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Futurevision: 20 Stories About The Future By 20 Australian Authors
Since humankind was able to imagine, stories about the future both immediate and far-reaching have been passed on. We ask Find out what twenty Australian authors have imagined and be intrigued by the differences - and similarities - they have in store for humankind.
156 pages, Paperback
Published October 4, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 20, 2017
This anthology of short stories has a lot of great gems in it. As with most anthologies, I found that some stories worked for me and others didn't so much. A couple didn't quite resolve enough for me to think of them as stories but seemed more like the first chapter of a longer book. However, the majority of them were satisfying and enjoyable. My favourite was Nola Passmore's story, which definitely drew me in. I think most sci-fi/futuristic fans should find something in here to love and may find a new favourite author as a result.
January 1, 2018
I should say up front that I am one of the contributors to this anthology, so I'm not completely unbiased. However, the following comments are my honest opinions.
This book is an anthology of 20 short stories by 20 Australian authors on the theme of 'the future'. I loved the wide variety of subject material--advanced technology, colonisation of other worlds, pandemics, artificial intelligence, social engineering, environmental issues, and even the odd dragon. It was fascinating to see how different people envisaged the future, from hopeful tales to less rosy outcomes.
Time periods cover the very near future (seven stories set within the next four years) to Jeanette O'Hagan's 'Rendezvous at Alexgaia' set off-world in 8168. I really enjoyed the anthology as a whole, but my personal favourite was 'God and the Machine' by Sophie L. Macdonald. It starts out as a futuristic dating story, but becomes much more. The denouement was strangely moving, and I found myself thinking about it afterwards. Indeed many of the stories touched on ethical issues that warrant further thought.
My own story, 'One Hundred Words' is a dystopian tale set in 2079. The Waste Tribunal has decreed that no communciations can be longer than 100 words, which is fine with my 25-year-old heroine Gree. However, that all changes when she finds some old letters her grandfather had written to her grandmother while serving as a peace keeper in the Middle East in the early 2000s. She's overcome by the beauty of language, and heads down a track from which there is no return. What happens next? Well you'll just have to read the anthology.
Publisher and editor Delia Strange, from 1231 Publishing, has done a great job. The book is beautifully packaged and would make an intriguing gift for anyone who doesn't mind a bit of speculation. Warmly recommended.
This book is an anthology of 20 short stories by 20 Australian authors on the theme of 'the future'. I loved the wide variety of subject material--advanced technology, colonisation of other worlds, pandemics, artificial intelligence, social engineering, environmental issues, and even the odd dragon. It was fascinating to see how different people envisaged the future, from hopeful tales to less rosy outcomes.
Time periods cover the very near future (seven stories set within the next four years) to Jeanette O'Hagan's 'Rendezvous at Alexgaia' set off-world in 8168. I really enjoyed the anthology as a whole, but my personal favourite was 'God and the Machine' by Sophie L. Macdonald. It starts out as a futuristic dating story, but becomes much more. The denouement was strangely moving, and I found myself thinking about it afterwards. Indeed many of the stories touched on ethical issues that warrant further thought.
My own story, 'One Hundred Words' is a dystopian tale set in 2079. The Waste Tribunal has decreed that no communciations can be longer than 100 words, which is fine with my 25-year-old heroine Gree. However, that all changes when she finds some old letters her grandfather had written to her grandmother while serving as a peace keeper in the Middle East in the early 2000s. She's overcome by the beauty of language, and heads down a track from which there is no return. What happens next? Well you'll just have to read the anthology.
Publisher and editor Delia Strange, from 1231 Publishing, has done a great job. The book is beautifully packaged and would make an intriguing gift for anyone who doesn't mind a bit of speculation. Warmly recommended.
December 1, 2017
Four stars.
Although this anthology consists of stories in a genre I rarely read, I was interested to see what my online writer friends were writing so successfully.
Futurevision is an entertaining collection of a variety of short stories set in the future, ranging from one in 2018 to one in 8168. At least three CWD writers had stories in this anthology - Jeanette O'Hagan, Nola Passmore and Raelene Purtill. There may be others I do not know.
Stories ranged from almost everyday stories with just a few chinks to warn the reader that we are in the future and everything has changed, to full scale space stories set way in the future (you guessed: Jeanette O'Hagan's Rendezvous at Alexgaia is set in 8168).
I probably most enjoyed the stories that gave me enough familiar ground to relate to the characters and their dilemmas. Nola Passmore's One Hundred Words poses the dilemma of a future where we are not allowed to write more than one hundred words in any one communication. J H Nelson's Who's Who features the horror of how do we know who to trust when things have completely changed. Profile by Duncan Richardson asks how we will cope when we're completely dependent on technology.
