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Beginnings: Australian Speculative Fiction Anthology Vol. 1
16 stories. 16 Australian authors. One theme. Beginnings.
Esmerelda is trapped in a nightmare, unable to wake and escape from the darkness.
A simple bus trip turns into a fight for survival.
Alone in a strange place with no memories of who she is or how she got there, Alora's world changes forever.
These are just some of the stories that you will find in this thrilling collection of speculative tales. Stories include:
When the Lights Went Out by Lachlan Walter
The Beginning of the End by Carolyn Young
Portals by A. A. Warne
Edge by Alanah Andrews
Next Journey by Chris Foley
Bus Trip by Stephen Herczeg
The Teacup by Austin P. Sheehan
Dealt in Sin by Sasha Hanton
The Inheritance Experiment by Kel E. Fox
The Vessel by Matthew P. Copping
The Morrigan by Maddie Jensen
Break the Spell by Belinda Brady
Bugles Bred & Bugles Born by Rebecca Dale
A Spark of Youth by Marcus Turner
The Washer Woman's Favourite by Maureen Flynn
Remember Me by Jocelyn Spark
Esmerelda is trapped in a nightmare, unable to wake and escape from the darkness.
A simple bus trip turns into a fight for survival.
Alone in a strange place with no memories of who she is or how she got there, Alora's world changes forever.
These are just some of the stories that you will find in this thrilling collection of speculative tales. Stories include:
When the Lights Went Out by Lachlan Walter
The Beginning of the End by Carolyn Young
Portals by A. A. Warne
Edge by Alanah Andrews
Next Journey by Chris Foley
Bus Trip by Stephen Herczeg
The Teacup by Austin P. Sheehan
Dealt in Sin by Sasha Hanton
The Inheritance Experiment by Kel E. Fox
The Vessel by Matthew P. Copping
The Morrigan by Maddie Jensen
Break the Spell by Belinda Brady
Bugles Bred & Bugles Born by Rebecca Dale
A Spark of Youth by Marcus Turner
The Washer Woman's Favourite by Maureen Flynn
Remember Me by Jocelyn Spark
- GenresFiction
173 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 24, 2018
39 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 18, 2023
An interesting and varied collection of short stories, all by Australian authors but with various settings yet all themed as 'speculative fiction', a genre I would previously have labelled as Science Fiction/Fantasy. As is typical with such collections, some stories appealed more than others but overall the quality was good (and thankfully with very few of the typos that seem to pepper Kindle editions!). A couple left me wishing for more but overall a good read - 8/10.
March 2, 2019
Great little collection of up and coming authors.
August 4, 2020
Can we just take a moment to bow down to the 16 ideas in this book that could be entire novels in their own right!
I especially enjoyed Maddie Jensen's "The Morrigan" the character descriptions are concise and the ending has me begging for the rest of the chapters!!!
I especially enjoyed Maddie Jensen's "The Morrigan" the character descriptions are concise and the ending has me begging for the rest of the chapters!!!
December 15, 2018
*Editor/Author's review*
This is an anthology that not only features one of my own short stories, but 'Beginnings: Australian Speculative Fiction Anthology Vol. 1' is something that I helped put together as well.
In the middle of 2018 there was a post in a Facebook writing group asking if other Australian authors who wrote speculative fiction would want to create their own group for supporting each other, for sharing writing advice. And so the Australian Speculative Fiction group was formed. From there, it was only a short while before we had the idea to create our own anthology. Six months later, we released 'Beginnings' - which makes it sound easy. It was not easy. But we did it.

Firstly, what I love about this collection of short stories is the diversity. While there may be a few sci-fi or fantasy stories, each is unique and takes you on a very different journey. One of the benefits of this is that it exposes the reader to different genres than they would normally read - personally I've never been interested in the paranormal/supernatural genres (witches, werewolves and vampires), two of my favourite stories in 'Beginnings' are about witches - 'The Morrigan' by Maddie Jensen and 'Dealt in Sin' by Sasha Hanton.
Between stories set amongst the stars are tales set in our own backyard. Stephen Herczeg's 'Bus Trip' is about a student taking the bus home from Canberra to Adelaide for the Christmas holidays. Belinda Brady's 'Break the Spell' gives me the familiar imagery of Melbourne's Royal Arcade. 'When the Lights Went Out' (Lachlan Walter) is an intriguing sci-fi piece set in the Victorian countryside, and Rebecca Dale's 'Bugles Bred & Bugles Born' centres around the unbelievable events at one of Sydney's Westfield shopping centres. 'Bugles Bred & Bugles Born' is one of the most unique stories in the anthology, and honestly I don't know how to define or describe it, but the ending still sends shivers up my spine it's that good.
