TE KORERO AHI KA
edited by Grace Bridges, Lee Murray and Aaron Compton
Review by Simon Litten
Te Korero Ahi Ka is a collection of works by members of Speculative Fiction New Zealand. The collection is of both new works and reprints, but the new works predominate. This is neither a themed anthology nor a collection of one particular author, rather it is a showcase of the variety of short stories (and occasional art work) produced by the members of Speculative Fiction New Zealand. To that end the collection is a very mixed bag with science fiction, fantasy, horror, poetry and even to my eye at least a non-genre work. Given that breadth of content what can one say about such a collection?
Did I enjoy it? Yes, I did. There was the odd piece that was not to my taste but that is no surprise with thirty plus written works.
Would I recommend it to others? Yes, I would.
Could I remember any of the stories? Yes, there were several pieces that stuck in my memory. Chief among them were:
- Gatekeeper, what toll? by Mike Reeves-McMillan was an intriguing story about the price that can be set on fame, fortune or revenge.
- Dance, tiny particle, dance by Sean Monaghan was an excellent piece about time dilation in the seconds before death.
- The Mysterious Mr Montague by Jane Percival was a delightful bit of horror. And
- Dancing west to east by Simon Petrie and Edwina Harvey was a story about hope after disaster.
As a showcase of talent Te Korero Ahi Ka has more than achieved that aim. All I can say is that if you enjoy short fiction, buy this book.