Ted Egan

Allen & Unwin, 2019

Review by Nadine Maloney

During my nine years in the Northern Territory I’ve interviewed writer, musician and former NT Administrator Ted Egan numerous times for the ABC. Always informative and entertaining, he makes a great radio guest because his natural conversational style of language is very descriptive. Over the years I’ve spent a lot of time editing his interviews and I’ve become very familiar with his voice. And not just the rich tone and clear enunciation, but also the sing-song way he delivers his cracker yarns.My familiarity with that distinct voice made reading the paperback version of his latest book, Outback Songman, a slightly disconcerting experience. It honestly felt like I had a secret audiobook version, with Ted Egan himself narrating each page.

(more…)

Ender Başkan

Vre Books, 2019

Review by Fiona Dorrell

A Portrait of Alice as a Young Man follows two friends as they journey from Melbourne to Alice Springs for the first time. From Uluru through to Pigglys’ carpark, to Honeymoon Gap and the backyards of Eastside, this book relays a few immersive weeks in a small and intimate community. It brings an artist’s curiousity, delight, and sense of enquiry to the task. (more…)

Mel A Rowe

Review by Shona Ford

The Art of Dust by Territory author Mel A Rowe is, in her own words, ‘a love letter to the unique individuals who continue to shape the Northern Territory’. She isn’t wrong. From the well-meaning meddlers of small dusty towns, to the pet buffalo-come-notice board that meanders through the main street, everything about her novel rings with Territory charm. This rural romance has a heart that beats beyond the connection between the main characters. It celebrates the soul of a community and the steadfast nature of our dedication to family.

(more…)

By Kieran Finnane

UQP, 2016

Review by Sally Bothroyd

Alcohol, violence – and the interconnectedness of the two – are at the heart of this unflinching portrait of Alice Springs, told via a number of criminal trials.

As a journalist, Kieran Finnane has no doubt spent hundreds of hours in courtrooms, watching the mundane bureaucracy of the justice system, alongside the stories of utter tragedy.

(more…)

Steven Schubert

HarperCollins, 2019

Review by Kingsley Gittins

STEVEN SCHUBERT’S MANDATORY MURDER examines in great detail the scenario which led to the 2011 murder of Ray Nicefero down the track in Katherine. The former ABC Katherine reporter, now based in Alice Springs, systematically separates fact from rumour and highlights supposition with the careful ease of a practiced journalist. (more…)

Cheeky Dogs: To Lake Nash and Back 

Dion Beasley and Johanna Bell

Allen & Unwin Children’s, 2019

Review by Kingsley Gittins

Cheeky Dogs: To Lake Nash And Back is a fascinating visual journey into the heart of life in rural parts of the Northern Territory.

(more…)

Malediction: The Cursed Play

Sean Guy

Self-published, 2018

Review by Kingsley Gittins

 Sean Guy’s novel, Malediction: The Cursed Play, is an engaging and well-written tribute to all things Shakespeare. The story takes the form of a reverse whodunnit, where the actors in a cursed play are all alive, but they’re convinced the curse will take one of their number before the performance is complete. (more…)