The theme of 'Beginnings' is explored in a variety of ways, from starting life over in a new city ('The Teacup' - Austin P. Sheehan) from starting over alone on a brand new world ('Portals' - A. A. Warne) and from the transition from life to the afterlife ('Next Journey' by Chris Foley and 'The Beginning of the End' by Carolyn Young).
Amongst a collection so diverse, it should be hard to pick a favourite. But 'The Inheritance Experiment' by Kel E. Fox is an absolute standout. It's the story of an Austrian girl, stolen from her family home and subjected to horrible experiments, before being flung into the carnage of World War One. It's a compelling story, and - like every good short story should - it leaves the reader wanting more.
In conclusion, this is a thoroughly enjoyable collection of diverse short stories. There's something in there for everyone, and many of the stories are so good they're worth re-reading.
This is an anthology that not only features one of my own short stories, but 'Beginnings: Australian Speculative Fiction Anthology Vol. 1' is something that I helped put together as well.
In the middle of 2018 there was a post in a Facebook writing group asking if other Australian authors who wrote speculative fiction would want to create their own group for supporting each other, for sharing writing advice. And so the Australian Speculative Fiction group was formed. From there, it was only a short while before we had the idea to create our own anthology. Six months later, we released 'Beginnings' - which makes it sound easy. It was not easy. But we did it.

Firstly, what I love about this collection of short stories is the diversity. While there may be a few sci-fi or fantasy stories, each is unique and takes you on a very different journey. One of the benefits of this is that it exposes the reader to different genres than they would normally read - personally I've never been interested in the paranormal/supernatural genres (witches, werewolves and vampires), two of my favourite stories in 'Beginnings' are about witches - 'The Morrigan' by Maddie Jensen and 'Dealt in Sin' by Sasha Hanton.
Between stories set amongst the stars are tales set in our own backyard. Stephen Herczeg's 'Bus Trip' is about a student taking the bus home from Canberra to Adelaide for the Christmas holidays. Belinda Brady's 'Break the Spell' gives me the familiar imagery of Melbourne's Royal Arcade. 'When the Lights Went Out' (Lachlan Walter) is an intriguing sci-fi piece set in the Victorian countryside, and Rebecca Dale's 'Bugles Bred & Bugles Born' centres around the unbelievable events at one of Sydney's Westfield shopping centres. 'Bugles Bred & Bugles Born' is one of the most unique stories in the anthology, and honestly I don't know how to define or describe it, but the ending still sends shivers up my spine it's that good.
The theme of 'Beginnings' is explored in a variety of ways, from starting life over in a new city ('The Teacup' - Austin P. Sheehan) from starting over alone on a brand new world ('Portals' - A. A. Warne) and from the transition from life to the afterlife ('Next Journey' by Chris Foley and 'The Beginning of the End' by Carolyn Young).
Amongst a collection so diverse, it should be hard to pick a favourite. But 'The Inheritance Experiment' by Kel E. Fox is an absolute standout. It's the story of an Austrian girl, stolen from her family home and subjected to horrible experiments, before being flung into the carnage of World War One. It's a compelling story, and - like every good short story should - it leaves the reader wanting more.
In conclusion, this is a thoroughly enjoyable collection of diverse short stories. There's something in there for everyone, and many of the stories are so good they're worth re-reading.
November 29, 2018
An excellent and eclectic anthology
As only a sometimes fan of the short story I was surprised how quickly these stories drew me in and how much I enjoyed "Beginnings". An incredibly eclectic mix of concepts and characters, sharp world building, and snappy pacing. Lots of twists, turns and surprises - as well as a little gruesomeness.
Of course now I'd like each short story to become a novel or a series ASAP.
Great read, and I'll be chasing up a few of the authors to see what else they've written.
As only a sometimes fan of the short story I was surprised how quickly these stories drew me in and how much I enjoyed "Beginnings". An incredibly eclectic mix of concepts and characters, sharp world building, and snappy pacing. Lots of twists, turns and surprises - as well as a little gruesomeness.
