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Altered Voices: 9 Science Fiction Stories
Nine Australian writers offer teen-agers a diverse collection of science fiction tales, ranging from humor and tragedy to fantasy and horror. Original.
176 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1999
19 people want to read
About the author
Lucy Sussex
82 books17 followersLucy Sussex's books include Blockbuster! Fergus Hume and The Mystery of a Hansom Cab, which won the 2015 Victorian Community History Award, Women Writers and Detectives in the Nineteenth Century and Saltwater in the Ink: Voices from the Australian Seas. She has a PhD from the University of Wales and is an honorary fellow at La Trobe University. Her forthcoming book is Outrageous Fortunes.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 7, 2017
Every single story in this collection is amazing. It's been a few years since I last read this book and as I read each story I would realize it was another one that has popped into my mind occasionally as a really good story I remembered fondly or that tugged at my heartstrings - seriously, a short story that can make you cry? That's some major writing. Another thing I like about this book is that at the end of each story there is a little explanation about it from the author.
The Lottery by Lucy Sussex - 3 Stars
Interesting take on humans vs other species when both try to make sure they are the final product of evolution.
Face to Stony Face by Gary Crew - 3 stars
This is one of the stories I've remembered fondly - playful gargoyles...
The Battle of Leila the Dog by Rick Kennett - 5 Stars
This is the story that I've cried over each time I've read it. Beautiful and sad and even a space battle!
Long Live the Giant! by Isobelle Carmody - 4 Stars
The image of the giant's hand encased in a stone tower is one that has haunted me since I first read this...
The Blondefire Genome by Sean McMullen - 5 Stars
The fact that the author says this type of genetic experimentation was possible in the 80's is kind of scary considering things have probably advanced even further since then... And the revenge of zitgrass is just cool.
Everything by Mustafa Zahirovic - 3 Stars
This is another sad story, though it doesn't make me cry. The boy's whole life is one of desperation.
White Christmas by Sean Williams - 4 Stars
Another sad one that has popped into my mind quite a few times over the years. Aliens terraform our planet which leads to a very quiet apocalypse.
by Paul Voermans - 2 Stars
This one is the one I least like of the stories mostly because I just don't buy the plausibility of the slugs... which is a weird thing to get hung up on considering what the story is about kids who can skate/surf intangibly through the universe, but ah well...
Circles of Fire by Sophie Masson - 4 Stars
It's odd, I didn't realize almost half the stories in this collection were kind of sad - because I find this one to be as well. Very interesting take on angels and crop circles and man's inhumanity to man.
The Lottery by Lucy Sussex - 3 Stars
Interesting take on humans vs other species when both try to make sure they are the final product of evolution.
Face to Stony Face by Gary Crew - 3 stars
This is one of the stories I've remembered fondly - playful gargoyles...
The Battle of Leila the Dog by Rick Kennett - 5 Stars
This is the story that I've cried over each time I've read it. Beautiful and sad and even a space battle!
Long Live the Giant! by Isobelle Carmody - 4 Stars
The image of the giant's hand encased in a stone tower is one that has haunted me since I first read this...
The Blondefire Genome by Sean McMullen - 5 Stars
The fact that the author says this type of genetic experimentation was possible in the 80's is kind of scary considering things have probably advanced even further since then... And the revenge of zitgrass is just cool.
Everything by Mustafa Zahirovic - 3 Stars
This is another sad story, though it doesn't make me cry. The boy's whole life is one of desperation.
White Christmas by Sean Williams - 4 Stars
Another sad one that has popped into my mind quite a few times over the years. Aliens terraform our planet which leads to a very quiet apocalypse.
by Paul Voermans - 2 Stars
This one is the one I least like of the stories mostly because I just don't buy the plausibility of the slugs... which is a weird thing to get hung up on considering what the story is about kids who can skate/surf intangibly through the universe, but ah well...
Circles of Fire by Sophie Masson - 4 Stars
It's odd, I didn't realize almost half the stories in this collection were kind of sad - because I find this one to be as well. Very interesting take on angels and crop circles and man's inhumanity to man.
November 13, 2022
I liked "Long Live the Giant", "The Blondefire Genome", and "White Christmas". The rest were just "Okay", so I gave the book a 3 as a whole.
December 13, 2014
This collection of short stories is best described as eclectic. No common theme or type of narrator unites them.
The Lottery, by Lucy Sussex. This was a very bad choice, in my opinion, to start off the book. The story throws out the names of many creatures and places from way back in history, with the result that readers who are not avid scholars of evolutionary history are likely to become lost. The end also plays on a tired old trope by naming the slugs Adam and Eve.
Face to Stony Face, by Gary Crew. This story tries too hard for the stark, noir atmosphere of a gritty detective tale. Instead all it gets is really choppy, with awkward dialogue and stiff sentences. No one gets any character development to speak of; once the mystery is solved there isn't much reread value.
The Battle of Leila the Dog, by Rick Kennett. Plenty of action and mystery here, though again spoiled by the frustrating lack of context. Who's fighting whom, and why? What was the Gartino Experiment? A few more small details here and there would have gone a long way to making this feel like one battle in a larger war, one ship in a larger universe.
Long Live the Giant! by Isobelle Carmody. Punctuation. Please, learn the function of a comma. The story is told more than experienced, and in some places struck me more as a commentary on life and immortality than a story. The fate of Borth was obvious from his name, and a poor choice given the flippant excuse offered to make it possible. ("There had been talk of setting him back in time for some technical reason or other..." Yes, this is the actual explanation).
The Blondfire Genome, by Sean McMullen. This is one of the best stories in the collection. The narrative details Megan's experiments as well as enough about her life that this feels like a snapshot of those tumultuous high school years of exclusion and bitter envy. Jackie may be a tad too perfect, but overall this was one of the only stories worth a re-read.
