Aurealis #140

Great stories and articles

Edition 140 of Aurealis contains plenty to entertain and inform. It starts with an editorial by Michael Pryor which takes a quotation of Terry Pratchett’s and then extends it a fair distance.

Stories My Mum Told Me by Erin A Sayers
This is a story of memories ranging over three generations, themed on climate change and particularly draught affecting Australian farmers. There is a dig at complacent politicians.

Door Thirteen by Caylee Tierney
Door Thirteen creates an engaging world and a hapless protagonist who is pushed along by circumstances to places he would rather not visit. We can sympathise with his feelings and understand his fears.

The Last Memory by Azure Arther
An intricate story of body morphing creatures, successions of lifetimes and galaxy wide action. It will take more rereads than I am able to summon to fully unravel the plot.

How We Should Really Define Planets by Daniel Thompson.
This piece provides all the background needed to hold your own in any discussion about whether Pluto should or should not be considered a planet. Informative and clearly written.

Science Fiction Films and the Disappearance of Satire by Lachlan Walter
Lachlan sketches the history of science fiction films pointing out how many have satirised aspects of the time when they were filmed. He explains why he believes such satire is no longer possible.

Stealing Answers from Stephen Hall,

a conversation between Chris Foster and Stephen Hall. Stephen is an Australian actor, writer and producer with an amazing list of credits including writing for and appearing in Shaun Micallef's Mad As Hell. Very relevant to readers of Aurealis is his 2020 debut sci-fi novel Symphony Under Siege.

There is also the extensive book reviews section.

All-in-all a great read