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tehani's review
4.0
You don't often come across unthemed anthologies in Aussie spec fic, but this is one! Some extraordinarily strong stories in this book, but tempered by some that I thought less than stellar. Longer review to follow.
thiefofcamorr's review
4.0
Loved the title, and all within were of quality.
Katharine is a judge for the Aurealis Awards. This review is the personal opinion of Katharine herself, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any judging panel, the judging coordinator or the Aurealis Awards management team.
To be safe, I won't be recording my review here until after the AA are over.
To be safe, I won't be recording my review here until after the AA are over.
michelle_e_goldsmith's review
4.0
Original review: http://www.vilutheril.com/?p=1286
Light Touch Paper, Stand Clear is loosely themed speculative fiction anthology, edited by Edwina Harvey and Simon Petrie, two of the editors involved with Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine. An eclectic collection containing stories from a variety of Australian and international authors, Light Touch Paper, Stand Clear is an engaging body of work that contains a number of excellent stories, quite a few memorable ones, and should have something to suit almost anyone.
Sparks that fly in many directions.
The title, Light Touch Paper, Stand Clear, references the instructions given for lighting fireworks. The anthology itself operates on the concept of a literal or figurative spark and the various possible results of its unleashed potential. This very open theme allows the authors a lot of leeway to let their imaginations run wild and results in a hugely varied collection.
Some of the stories engage quite directly with the theme while others are a little more oblique in their connection. Yet as a whole the collection itself succeeds in its ostensible purpose, showcasing the variety and quality of its contributors’ work.
A little something for everyone.
Much like lighting a real firework, you never know what you might get next with this anthology. A blazing inferno, a quick flash and burn, a delicate showing of stars, or a disappointing fizzle? Happily, the overall quality of the stories is high, and although personal taste dictates that some stories will appeal to certain readers more than others, none of these stories were duds prone to explode in one’s face. While there were a few stories I might not have picked if I was reading for an anthology of my own, they were all well written and I could see where their appeal might lie to other readers.
Due to the huge variance in tone, style and theme between stories it is quite hard to pick a favourite. The one that resonated with me the most however, was probably the opening story by Joanne Anderton, titled The Bone Chime Song. Extremely powerful and emotive for its length, Anderton’s story creates believable characters with which the reader can empathise and offers a fascinating glimpse into a beautifully well-realised fantasy world. A haunting love story of guilt, redemption and necromancy, The Bone Chime Song will leave you thinking long after you finish reading it. All in all, it impressed me and I look forward to reading more of the authors work in the future.
Following The Bone Chime Song is Sue Bursztynski’s humorous take on the origins of the Trojan War, Five Ways to Start a War. The story consists of five key figures’ rather differing accounts of how the conflict came about, which all interweave to paint a colourful picture of meddling deities, confused mortals, conniving kings, and a bed-hopping prince terrified of losing his royal member to divine vengeance. Helen attempts to avoid the inevitable catastrophe, yet finds that vain goddesses don’t often accept no for an answer. While I have read a number of retellings of the Trojan War’s beginnings, Bursztynski used the familiar elements in a way that felt fresh and made me laugh, marking her story as another favourite in this collection.
The Subjunctive Case by Robert Porteous is a well-crafted paranormal detective story with a distinctly Australian flavour (it’s set in Melbourne and I personally enjoyed recognizing the familiar places in which the story took place). All in all, I thought it was well-written and impressive work from a relatively new author.
The D____d by Adam Browne contains some delightfully weird imagery and tells the tale of Victorian colonialists attempting to terraform hell, Mary Had a Unicorn by Ripley Patton has a distinct moral and is strangely charming for a story about teen drug addiction, and The Godbreaker and Unggubadh the Mountain by Ian McHugh features interesting world-building and appealing, relatable non-human characters.
In most cases I prefer my story morals slightly more subtly executed than that of Sean McMullen’s Hard Cases. However, the writing was still good and the story was still creepy despite the somewhat heavy-handed treatment.
I would consider all thirteen stories in Light Touch Paper, Stand Clear to be well worth reading, yet unfortunately lack the time required to give all the attention they deserve. In addition, some stories elude concise summary and may be spoiled in my attempts to explain them. Besides, I did say half the fun was trying to guess what was coming next.
Why should you read this book?
Light Touch Paper, Stand Clear is an entertaining and enjoyable anthology containing stories of a consistently high quality with a couple of standouts. It contains a refreshing variety of original fiction with no boring stories or tired clichés. In my opinion, even just my few favourite stories were worth the cover price alone. All in all, I read some great new works by authors I knew, discovered some new authors to keep an eye on and will look out for any future anthologies by these editors and from this small press.
Light Touch Paper, Stand Clear is loosely themed speculative fiction anthology, edited by Edwina Harvey and Simon Petrie, two of the editors involved with Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine. An eclectic collection containing stories from a variety of Australian and international authors, Light Touch Paper, Stand Clear is an engaging body of work that contains a number of excellent stories, quite a few memorable ones, and should have something to suit almost anyone.
Sparks that fly in many directions.
The title, Light Touch Paper, Stand Clear, references the instructions given for lighting fireworks. The anthology itself operates on the concept of a literal or figurative spark and the various possible results of its unleashed potential. This very open theme allows the authors a lot of leeway to let their imaginations run wild and results in a hugely varied collection.
Some of the stories engage quite directly with the theme while others are a little more oblique in their connection. Yet as a whole the collection itself succeeds in its ostensible purpose, showcasing the variety and quality of its contributors’ work.
A little something for everyone.
Much like lighting a real firework, you never know what you might get next with this anthology. A blazing inferno, a quick flash and burn, a delicate showing of stars, or a disappointing fizzle? Happily, the overall quality of the stories is high, and although personal taste dictates that some stories will appeal to certain readers more than others, none of these stories were duds prone to explode in one’s face. While there were a few stories I might not have picked if I was reading for an anthology of my own, they were all well written and I could see where their appeal might lie to other readers.
Due to the huge variance in tone, style and theme between stories it is quite hard to pick a favourite. The one that resonated with me the most however, was probably the opening story by Joanne Anderton, titled The Bone Chime Song. Extremely powerful and emotive for its length, Anderton’s story creates believable characters with which the reader can empathise and offers a fascinating glimpse into a beautifully well-realised fantasy world. A haunting love story of guilt, redemption and necromancy, The Bone Chime Song will leave you thinking long after you finish reading it. All in all, it impressed me and I look forward to reading more of the authors work in the future.
Following The Bone Chime Song is Sue Bursztynski’s humorous take on the origins of the Trojan War, Five Ways to Start a War. The story consists of five key figures’ rather differing accounts of how the conflict came about, which all interweave to paint a colourful picture of meddling deities, confused mortals, conniving kings, and a bed-hopping prince terrified of losing his royal member to divine vengeance. Helen attempts to avoid the inevitable catastrophe, yet finds that vain goddesses don’t often accept no for an answer. While I have read a number of retellings of the Trojan War’s beginnings, Bursztynski used the familiar elements in a way that felt fresh and made me laugh, marking her story as another favourite in this collection.
The Subjunctive Case by Robert Porteous is a well-crafted paranormal detective story with a distinctly Australian flavour (it’s set in Melbourne and I personally enjoyed recognizing the familiar places in which the story took place). All in all, I thought it was well-written and impressive work from a relatively new author.
The D____d by Adam Browne contains some delightfully weird imagery and tells the tale of Victorian colonialists attempting to terraform hell, Mary Had a Unicorn by Ripley Patton has a distinct moral and is strangely charming for a story about teen drug addiction, and The Godbreaker and Unggubadh the Mountain by Ian McHugh features interesting world-building and appealing, relatable non-human characters.
In most cases I prefer my story morals slightly more subtly executed than that of Sean McMullen’s Hard Cases. However, the writing was still good and the story was still creepy despite the somewhat heavy-handed treatment.