Everything, by Mustafa Zahirovic. The gem of this collection, and my reason for keeping the book. The images of the triad of steelworks, rain, and the studio weave throughout the story. Ivan and Niklaus play off each other well. The emotions are powerful; Niklaus lingers over them throughout and poignantly displays them in his narrative.
White Christmas, by Sean Williams. I realize the title was supposed to be a twist on all the other stories about white Christmases, but it's hard to remember how many stories I've read with that same title. Either way, this is a story that bounces between the past and the present, and generally does so well. There was no real reason why the snow only affected nonliving things, and for the amount of grief Stewart was supposed to be feeling, surprisingly little detail about his wife.
Malcolm and the Intergalactic Slug-suckers, by Paul Voermans. This story liked to throw out a lot of made-up words and never explain them. Using new words for new technology is fine, but he's got so much going on that it isn't possible to figure out much of anything about the surroundings. It's also a story to appeal more to the gross factor than anything else (and I have increasingly little sympathy for someone who will do something that stupid for strangers just to show off; he got what he deserved, as far as I'm concerned).
Circles of Fire, by Sophie Masson. This story felt like the author had a really good idea, and told the story to tell the idea rather than to tell a story. The main character has so little personality she might as well be the kitchen table, because her only purpose is to watch Mom, and then watch Dad, and then watch Mom again. Dad was too one-dimensional in his stance of the government can do no wrong; Mom was vague and never even voiced her ideas, let alone committed to them. Although the idea was amusing and interesting, the execution left a lot to be desired.
Overall this is not a collection I would want to keep, save for one story. High school drama is not high on my list, and without "Everything" I would happily donate this back for the next round of library sales. I rate this collection as Not Recommended, although "Everything" and "The Blondfire Genome" are stories I would recommend.
The Lottery, by Lucy Sussex. This was a very bad choice, in my opinion, to start off the book. The story throws out the names of many creatures and places from way back in history, with the result that readers who are not avid scholars of evolutionary history are likely to become lost. The end also plays on a tired old trope by naming the slugs Adam and Eve.
Face to Stony Face, by Gary Crew. This story tries too hard for the stark, noir atmosphere of a gritty detective tale. Instead all it gets is really choppy, with awkward dialogue and stiff sentences. No one gets any character development to speak of; once the mystery is solved there isn't much reread value.
The Battle of Leila the Dog, by Rick Kennett. Plenty of action and mystery here, though again spoiled by the frustrating lack of context. Who's fighting whom, and why? What was the Gartino Experiment? A few more small details here and there would have gone a long way to making this feel like one battle in a larger war, one ship in a larger universe.
Long Live the Giant! by Isobelle Carmody. Punctuation. Please, learn the function of a comma. The story is told more than experienced, and in some places struck me more as a commentary on life and immortality than a story. The fate of Borth was obvious from his name, and a poor choice given the flippant excuse offered to make it possible. ("There had been talk of setting him back in time for some technical reason or other..." Yes, this is the actual explanation).
The Blondfire Genome, by Sean McMullen. This is one of the best stories in the collection. The narrative details Megan's experiments as well as enough about her life that this feels like a snapshot of those tumultuous high school years of exclusion and bitter envy. Jackie may be a tad too perfect, but overall this was one of the only stories worth a re-read.
Everything, by Mustafa Zahirovic. The gem of this collection, and my reason for keeping the book. The images of the triad of steelworks, rain, and the studio weave throughout the story. Ivan and Niklaus play off each other well. The emotions are powerful; Niklaus lingers over them throughout and poignantly displays them in his narrative.
White Christmas, by Sean Williams. I realize the title was supposed to be a twist on all the other stories about white Christmases, but it's hard to remember how many stories I've read with that same title. Either way, this is a story that bounces between the past and the present, and generally does so well. There was no real reason why the snow only affected nonliving things, and for the amount of grief Stewart was supposed to be feeling, surprisingly little detail about his wife.
Malcolm and the Intergalactic Slug-suckers, by Paul Voermans. This story liked to throw out a lot of made-up words and never explain them. Using new words for new technology is fine, but he's got so much going on that it isn't possible to figure out much of anything about the surroundings. It's also a story to appeal more to the gross factor than anything else (and I have increasingly little sympathy for someone who will do something that stupid for strangers just to show off; he got what he deserved, as far as I'm concerned).
Circles of Fire, by Sophie Masson. This story felt like the author had a really good idea, and told the story to tell the idea rather than to tell a story. The main character has so little personality she might as well be the kitchen table, because her only purpose is to watch Mom, and then watch Dad, and then watch Mom again. Dad was too one-dimensional in his stance of the government can do no wrong; Mom was vague and never even voiced her ideas, let alone committed to them. Although the idea was amusing and interesting, the execution left a lot to be desired.
Overall this is not a collection I would want to keep, save for one story. High school drama is not high on my list, and without "Everything" I would happily donate this back for the next round of library sales. I rate this collection as Not Recommended, although "Everything" and "The Blondfire Genome" are stories I would recommend.
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November 19, 2014I personally thought altered voices was really weird. It’s a book thats based off of a bunch of little stories. Some stories were fun and exciting but others were serious and depressing. They had unusual settings and landed them in places all over the world, for starters one was based in Australia.
October 10, 2015
I read this book as part of a genre challenge, and science fiction is not a genre that I'm normally drawn to. Now I know why. I'm sure this collection of short stories is a perfectly good book. I just found some of the stories so heavy with technical jargon or so far out there that I couldn't relate. There were only three stories of the nine that I found intriguing.
September 15, 2010
Very interesting, many of these stories give you that uncomfortable feeling that oddly makes you want to read more.
June 12, 2013
Short stories always leave me wanting to know, what next?
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews