Australian Short Stories

A collection of four critically acclaimed, gripping short novels that delve into the depths of survival, obsession, and the dark side of human nature.Box of Bones Jim, an American expat teaching English in the Philippines, wakes up after a night out to find himself trapped inside a pitch-black coffin—running out of oxygen and out of time. With only his cell phone and his wits, he must fight panic and exhaustion in a desperate race against death.Six Bullets Thirteen months after a massive asteroid wiped out civilization, survivalist Burt James is still alive—bunkered in his fortified ...

A fascinating collection of short stories by some of Australia's best classic writers.

When Ella boards a sumptuous charter off the coast of Australia, she feels…dread. Her husband, Mac, the social butterfly who makes these wellness retreats so much easier to navigate, is stuck at work, leaving her exposed to the other passengers. Luckily, she forms an instant bond with the charismatic Chloe, a newly single woman salving a broken heart. But as the friendship grows, Ella discovers they share more than the need for an escape, and their devastating connection has the power to forever alter their lives.

Featuring sword-happy heroes, badly-behaved Gods, a monstrous minotaur, a narcoleptic dragon and more nymphs than you can poke a stick at!

Since the beginning of time, humanity has made one fatal mistake... Angels and demons are not who humans think they are. For millennia it has been up to the king of the demons, Lucian, to save humans and shifters from the horrors the angels inflict upon the world and the innocents living within it. He’s grown weary of the war and his passion for saving his charges has faded. But there is hope. It is said when the angels are close to achieving their goal, and Lucifer himself barely cares anymore, the tides will turn and love will cure all. Lucifer will find his one. His soul mate. A mate ...

A short story of some friends playing squash and falling in love

Dive deep into the mystical world of Aboriginal culture with Charles William Peck's landmark work, Australian Legends. As one of the earliest compilations, this book intricately narrates tales steeped in Dreamtime mythology, helping you explore the indigenous culture's understanding of the cosmos, morality, and the natural world. Peck's storytelling draws you into an ancestral past that resonates profoundly with modern listeners.

Inspired by a personal moment of profound love and generosity, Trent Dalton, best-selling author and one of Australia's finest journalists, spent two months in 2021 speaking to people from all walks of life, asking them one simple and direct question: Can you please tell me a love story? The result is an immensely warm, poignant, funny, and moving book about love in all its guises.

Good girls and bad girls, they're everywhere. Which one are you? Girls is a collection of short stories about young women in the city and the country, who are living with choices made by, and for, them. Dive into their lives.

When Alison Strange receives a debt claim she can’t afford to pay from the Australian government’s unemployment office, she’s caught completely off-balance. As she wrestles with a slippery bureaucracy, her history-loving grandfather bolsters her resolve with the story of their ancestor John Strange, an English cobbler who was banished to Australia for his part in a political movement. Drawing inspiration from John’s life, Alison finds her own unique way to demand a future that’s fair for all.

Nostalgia Loneliness Discovery This collection, the second of its kind, is the result of three challenging but productive years after the author moved to the Rockingham area in Western Australia. Chosen for their evocative locations, they range from historicals to touches of speculative fiction, from light humour to nostalgic peregrinations, and contain within them the weight and heft of experience, rather than flights of fancy. It will be no surprise that the salient emotion in these works is loneliness in its many guises. All the stories in this clutch have been published and/or awarded ...

'Fans of Maeve Binchy and Cathy Kelly will love this.' A story of the aftermath, of picking up the pieces, of finding yourself again and discovering that life isn’t always easy . . . it’s not meant to be, but it can be worth it. Ann Maguire believes that discovering the truth of her past will set her free, but sometimes having all the answers isn’t enough . . . Forced to leave Dublin after her marriage crumbles, Ann returns to her childhood home of Knockmore, to find herself even more isolated than before. Catapulted back to grieving for her parents and the life she once knew, ...

Jack goes on a second honeymoon and encounters raging floods, a hot air balloon that goes ballistic, and a car that is sinking in quicksand. He goes back to work where it's safe and is accosted by a Bikie with a grudge. There is a fight, Jacks beaten to a pulp, but he's the last man standing. Then he collapses. He undergoes emergency surgery and must contemplate life in a wheelchair! If that isn't enough he has to cope with a high school reunion that goes badly wrong, a gun toting husband and an unhinged scientist with a nuclear bomb. It takes all Jack's resourcefulness, his ability to ...

Dive into the heart of an Australian Christmas with A Perfectly Imperfect Christmas, a touching collection of four magical realism stories that explore the nuances of family, tradition, and the beauty of imperfection. Follow Marjorie, a grandmother grappling with the weight of familial expectations as she seeks to redefine Christmas for her daughter and granddaughter. Discover Olivia, a young girl navigating the transition from childhood wonder to the realities of growing up, while encouraging her mother to reclaim her lost creative spark. Journey alongside Sarah, a single mom finding ...

Curl up by the fire with a glass of mulled wine or hot chocolate and celebrate the magic of Christmas, with these FIVE linked, heart-warming stories about love, hope and family. A Magical Christmas in Jerusalem Australian project manager Kiara Lonsdale is career focussed and determined to provide and care for the grandmother who raised her. Jacques Lenoir and his extended family run tours in Israel and he’s committed to their business. But over romantic dinners in the desert, camel rides, and mud baths at the Dead Sea, sparks fly between Kiara and Jacques. Will this only be a holiday ...

SURREAL, SUPERNATURAL, PARANORMAL, TRANSCENDENTAL, UNCANNY?The Axe: The desolate Australian outback is not a place to become stranded without water. Is it the stone axe which leads the desperate man to think he has been saved? Or is it all in his mind and is death creeping up silently?Alfredo: Is it possible to place a curse on a violin, a curse which will hunt down the members of just one family? The Mist: The becalmed yacht drifts into a misty haze in the hour before dawn, gliding into the raging fires of an oily hell of wartime death and destruction. A wounded sailor in the water fights ...

Onboard ship to the 1879 Sydney and Melbourne 1880 Expos, consultants Jed and Marie meet Robert and Jane. Discussing issues on women's rights sparks tension and a clash with Robert's traditional values. Yet Jed has a hint that something else is amiss. While Jed and Marie excitedly move forward with their part in the expo, little do they know a dark plot is unfolding. Counter-agents are set on sabotaging the Expo, coming up with some very creative ideas! The targets? Jed and Marie. As the danger escalates, Robert becomes an unwitting pawn, leading to a cliff-edge confrontation that will ...

Brighten your day and dive into Flat Spell Tales! The author, Tony Martello, transforms ordinary events in our lives into fiction based on half-realities. Drop in and surf stories about romance, revenge, treasure hunts, and humor. He invites you along with him on a variety of adventures that take you into extreme nature, complex human relationships, and animal allegories.

In his dazzling new collection, Israeli-Australian writer Ben Sharafski explores in six interconnected stories the underlying dramas of everyday life — from love to loss to betrayal — with insight, poignancy, and lyricism. "Excellent! Desperately sad” - Les Murray (on Two Lives, Intersected) “Filled with an almost tactile sense of place” – Natasha Watson “A remarkable achievement” – Fergus McDermott “A cryptic look at relationships and the struggle between compromise and temptation” – Sujoya Mukherjee “I could not put this final story down and read until 3am” - ...

From Jim Haynes, one of our most successful and prolific Australiana authors, comes a collection of classic Australian stories, yarns and furphies ... all of them unknown.Things are not always as they seem, or as we've been told. Was the Ghan really named after the Afghan traders, and do we really know what the Ashes are?