Benjamin Chandler

Benjamin Chandler reviews 'The Asylum' by John Harwood

July–August 2013, no. 353 • 25 June 2013

In The Asylum, the latest dark suspense novel from John Harwood, the author manages to walk a fine line between Gothic romance and contemporary psychological thriller. Or rather, he gambols gleefully along it, delighting his reader with familiar Gothic tropes while deftly interrogating his protagonist’s sense of her own self. There are mirrors here, an insane asylum, and enough startling coincid ... (read more)

Benjamin Chandler reviews 'A Very Unusual Pursuit: City of Orphans, Book One' by Catherine Jinks and 'Julius and the Watchmaker' by Tim Hehir

June 2013, no. 352 • 27 May 2013

The Victorian era has gripped the collective imagination of speculative fiction writers in much the same way the medieval period influenced our forebears. The nineteenth century gave us the Penny Dreadful, Dracula, and Frankenstein, and the melding in fiction of fantasy and reality, superstition and science. A spike in child labour was followed by its marked decline as society began associating ch ... (read more)

Benjamin Chandler reviews 'Liberator' by Richard Harland

September 2011, no. 334 • 22 August 2011

Richard Harland’s Liberator begins three months after its predecessor, Worldshaker (2009), left off. The optimism and exuberance that marked the success of the revolution has dimmed as the inhabitants of the newly renamed Liberator struggle with the realities of running the mobile juggernaut. A saboteur breeds havoc and mistrust between the governing council of Filthies and the remaining Upper D ... (read more)

Benjamin Chandler reviews 'Madigan Mine' by Kirstyn McDermott

December 2010–January 2011, no. 327 • 08 June 2011

Madigan Mine is the promising first novel by Kirstyn McDermott, who won the Aurealis, Ditmar and Chronos awards for her short story ‘Painless’. Narrated in the first person by Alex Bishop, a young man in his mid-twenties with not much going for him, Madigan Mine tells the story of Alex’s relationship with Madigan Sargood, a childhood friend who re-enters his life after a prolonged absence. T ... (read more)

Benjamin Chandler reviews 'Yellowcake' by Margo Lanagan and 'The Wilful Eye' edited by Isobelle Carmody and Nan McNab

May 2011, no. 331 • 21 April 2011

The ten tales in Margo Lanagan’s Yellowcake offer an eclectic glimpse behind the slender veil separating the everyday from the fantastic. The collection is peopled by monstrous gods and godly monsters, by scavengers, drifters, and fascinators. Its landscape incorporates hellish war zones, apocalyptic streetscapes, and haunting carnivals. There is hope and madness, betrayal and revenge. ... (read more)

Benjamin Chandler reviews 'Chasing Odysseus' by S.D. Gentill

April 2011, no. 330 • 26 March 2011

S.D. Gentill’s Chasing Odysseus provides a fresh perspective on Homer’s The Odyssey for young readers. It focuses on the adventures of Hero and her three brothers – Machaon, Lycon, and Cadmus – during the fall of Troy and on their subsequent pursuit of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, throughout his legendary voyages. The siblings are raised among the Herdsmen of Ida, who are allied with Troy bef ... (read more)