was going on.
Closing Time, The Kadaitcha Sung, The Centre, An Invitation, An Invitation, Dust Cycle, Terranora - skipped or DNF
The Purple Plains - another 5. Full of shades of light and dark. Made me emotional for an uncolonised Australia.
Nimeyberra- I'm probably not the target audience for this, so I won't rate it. Lovely prose, but too confusing for me.
When From - 2. This one didn't land for me - again, it felt like a concept with not much development.
Water - Ellen van Neerven 3. Intriguing concept with an interesting romantic/sexual relationship.
Lake Mindi - 4. Evocative description of a journey to find water and healing.
After the End of their World - 3. after The Purple Plains, this was underwhelming and didn't stick in my mind.
Protocols of Transference - I liked the basic concept but the execution was underwhelming.
Cons: I was expecting Black Mirror alternate world-type SFF from this book. It was a bit disappointing because so much of the spec fic element consisted of either spiritual beliefs or vague, mysterious things that go bump in the night. I mean, the religion/mythology aspect was fantastic; don't get me wrong. I just wouldn't personally categorise it as SFF. It was also a bit disappointing that so many of these were extracts from novels instead of short stories in their own right.
Pros: Lots of religion/spirituality, beautiful evocations of life in the bush.
leakaroo's review
2.75
I very much appreciate the significance of this book! My low rating does not reflect the writing or the themes, but more my personal enjoyment or understanding of the short stories in this collection. I picked this up because I wanted to learn more about First Nations culture and stories, but was left confused for the most part. The writing is very beautiful and there were some stories (Snake of Light, Water, Myth This, etc) that I loved, but this is very clearly a book for First Nations peoples written by First Nations authors. And that's amazing!!!! I couldn't understand most of the terminology or myths and so found it hard to connect with this, because I'm not the intended audience. And that is the only thing my rating reflects.
If you're Indigenous Australian, then I would highly recommend this book. As for me, I will be picking up a nonfiction instead.
If you're Indigenous Australian, then I would highly recommend this book. As for me, I will be picking up a nonfiction instead.
whitespire86's review
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A wonderful collection of spec fix stories by First Nations writers. I certainly felt the knowledge gap on some of the stories and struggled with them.
mawaridi's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Phenomenal collection of speculative fiction by First Nations authors both emerging and established. The breadth of stories here is just fantastic, there is something new and exciting on every page.
geekberry's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
wetdirtreads's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
This All Come Back Now is a powerful act of mob sovereignty. It is a reclamation of mob knowledge too often appropriated by gubbas who label it as Fiction and Their Totally Original Ideas.
It perfectly fulfils Mykaela’s intended purpose – being a mixtape, a little taste of so many different worlds of possibilities. I am so very excited to see what further doors this book opens for the world of mob spec fic.
It perfectly fulfils Mykaela’s intended purpose – being a mixtape, a little taste of so many different worlds of possibilities. I am so very excited to see what further doors this book opens for the world of mob spec fic.
christineasi's review
4.0
Surprised at how much I enjoyed it overall
Some stories I skimmed, others I ended with
Some stories I skimmed, others I ended with
_windupbird's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
carleesi's review
5.0
I love the creativity and imagination of spec fic and this anthology ticks all the boxes.