I would consider all thirteen stories in Light Touch Paper, Stand Clear to be well worth reading, yet unfortunately lack the time required to give all the attention they deserve. In addition, some stories elude concise summary and may be spoiled in my attempts to explain them. Besides, I did say half the fun was trying to guess what was coming next.
Why should you read this book?
Light Touch Paper, Stand Clear is an entertaining and enjoyable anthology containing stories of a consistently high quality with a couple of standouts. It contains a refreshing variety of original fiction with no boring stories or tired clichés. In my opinion, even just my few favourite stories were worth the cover price alone. All in all, I read some great new works by authors I knew, discovered some new authors to keep an eye on and will look out for any future anthologies by these editors and from this small press.
tsana's review
4.0
Light Touch Paper, Stand Clear is an unthemed anthology edited by Edwina Harvey and Simon Petrie. The anthology itself was shortlisted for a Ditmar award as was Joanne Anderton's story "The Bone Chime Song". Two stories were also shortlisted for Chronos Awards (the Victorian spec fic awards which will be announced at Continuum in a couple of weeks): “Five Ways to Start a War” by Sue Bursztynski and “The D_d” by Adam Browne.
Light Touch Paper, Stand Clear is quite a mixed bag as far as story content and style goes, not entirely surprising given that it's unthemed. When I was reading, it was impossible to guess what sort of story would come next.
My favourite stories were the quirkier ones. "History: Theory and Practice" by Dave Luckett and "The Travelling Salesman and the Farmer’s Daughter" by Katherine Cummings both involved a serious set up leading to more than initially met the eye. "Murder at the Tip" by Anna Tambour, "Mary Had a Unicorn" by Ripley Patton and "Hard Cases" by Sean McMullen took an offbeat premise and followed it through to the obvious conclusion without flinching. I particularly liked "Mary Had a Unicorn" although I can't say I'd want to live in that world with drugs so prevalent. On the other hand, "Hard Cases" gave me a bit more vicarious glee than is probably healthy.
Two other stories I quite liked (and which don't really fall in the quirky category) were "Faet's Fire" by Thoraiya Dyer, which had beautiful writing, and "Kindling" by Kathleen Jennings, which was a pleasant wander through the lives of bar patrons. I should also mention "Bone Chime Song" by Joanne Anderton, which is excellent, but which I skipped in Light Touch Paper, Stand Clear since I'd already read it.
More thoughts on each story, recorded as soon as I finished reading it, below. Overall, Light Touch Paper, Stand Clear is a diverse anthology which showcases a variety of stories and authors. I recommend it to fans of short fiction, perhaps looking for diverse reads in one single package.
~
"Bone Chime Song" by Joanne Anderton — previously read and reviewed, when I said "Eerie, well imagined. A complete world glimpsed through a short story."
"Five Ways to Start a War" by Sue Bursztynski — a tale of gods meddling in the lives of men and the real cause of the Trojan War. Interesting changes of perspective with each section.
"History: Theory and Practice" by Dave Luckett — Packed with a surprising amount of historical detail, an amusing story set in the Dark Ages. The protagonist is more than meets the eye. Enjoyed the reveal.
"D___d" by Adam Brown — exploration and industrialisation of hell. Sort of. Didn't quite do it for me (purely subjective reaction).
"The Travelling Salesman and the Farmer’s Daughter" by Katherine Cummings — Cute science fiction story with all the right elements. Travelling scout recruiting lost planets to the galactic empire. I expected a twist, but didn't quite pick it.
"Faet's Fire" by Thoraiya Dyer — A farm, a coal seam, a girl, a boy and Faet, a bird monster. Very well written and an enjoyable read, a little dark.
"Murder at the Tip" by Anna Tambour — About the horrors that could ensue were the irritating machines in our lives sentient and granted personhood. (Ironically, this was the story my Kobo chose to misbehave on.)
"The Subjunctive Case" by Robert Porteous — a detective story about a mysterious murder and a detective who can split himself into two parallel universe investigations.
