Terry’s chilling 2007 story "Toother" features in Ellen Datlow’s 2021 Body Shocks anthology from Tachyon Publications, October 2021. It is one of Terry's most reprinted tales and won the Australian Shadows Award in 2008. In the words of guest judge Richard Harland: "This is a story that does everything right."
Make Believe and Basic Black available from
Ticonderoga Publications
Australian publisher Ticonderoga Publications has
produced a handsome new edition of Terry’s 2007 International Horror
Guild Award winning collection Basic Black: Tales of Appropriate
Fear, together with a major companion volume: Make Believe: A
Terry Dowling Reader. Make Believe has an Introduction by
Simon Brown and features “Nobody’s Fool,” “Shatterwrack at
Breaklight,” “The Man Who Walks Away Behind The Eyes,” “The Robot is
Running Away from the Trees,” “The Man Who Lost Red,” “The Only Bird
in Her Name,” “The Last Elephant,” “Spinners,” “A Deadly Edge Their
Red Beaks Pass Along,” “Privateers’ Moon,” “Time of the Star” and
“Coyote Struck by Lightning.” These landmark volumes can be ordered
from
indiebooksonline or (or from Ticonderoga Publications, PO Box
29, Greenwood WA 6924).
Major Interview in The New York Review of Science Fiction
“A Darkling Smile: An Interview with Terry
Dowling” conducted by acclaimed US editor and academic Danel Olson
appeared in The New York Review of Science Fiction, Number
261, Vol.22, No.9, for May 2010.
Movie Options for "One Thing About the Night", "The Maze Man"
and "The Bullet That Grows In The Gun"
Terry’s chilling "One Thing About the Night" from
Ellen Datlow’s 2003 anthology The Dark: New Ghost Stories,
his 1984 story"The Maze Man" and 1985's “The Bullet That
Grows in the Gun" have been optioned by LA director
Sergio Pinheiro for development as film projects. Pinheiro received
considerable acclaim for his short film The Procedure [www.thedonnybrook.com] ,
winner of awards at five US short film festivals. The talented young
director hopes to develop one story as a short film project while
the others are in pre-production as a feature.
“Two Steps Along the Road” in Exotic Gothic 3
Terry’s chilling Vietnam ghost story “Two Steps
Along the Road” appeared in the US anthology Exotic Gothic 3:
Strange Visitations, edited by Danel Olson and published by
Ash-Tree Press in 2009.
Leigh Blackmore’s Honours thesis on Terry’s Tom Rynosseros Cycle
Leigh Blackmore completed a 15,000 word
Honours thesis for the Bachelor of Creative Writing at the
University of Wollongong entitled: "'Individuation', 'Mytho-realism'
and Surrealistic Traces in Terry Dowling's Tom Rynosseros Cycle".
This is the first tertiary thesis devoted to Terry’s work and
examines the Tom Tyson and his adventures in his future Australia in
terms of Jung, Surrealist theory and Joseph Campbell's conception of
the 'monomyth.' Leigh’s thesis will appear in a forthcoming
issue of Van Ikin’s Science Fiction: A Review of Speculative
Literature.
“The Daemon Street Ghost-Trap” in FLINCH from Gestalt Publishing
Terry’s chilling 1993 ghost story “The Daemon
Street Ghost-Trap” has been adapted by gifted comics artist Skye
Ogden for its appearance in FLINCH from Gestalt Publishing, PO Box
1506, Applecross WA 6953. FLINCH can be ordered through
www.gestaltcomics.com or at
Amazon.com
Rynemonn wins Peter McNamara Convenors’ Award for Excellence
Terry’s fourth and final volume in his celebrated
Tom Rynosseros saga won the 2007 Peter McNamara Convenors’ Award for
Excellence at the Aurealis Award ceremony held at the Judith Wright
Centre of Contemporary Arts in Brisbane on Saturday 26 January 2008.
“This work is the culmination of the exceptional Tom Rynosseros
stories that Dowling has published over more than a decade.” (http://www.aurealisawards.com/Winners.htm)
Basic Black Wins 2007 International Horror Guild Award for Best
Collection
Terry’s 2006 title from Cemetery Dance, Basic
Black: Tales of Appropriate Fear, has won the International Horror
Guild Award for Best Collection at the World Fantasy Convention in
Saratoga Springs, New York, on 1 November 2007. Terry tied with Glen
Hirshberg (American Morons) for the honour and was also nominated in
the short story category for “Cheat Light” from the Basic Black
collection.
Terry Completes PhD
In August 2006, Terry successfully completed his
doctorate in Creative Writing at the University of Western
Australia, the first degree of its kind to be conferred at that
University. The creative writing component was a mystery/dark
fantasy/horror novel, Clowns at Midnight, while the dissertation
component: “The Interactive Landscape: New Modes of Narrative in
Science Fiction” examined the computer adventure game as an
important new area of storytelling. TD won a University Scholarship
in 2002 to complete the degree.
“The Copsy Door” in Songs of the Dying Earth
Terry’s story “The Copsy Door” appears in the
2009 Jack Vance tribute anthology, Songs of the Dying Earth,
edited by Gardner Dozois and George R.R. Martin and published by
Subterranean Press, TOR and other publishers internationally.
Terry’s tribute story was written between 24 December 2007 and 6
January 2008 and concerns a contest of magicians.
Terry a Judge for the inaugural John Hinde Prize
In July 2008 Terry completed his duties for the
Australian Writers’ Guild as one of three judges for the inaugural
John Hinde Award for produced science fiction film and television
scripts. The $15,000 annual prize is the bequest of the late Aussie
film and TV critic John Hinde, who had a lifelong love of science
fiction films and television.
Rynemonn Launch
On Monday 1 October 2007, Rynemonn, the fourth
title in Terry’s internationally acclaimed Tom Rynosseros saga was
launched at Conflux 4 in Canberra by leading SF editor Jonathan
Strahan. Keith Stevenson of the new local imprint coeur de lion
introduced Strahan, who spoke about the importance of the series
generally and its vital place in Australian science fiction. Terry
talked of the Aphelion years and how the final stories in the
present volume were written in a white heat at the end of 2002 so
Aphelion founder and editor Peter McNamara could publish them in
Forever Shores and, more importantly, read the whole book before his
untimely death in mid-2004. An email from Mariann McNamara following
the Conflux launch said: “The opportunity to complete the Tom
stories is what held Mac’s passion to his life’s end…Mac probably
pushed Terry more than anyone ever could have – but for the absolute
best reasons…Mac and Terry had an abiding connect around the magic
these stories conveyed about Oz, and lost boys and dreams and
despair and all the rest.” Not surprisingly, Rynemonn is dedicated
to Peter’s memory. Nick Stathopoulos was present at the launch with
his striking cover art, and added sketches to the books as Terry
signed.
“The Suits at Auderlene” in Inferno
Terry’s modern-day ghost story “The Suits at
Auderlene” can be found as the closing story in Inferno, editor
Ellen Datlow’s follow-up horror anthology to The Dark. Set in rural
New South Wales, the story concerns six haunted suits of armour, a
meteorite and a mother’s surprisingly vicious quest for vengeance.
“Toother” in Eclipse
A new Blackwater Days story titled “Toother” has
appeared in Eclipse: New Science-Fiction and Fantasy, the first original US anthology from editor
Jonathan Strahan, published by Night Shade Books. “Toother” features
Dr Dan Truswell and his ‘psychosleuths’ Peter Rait and Phillip Crow
and concerns a particularly nasty serial killer.
“Jarkman at the Othergates” in Exotic Gothic
Terry’s Australian gothic tale “Jarkman at the
Othergates” has appeared in the US anthology Exotic Gothic:
Forbidden Tales from Our Gothic World, edited by Danel Olson and
published by Ash-Tree Press in time for Halloween 2007. A podcast of
the story read by Terry is available at
http://faculty.nhmccd.edu/dolson/
“La Profonde” in three Year’s Bests!
