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Regeneration: New Zealand Speculative Fiction II
Some things are gone forever; but that is not the end. There are new lives to be lived, new discoveries to be made, changes to be fought for, enjoyed, or feared. Experience worlds where existence continues beyond death and much-wanted babies become something else entirely. Where humanity endures in hostile environments, societies adapt to new challenges and inventions, and strange creatures live secretly among us. Travel from a curiously altered Second World War to other universes at the end of time, taking in diverse visions of New Zealand and worlds beyond along the way. Regeneration, the second volume of New Zealand Speculative Fiction from Random Static, presents 22 original works of science fiction and fantasy by Kiwi authors. Stories of loss and renewal, of fantastic technology and mysterious transformations, of supernatural predators and survivors building new futures. Life always goes on, but seldom the way you'd expect... Featuring stories by Matt Cowens, Tim Jones, Mary Brock Jones, O.J. Cade, Grace Bridges, I.K. Paterson-Harkness, Kylie Thorne, Debbie Cowens, J.C. Hart, Jennifer Compton, Simon Petrie, Anna Smith, Rebecca Harris, Elizabeth Gatens, Jonathan James Todd, A.J. Fitzwater, Fran Atkinson, Anna Caro, Dan Rabarts, Lee Murray, Grant Stone, and Toni Wi.
302 pages, Paperback
First published June 17, 2013
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23 people want to read
About the author
Anna Caro
12 books7 followersAnna Caro lives in Wellington, juggling writing, work, and study towards a BA(Hons). She is a co-editor of the short story collection 'A Foreign Country: New Zealand Speculative Fiction'. Her short fiction has previously been published in Antipodean SF, Khimairal Ink, and Full of Crow, and her website and blog can be found at http://www.annacaro.org
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 17, 2013
I really enjoyed all the stories in Regeneration (not counting my own which I haven’t re-read) and it is one of the most consistently high-quality anthologies I’ve read in a long time. There’s a diverse range of speculative stories in the collection and there are some original, thought-provoking ideas in there as well as new twists on more classic concepts and creatures from the SF, fantasy and horror genres. The theme of regeneration lends itself to stories that contemplate the nature of life, death, birth and rebirth, the ravages of aging and the consequences of not.
There’s a nice balance between the past, present, and future with stories such as Tim Jones’ Rescuing the Airmen, an alternate WWII story about transformative coming-of-age, forbidden love and the war effort, and Dan Rabart’s unsettling tale of horror set in rural New Zealand, Mother’s Milk. Near-future tales such as Grant Stone’s Coat, where regeneration is a drug (“Reg”) and old age an oddity, not only examine possible social consequences of such medical advancement but the realities of dealing with loss and illness for the individual. I.K. Paterson-Harkness’s In a world full of birds is a modern day story where the narrator Ben, speaking in his own defence, reveals that he suffers from monthly regeneration where he sheds his body. This story won first place in the Au Contraire competition and it’s brilliant. The characterisation and voice is pitch-perfect and the story unfolds with spiralling tension and creepiness as Ben investigates the truth behind his condition.
Characters you believe and come to really care about are woven seamlessly together with a varied and interesting range of SF elements. Relationships often lie at the core of futuristic stories such as Elizabeth Gatens’ brilliant Monocarpic Colony Blues about a prisoner and her robotic PRINCE, and Grace Bridge’s clever Max’s Black Box where people really can get a fresh start in life.
There’s a strong New Zealand flavour to the characters and settings in many of the stories, which I loved. I really enjoyed how Lee Murray’s Cave Fever skilfully wove the culture, myth and voice of Aotearoa into the lives of those in a colony deep below the Earthface.
I thoroughly recommend Regeneration: a diverse range of speculative stories with some striking ideas, strong characters, and a lot of thematic depth as well as heart.
There’s a nice balance between the past, present, and future with stories such as Tim Jones’ Rescuing the Airmen, an alternate WWII story about transformative coming-of-age, forbidden love and the war effort, and Dan Rabart’s unsettling tale of horror set in rural New Zealand, Mother’s Milk. Near-future tales such as Grant Stone’s Coat, where regeneration is a drug (“Reg”) and old age an oddity, not only examine possible social consequences of such medical advancement but the realities of dealing with loss and illness for the individual. I.K. Paterson-Harkness’s In a world full of birds is a modern day story where the narrator Ben, speaking in his own defence, reveals that he suffers from monthly regeneration where he sheds his body. This story won first place in the Au Contraire competition and it’s brilliant. The characterisation and voice is pitch-perfect and the story unfolds with spiralling tension and creepiness as Ben investigates the truth behind his condition.
Characters you believe and come to really care about are woven seamlessly together with a varied and interesting range of SF elements. Relationships often lie at the core of futuristic stories such as Elizabeth Gatens’ brilliant Monocarpic Colony Blues about a prisoner and her robotic PRINCE, and Grace Bridge’s clever Max’s Black Box where people really can get a fresh start in life.
There’s a strong New Zealand flavour to the characters and settings in many of the stories, which I loved. I really enjoyed how Lee Murray’s Cave Fever skilfully wove the culture, myth and voice of Aotearoa into the lives of those in a colony deep below the Earthface.
I thoroughly recommend Regeneration: a diverse range of speculative stories with some striking ideas, strong characters, and a lot of thematic depth as well as heart.
October 6, 2015
Full disclosure: one of my stories is in here ("The Mistress of Fishes") but as I've been rereading this anthology I thought I'd put up a quick review. I'm trying to make it objective, but who knows.
I love reading NZ speculative fiction, if only because I recognise the people and the settings, and there's still something of novelty in seeing my own environment reflected. So much of the fantasy I was raised on was a kind of faux-mediaeval European environment, and though I enjoy that I find more and more that I want to see my own country in fantasy, my own country's environment and history. This collection does that for me.
Regeneration is a wide theme, and the editors here have really done a very good job in selecting stories with an enormous range. My own particular favourite ("Kiwi or Queenie" by Jennifer Compton) stands up to any specfic story I've read anywhere lately. It's really very fine. Runners up, to my mind, are "Monocarpic Colony Blues" by Elizabeth Gatens and "The Spectre Spectrum" by Debbie Cowens.
It's a must read for NZ science fiction fans, I reckon. Even if it's got me in it.
I love reading NZ speculative fiction, if only because I recognise the people and the settings, and there's still something of novelty in seeing my own environment reflected. So much of the fantasy I was raised on was a kind of faux-mediaeval European environment, and though I enjoy that I find more and more that I want to see my own country in fantasy, my own country's environment and history. This collection does that for me.
Regeneration is a wide theme, and the editors here have really done a very good job in selecting stories with an enormous range. My own particular favourite ("Kiwi or Queenie" by Jennifer Compton) stands up to any specfic story I've read anywhere lately. It's really very fine. Runners up, to my mind, are "Monocarpic Colony Blues" by Elizabeth Gatens and "The Spectre Spectrum" by Debbie Cowens.
It's a must read for NZ science fiction fans, I reckon. Even if it's got me in it.
January 13, 2014
Story after story each author's interpretation of the word regeneration kept me turning pages. There wasn't a story that I didn't like but I will be honest that my top three favourites were Coat by Grant Stone, Monocapric Colony Blues by Elizabeth Gatens and Cave Feaver by Lee Murray. Even though this collection is for speculative fiction lovers there is a story to suit lovers of other genres: mystery, horror, romance, crime, drama and comedy (though the last one may have been unintentional).
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews