AustLit

'Freddie O'Toole and his crusty manservant, Gruntenguile, find themselves on a time-travelling adventure to the supercontinent of Pangea (250 million years ago). They discover an environmental catastrophe caused by marooned aliens, but to have a chance of saving the planet they must first compete in the Tournament of Blood.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'In 1838, Dr Alexander Skinner leaves Scotland for Australia to make his fortune. He had met Scots whose families owned sugar plantations in the West Indies and been told that Australia's climate might be equally suitable for growing sugar. Dr Skinner is intrigued by the prospect of sugar production and the potential growth of a global industry. A restless, tenacious, often relentless character, Dr Skinner pushes himself and his family towards his single-minded goal of success in an untamed country.In 1838, Dr Alexander Skinner leaves Scotland for Australia to make his fortune. He had met Scots whose families owned sugar plantations in the West Indies and been told that Australia's climate might be equally suitable for growing sugar. Dr Skinner is intrigued by the prospect of sugar production and the potential growth of a global industry. A restless, tenacious, often relentless character, Dr Skinner pushes himself and his family towards his single-minded goal of success in an untamed country.

'Author Lois Shepheard's investigation retraces this man's life alongside the history of an Australian industry and its communities, through New South Wales state records, 19th century newspapers, ships' passenger lists and a treasure trove of personal letters. The Sugar Doctor examines Dr Skinner's successes and losses as he traverses urban and rural Australia, with a few years in the Philippines to learn the sugarcane trade. Shepheard skilfully weaves this tapestry of settlement in Australia, stitched with the threads of Dr Skinner, his family life and the deeds of his friends, relatives and associates. The Sugar Doctor is an evocative portrayal of 19th century Australian society and of the brave souls who helped lay the foundations of a nation.' (Publication summary)

'Welcome to Yellowcake Springs; a pristine, friendly, secure community of citizens involved in the maintenance of one of Western Australia's CIQ Sinocorp nuclear reactor facilities. You have nothing to fear inside the heavily-guarded community, nestled in the quiet streets between the radiation Red Zone and the razor-wired fences. Raise a family. Go to the park. Watch the sun set between the cooling towers. Lament the desperate lives of the lost ones living in the darklands outside the community, where overpopulation and starvation have created a lawless world. Feel lucky. You belong to CIQ Sinocorp now.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

(Publication summary)

'Emme, illegitimate daughter of a woman who hates and beats her, longs to run away from her primitive, barbaric village.

'When a stranger appears in her forest and entices her to run away with him to his home, the great city, she agrees. Abruptly a black portal opens up. Thrust into the portal, she finds herself in an alien city on the other side of the world.

'Realising she has been tricked, Emme flees into the vast grey maze and finds a world full of enemies - relentless enemies who would turn her in for the hefty price on her head.

'Alone, vulnerable, and longing for the reason she is here, Emme does not know who to trust. Can she trust the cunning street rats and their secretive gentleman leader? The deadly magic-wielding priests who long ago lost their innocence when they enacted a sinister ritual of human sacrifice? The stranger who risked everything to bring her here and has put the price on her head? The powerful, corrupt underground organisation of the Black Bands? Or maybe, in a bleak wintry city of strangers and a dark past, Emme can only rely upon herself and her quest for the truth.' (Publisher's blurb)

'An historical novel and adventure story depicting the fate of women on the tall ships of the 19th Century. Sailing from Queensland to Melanesia in 1903, 17 year-old Hilda Kofke accompanies her beloved father, a government officer on his final labour recruiting voyage through the South Seas. Far from the pacifist and champion of Pacific islanders' rights she believed him to be, Hilda learns that her father was once 'the butcher of New Guinea' who believed in the perfect logic of the pre-emptive strike.' (Publication summary)

'Put The Billy On gives us insights into what it was like to grow up in Australia in the 1930s and 40s. The story is mixed with undertones of delightful humour and fading innocence. Historical events, such as the lead up to World War II, are artfully compared to the tensions in the speaker's own life. Ann Jones invites us to reflect on how far we've come, and the precious things that may have been lost on the way.' (Source: On-line)