There are many other themes and many pictures of 'the future'. Many different attitudes too - wonder, horror, fear , etc.
Well done, editor Delia Strange and all other contributors.
Although this anthology consists of stories in a genre I rarely read, I was interested to see what my online writer friends were writing so successfully.
Futurevision is an entertaining collection of a variety of short stories set in the future, ranging from one in 2018 to one in 8168. At least three CWD writers had stories in this anthology - Jeanette O'Hagan, Nola Passmore and Raelene Purtill. There may be others I do not know.
Stories ranged from almost everyday stories with just a few chinks to warn the reader that we are in the future and everything has changed, to full scale space stories set way in the future (you guessed: Jeanette O'Hagan's Rendezvous at Alexgaia is set in 8168).
I probably most enjoyed the stories that gave me enough familiar ground to relate to the characters and their dilemmas. Nola Passmore's One Hundred Words poses the dilemma of a future where we are not allowed to write more than one hundred words in any one communication. J H Nelson's Who's Who features the horror of how do we know who to trust when things have completely changed. Profile by Duncan Richardson asks how we will cope when we're completely dependent on technology.
There are many other themes and many pictures of 'the future'. Many different attitudes too - wonder, horror, fear , etc.
Well done, editor Delia Strange and all other contributors.
September 27, 2017
Futurevision (edited by Delia Strange) - 20 Aussie authors, 20 visions of the future, 20 bite sized sci-fi stories - this is a great little book with big ideas.
One of the stories is mine - but that's not why I've given this book 5 stars. It's because I loved each story and the majority of them wowed me, keeping me flicking through the pages to find out what happened next. I found it impossible to stop at one, often reading 2 or 3 at a time.
The stories give diverse visions of the future - from those that could be next year to those in the distant future, from dystopias, disasters and invasions to more hopeful visions of the future or space opera adventures. Some left me looking over my shoulder, some elicited tears, others left me smiling - most left me thinking about life, identity and what sort of future we want to make for ourselves and our children.
Some of my favs
- Nola Passmore's 100 Words - what if we were restricted to 100 words, no more or else.
- Sophie L MacDonald's God and the Machine - for a great twist of what it means to be human.
- Duncan Richardson's Profile - what if our participation in society depends on our digital imprint
- Nyssa Baschal's Sanctuary - a drastic future with drastic solutions in the sea, & hey, mermaids
- R A Purtill's Ground Zero - can premonitions of the end save us from disaster or do they bring it about?
- PetaFitzpatrick's Scheduled for Service - a heart wrenching story that is a terrifying possibility
-Julian St Auburn Green's Bad Hair Day - for a truly original conception of the plague (which is almost cute if a little creepy) & a surprising ending
And I do like mine story too (Rendezvous at Alexgaia)- a bit of space opera fun.
I'm looking forward to Delia Strange and 1231 Publishing's next anthology in 2018.
One of the stories is mine - but that's not why I've given this book 5 stars. It's because I loved each story and the majority of them wowed me, keeping me flicking through the pages to find out what happened next. I found it impossible to stop at one, often reading 2 or 3 at a time.
The stories give diverse visions of the future - from those that could be next year to those in the distant future, from dystopias, disasters and invasions to more hopeful visions of the future or space opera adventures. Some left me looking over my shoulder, some elicited tears, others left me smiling - most left me thinking about life, identity and what sort of future we want to make for ourselves and our children.
Some of my favs
- Nola Passmore's 100 Words - what if we were restricted to 100 words, no more or else.
- Sophie L MacDonald's God and the Machine - for a great twist of what it means to be human.
- Duncan Richardson's Profile - what if our participation in society depends on our digital imprint
- Nyssa Baschal's Sanctuary - a drastic future with drastic solutions in the sea, & hey, mermaids
- R A Purtill's Ground Zero - can premonitions of the end save us from disaster or do they bring it about?
- PetaFitzpatrick's Scheduled for Service - a heart wrenching story that is a terrifying possibility
-Julian St Auburn Green's Bad Hair Day - for a truly original conception of the plague (which is almost cute if a little creepy) & a surprising ending
And I do like mine story too (Rendezvous at Alexgaia)- a bit of space opera fun.
I'm looking forward to Delia Strange and 1231 Publishing's next anthology in 2018.
October 25, 2018
Sometimes anthologies can be a mix of the good, the bad and the ugly. I can honestly say there were no bad stories in here. Granted a few didn't quite hit the net but some of them were top tales. Rare gems no less.
Ray Smillie
Ray Smillie
January 3, 2018
Science fiction isn't a genre I read very often, but I found most of the stories in this book entertaining and often thought provoking. One or two stories felt like "cowboys and indians with tech" or made the editor in me cringe, but the rest were original, well plotted and well written.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews