Aurealis #116

Join Aurealis #116, our final issue for the year, as we travel deep into the realms of both inner and outer space. Don’t miss the Aurealis Recommended Reading list for 2018 where our reviewers give their views on the best of the best in this year’s speculative fiction. Dirk Strasser searches for some real data on how popular Science Fiction & Fantasy is compared to other genres – with some surprising results. In Mike Adamson’s ‘Walking on Titan’, the immersion of a human persona in an AI generates a unique consciousness. Hester J Rook’s ‘To Drown in Silver’ explores what happens when a liminal creature yearns equally for two states of being, while ‘Apple Black’ by Barry Charman is the story of a man haunted by the folly of technological irresponsibility. Claire Fitzpatrick discusses the importance of telling scary stories and Matthew Harrison explores the value of talking swords… and talking toasters. Plus we review The Melded Child by Jane Routley, Catching Teller Crow by Ambelin and Ezekiel Kwaymullina, The Old Knowledge by Rosalie Parker, Death of a Clone by Alex Thomson, The Rift by Rachale Craw, This Present Past by Traci Harding, Wintering by Krissy Kneen, The Anomaly by Michael Rutger, And The Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness, and Space Opera by Catherynne Valente.