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A Fearsome Engine
Who is the master and who the machine? This collection of twenty stories by the Northern Beaches Writers’ Group explores this question with horror, humour, pathos and philosophy. Whether it be in our own place and time, far in the future, the past, or in a universe of their own making, our authors grapple with the interface between humanity and its machines. Are the things we make ours to command? Will they always be? And who, exactly, is making whom?
Includes stories by the following Northern Beaches Writers' Group Bronwen Bowden, Alexandra Cain, Harriet Cunningham, Chris Foster, J E Gaulton, Suzi Green, Carl Holm, Rodney Jensen, A R Kelly, P J Keuning, Chris Lake, Tony McFadden, Mijmark, Andrew Mills, Judith O’Connor, Kylie Pfeiffer, Gill Schierhout, Zena Shapter, Susan Steggall and Sonia Zadro.
Includes stories by the following Northern Beaches Writers' Group Bronwen Bowden, Alexandra Cain, Harriet Cunningham, Chris Foster, J E Gaulton, Suzi Green, Carl Holm, Rodney Jensen, A R Kelly, P J Keuning, Chris Lake, Tony McFadden, Mijmark, Andrew Mills, Judith O’Connor, Kylie Pfeiffer, Gill Schierhout, Zena Shapter, Susan Steggall and Sonia Zadro.
281 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 18, 2016
14 people want to read
About the author
Zena Shapter
31 books52 followersZena Shapter is a multi-award-winning author of science fiction, fantasy, speculative, and contemporary fiction, conjuring journeys into the beyond and unusual. She loves movies, frogs, chocolate, potatoes, and living with family among Sydney’s beautiful Northern Beaches. She’s travelled all around the world, visiting close to 50 countries, which inspire her to create worlds of her own.
Her published titles include the science fantasy YA novels ‘When Dark Roots Hunt’ (MidnightSun, 2023; Finalist ‘Best Novel’ 2024 Ditmar Award) and ‘When Dark Waters Burn’ (MidnightSun, 2025), the science fiction adult novel ‘Towards White’ (IFWG 2017), the science fiction children’s book ‘Into Tordon’ (co-author, MidnightSun 2016), and various children’s and YA novels to raise money for The Kids’ Cancer Project.
Zena has been called a “writer with a need for adventure” (Midnight Echo magazine), “one of Australia’s most exciting and inventive writers” (CBCA Notable author Pip Harry), a “master of immersive worlds” (Tawny Frogmouth Magazine), who creates “the kind of excitement and suspense and pure pleasure that made me want to become a writer” (Lillian Csernica, Tangent Online), “dark fantasy at its blood-soaked finest” (Australasian Horror Writers’ Association), “cold and brutal” stories (Tor.com) “that deserve to be read many times” (Glen Miles Short Story Prize).
She’s won over a dozen national writing competitions, including the Australasian Horror Writers’ Association Award for Short Fiction (twice: “Darker” and “The Museum of Disease”), the Glen Miles Short Story Prize (“Champions”) and a Ditmar Award for Best New Talent. Her short stories have appeared in over 50 magazines and anthologies around the world, including the Hugo-nominated ‘Sci Phi Journal’, ‘Midnight Echo’ and their Australian Shadows Awarded ‘best’ anthology, ‘Dark Recesses Press’, ‘Manawaker Studios’, ‘Etherea Magazine’, ‘SFS Stories’, ‘Untitled’, ‘Antipodean SF’, anthologies by B-Cubed Press, Deadset Press, Award-Winning Australian Writing (twice), and many more.
With her BA (Hons) in English Literature, Zena enjoys working as a writing mentor and editor, inspiring writers to develop their craft. She has judged the Mosman Literary Awards, the Northern Beaches Writers’ Competition, Manly West Short Story Competition, Australasian Horror Writers’ Association Short Fiction Award, Ghostly Stringybark Award, Seven Deadly Sins Stringybark Award, and BezerkaCon Writing Award.
