Dreaming Again (ed. by Jack Dann, Voyager, $39.99 tpb ISBN 9780732286255, July) *****

The release of the Dreaming Down-Under collection in 1998 marked a significant time for Australian speculative fiction. For those of us who were lucky or clever enough to get a copy it was a wild and brilliant showcase of stories that pushed the boundaries of science fiction, fantasy and horror in remarkable and sometimes challenging ways. After growing up with US and UK authors it was like a metaphoric air punch, seeing a whole list of great local talent right at the front of the  marketplace. Since then many of the contributors have gone on to become mainstays of Australian and international speculative fiction. This is the kind of phenomenon that Dann (pictured left) set out to replicate with his new collection Dreaming Again. The attempt sounds like hubris, until you get through the introduction. Dann is still as passionate about the quality of Australian speculative fiction as he was then, and just as right. Fantasy, horror and science all find a place here, though often not where expected. Here are stories that engage with the building blocks of our culture and others that give shape to our shared darkness and light. Dreaming Again is at once quintessentially Australian and enticingly other. If you read short fiction you’ll want this collection. If you don’t, this is a reason to start.

Stefen Brazulaitus is a customer service manager at Borders Perth

This review from Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2008, Thorpe-Bowker