CRUX: Volume 1

by Meridian Australis (Publisher), Monte Weir (Editor), Michaela Teschendorff Harden (Editor)

"This defiantly weird anthology is a dizzying mix of unnatural creatures, doomed starships, shifting labyrinths, philosophical rats, eco-horror eulogies, and things that should not be. Evocative and unsettling Australian speculative fiction and poetry that isn't afraid to eerily transform before your eyes and demand to know what you think." - Rhett Davis, author of Arborescence

Welcome to CRUX, a collection of speculative fiction and poetry from Australia's boldest voices. Curated by a team of Aurealis-winning editors, CRUX challenges preconceptions of what speculative and literary mean in a contemporary context, boldly embracing the hallmarks of genre fiction while never forgetting what it means to speculate: to challenge, to deconstruct, and most crucially, to hope. Featuring odes to ancient styles of storytelling and experiments in the new and unexplored, CRUX is an anthology for right now; one that forges onward without losing sight of the stories and traditions that have inspired us for generations.

With writing from: Arden Baker, Isaac Beach, Will Greatwich, Mara Papavassiliou, Kate Alfano, Emily Mercurio, Luke Weavell, M. Mclellan, S. L. Johnson, Megan Cartwright, David Stevens, Nalini Jacob-Roussety, Jason Schembri, Dmitri Akers.

And illustrations from: Tracey Chen, Arden Baker, Zoe Curtis, Rebecca Stewart, May Du, Jimmy Spence, Lizzi Long, Jesse Densley.

Genres: Speculative Fiction, Short Stories, Fantasy, Poetry

Paperback

First published June 4, 2026

Reviews

[ava elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is based on an advanced reader's copy provided from NetGalley.

This is a very solid short story collection. I really loved reading something unmistakable Australian, as I don’t think I have ever read any fiction from there in particular. I really enjoyed my time reading this and applaud all the authors for their contributions.
I felt the writing styles were all very cohesive, and never felt jarred jumping between stories. The poetry sprinkled throughout was a nice touch, as it gave something new to refresh with. I also really enjoyed the artworks representing each story. Big credit to the editor on how this was organized, as it was a really great experience.
The first half of this collection is the strongest in my opinion. After about half way, I started to lose a bit of interest. The content and ideas just didn’t grip me as much.
Some of my favourite stories included Whale Fall by Emily Mercurio, in which a woman volunteers to undergo an odd medical procedure to help the Earth, Hum by Mara Papavassiliou, in which a young girl becomes curious about a strange creature her dad has trapped in their barn, and What Cyun Thinks About When Falling by Arden Baker, a moving poem about the thoughts of an astronaut. I would love to read from these 3 authors again. I look forward to seeing what they do next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Jade Short · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great spotlighting of local stories, paced extremely well. Some truly fresh ideas and engagement with speculate fiction as a medium. Also features one of my favourite short stories ever! Pick up a copy!

Pieces absent of a rating are those I feel like I would need to spend more engaging with to judge fairly, paired with an emoticon expressing my desire to do so.

The American :)
Whale Fall 5/5
Ultimata :/
Hum 3/5
What Cyan Thinks About When Falling 3/5
Public Labyrinths for All 4.5/5
Fever 3.5/5
The Menagerie 3.5/5
A Conspiracy of Carp :)
(After)birth 4/5
Et Tu Rattus? 4/5
Growth 2.5/5
Pythia's Funeral Rites :(
Wattleseed 2.5/5
Graceless Ballet 2.5/5

[Will Greatwich · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am obviously biased because I have a story in here, but this is a fantastic collection. Stand out stories for me (besides my own) were "The American" - a multiverse story that echoes Wolfe with its careful, controlled disorientation of the reader; "Ultimata", a hauntingly beautiful speculative poem about the afterlife; and "Wattleseed", a vivid and powerful piece of paleofantasy. But every story and poem in the collection pulls its weight. If you are at all interested in Australian speculative fiction, I highly recommend checking this out.

[Ambi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting speculative collection! There were some real standouts for me here, my favorites being Whale Fall, Hum, Fever, A Conspiracy of Carp, (After)birth, and Growth. I liked the wide range of topics and the phenomenal artwork as well. Excited to check out future issues!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

[Alyssa Snow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly enjoyable! Nice variety of fiction and writing styles.

I particularly enjoyed Growth, The Menagerie, and Wattleseed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Meridian Australis for the Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review!

[Arden Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm biased, but I think this is pretty damn good.

[Harvey Weir · Rating 5 out of 5]

I edited a book guys! Yay!!

the writing in here is so good. trust me.

[Kristiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

CRUX is a collection of speculative fiction and it did not disappoint. Speculative fiction is not a genre I usually pick up - in fact, this is the second time I have, and did not realise that is what I had done. Both times, the fiction in question, has never disappointed. Speculative fiction is such a fantastic genre as it allows writers to bend the norms without settling in a particular genre (like sci-fi, fantasy, or magical realism). Instead, the writers in this first volume weave the weird, the real, and subconscious together to create fantastically memorable stories.