She’s also founded and led community creativity projects such as the ‘Art & Words Project’, a range of short story anthologies, and the award-winning Northern Beaches Writers’ Group. She has spoken on council-led panels about the importance of creativity, talked about writing at countless festivals, libraries and schools, and taught creative writing since 1991, teaching at: Writing NSW, the Society of Women Writers NSW, the Fellowship of Australian Writers, Mosman Community College, Northern Beaches Community College, Sydney’s Freecon, Conflux, Natcon, Carers Australia NSW, the Canberra Speculative Fiction Guild, Mosman Council, the Northern Beaches Council, and more.
Zena believes that stories are our best invention. Find her online via @ZenaShapter and zenashapter.com
Her published titles include the science fantasy YA novels ‘When Dark Roots Hunt’ (MidnightSun, 2023; Finalist ‘Best Novel’ 2024 Ditmar Award) and ‘When Dark Waters Burn’ (MidnightSun, 2025), the science fiction adult novel ‘Towards White’ (IFWG 2017), the science fiction children’s book ‘Into Tordon’ (co-author, MidnightSun 2016), and various children’s and YA novels to raise money for The Kids’ Cancer Project.
Zena has been called a “writer with a need for adventure” (Midnight Echo magazine), “one of Australia’s most exciting and inventive writers” (CBCA Notable author Pip Harry), a “master of immersive worlds” (Tawny Frogmouth Magazine), who creates “the kind of excitement and suspense and pure pleasure that made me want to become a writer” (Lillian Csernica, Tangent Online), “dark fantasy at its blood-soaked finest” (Australasian Horror Writers’ Association), “cold and brutal” stories (Tor.com) “that deserve to be read many times” (Glen Miles Short Story Prize).
She’s won over a dozen national writing competitions, including the Australasian Horror Writers’ Association Award for Short Fiction (twice: “Darker” and “The Museum of Disease”), the Glen Miles Short Story Prize (“Champions”) and a Ditmar Award for Best New Talent. Her short stories have appeared in over 50 magazines and anthologies around the world, including the Hugo-nominated ‘Sci Phi Journal’, ‘Midnight Echo’ and their Australian Shadows Awarded ‘best’ anthology, ‘Dark Recesses Press’, ‘Manawaker Studios’, ‘Etherea Magazine’, ‘SFS Stories’, ‘Untitled’, ‘Antipodean SF’, anthologies by B-Cubed Press, Deadset Press, Award-Winning Australian Writing (twice), and many more.
With her BA (Hons) in English Literature, Zena enjoys working as a writing mentor and editor, inspiring writers to develop their craft. She has judged the Mosman Literary Awards, the Northern Beaches Writers’ Competition, Manly West Short Story Competition, Australasian Horror Writers’ Association Short Fiction Award, Ghostly Stringybark Award, Seven Deadly Sins Stringybark Award, and BezerkaCon Writing Award.
She’s also founded and led community creativity projects such as the ‘Art & Words Project’, a range of short story anthologies, and the award-winning Northern Beaches Writers’ Group. She has spoken on council-led panels about the importance of creativity, talked about writing at countless festivals, libraries and schools, and taught creative writing since 1991, teaching at: Writing NSW, the Society of Women Writers NSW, the Fellowship of Australian Writers, Mosman Community College, Northern Beaches Community College, Sydney’s Freecon, Conflux, Natcon, Carers Australia NSW, the Canberra Speculative Fiction Guild, Mosman Council, the Northern Beaches Council, and more.
Zena believes that stories are our best invention. Find her online via @ZenaShapter and zenashapter.com
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December 3, 2016A bold initiative by a group of regional writers. The title comes from a Charles Dickens quote about humankind's love/hate, embrace/distrust of the exponential introduction of new technologies in the middle of the 19th century. This collection of twenty stories by members of the Northern Beaches Writers’ Group explores this relationship with horror, humour, pathos and
philosophy, across time and place.
philosophy, across time and place.
September 17, 2018
Very creative with a good range of different story styles.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews