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A review by hazeyjane_2
This All Come Back Now: An anthology of First Nations speculative fiction by Mykaela Saunders
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.