Terror Australis: Best Australian Horror

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Terror Australis: Best Australian Horror (Sydney: Coronet, 1993) was Australia's first original mass-market horror anthology for adults. It was edited by Leigh Blackmore. (It is technically preceded by Bill Congreve's anthology Intimate Armageddons (MirrorDanse Books) (1992) - however, that book did not have mass market distribution). Terror Australis the anthology grew from the magazine Terror Australis and drew on the talents of horror writers centred around Sydney's Gargoyle Club Horror Writers and Artists' Society; however it also featured many of Australia's big-name sf and horror writers. A companion volume of sf stories, Mortal Fire: Best Australian SF,edited by Terry Dowling and Van Ikin, was issued by Coronet the same year).

The quantity of internal artwork featured, designed to showcase horror work in art as well as fiction, made it something of an innovation amongst paperbacks of the time in Australia. Robert Bloch, called the volume "a landmark - a monument to the genre".

There was to have been a followup volume, however, Hodder & Stoughton (Coronet) were bought out by UK publisher Headline to form Hodder Headline, and the new owners did not take up the option for a continuing series.

[edit] Contents

  • Leanne Frahm, "Catalyst"
  • Terry Dowling, "The Daemon Street Ghost-Trap"
  • Paul Lindsey, "The Wolves Are Running"
  • Sharon A. Hansen, "Chameleon"
  • Eddie van helden, "Mabuza's Plum"
  • Dr John Hugoe-Matthews, "Hantu-Rimba"
  • Dr. Louis F. Steel, "Can Has Faith"
  • Robert Hood, "Openings"
  • Guy Boothby, "Remorseless Vengeance"
  • Bryce J. Stevens, "A Gift from Gehenna"
  • Kendall Hoffmann, "Johnny Twofeller"
  • Steven Paulsen, "In the Light of the Lamp"
  • Chris G.C. Sequeira, "Feeling Empty"
  • Ann C. Whitehead, "The Nicholas Vine"
  • Geoff O'Callaghan, "The Keeper"
  • Rick Kennett, "Out of the Storm"
  • Sean Williams, "Twist of the Knife"
  • Sheila Hatherley, "The Hut"
  • Leigh Blackmore, "The Hourglass"
  • Michael Bryant, "A Dangerous Thing"
  • Sue Isle, "Makeover"
  • Dirk Strasser, "Dear Reader"
  • Eddie van Helden, "The Vivisector"
  • Cherry Wilder, "Anzac Day"
  • Bill Congreve, "Red Ambrosia"
  • Stephen Dedman, "Heir of the Wolf"
  • Greg Egan, "Neighbourhood Watch"
  • Bill Fewer, "Denials"

[edit] References

  • Mike Ashley & William G. Contento. The Supernatural Index: A Listing of Fantasy, Supernatural, Occult, Weird and Horror Anthologies. Wesport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1995, p. 733
  • Paul Collins (ed). The MUP Encyclopedia of Australian Science Fiction and Fantasy. Melbourne, Vic: Melbourne University Press, 1998, p. 46 (under entry on 'Dark Fantasy').
  • Steven Paulsen. "The State of the Australian Horror Fiction Magazine". Bloodsongs 1 (1994) and online at: [1]