Author | Angela Slatter |
---|---|
Country | Australia |
Language | English |
Series | Verity Fassbinder |
Genre | Urban fantasy |
Publisher | Jo Fletcher Books |
Publication date | July 7, 2016 |
ISBN | 9781784294021 |
Followed by | Corpselight |
Vigil is a 2016 urban fantasy novel by Angela Slatter. It is the first novel in the Verity Fassbinder series. [1]
The series is set in an alternate Brisbane in which Weyrds, magical beings from European and Judeo-Christian mythology, live alongside normal humans. Verity Fassbinder is half human, half Weyrd and uneasily moves between their spheres as a detective who investigates supernatural cases. Her father was a Kinderfresser who consumed human children, while her mother was an ordinary human.
The book received mixed to positive reviews from critics. [2] Rjurik Davidson of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote that "Slatter handles the interaction of the modern digital world with the lost world of myth with considerable control", but felt that the portrayal of Brisbane was not as localized as it could be. [3]
Duncan Lawrie, writing for Vector, praised the book's setting, plot and use of mythology, while commenting that it would have benefited from more editing. Lawrie noted that Verity's status as a human/Weyrd hybrid allowed Slatter to explore themes of alienation and the immigrant experience. [4]
It was nominated for a Ditmar Award and Aurealis Award. [5] [6]
The Ditmar Award is Australia's oldest and best-known science fiction, fantasy and horror award, presented annually since 1969, usually at the Australian "Natcon". The historical nominations and results of the Award follow.
Ticonderoga Publications is an Australian independent publishing house founded by Russell B. Farr in 1996 and now run by Farr and Liz Grzyb. The publisher specializes in collections of science fiction short stories.
Tansy Rayner Roberts is an Australian fantasy writer. Her short stories have been published in a variety of genre magazines, including Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine and Aurealis. She also writes crime fiction as Livia Day.
Shane Jiraiya Cummings is an Australian horror and fantasy author and editor. He lives in Sydney with his partner Angela Challis. Cummings is best known as a short story writer. He has had more than 100 short stories published in Australia, New Zealand, North America, Europe, and Asia. As of 2015, he has written 12 books and edited 10 genre fiction magazines and anthologies, including the bestselling Rage Against the Night.
Jason Nahrung is an Australian horror author and journalist who lives in Melbourne with his partner Kirstyn McDermott. Nahrung has previously written for The Courier-Mail newspaper in Queensland, with a special interest in speculative fiction and horror-related topics. He was co-winner the 2005 William Atheling Jnr award for Criticism or Review. His first novel, The Darkness Within, was published in June 2007 by Hachette Livre in Australia. Nahrung has also published some horror and speculative fiction short stories.
Paul Haines was a New Zealand-born horror and speculative fiction writer. He lived in Melbourne with his wife and daughter.
Will Elliott is an Australian horror and fantasy writer living in Brisbane, Queensland. He currently tutors at the University of the Sunshine Coast.
Maxine McArthur is an Australian writer of science fiction.
Louise Katz is an Australian fantasy and science fiction novelist and academic.
Eidolon Publications was a small press publisher based in North Perth, Western Australia. The company previously published the speculative fiction magazine Eidolon which ran from 1990 to 2000 and published books under the name of Eidolon Books.
"Whispers of the Mist Children" is a 1999 fantasy short story by Australian writer Trudi Canavan.
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Kim Westwood is an Australian author born in Sydney and currently living in Canberra, the Australian Capital Territory.
The Aurealis Awards are presented annually by the Australia-based Chimaera Publications and WASFF to published works in order to "recognise the achievements of Australian science fiction, fantasy, horror writers". To qualify, a work must have been first published by an Australian citizen or permanent resident between 1 January and 31 December of the corresponding year; the presentation ceremony is held the following year. It has grown from a small function of around 20 people to a two-day event attended by over 200 people.
Angela Slatter is a writer based in Brisbane, Australia. Primarily working in the field of speculative fiction, she has focused on short stories since deciding to pursue writing in 2005, when she undertook a Graduate Diploma in Creative Writing. Since then she has written a number of short stories, many of which were included in her two compilations, Sourdough and Other Stories (2010) and The Girl With No Hands and other tales (2010).
Felicity Dowker is a speculative fiction writer from Victoria, Australia. She is predominantly recognised as a writer in the horror genre.
Deborah Biancotti is an Australian writer of speculative fiction.
Kirstyn McDermott is an Australian writer of speculative fiction.
Trent Jamieson is an Australian writer of speculative fiction.
Corpselight is a 2017 urban fantasy novel by Angela Slatter. It is the sequel to Vigil, and the second installment in the Verity Fassbinder series.