Terry’s story “La Profonde” from his collection
Basic Black: Tales of Appropriate Fear was picked for three Year’s
Best collections: by Ellen Datlow for the 2007 edition of The Year’s
Best Fantasy & Horror 20, by editors John Betancourt and Sean
Wallace for Horror: Best of the Year 2007 and by Bill Congreve and
Michelle Marquardt for Year’s Best Australian Science Fiction &
Fantasy 3.
Basic Black Wins University Prize
Terry’s 2006 collection Basic Black: Tales of
Appropriate Fear won a Special Commendation prize in the Prizes for
Higher Degree by Research Achievement for 2007 at the University of
Western Australia on 31 July 2007. The prize was given for
excellence in creative achievement in the previous academic year.
“The Magikkers” in Wizards/Dark Alchemy
Terry’s short story “The Magikkers” has appeared
in Wizards: Magical Tales from the Masters of Modern Fantasy in the
US (UK Dark Alchemy: Magical Tales from Masters of Modern Fantasy),
a Young Adult anthology edited by award-winning editors Jack Dann
and Gardner Dozois. Locus called the story “a moving expression of
the simple, selfless potentials of wizardly ability.” A podcast of Graeme Dunlop reading the story was posted as Far Fetched Fables No. 36 at District of Wonders on 23 December 2014.
Graphic Novel Introduction
Character Sketches 2007: Trauma & Joy,
the first instalment in an Australian annual comic anthology series from
Perth-based Gestalt Publishing Pty Ltd, features an Introduction by Terry.
Available in February 2007, Character Sketches features short comic
stories by Shaun Tan, Justin Randall, Chris Burns, Christian Read and others and
can be ordered from Gestalt Publishing, PO Box 1506, Applecross WA 6953 or by
visiting
www.gestaltcomics.com
Praise for The Jack Vance Treasury
Jonathan Strahan and Terry edited The Jack Vance Treasury,
a major career-spanning retrospective of Vance’s work published by
Subterranean Press in January 2007. This 235k-word volume features a
Preface by Vance, a foreword by George R.R. Martin and a fine cover
from US artist Tom Kidd.
“One could not ask for a more savoury Vancean buffet…a
first-rate selection of a grandmaster in all the disparate moods and periods of
his sixty-year career…The word ‘treasury’ in the title is well chosen. Here be
treasures.” Matthew Hughes, The SFSite, January 2007
“A Grand Master whose career spanned more than 60
years of dragons, aliens and wizards receives the perfect tribute.”
(A+) Paul Di Filippo, SciFi.com, January 2007
“Jack Vance’s artistry is undeniable, never more so
than when arrayed in such massiveness as here. A master stylist, he
combines a flair for dialogue (witty), description (painterly) and
detail (ornate but never egregious) with an ingenuity of plotting
and a fecundity of conceit that is unmatched within the field.
Thanks to the intelligent choices made by Dowling and Strahan, this
volume admirably displays his unparalleled way with language and
narrative, serving as the perfect tome for old-time fans and
newcomers alike.” Paul Di Filippo, SciFi.com, January 2007
“Here, editors Dowling and Strahan offer the
commendable results of poring through Vance’s prodigious oeuvre and
selecting stories to showcase his best work and feature some of his
most cherished recurring protagonists...With an introduction by
George Martin and insightful afterwords to each piece by Vance
himself, this is a celebration for his fans, an ideal introduction
for new readers of his work.” Carl Hays, American Library Association, February 2007
Basic Black: Tales of Appropriate Fear
Terry’s US collection, Basic Black: Tales of Appropriate Fear, was published by Cemetery
Dance Publications in March 2006, edited by Robert Morrish and with
a cover by Julia Morgan-Scott and an Introduction by Jonathan
Strahan. The collection brings together most of TD’s best-known dark
fantasy and horror tales with two new stories original to the
collection: “La Profonde” and “Cheat Light.”
