by NRB | 9 Jul 2024 | Fiction, SFF |
John Richards’ stories explore the phantasmagoric, the mysterious, and the follies of empire. The Gorgon Flower, John Richards’ first book, is an intriguing collection of speculative short fiction of impressive range that explores the space-time continuum. It...
by NRB | 4 Jul 2024 | Crime Scene, Non-fiction |
Love a good word list? More than 50 years since it was first compiled, this glossary of prison slang is a fascinating window into the past. In the early 1970s, two researchers for the yet-to-be-published Macquarie Dictionary, Sue Butler and Vanessa Mack, asked the...
by NRB | 2 Jul 2024 | Non-fiction |
Andrew Fowler argues that the AUKUS submarine deal compromises Australia’s sovereignty and exposes the country to the danger of nuclear waste. Vassal state: a state with varying degrees of independence in its internal affairs but dominated by another state in its...
by NRB | 27 Jun 2024 | Extracts, Fiction |
Deborah Callaghan’s sharply observed debut explores what can happen when a woman feels invisible – and starts pushing the boundaries. Audrey, the 38-year-old protagonist of The Little Clothes, is a smart lawyer who lives alone with her pet rabbit, Joni. As the...
by NRB | 25 Jun 2024 | Giveaways |
We’ve just passed the shortest day of the year, so it must be time for a Midwinter Giveaway. Now the days are getting longer … yet also colder. So here’s a great swag of books to cheer away the winter blues. To go into the draw to win all four...
by NRB | 20 Jun 2024 | Fiction, SFF |
Sharon Emmerichs gives the legend of Beowulf a makeover from the point of view of Beowulf’s niece. And yes, there is a dragon. Fryda, niece of the legendary King Beowulf, has always dreamed of becoming a warrior herself, despite her father’s refusal to allow her to...
by NRB | 18 Jun 2024 | Fiction |
Bel Schenk’s deceptively simple novel of a teenage boy’s response to a small-town scandal has a lot to say about gender relations. The Most Famous Boy in Town is the first novel from Bel Schenk, a Melbourne-based poet with three published poetry collections. It has a...
by NRB | 15 Jun 2024 | Subscribers |
Over the past few weeks there has been a technical problem with the NRB website and you may not have been receiving our regular emails about new reviews. Please accept our apologies. Fingers crossed we’ve now fixed this problem and you should receive emails as...
by NRB | 13 Jun 2024 | Non-fiction |
Geoffrey Robertson argues that the United Nations needs to establish a new court in order to bring Vladimir Putin to justice. Geoffrey Robertson is an internationally renowned lawyer specialising in human rights, and is a champion of the role of the courts in...
by NRB | 11 Jun 2024 | Fiction |
Set in an old house in the Tasmanian countryside, nothing is quite as expected in this second novel from Vogel-winner Kate Kruimink. The first thing to say about Heartsease is that – despite its title – it is not a comforting read. This is a story about loss...
by NRB | 6 Jun 2024 | Non-fiction |
Nova Weetman’s memoir about the loss of her husband and its impact on her family is both intimate and surprisingly uplifting. Nova Weetman has written a beautiful book about death and being left behind. I was moved by the story of the passing of her partner,...
by NRB | 4 Jun 2024 | Fiction |
The protagonist of Natalie Bayley’s novel embarks on an unusual and increasingly dangerous quest to honour the brother she lost in childhood. They are hanging me tomorrow … Each second is an eternity. I cannot sleep, I cannot eat. I lie wretched on the bed while...
JUNE WRIGHT Mother Paul series. Reviewed by Karen Chisholm6 December 2024June Wright has faded from view, but in 1948 her novel Murder in the Telephone [ … ]
ANDREW O’HAGAN Caledonian Road. Reviewed by Catherine Pardey5 December 2024This new novel from the author of Mayflies is set in London, but Glasgow is [ … ]
IAIN RYAN The Dream. Reviewed by Ben Ford Smith3 December 2024Iain Ryan’s latest novel continues his fascination with 1980s Queensland and [ … ]
MARINA YUSZCZUK Thirst. Reviewed by Ann Skea28 November 2024Argentinian writer Marina Yuszczuk puts her twist on the vampire novel in [ … ]