Terror Australis: The Best of Australian Horror

Terror Australis: Best Australian Horror (Sydney: Coronet, 1993) was Australia's first original mass-market horror anthology for adults. It was edited by Leigh Blackmore. (It is technically preceded by Bill Congreve's anthology Intimate Armageddons (MirrorDanse Books) (1992) - however, that book did not have mass market distribution). Terror Australis the anthology grew from the magazine Terror Australis and drew on the talents of horror writers centred around Sydney's Gargoyle Club Horror Writers and Artists' Society; however it also featured many of Australia's big-name sf and horror writers. A companion volume of sf stories, Mortal Fire: Best Australian SF,edited by Terry Dowling and Van Ikin, was issued by Coronet the same year).The quantity of internal artwork featured, designed to showcase horror work in art as well as fiction, made it something of an innovation amongst paperbacks of the time in Australia. Robert Bloch, author of Psycho, called the volume "a landmark - a monument to the genre".Leanne Frahm's story from the anthology won the Ditmar Award for Best Australian Short Fiction.There was to have been a followup volume, however, Hodder & Stoughton (Coronet) were bought out by UK publisher Headline to form Hodder Headline, and the new owners did not take up the option for a continuing series.vii • Introduction: The Uneasy Chair (Terror Australis: The Best of Australian Horror) • (1993) • essay by Leigh Blackmore • 1 • Catalyst • (1993) • shortstory by Leanne Frahm • 2 • Catalyst • interior artwork by Gavin O'Keefe • 15 • The Daemon Street Ghost-Trap • (1993) • shortstory by Terry Dowling • 31 • The Wolves Are Running • (1989) • shortstory by Paul Lindsey • 40 • Chameleon • (1993) • shortstory by Sharon A. Hansen • 48 • Mabuza's Plum • (1992) • poem by Eddie Van Helden • 50 • Hantu-Rimba • (1993) • shortstory by Dr. John Hugoe-Matthews • 63 • Losing Faith • (1993) • shortstory by Louise M. Steer • 76 • Openings • (1993) • shortstory by Robert Hood • 77 • Openings • interior artwork by Steve Carter • 91 • Remorseless Vengeance • (1902) • shortstory by Guy Boothby • 92 • Remorseless Vengeance • interior artwork by Terry Austin • 101 • A Gift from Gehenna • (1993) • novelette by B. J. Stevens • 102 • A Gift from Gehenna • interior artwork by Kurt Stone [as by Kurtstone ] • 123 • Johnny Twofeller • (1993) • shortstory by Kendall Hoffman • 124 • Johnny Twofeller • interior artwork by Kurt Stone [as by Kurtstone ] • 137 • In the Light of the Lamp • (1993) • shortstory by Steven Paulsen • 152 • Feeling Empty • (1993) • shortstory by Christopher Sequeira • 153 • Feeling Empty • interior artwork by Philip Cornell • 157 • The Nicholas Vine • (1993) • shortstory by Ann C. Whitehead • 164 • The Keeper • (1993) • shortstory by Geoff O'Callaghan • 165 • The Keeper • interior artwork by Antoinette Rydyr • 170 • Out of the Storm • (1992) • shortstory by Rick Kennett • 171 • Out of the Storm • interior artwork by Neil Walpole • 186 • Twist of the Knife • (1991) • shortstory by Sean Williams (variant of A Twist of the Knife) • 187 • Twist of the Knife • interior artwork by Antoinette Rydyr • 203 • The Hut • (1993) • shortstory by Sheila Hatherley • 214 • The Hourglass • (1993) • novelette by Leigh Blackmore • 215 • The Hourglass • interior artwork by Gavin O'Keefe • 236 • A Dangerous Thing • (1993) • shortstory by Michael Bryant • 244 • Makeover • (1993) • shortstory by Sue Isle • 245 • Makeover • interior artwork by Neil Walpole • 257 • Dear Reader • (1993) • shortstory by Dirk Strasser • 264 • The Vivisector • (1993) • shortstory by Eddie Van Helden • 269 • Anzac Day • (1990) • shortstory by Cherry Wilder • 270 • Anzac Day • interior artwork by Gavin O'Keefe • 288 • Red Ambrosia • (1993) • shortstory by Bill Congreve • 298 • Heir of the Wolf • (1993) • shortstory by Stephen Dedman • 304 • Neighbourhood Watch • (1987) • shortstory by Greg Egan • 305 • Neighbourhood Watch • interior artwork by Steve Carter • 323 • Denials • (1989) • shortstory by Bill Fewer