Aurealis #88

Aurealis #88 opens with Dirk Strasser riffing on how works of fiction have a life independent of the writer once they are published. Melanie Rees’ ‘#WhatIsHendersonsCurse’, is a wicked little tale of frenetic tweeting that takes cyberspace bullying to frightening dimensions. In ‘The Planetary Survey’, Tom Dullemond explores what might go wrong with humans trying to understand aliens, robots trying to understand humans, and the implications for advertising campaigns. Jessi Hammond’s ‘Wired’ is a tense near-future thriller combining neuroscience and nanotechnology, proving that big business really does get away with murder.

Jeff Harris gives us a look at the ingenious conundrum that the displacement problem of time travel presents us with, while Claire Fitzpatrick asks the question ‘Why Do People Like Horror Movies?’ Stephen Higgins brings to light the quirks of Canterbury Jones, considered to be the finest sculptor Australia has produced, in another well-researched Secret History of Australia. We also have the usual reviews of the latest releases, plus part 2 of The Year Ahead in Australian Speculative Fiction.