anxiousnachos's review
challenging
reflective
5.0
I almost never read anthologies because I don’t tend to enjoy them. But this was an anthology of First Nations Speculative Fiction so I of course had to read it. And I am so glad I did, this was incredible. What a collection. I really want to commend the editor, Mykaela Saunders, on the ordering of these stories, this book flowed together thematically absolutely phenomenally.
From near futures, far futures, horror, aliens, ghosts, there is a real mix of stories in here but all have such a beautiful connection to country and culture that made this such a special reading experience. If I did have to choose favourites, some of my top stories were:
- John Morrissey’s Five Minutes, a clever and witty story about a government worker/scifi writer and killer centipedes
- Samuel Wagan Watson’s Closing Time, a haunting ghost story set during the covid lockdowns
- Lisa Fuller’s Myth This! An atmospheric horror filled story about generational knowledge and monsters in the mountains
- Merryana Salem’s When From, a time-travel story that examines the horror of Hollywood from an Indigenous lens
- Ellen van Neerven’s Water, a story about the relationship between a plantperson and human
But honestly, there are so many more I also enjoyed so much, this is a fabulous collection and I want every single person I know to read it.
Content warnings: violence, death, blood and gore, sexual harassment, racism, slurs, homophobia, colonisation, war, genocide
From near futures, far futures, horror, aliens, ghosts, there is a real mix of stories in here but all have such a beautiful connection to country and culture that made this such a special reading experience. If I did have to choose favourites, some of my top stories were:
- John Morrissey’s Five Minutes, a clever and witty story about a government worker/scifi writer and killer centipedes
- Samuel Wagan Watson’s Closing Time, a haunting ghost story set during the covid lockdowns
- Lisa Fuller’s Myth This! An atmospheric horror filled story about generational knowledge and monsters in the mountains
- Merryana Salem’s When From, a time-travel story that examines the horror of Hollywood from an Indigenous lens
- Ellen van Neerven’s Water, a story about the relationship between a plantperson and human
But honestly, there are so many more I also enjoyed so much, this is a fabulous collection and I want every single person I know to read it.
Content warnings: violence, death, blood and gore, sexual harassment, racism, slurs, homophobia, colonisation, war, genocide
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Blood, Gore, Racism, Homophobia, Colonisation, War, and Genocide
Moderate: Sexual harassment
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