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Collisions: Fictions Of The Future by Leah Jing McIntosh, Hassan Abul, Adalya Nash Hussein, Cher Tan
readheadreads's review
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
An incredibly strong collection of short stories from one of Australia's most important literary prizes.
Each story is unique and captivating, each voice ringing crystal clear.
The stories in this collection are tender. They are wild and imaginative. They are queer, diverse and experimental.
Such incredibly strong work and a few new favourite authors to check out, I'm thrilled to have picked this one up.
Each story is unique and captivating, each voice ringing crystal clear.
The stories in this collection are tender. They are wild and imaginative. They are queer, diverse and experimental.
Such incredibly strong work and a few new favourite authors to check out, I'm thrilled to have picked this one up.
gnomely's review
favs:
bad weather
Auburn heights
tongue
the voyeur
nectarine
suburban graveyard
wish you were
bad weather
Auburn heights
tongue
the voyeur
nectarine
suburban graveyard
wish you were
kelchup's review
4.0
Always hard to rate an anthology. Some stories were a two for me, some a five for me, all in all a fantastic collection of futurism by Australia's new generation of speculative fiction authors
jaclyn_sixminutesforme's review
4.0
This exciting short story collection caught my attention via Liminal magazine and their Liminal Fiction Prize—this book comprising works longlisted for the 2019 prize. The works move across genres seamlessly and play with form in experimental ways, and centrally focus on this thematic notion of the future. I’ve been interested in the ways literature interrogates this theme, and think Australian writers are producing really dynamic and thoughtful fiction in this space particularly (I’d also highly recommend you check out the speculative fiction anthology [b:After Australia|53318847|After Australia|Michael Mohammed Ahmad|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1591403844l/53318847._SY75_.jpg|81675196] for further reading). The introduction caught my attention immediately—Leah Jing McIntosh comments on the overwhelming presence of white authors on the major literary prizes celebrated in Australia (the Stella Prize and the Miles Franklin) and that the Liminal Fiction Prize itself came about after an examination of these statistics and an aim to “shift the Australian imaginary.” This is an anthology brimming with intention and self-awareness, one in conversation with the Australian literary landscape in what it includes as much as in what it excludes.
Structurally the collection follows collisions in a literal sense with sections titled Bodies, Momentum, and Contact situating the stories, and reckoning with the past to actively engage in what the future may hold. Some of my personal favorite stories were those that leaned into more experimental forms, one of the stand outs being the story that won the Liminal Fiction Prize, Bad Weather by Bryant Apolonio. This story appears on the page as narratives in two columns —the parallel time and juxtaposed imagery, as well as points of collision between the two threads, worked symbiotically as a complete read. I also really enjoyed The Voyeur by Elizabeth Flux, a haunting narrative in which we follow a “Visit Day.” The narrative being takes us through memories and the protocols that govern this very process, and how “rapidly intoxicated” the possibilities afforded by the process make this being feel. The exploration of both watching and being watched was fascinating, and Flux had me totally entranced!
This was a really engaging and vibrant anthology of works, and I look forward to many more editions from the Liminal team! Available in November 2020, and a sample is available to read alongside pre-order information here https://www.panterapress.com.au/product/collisions-copy/. Many thanks to Pantera Press for a review copy.
Structurally the collection follows collisions in a literal sense with sections titled Bodies, Momentum, and Contact situating the stories, and reckoning with the past to actively engage in what the future may hold. Some of my personal favorite stories were those that leaned into more experimental forms, one of the stand outs being the story that won the Liminal Fiction Prize, Bad Weather by Bryant Apolonio. This story appears on the page as narratives in two columns —the parallel time and juxtaposed imagery, as well as points of collision between the two threads, worked symbiotically as a complete read. I also really enjoyed The Voyeur by Elizabeth Flux, a haunting narrative in which we follow a “Visit Day.” The narrative being takes us through memories and the protocols that govern this very process, and how “rapidly intoxicated” the possibilities afforded by the process make this being feel. The exploration of both watching and being watched was fascinating, and Flux had me totally entranced!
This was a really engaging and vibrant anthology of works, and I look forward to many more editions from the Liminal team! Available in November 2020, and a sample is available to read alongside pre-order information here https://www.panterapress.com.au/product/collisions-copy/. Many thanks to Pantera Press for a review copy.
dylan2219's review
inspiring
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Being an anthology, this is a bit of a mixed bag, so difficult to review fairly. I don't want to dwell on those I didn't like that much because, frankly, I'm more grateful that these writers finally have a platform to publish work and get recognition, and a lot of those published here are very new or emerging, so it would be unfair to expect the same as I would from a novel or short story collection. The main problem was just an overuse of signposting and referencing for me, a lack of clear editing. But this is more a fault, I think, of the prize anthology format. Every writer in this collection is doing great work and is capable of it, though, and I'm grateful to Liminal to getting this out there. That being said, there are some real bangers in here - none the least Leah Jing McIntosh's brilliant manifesto/introductory essay - all in all a great selection of Aus writers of colour to keep an eye out for, and particularly those experimenting with language, form, and genre in really interesting ways. My favourites had a sense of cultural hybridity and syncretism, a genuinely post- and anti-colonial attempt at thinking about "Australian" writing. Was intrigued by the fact that most of the stories here have some magical realist/speculative/or otherwise surrealist qualities, others are kind of suburban comedy-dramas. A surprising lack of landscape/wilderness writing as well - a well-known Aus trope - which I can't help but feel is a pointed attempt to forge new traditions.
