Join us for an Aurealis issue packed with SFF surprises, quirks and charms. Dirk Strasser concludes his series on the origin and early years of the Aurealis Awards in their thirtieth anniversary year with some stories about the first Award ceremonies. Rosanna Watts explores the psychological distress caused by environmental change in ‘Goodbye Lucy’. Stephen Higgins’ ‘Context’ is a ghost story that’s really about being human. Ben Blattberg’s ‘How Grandpa Bear Saved Old Oak From Fire’ looks at what it takes to make a society with his tale of smart animals in a post-human world. Story illustrations in this issue were by Peter Allert, Leah Clementson and Zuzanna. Annie Mills discusses the weird variances within one of the lesser-known fantasy races in ‘The Funny Thing About Kobolds’. Roger Leigh points out that the problem with comedy is nobody takes it seriously in ‘Weaving in the Humour: To Say Nothing of the Dog’. Rebecca Langham argues that SFF offers opportunities to challenge how we view and represent disability in ‘Reimagining Ability: Disability in Speculative Fiction’. And, as always, we have more than enough reviews to keep the most voracious reader happy until the next issue.
