Fiction Genres Recent Picks

New Zealand fiction

July 2009

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Singularity by Charlotte Grimshaw. (2009)
The stories in this collection cover a wide range of territory, from the depths of poverty to cushioned affluence, from London to Los Angeles, Ayers Rock to the black sand beaches of New Zealand's wild West Coast. The stories can be read as discrete pieces, yet each also contributes to a unifying narrative. Richly detailed, vivid with local colour, each story is an inspection of human motive and of the complex ties that bind the five principal characters together. (Book cover)

Beyond the wall of time, Russell Kirkpatrick. (2009)
The wall of time has fallen, leaving the Gods free to indulge their hunger for violence. Few know of their escape into mortal lands and these few struggle against the control of the malevolent mage Husk and with their own problems. Queen Stella, still in hiding, must make a deal with the Undying Man. His word is suspect, but her options are limited. Fisherman Noetos seeks revenge for the deaths of his loved ones, not yet realising the enemy is closer than even he can imagine. And the unconventional cosmographer Lenares is the only one with the power to prevent the Gods destroying the world, if she can get someone to believe her. The queen, fisherman and cosmographer must travel to Andratan to confront Husk. But whether they can break free of his hold on them, and defeat the Gods, is another matter entirely. (Amazon)

The angel's cut Elizabeth Knox. (2009)
Set in Hollywood, 1929. While Conrad Cole is working late on elaborate plans for his aeroplanes and his films, a mysterious stranger appears at his door. Xas soon finds himself caught up in the glamorous and treacherous world of movie-making and entangled with both Cole and a young woman who owes her life to the eccentric director. Both of them are drawn to Xas without knowing his secret, that under his shirt he hides the remnants of great snowy wings that set him apart from humankind, and that he is destined to wander the earth forever, always hearing the beating of feathers behind him, threatening him that his dark brother has found him again. (Amazon)

The saffron robe by H.B. & Jo Cutler. (2008)
A tale of adventure, romance and murder set in the mysterious countryside of Burma during communist attempts to take over this Eastern nation. After the British had relinquished their ruling power in this area, it became a hotbed for espionage and bribery. (Book cover)

Mother's day by Laurence Fearnley. (2009)
Life is tough for 40-year-old mother Maggie, home help caregiver. Her three children are all giving her a hard time, especially Bevan, who's in trouble with the police. But when she's assigned a musician in a wheelchair to care for, something new enters her life. Maggie's a singer, Tim a fine guitarist. They'll make music together, but tragedy is just around the corner. Then it's Mother's day and Maggie and her family gather. (Book cover)

The travellers by Ernest McIvor. (2008)
The Travellers is a unique collection of fictional stories from the post-war period of the 1950s and 1960s. They are set during a time of transition from the golden era of travel by train and by ship to the beginning of the modern era of travel by air. Each story describes, in fascinating detail, a chance encounter on their travels between two or more people from different walks of life, and the arguments or friendships that subsequently develop. (Book cover)

Magic Alex's revenge = die rache des magischen Alex = Te utu Aarihi miharo, by Michael O'Leary. (2008)
Following on from the first two parts, Unlevel Crossings and Straight, Magic Alex is a complex and often beguiling look at the 'Sixties' generation of peace and love and anti-materialism degenerated into the 'me, mine' selfishness sparked by the mid-eighties Rogernomics which continues into the 21st Century Schizoid Person, fuelled by technology and greed. This is a cultural and individual tour de force through the 20th Century and early 21st, it incorporates one person's attempt to understand and ride the nightmarish Dreamlander Express. (Book cover)

Weathered bones by Michele Powles. (2009)
The storm snaps the mast of a boat and the sound of old wood hitting bone wakes Antoinette. Across the harbour Grace sets down her cup of tea and watches it shudder as the wind shakes the house. And a hundred and fifty years ago the same storm slams into the boat which carries Eliza to New Zealand. This is no ordinary storm. This novel tells the story of Antoinette, a widowed grandmother, Grace an emotional young wife, and Eliza, the lighthouse keeper from another century, in a book of dark water, flowers and midnight paintings. (Book cover)

Thunder children by Kate Stirling. (2008)
Her memories of her childhood on the wretched gum fields of the northern Wairoa have a long-lasting effect on the original Thunder Child, Jessica Jackson. An only child who loses her mother at a very early age, she grows up obsessed with the feelings of poverty and loss. Her efforts to protect her own children from such deprivation become her downfall; her strong character leading her to strife along the way as she tries to influence events that are actually beyond her control. (Book cover)

Relief by Anna Taylor. (2009)
A little girl out of her depth in her friendship with an adult neighbour; an armed intruder thwarted by a bee; a woman determined to believe in her brother's goodness under the shadow of accusation; a Christmas diner guest who will only eat peas, these stories effortlessly mix the menacing and the comic, and handle real-life situations with warmth and subtlety. (Book cover)

The sea between Carol Thomas. (2009)
Charlotte is a conflicted woman, torn between her love for the handsome sea captain who has sailed into her life, and her passionate beliefs in fair treatment for women. In 1860s Canterbury, equal rights for women are still a dream, but for Charlotte it is a belief she will not yield, and a position she will not compromise, not even for marriage. But her strong head leads her into an emotional stalemate, the consequences of which will tear her family apart, as thwarted passions take a terrible revenge. (Book cover)

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