My highlights (in textual order):
Bad Weather - Bryant Apolonio
Auburn Heights - Naima Ibrahim
Tongue - Jessica Zhan Mei Yu
Suburban Graveyard - Victor Chrisnaa Senthinahan
Terranorra - Mykaela Saunders
My highlights (in textual order):
Bad Weather - Bryant Apolonio
Auburn Heights - Naima Ibrahim
Tongue - Jessica Zhan Mei Yu
Suburban Graveyard - Victor Chrisnaa Senthinahan
Terranorra - Mykaela Saunders
anna_hepworth's review
4.0
I read this slowly, mostly because there were some stories I just didn't get. I don't think that this is a failing of the anthology, I think it is a limitation in the writing conventions that I'm familiar with, leaving me with no way in to those stories. As such, I won't be talking about those stories.
All of the editors get to have a say in the introductions. The main introduction, by McIntosh, is beautifully done. It gives a strong sense of the reasons for the anthology, as well as anchoring it in place and time with respect to the Australian literary scene. The others are both concise and interesting.
The anthology is grouped into three sections: Bodies, Momentum, and Contact. I didn't read it with these in mind, and have not really engaged with the groupings, so have ignored that in the notes below. Sadly, I appear to have lost the notes on the later two sections, so my comments on the earlier stories are more comprehensive.
The opening story, See You Tomorrow (Claire Cao) is an atmospheric story about the passing of time that weaves together the lives of two friends over the course of a lunch date. So many details that I loved, including the evocation of the changes in the local landscape, the possibilities of romance for older women, and the way I could nearly smell the food.
Bad Weather (Bryant Apolonio) also weaves together two stories, but uses a literary conceit-- presenting much of the stories concurrently down separate columns-- to highlight this. This was initially confusing but ultimately really powerful. Prose poetry is not something I really get, so I struggled.
МРz (Eda GМ_naydin*) is a tiny, slice-of-life but very bogan queer romance.
Auburn Heights (Naima Ibrahim) is a painful story of colonisation, although because it is set at the suburb level it has been given the euphemism "gentrification".
The Voyeur (Elizabeth Flux) is very creepy - our protagonist can visit the past of their ancestors, and loses themself in the process.
Suburban Graveyard (Victor Chrisnaa Sentinanthan) is another disturbing and creepy story, this time about the consequences of converting ones backyard to a graveyard.
Terranora (Mykaela Saunders) is an Indigenous viewpoint post-apocalyptic Australia. There are so many ideas packed in to this story, about family and community and country, survival, recovery, the inter-connectedness that is needed for survival.
The Revolution Will Be Pirated (Bobuq Sayed) focuses on an antifacist group attempting to avoid the police and white supremacists in order to disrupt a fascist march though an immigrant neighbourhood.
The final piece is Wish You Were (Claire Coleman), which is a chilling story of an unexpected life after death.
* Apologies to the author for the incorrect spelling, I can't work out how to get the correct characters out of my computer.
All of the editors get to have a say in the introductions. The main introduction, by McIntosh, is beautifully done. It gives a strong sense of the reasons for the anthology, as well as anchoring it in place and time with respect to the Australian literary scene. The others are both concise and interesting.
The anthology is grouped into three sections: Bodies, Momentum, and Contact. I didn't read it with these in mind, and have not really engaged with the groupings, so have ignored that in the notes below. Sadly, I appear to have lost the notes on the later two sections, so my comments on the earlier stories are more comprehensive.
The opening story, See You Tomorrow (Claire Cao) is an atmospheric story about the passing of time that weaves together the lives of two friends over the course of a lunch date. So many details that I loved, including the evocation of the changes in the local landscape, the possibilities of romance for older women, and the way I could nearly smell the food.
Bad Weather (Bryant Apolonio) also weaves together two stories, but uses a literary conceit-- presenting much of the stories concurrently down separate columns-- to highlight this. This was initially confusing but ultimately really powerful. Prose poetry is not something I really get, so I struggled.
МРz (Eda GМ_naydin*) is a tiny, slice-of-life but very bogan queer romance.
Auburn Heights (Naima Ibrahim) is a painful story of colonisation, although because it is set at the suburb level it has been given the euphemism "gentrification".
The Voyeur (Elizabeth Flux) is very creepy - our protagonist can visit the past of their ancestors, and loses themself in the process.
Suburban Graveyard (Victor Chrisnaa Sentinanthan) is another disturbing and creepy story, this time about the consequences of converting ones backyard to a graveyard.
Terranora (Mykaela Saunders) is an Indigenous viewpoint post-apocalyptic Australia. There are so many ideas packed in to this story, about family and community and country, survival, recovery, the inter-connectedness that is needed for survival.
The Revolution Will Be Pirated (Bobuq Sayed) focuses on an antifacist group attempting to avoid the police and white supremacists in order to disrupt a fascist march though an immigrant neighbourhood.
The final piece is Wish You Were (Claire Coleman), which is a chilling story of an unexpected life after death.
* Apologies to the author for the incorrect spelling, I can't work out how to get the correct characters out of my computer.