The 2021 Sir Julius Vogel Award finalists have been announced. The awards recognize excellence in science fiction, fantasy, or horror works created by New Zealanders and New Zealand residents.
Best Novel
Gad’s Army by Drew Bryenton (Sci Fi Cafe)
The Stone Weta by Octavia Cade (Paper Road Press)
Transference by B.T. Keaton (Ingleside Avenue Press)
The Court of Mortals by A.J. Lancaster (Camberion Press)
Blood of the Sun by Dan Rabarts and Lee Murray (Raw Dog Screaming Press)
Signature Entertainment has unveiled the official UK trailer for an Australian sci-fi action thriller titled Occupation: Rainfall, from filmmaker Luke Sparke. Two years after aliens land on Earth, survivors from Sydney fight in a desperate war as the number of casualties continue to grow. It’s described as “Avatar meets Star Wars meets Independence Day,”
From the VFX team behind The Last Jedi and Blade Runner 2049, Sparke’s Occupation: Rainfall is a new “sci-fi action epic with an all star cast.” Temuera Morrison co-stars with Ken Jeong, Jet Tranter, Dan Ewing, Lawrence Makoare, Daniel Gillies, Dena Kaplan, and Jason Isaacs. This does have some massive VFX sequences, which is quite impressive, but the mash-up of unoriginal sci-fi ideas seems to be its biggest drawback.
Here’s the official UK trailer for Luke Sparke’s Occupation: Rainfall, direct from YouTube:
Our guest this month is Narrelle M Harris, who is talking about her new anthology of Sherlock Holmes stories. She will be joined by some of the authors, including Katya de Becerra, Lucy Sussex, LJM Owen, Jason Franks, and LisaFessler (Germany).
In the middle of the year that went nowhere, I asked writers from around the world to interpret what Holmes and/or Watson might be like if one or both came from a cultural background different from Conan Doyle’s London-centred Victorian/Edwardian England, in stories where they also did not have to be white upper-class men.
The characters could change in any and many ways to suit the story, so that readers could explore the Great Detective and his biographer from new and different angles.
Fourteen splendid writers took part in The Only One in the World, including:
Greg Herren, Atlin Merrick, Jack Fennell, Jason Franks, Natalie Conyer, Kerry Greenwood and David Greagg, Lisa Fessler, Lucy Sussex, Katya de Becerra, Jayantika Ganguly, LJM Owen, Raymond Gates, and JM Redmann
All of these authors rose to the challenge of finding diverse ways to bring the crime-solving partnership of Holmes and Watson to life in thirteen adventures.
This baker’s dozen take us on adventures in Ancient Egypt, Viking Iceland, and 17th century England; in 19th century Ireland, Germany, and Poland; in South Africa of the 1970s and New Orleans of the 1920s; and in contemporary Australia, USA, Russia, India and as a global citizen.
Clan Destine Press is delighted to reveal the beautiful cover, featuring portals into these different worlds, created by award-winning author-illustrator Judith Rossell.
In addition, beautiful internal illustrations have been created by Andrea L Farley (Altocello Art) to enhance each tale.
A stunning new series from Joss Whedon, written by Jane Espenson and Douglas Petrie. If the first episode is any indication, it will be a very interesting series. Set in Victorian England, where a strange incident endows various people with talents. Will the gifted (as they are known) be allowed to continue their lives? Or are they too much of a threat to the established order. It doesn’t help that one of them has become a serial killer.
Another riff on the Sherlock Holmes canon, this TV series focuses on a team of young friends who are initially hired by Watson to investigate a case. Unlike the original, this is a series about the supernatural, as monsters cross a dimensional rift to terrorise London. As I recall, the hell-hound was the only supernatural element in the original canon.
The (Baker St) Irregulars, plus Watson in the grey coat
It’s an interesting Netflix series, focussed on the inter-relationships between our young protagonists. A satisfying ending to series one seems to end the problem of the rift. It seems to be aimed at the YA market.Filming has apparently already begun on a second season. ❦
While we’re talking about variants on the Holmes canon, let me recommend Enola Holmes, a delightful film based on a novel The Missing Marquess. I was smitten by the opening scenes on the bicycle! An excellent film.
No, I didn’t kill the dead human. If I had, I wouldn’t dump the body in the station mall.
When Murderbot discovers a dead body on Preservation Station, it knows it is going to have to assist station security to determine who the body is (was), how they were killed (that should be relatively straightforward, at least), and why (because apparently that matters to a lot of people—who knew?)
Yes, the unthinkable is about to happen: Murderbot must voluntarily speak to humans!
The Adelaide Fan Review 
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