Of course now I'd like each short story to become a novel or a series ASAP.
Great read, and I'll be chasing up a few of the authors to see what else they've written.
January 7, 2019
This is an amazing and diverse collection of stories. The range of genres and interpretations of the theme were wonderful; even stories from genres I don't typically read brought a breath of fresh air to their respective genres. It's a testimony to the skill of the authors and the hidden talent in the Australian speculative scene. Highly recommend.
March 12, 2019
To be honest I'm not usually an anthology reader but one chapter into this book and I was hooked. What a wonderful read! Great stories, characters with heart and unpredictable twists.
Perfect for busy people who don't have time to read a whole novel. Pick out a story, like my favourite "Portals", and take a short mind-break in another world then be back for dinner! You won't be sorry.
Perfect for busy people who don't have time to read a whole novel. Pick out a story, like my favourite "Portals", and take a short mind-break in another world then be back for dinner! You won't be sorry.
April 9, 2019
Some great spec fic stories in this new anthology (though I should add as a disclaimer that I am one of the authors featured). Some personal favourites include Remember Me, The Morrigan, Break The Spell and Bugles Bred and Bugles Born. I also really enjoyed the fact that each story was bite-sized so I could fit one or two in easily before work!
April 9, 2020
All 16 stories in this compilation were worth the read. I identified with and enjoyed some stories more so than others but each piece was brilliantly written. I love that each story was so unique. Each story was unique and covered a wide variety of topics, within the realm of beginnings. I recommend this book to anyway who wants a great collection of short stories to read.
December 18, 2018
A great first book from the newly formed writing group. Bugles Bred & Bugles Born was the standout story, for me, in this anthology, the MC had such a strong voice. Other highlights were The Inheritance Experiment, Remember Me, and Edge. Can't wait for the next book the group produces.
January 1, 2019
A great range of short speculative reads! Devoured in thirty-six hours. Looking forward to reading more from these authors in the future.
August 5, 2020
I'm very biased as someone who was published in this anthology. My favs are 'The Morrigan' and 'The Washer Woman's Favourite'.
May 6, 2019
Note: I was asked to review this anthology by one of the editors
From an incredible first story I was excited by this anthology. I was amazed at the variety of styles and stories that each of the writers came up with for the same theme. “Beginnings” means a lot of things and it is evident that each of these writers has chosen their own interpretation of that.
The opening story Edge might be one of my favourites but a few other stand outs include The Inheritance Experiment, Next Journey, and Break the Spell. There is a mixture of settings and writing styles and you can clearly see the speculative nature woven through each tale. I loved discovering how each writer chose to interpret that and how it is explored in the setting of their stories.
With any anthology there will be those stories that appeal more to some people than others. Some of the stories blew me away while some actually managed to creep me out a bit. Within the speculative guidelines there is also some horror and some fantasy in these stories, as well as a range of contemporary settings. One thing I like about speculative stories is they are so broad that they can cover almost anything strange, unknown, magical, and mystical.
There are fantastic short stories that grab you from the start and amaze you as they finish, there are stories that read like a great prologue of a bigger story yet to come, but there are also a few that read like short chapters that didn’t seem to go anywhere. Thankfully those were the minority as many of the stories were truly captivating.
This review was published on my blog Lost in a Good Book
From an incredible first story I was excited by this anthology. I was amazed at the variety of styles and stories that each of the writers came up with for the same theme. “Beginnings” means a lot of things and it is evident that each of these writers has chosen their own interpretation of that.
The opening story Edge might be one of my favourites but a few other stand outs include The Inheritance Experiment, Next Journey, and Break the Spell. There is a mixture of settings and writing styles and you can clearly see the speculative nature woven through each tale. I loved discovering how each writer chose to interpret that and how it is explored in the setting of their stories.
With any anthology there will be those stories that appeal more to some people than others. Some of the stories blew me away while some actually managed to creep me out a bit. Within the speculative guidelines there is also some horror and some fantasy in these stories, as well as a range of contemporary settings. One thing I like about speculative stories is they are so broad that they can cover almost anything strange, unknown, magical, and mystical.
There are fantastic short stories that grab you from the start and amaze you as they finish, there are stories that read like a great prologue of a bigger story yet to come, but there are also a few that read like short chapters that didn’t seem to go anywhere. Thankfully those were the minority as many of the stories were truly captivating.
This review was published on my blog Lost in a Good Book
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews