Strap yourself in as three tales from award winning speculative fiction author David McDonald take you on a tour of time and space.
Visit a frozen post apocalyptic Earth, a galactic delivery service, and very Australian dystopia to discover what happens to ordinary people faced with extraordinary choices or challenges.
As usual, my thoughts on each individual story follow.
Cold Comfort — A longish story (novelette length, I think) about a frozen world where heat is currency and cold is death. The main character is a trader that travels between settlements (heat domes, basically) and comes across something interesting in a settlement no one else has visited in years. An interesting story. I particularly enjoyed the way more worldbuilding elements were revealed as it went along.
Through Wind and Weather — A short retelling of Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer... In space. Amusing, especially if you enjoy Christmas-themed stories.
Our Land Abounds — A dystopian future Australia, in a world where food and water scarcity have replaced oil scarcity. And which treats refugees even worse than at present. I didn’t mind the world building, but I didn’t think it ultimately packed a strong enough punch. Not a bad story, but I think it could have gone further and done more.
A neat little collection if you're after a quick read. My favourite story was definitely "Cold Comfort" — it was the meatiest of the collection. I would recommend getting the collection just for this story if you haven't already read it (it appeared in the FableCroft anthology Epilogue). Overall, this little triad showcases the author's range with different styles, from serious to tongue-in-cheek, and different settings.
4 / 5 stars
First published: 2014, Clan Destine Press
Series: No.
Format read: ePub
Source: review copy from author
Disclaimer: I know the author but have endeavoured to provide an unbiased review
Challenges: Australian Science Fiction Reading Challenge
Thanks for the suggestion, Tsana, looks good. I've scooted over to iBooks and bought it! :-)
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