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A View from the Edge
Stories Presented at a Workshop Held at Monash University, Melbourne.
- GenresAnthologies
124 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
4 people want to read
About the author
George Turner
212 books34 followersGeorge Turner was born and educated in Melbourne. He served in the Australian Imperial Forces during the Second World War.
Prior to writing science fiction, he had a well established reputation as mainstream literary fiction writer, his most productive period being from 1959 to 1967, during which he published five novels. Over a decade after his previous publication of a full length work of fiction, he published his first science fiction novel, 'Beloved Son' (1978).
George Turner was named as a Guest of Honor for Aussiecon Three, the 1999 World Science Fiction Convention held in Melbourne, but died before the event.
Prior to writing science fiction, he had a well established reputation as mainstream literary fiction writer, his most productive period being from 1959 to 1967, during which he published five novels. Over a decade after his previous publication of a full length work of fiction, he published his first science fiction novel, 'Beloved Son' (1978).
George Turner was named as a Guest of Honor for Aussiecon Three, the 1999 World Science Fiction Convention held in Melbourne, but died before the event.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 6, 2025
This is a collection of stories produced at an Australian writing workshop held in the seventies. George Turner edits them together and provides an engaging commentary on each story - he doesn't pull any punches:
> "... Illustrates a weakness evident in all but two of our twelve writers - the inability to handle action sequences realistically"
His analysis is the most interesting aspect, giving an honest view into the strengths and weaknesses of each story which would be helpful to any writer. There are also two essays by the workshop tutors - Christopher Priest and Vonda MacIntyre, both focusing on the practice of running a workshop and sharing their feelings of imposter syndrome.
The stories themselves are only 2 or 3 pages long - more fragments than stories. They're really technical writing exercises, but they give you a good feel for what participating in a writing workshop would be like. There's nothing worth seeking out here, but for the slice of life record and Turner's commentary, it's an interesting curio.
> "... Illustrates a weakness evident in all but two of our twelve writers - the inability to handle action sequences realistically"
His analysis is the most interesting aspect, giving an honest view into the strengths and weaknesses of each story which would be helpful to any writer. There are also two essays by the workshop tutors - Christopher Priest and Vonda MacIntyre, both focusing on the practice of running a workshop and sharing their feelings of imposter syndrome.
The stories themselves are only 2 or 3 pages long - more fragments than stories. They're really technical writing exercises, but they give you a good feel for what participating in a writing workshop would be like. There's nothing worth seeking out here, but for the slice of life record and Turner's commentary, it's an interesting curio.
Displaying 1 of 1 review