"Mary Had a Unicorn" by Ripley Patton — a story set in a world in which drugs are particularly prevalent and unicorns have been genetically engineered to search and destroy them.
"Between the Lines" by Brenda Cooper — a story about conspiracies and hope in the future. I didn't find it entirely believable and it reminded me a bit of Cold War SF. Not a bad story, though.
"The Godbreaker and Unggubudh the Mountain" by Ian McHugh — a story of power struggles between fantasy creatures and mountain gods. Fight scenes a bit protracted for a short story.
"Hard Cases" by Sean McMullen — a story about a group of people taking a hard stand against the kind of people who refuse to believe in global warming. I enjoyed it, perhaps thanks to a bit of vicarious activism. Ahem.
"Kindling" by Kathleen Jennings — a story about paths crossing and diverging. A barmaid with a knack for bringing people together. I quite liked it.
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
Light Touch Paper, Stand Clear is quite a mixed bag as far as story content and style goes, not entirely surprising given that it's unthemed. When I was reading, it was impossible to guess what sort of story would come next.
My favourite stories were the quirkier ones. "History: Theory and Practice" by Dave Luckett and "The Travelling Salesman and the Farmer’s Daughter" by Katherine Cummings both involved a serious set up leading to more than initially met the eye. "Murder at the Tip" by Anna Tambour, "Mary Had a Unicorn" by Ripley Patton and "Hard Cases" by Sean McMullen took an offbeat premise and followed it through to the obvious conclusion without flinching. I particularly liked "Mary Had a Unicorn" although I can't say I'd want to live in that world with drugs so prevalent. On the other hand, "Hard Cases" gave me a bit more vicarious glee than is probably healthy.
Two other stories I quite liked (and which don't really fall in the quirky category) were "Faet's Fire" by Thoraiya Dyer, which had beautiful writing, and "Kindling" by Kathleen Jennings, which was a pleasant wander through the lives of bar patrons. I should also mention "Bone Chime Song" by Joanne Anderton, which is excellent, but which I skipped in Light Touch Paper, Stand Clear since I'd already read it.
More thoughts on each story, recorded as soon as I finished reading it, below. Overall, Light Touch Paper, Stand Clear is a diverse anthology which showcases a variety of stories and authors. I recommend it to fans of short fiction, perhaps looking for diverse reads in one single package.
~
"Bone Chime Song" by Joanne Anderton — previously read and reviewed, when I said "Eerie, well imagined. A complete world glimpsed through a short story."
"Five Ways to Start a War" by Sue Bursztynski — a tale of gods meddling in the lives of men and the real cause of the Trojan War. Interesting changes of perspective with each section.
"History: Theory and Practice" by Dave Luckett — Packed with a surprising amount of historical detail, an amusing story set in the Dark Ages. The protagonist is more than meets the eye. Enjoyed the reveal.
"D___d" by Adam Brown — exploration and industrialisation of hell. Sort of. Didn't quite do it for me (purely subjective reaction).
"The Travelling Salesman and the Farmer’s Daughter" by Katherine Cummings — Cute science fiction story with all the right elements. Travelling scout recruiting lost planets to the galactic empire. I expected a twist, but didn't quite pick it.
"Faet's Fire" by Thoraiya Dyer — A farm, a coal seam, a girl, a boy and Faet, a bird monster. Very well written and an enjoyable read, a little dark.
"Murder at the Tip" by Anna Tambour — About the horrors that could ensue were the irritating machines in our lives sentient and granted personhood. (Ironically, this was the story my Kobo chose to misbehave on.)
"The Subjunctive Case" by Robert Porteous — a detective story about a mysterious murder and a detective who can split himself into two parallel universe investigations.
"Mary Had a Unicorn" by Ripley Patton — a story set in a world in which drugs are particularly prevalent and unicorns have been genetically engineered to search and destroy them.