From Fangoria “a formidable horror writer in the ‘quiet’ tradition of Charles Grant and Ramsey
Campbell…Basic Black gives us heavy-duty exposure to a writer who knows a thing
or two about the art of the scare...you can do much worse than spending time
letting him unfold his brand of darkness in your head.”
Fangoria #254 June 2006.
From the American Library Association “All pleasantly chilling…Dowling’s tales are masterfully pitched
to bring ‘appropriate’ chills at any hour of the day, and they
amount to one of the best recent collections of contemporary horror.”
Carl Hays / American Library Association, May 2006
From ASif! Australian Specfic in focus “A treasure trove of chilly delights…a landmark volume which
cements Dowling’s reputation as Australia’s foremost contemporary
practitioner of the weird tale.”
Leigh Blackmore, ASif! Australian Specfic in focus, September 2006
New
Major Encyclopedia Entry
A major encyclopedia entry on TD’s work can be found in Supernatural
Literature of the World: An Encyclopedia, edited by ST Joshi and Stefan
Dziemianowicz and published by Greenwood Press in 2005. The Dowling entry was
written by local horror/dark fantasy luminary Leigh Blackmore and covers Terry’s
work in the field up until late 2004. Among other important remarks, the entry
says: “Dowling’s work in the supernatural forms the most sophisticated and
extensive use of the weird mode in contemporary Australian literature.” [Read
the Encyclopedia entry]
“Among Thieves” Finally Available
One of Terry’s ‘lost’ stories from 1997, “Among Thieves”, finally appeared in
Running Wild: Essays, Fictions and Memoirs Presented to Michael Wilding, David
Brooks and Brian Kiernan (Eds), Manohar 2004, available from the Sydney
Association for Studies in Society and Culture at the University of Sydney.
Aurealis Interview
The complete text of Van Ikin’s interview with Terry for Aurealis
#30 (August 2002) is available in PDF.
Along with Pat Cadigan, James Patrick Kelly and four other writers and notables,
Terry was invited by the Estate of the late Paul Linebarger (aka Cordwainer
Smith) to become a Lord of the Instrumentality of Mankind for 2003, the
organisation’s third year of operation. Terry joins the likes of Robert
Silverberg, Gardner Dozois, Harlan Ellison, John Clute and Alan C. Elms and
others already on the list of Lords and Ladies approved by Smith’s daughters,
Rosana Linebarger Hart and Marcia Linebarger.
Clarion South
Terry was tutor for the second week (11-18 January 2004) of the inaugural
Clarion South writers’ workshop program held at Griffith University in Brisbane
in January-February 2004. Terry’s stint also included readings at Gilhoolie’s
Irish Pub in the city and at Griffith University’s Southbank campus.
Tom Rynosseros “Important”
Distinguished US academic, editor and critic Brian Attebery presented
“Aboriginality, Science Fiction, and One American Reader” at The Commonwealth
of Science Fiction conference held in Liverpool, England in August 2004. The
paper developed ideas presented in his keynote speech at the Fantastic Fictions
Symposium at Sydney University in 2002, where he referred to Terry’s Tom Rynosseros work as being “not only intricate and engaging, but important as
well.” This is a view supported by the Australian SF Reader website, which calls the Rynosseros cycle “the best and most ambitious Australian science fiction series ever written, and one of the best, ever, period.” (http://freesf.strandedinoz.com/wordpress/2007/10/rynemonn-leopard-dreaming-terry-dowling/)
Spot-checking the Emperor
Terry presented a paper at Fantastic Fictions Symposium held at the University
of Sydney on 27 September 2002. [Read
the paper here]
The Symposium was presented by the Centre
for Medieval Studies with support from the Sydney University Postgraduate
Representative Association.