Jack's anthology Wizards (titled Dark Alchemy in Great Britain and Australia), co-edited with Gardner Dozois, has been shortlisted for the World Fantasy Award.

A limited hardcover edition of Jack's short novel The Economy of Light has just been published by PS Publishing. Introduction by Michael Swanwick and cover by Vincent Chong. Also from PS Publishing, Jack's short story "Under the Shadow of Jonah" has appeared in PostScripts #15.

Jack’s anthology Dreaming Again, the sequel to Dreaming Down-Under has just been published in Australia to rave reviews:

 

The Australian  wrote: “Fine short story collections leave the reader wanting more: Dreaming Again certainly does. It is an excellent entree into the field, especially for anyone who has read little of what the Australian scene has to offer or is unaware of its depth of talent. The editing is first rate. None of the 35 stories outstays its welcome and the writing is consistently crisp and engaging. Each piece is prefaced by a short biography and is followed by a personal reflection by the author on matters such as what inspired the story and how it relates to their life and other work… As befits the genre, the reach of the collection is vast. It includes old fairytales told with a modern twist, avatars in online worlds such as Second Life, interstellar first contact and the far reaches of horror and fantasy. No other recent anthology has had such imaginative scope.”

 

The influential Bookseller+Publisher gave Dreaming Again a five star rating. B+P describe their five star rating as “an exceptional book of the very highest quality, regardless of genre”.

 

B+P wrote: “The release of the Dreaming Down-Under collection in 1998 marked a significant time for Australian speculative fiction. For those of us who were lucky or clever enough to get a copy it was a wild and brilliant showcase of stories that pushed the boundaries of science fiction, fantasy and horror in remarkable and sometimes challenging ways. After growing up with US and UK authors it was like a metaphoric air punch, seeing a whole list of great local talent right at the front of the marketplace. Since then many of the contributors have gone on to become mainstays of Australian and international speculative fiction. This is the kind of phenomenon that Dann set out to replicate with his new collection Dreaming Again. The attempt sounds like hubris, until you get through the introduction. Dann is still as passionate about the quality of Australian speculative fiction as he was then, and just as right. Fantasy, horror and science all find a place here, though often not where expected. Here are stories that engage with the building blocks of our culture and others that give shape to our shared darkness and light. Dreaming Again is at once quintessentially Australian and enticingly other. If you read short fiction you’ll want this collection. If you don’t, this is a reason to start.”

 

And the Sydney Morning Herald’s Spectrum wrote: “A decade ago, Australian fantasists made their mark on the world stage with the with the short story collection Dreaming Down-Under. It was praised by international genre stalwarts such as Harlan Ellison but the wait for a follow-up has been a long one, especially given the growing strength of Australian genre fiction. It is pleasing to report that Dreaming Again is arguably better than its predecessor… I would urge any fan of the short story itself, whether genre or otherwise, to dip into this deep treasure chest.”