Magic Dirt: The Best of Sean Williams

by John Harwood (Introduction), Sean Williams

WINNER OF THE AUREALIS AWARD. "Sean Williams is without doubt the premier Australian speculative fiction writer of the age." - Aurealis An award-winning 15-year retrospective collection of award-winning fiction by the New York Times-best-selling writer.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Short Stories, Anthologies, Speculative Fiction

402 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

John Harwood is the author of two previous novels of Victorian Gothic suspense. Aside from fiction, his published work includes biography, poetry, political journalism and literary history. His acclaimed first novel, The Ghost Writer, won the International Horror Guild's First Novel Award. He lives in Hobart, Australia.

Reviews

[Jason Fischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable retrospective, with a good selection of Williams' short fiction from throughout his career. From a flooded postapocalyptic Adelaide through to an Iliad-obsessed AI and an undead plutocracy, there is definitely something for everyone here. A well presented volume, with some bonus haiku for those who dig their 5-7-5 :-) highly recommended.

[Ian Banks · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant collection of short stories from someone who is a major figure in modern Australian SF. A collection that shows an astonishing breadth of talent and - commendably in a collection of this length - very little repetition of ideas. There’s only one story that I would consider a dud and that’s more because the subject matter hasn’t aged very well rather than the way it was written.

[Emily Craven · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not a big secret that I am a big fan of Sean William's work (he's also a friend but if you've read through my reviews you'll notice that friend or not, I'm always honest about what I think of a book - and under 3 stars I don't post reviews). I can honestly say this was a wonderful book, and mainly it was wonderful because I was never quite sure how the stories were going to end, because Sean doesn't go for the most obvious, or most happily ever after ending (which caused me no amount of anguish in some of the tales!).

By far my favourite of the collection was the shortest story and the one for which the collection is named: The Magic Dirt Experiment. It has sparked a million ideas in my head for a YA book which I hope Mr Williams will be kind enough to let me explore one day! I did not want Reluctant Misty and the House on Burden Street to end the way it did at all, but man was it a good story! And the creepiest story by far in my mind was The Girl-Thing which again was a complete surprise upon the ending.

If you're a reader who likes their protagonist to always win out in the end then this may not be the best collection for you, but if you're a reader who wants to be gripped to the end and constantly surprised, give this little gem a shot.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes - you read a book (or in this case a story) just at the right time in your development of a reader - a story that sparks the imagination and fills you with wonder. I just happened upon this story just at the right time, and totally enjoyed the story as it unfolded.

Rendezvous With Rama did the same when I was a teen, and this story reminded me of that time when the world "painted" by the Author was just simply enthralling.

[Ticonderoga Publications · Rating 5 out of 5]

Standard Ticonderoga Disclaimer: We published this book because we loved it!