"Between the Lines" by Brenda Cooper — a story about conspiracies and hope in the future. I didn't find it entirely believable and it reminded me a bit of Cold War SF. Not a bad story, though.
"The Godbreaker and Unggubudh the Mountain" by Ian McHugh — a story of power struggles between fantasy creatures and mountain gods. Fight scenes a bit protracted for a short story.
"Hard Cases" by Sean McMullen — a story about a group of people taking a hard stand against the kind of people who refuse to believe in global warming. I enjoyed it, perhaps thanks to a bit of vicarious activism. Ahem.
"Kindling" by Kathleen Jennings — a story about paths crossing and diverging. A barmaid with a knack for bringing people together. I quite liked it.
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
daveversace's review
4.0
This is a more or less unthemed anthology of mostly Australian speculative fiction short stories from Peggy Bright Books. First of all, while this is a collection of thirteen very interesting and well written stories - not one of them is a dud - it's a total mixed bag. There's no evident interconnection or sense that these stories form a greater whole. If there's an editorial hand at work, it's largely invisible. It's just a group of spec fic from across the wide range that the term implies.
The pick of the bunch is probably Joanne Anderton's 'The Bone Chime Song', in which a necromancer calls in an old lover to help him solve a grisly massacre. I reviewed Jo Anderton's Debris in June and with this story I've added her to my list of writers to follow. It's gruesome, tense and aches with the sadness of lost romance.
Others that appealed to me were Adam Browne's 'The D_____d', about the British Empire's military campaign into Hell, which twists Dante in a fun direction; Katherine Cummings' 'The Travelling Salesman and the Farmer's Daughter', which is a remarkably old-fashioned interplanetary SF yarn, told with such breezy confidence that I didn't mind that I guessed the ending; 'Mary had a Unicorn' by Ripley Patton, a brutal story of drug abuse and resentment whose core absurdity in no way diminishes its impact; 'The Godbreaker and Unggubudh the Mountain' by Ian McHugh, in which old enemies ally against a greater threat; and 'The Subjunctive Case' by Rob Porteous, a murder mystery featuring a private investigator with an extremely unusual advantage. Of the rest there are time travellers, conspiracies, robots, aliens and matchmaking bar wenches. Something for everyone, I guess.
Like I said, it's a collection of solid stories. I expect another reader might have a completely different subset of favourites, though I would be surprised at any top five that didn't include the Anderton. The implied world building in her story (and McHugh's, as well) is outstanding. Both could clearly bear further exploration. Overall I would recommend the collection for anyone interested in a pleasant variety of appetising spec fic.
The pick of the bunch is probably Joanne Anderton's 'The Bone Chime Song', in which a necromancer calls in an old lover to help him solve a grisly massacre. I reviewed Jo Anderton's Debris in June and with this story I've added her to my list of writers to follow. It's gruesome, tense and aches with the sadness of lost romance.
Others that appealed to me were Adam Browne's 'The D_____d', about the British Empire's military campaign into Hell, which twists Dante in a fun direction; Katherine Cummings' 'The Travelling Salesman and the Farmer's Daughter', which is a remarkably old-fashioned interplanetary SF yarn, told with such breezy confidence that I didn't mind that I guessed the ending; 'Mary had a Unicorn' by Ripley Patton, a brutal story of drug abuse and resentment whose core absurdity in no way diminishes its impact; 'The Godbreaker and Unggubudh the Mountain' by Ian McHugh, in which old enemies ally against a greater threat; and 'The Subjunctive Case' by Rob Porteous, a murder mystery featuring a private investigator with an extremely unusual advantage. Of the rest there are time travellers, conspiracies, robots, aliens and matchmaking bar wenches. Something for everyone, I guess.
Like I said, it's a collection of solid stories. I expect another reader might have a completely different subset of favourites, though I would be surprised at any top five that didn't include the Anderton. The implied world building in her story (and McHugh's, as well) is outstanding. Both could clearly bear further exploration. Overall I would recommend the collection for anyone interested in a pleasant variety of appetising spec fic.
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